Devilish Asian Style Cornish Hen with Not Too Spicy, Sweet and Sour Sauce

Of course, there are many different type of devilish chicken recipe out there. 

But, this one is different. It's so delicious, even picky eater such as my youngest nephew will be humming when eating it (the sign that he love the food). The recipe is quite easy to prepare, quick to make, too many ingredients, and not too spicy. Just perfect for him, who does not eat spicy food, just yet. The sauce is also good to serve with simple grilled fish, fried tofu, even for spring rolls. 

The only ingredient that might be a little hard to come by is cilantro root. It's most likely available in Vietnamese market. If you can find it, simply omit it (don't substitute with cilantro, it will be totally different taste), though I can't say that you shouldn't use it, it just different. But, if you are going to use a lot of cilantro and the root, why not grow it yourself? It's easy, just scatter the seeds in the ground, or in a pot, beginning of spring and in early autumn.  It's very fast growing plant, that within weeks you'll see the plant dominate entire pot. Each time you need cilantro or its root, you can simply pick/pull as much as you want :). If you don't do anything until the end of their cycle, you'll see it starts bear fruit (this called coriander). You can harvest the fruit when it's hard and turn brown, and use it for your cooking, or you can scatter them again for your next plant. That's what I do :)

Devilish Asian Style Cornish Hens with Spicy, Sweet and Sour Sauce
serve 4 - 8 

2 cornish hens (about 2½ - 3 pounds total weight)
2 teaspoon grated garlic
2 tablespoon mild Korean red pepper powder 
2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Using kitchen scissor cut along the breast bones to butterfly them, then rinse under cold running water, pat dry with paper towel. Place them on a baking sheet,  press lightly with your palm to flatten.

In a small bowl, add the rest of ingredients and mix well. Rub this paste all over the hens including under the skin, cover and refrigerate for half an hour.

Preheat oven to 375℉.

Bake hens in the middle rack for 45 minutes. Remove and serve with plain Asian rice (Jasmine, or Japanese), spicy, sweet and sour sauce on the side.

Not too spicy, sweet and sour sauce:

2 tbs finely chopped garlic

1 tsp crushed red  pepper flakes

1 tsp finely chopped cilantro/coriander root

1 cup distilled white vinegar* 

¼ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tbs fish sauce

* update : white vinegar I always use is always distilled. 

Gently boil all ingredients in a small sauce pan until it is slightly thicken (sirupy) . Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool at room temperature.