Lacquered Sesame Chicken Bowls with Asian Pear

Jump to Recipe

Have you ever fallen hard for a recipe? You know, a dish that you cannot stop making? I recently fell for a new one and in the year that I’ve known it, I’ve made it six times. And for me, that’s saying a lot. I generally only make recipes once before moving on. I get distracted so easily when it comes to food. I’m not particularly good at following recipes either, I can’t help but riff. Yet another side effect of my short culinary attention span. But last year I made Pups with Chopsticks’ Peking Chicken recipe and I was instantly smitten. I didn’t even pause to riff. I just made it. But then I made it again and again and finally the riffing started. These Lacquered Sesame Chicken Bowls with Asian Pear are the result of that riffing.

In all fairness to myself, my impolite recipe etiquette is a direct result of my profession. I write recipes for a living so most of the time I’m testing one of my own and eating the evidence. There’s usually more than enough food in this house. There isn’t much need for me to cook anything other than what I’m cooking for work.

But every now and then, often when I’m testing an inordinate amount of desserts, I have the opportunity to explore the dinner and lunch recipes of others and it is glorious. I find it restorative. It shakes you out of ingredient ruts, reminds you of methods you haven’t used in a while, and/or opens you up to new ones. You could be the most informed, most seasoned chef in the world and you could still have something to learn. Food is an impossibly big subject, there is just no way of knowing it all. It would be like knowing the entirety of human history without needing to crack a book.

But enough about my approach to other people’s recipes, let’s talk about the Peking Chicken recipe that gave birth to these Lacquered Sesame Chicken Bowls. What I love about the original Peking Chicken recipe is how simple it is. It really is just a three-ingredient marinade that results in the tastiest, most visually appealing chicken ever. So, when it came time to riff on the marinade, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t mess with that perfect ratio of soy sauce, sugar, and dark soy sauce for color. But I did switch up the glaze, reduce the cooking time a hair, and basted the chicken in a slightly different way. Oh, and I served it over rice and paired it with fruits and veggies in various states of dress. But that’s riffing for you.

I often wonder if other recipe writers take issue with their reader’s riffing. I hope not. Most people are worried I’ll be offended if they add or take away from one of my recipes. It really doesn’t bother me. Honestly, I’m usually flattered. I think it’s great when my recipe inspires someone enough to want to take charge of their dinner. At the end of the day, recipes are teaching tools, not gospel. I would rather you take a method away from my recipe or a new favorite flavor combo than the recipe itself.

I only take issue with riffing when a person adds or takes away something that disrupts the structural integrity of the dish and then complains or leaves a bad review. To further that point, I would advise this – know your limit and riff within it. If you don’t know what’s vital to the chemical makeup of a cake, experiment with mix-ins and different flavors of frosting but leave the cake itself alone. Or don’t, but go forward with the expectation that your experiment might fail. And never forget, failure is the best teacher – this is particularly true if you’re trying your hand at writing your own recipes.

But enough about that, let’s talk about Asian pear coated in sesame oil, lime juice, and gochugaru or chunks of hot pepper lightly pickled in black vinegar. These are far more delicious topics. And can we talk about how amazing raw radish is? What I love most about these Lacquered Sesame Chicken Bowls is their contrast. The intermingling of raw and cooked ingredients. Clean and fresh tastes bumping up against funky, umami-rich flavors, and the unifying power of fluffy steamed rice. These bowls deliver everything a person like me needs, which is essentially twelve different eating experiences in a single bowl.

So that’s everything you need to know about these Lacquered Sesame Chicken Bowls with Asian Pear. A vibrant, visually appealing meal that delivers a different combination of flavors and textures in every bite.

Enjoy!