December 17th, 2007
Chicken Long Rice
I first heard of chicken long rice from my mother. When she got stranded in Hawaii during the 60’s airline strike with low funds it was the food of choice - cheap, filling and readily available. Although I haven’t developed as big a taste for it as my mom, this Chinese food is yummy and a staple at any luau. You can find it at many world food stores, but it goes by the name of “cellophane noodles”. To serve chicken long rice you will need:
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into small, equal sized pieces
For the marinade:
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (it’s cheap, and no, dry ginger spice isn’t the same!)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- dash of pepper
Stir-fry Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6-8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 2-4 chopped green onions
- 10 oz. long rice (cellophane noodles)
- 8 oz chicken broth
Combine the 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sugar and pepper to create a marinade. Add the chicken and refrigerate at least 1 hour. While the chicken is marinating,unwrap the long rice and soak it in cold water for a half hour. Then cut it into equal lengths - some recipes call for cutting the noodles in fourths, some for eighths. Decide on how much you want to “slurp” when you eat and cut the noodles accordingly 
OK now it’s time to get “wokkin”. Place a large skillet or wok over high heat. When it’s hot, add vegetable oil and the pieces of marinated chicken. Stir-fry until chicken no longer is pink, turning often. Reduce heat and add mushrooms, green onions, long rice, chicken broth and the remainder of the soy sauce. Simmer until hot, stirring often - about 3 minutes. DON’T OVERCOOK, long rice soaks up the sauce fast and turns into a nasty, gummy mess if you simmer it too long.
That’s it - serve and enjoy!