Dan Jacobs was a finalist on Top Chef. One of his main reasons for competing was to raise awareness of Kennedy’s disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder he was diagnosed with in 2016. Here, he shares two of his favorite recipes for home cooks.
Dan Jacobs’ Fried Rice
Serves 4-6 as a side or a larger portion for 2.
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade:
- 8 ounces chicken breast (about 1 large, diced into ½-inch cubes)
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp olive oil
You'll also need:
- 1 tbsp hot water
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or to taste)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/8 tsp white pepper (or to taste)
- 5 cups cooked rice
- 3 tablespoons canola oil (divided)
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
The day before, as best as you can, flatten the rice onto a sheet pan and place in your refrigerator. Make sure to leave a lot of airflow area as this will make a better rice.
Combine the chicken and marinade ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the hot water, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and white pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Take the rice and fluff it with your hands (you can rinse your hands in cold water if the rice starts sticking to them). Break up the clumps as best as possible. Heat the wok over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Add eggs and scramble until just done. Remove from the wok immediately, and set aside.
Heat the wok until just smoking and spread another tbsp oil around your wok. Sear the marinated chicken in one layer for 20 seconds. Stir-fry chicken until about 80 percent done. Remove chicken and set aside.
With the wok over medium-high heat, add final tbsp oil, and sauté onions until translucent. Add rice, and use metal spatula to flatten out and break any large clumps. If rice is cold from the refrigerator, continue stir-frying until it’s warm, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle a little water on large clumps of rice to break them up. If the rice was made fresh, cooking time will be faster. Make sure that the rice isn't too wet—which will make frying it impossible and not worth the effort.
Once the rice is warmed (very important or the sauce will not mix as well and the color of the rice will not be as uniform), add the sauce mixture and evenly coat the rice. Break up any remaining clumps of rice with the spatula. The rice should be hot by this time. Add the cooked chicken, along with any juices from the bowl. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add eggs, bean sprouts, and scallions, and continue stir-frying the rice for another 30 seconds. Then gather all of the rice into the middle of the wok to let the sides of the wok heat up.
After about 20 seconds, spread the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry for another 20 seconds. This step gives you a little of that extra "wok hei" that you taste when you get fried rice from a good Chinese restaurant. Serve!
Dan Jacobs’ Smashed Cucumber Salad
Serves 4-6 as a side or a larger portion for 2 with a grilled protein.
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 Persian cucumbers or 2 large seedless cucumbers
- ¼ cup mung bean sprouts
- ¼ cup sliced daikon radish
- ¼ cup scallions sliced as thin and long as possible
- 1 bunch cilantro roughly picked
- ¼ cup dill
- ¼ cup roasted and salted peanuts chopped in food processor
- 2 tbsp chili crunch
- 4 tbsp black vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup sesame oil
Put cucumbers in gallon Ziplock bag, unsealed. If using Persian cucumbers, chop them in thirds and then halve lengthwise. Using a rolling pin or mallet, beat the cucumbers up a bit. The irregular crags and breaks will hold the vinaigrette perfectly. Mix the chili crunch, black vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar and combine all ingredients.
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Dan Jacobs of "Top Chef" Raises Awareness of Kennedy's Disease and Inspires Viewers
