today is my (priscilla) parents’ anniversary and we decided to make some traditional dishes. to be honest, we don’t know what to call this dish because it’s not commonly found in westernized chinese restaurants. but it’s a dish that both our moms have made on numerous occasions. steaming a chicken keeps the meat moist as it cooks in it’s own juices. we like the wood ear fungus because it brings a light textural crunch, kinda like cartilage but much softer. goji berries and daylilies are supposed to be healthy for you, and they add a mild natural sweetness to the dish.
chicken 1 whole
dried wood ear fungus 1/4 cup (60 g)
dried goji berries 1/4 cup (60 g)
dried daylily flowers 1/4 cup (60 g)
cornstarch 4 tsp
salt 1 tsp
sugar 1/2 tsp
soy sauce 1 tbsp
oil 1 tbsp
chinese cooking wine (shaoxing) 1 tbsp
- soak all the dried ingredients in a large bowl of water. let it rehydrate, at least an hour
- chop the chicken into small pieces, about 1 in, and place in a large plate (if you don’t know how to butcher chicken, look online, or ask your local butcher)
- add all the seasoning and cornstarch to the chicken, mix thoroughly
- strain the rehydrated fungus, berries, and flowers and mix with the chicken
- in a wok, bring water to a boil for steaming
- when water is boiling, place the plate of chicken inside, cover lid and reduce heat to medium
- steam for 20-25 minute, until all the chicken is cooked. it helps to stir the chicken half way through to cook all the pieces evenly
going clockwise: chicken, fungus, goji berries, daylilies and ginger
super moist and tender
commentaries
jun:
you can do this with just thighs and drumsticks if you don’t want to deal with a whole chicken. i like adding a couple of shiitake mushrooms in there for extra umami-ness
Homemade in Hong Kong 