Steamed chicken with tangy vegetable sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 chicken breasts, if possible with skin
• 4 spring onions, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 100 ml sake, Japanese rice wine
• ½ tsp salt
• Salt, for serving
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small carrot(s), finely diced
• 15 cm celery, finely diced
• ½ bell pepper(s), red, pitted and finely diced
• ½ onion(s), finely diced
• 4 tsp vinegar, Kurosu, Japanese dark rice vinegar, alternatively balsamic vinegar
• 4 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, Japanese (Shoyu)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Mushi dori no kurosu and kake

Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag with the sake, spring onions, and salt, making sure the meat is well coated with the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Trim the vegetables for the sauce and cut them into very small cubes; I used a Nicer Dicer. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the carrots, celery, bell peppers, and onions. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer over low heat for 6-7 minutes. Place the meat and marinade in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil or baking paper, and steam in the oven for 12-15 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes. If you have a steamer, you can also steam the meat in it. Remove the skin from the chicken and cut the meat into 8 mm thick slices. Arrange the chicken on plates without the marinade and pour the sauce over it. I made about three times the amount of vegetables, though.