Shoyu Chicken

Shoyu chicken

When I was a student at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, one of the first local dishes I learned to cook was shoyu chicken. It is yummy and the gingery taste is a reflection of the Japanese influence in Hawaiian cooking. Of course, there are hallmark Hawaiian dishes like poi and kahlua pig but those were more difficult to prepare without the proper equipment. You can't miss with shoyu chicken and it will always draw raves when you bring it to potluck parties or picnics. Once I visited my older brother in L.A., and his family liked my concoction a lot that they named it "ginger chicken." Shoyu means soy sauce so the dish may be called soy sauce chicken but calling it shoyu chicken is being true to its Hawaiian roots. Here's my kitchen-tested recipe:

Shoyu Chicken

3/4 kg chicken thighs
2 tbsps soy sauce
1-inch ginger (peeled and pounded)
1 tbsp cooking oil
¼ tsp sugar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 star anise
½ cup water
½ tsp crushed dried chili

Marinate chicken in soy sauce and ginger for at least 1 hour. Add oil to skillet. Pan fry marinated chicken and ginger until light brown. When chicken pieces have turned light brown, pour off excess oil. Add marinade, oyster sauce, sugar, star anise, water and crushed dried chili. Simmer for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Discard fried ginger before serving. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.