Steamed Chicken with
Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
1 whole fryer chicken
or capon, about 3 1/4 lb.
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine
4 cups (1 litre ) vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 oz (25g) dried Chinese black mushrooms,
soaked and sliced
2 oz (50g) bamboo shoots, sliced
3 tbsp scallions, chopped
5 tsp. fresh ginger, sliced
2 oz (50g) Yunan preserved vegetable (a kind
of salted mustard), sliced
1 oz (25g) dates
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorn
2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp MSG (optional)
Directions
- Mix soy sauce and rice wine and rub
over the chicken inside and out. Heat
the oil in a wok to 230oF (110oC). Add
the chicken and deep-fry until brown.
Remove and drain. Pour the oil out of
the wok.
- Blanch the mushrooms and bamboo shoot
slices briefly in boiling water, drain,
and set aside.
- Pour 3 1/2 oz (100ml) of oil back into
the wok over high heat to 340oF (170oC)
until the surface ripples. Add the scallions
and ginger and stir-fry. Add the remaining
rice wine, soy sauce, mushrooms, bamboo
shoots, preserved vegetable, dates, stock,
oyster sauce, sugar, salt, peppercorn
and chicken. Boil, then reduce heat to
low and simmer chicken until cooked. Add
MSG(optional).
- Remove mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and
dates, and place in serving dish. Remove
chicken, chop into 1 by 2 inch (3cm by
5cm ) chunks, and stack in the serving
dish. Discard preserved vegetable. Stir
cornstarch-water mixture, add to the wok,
stirring, until thick. Pour over the chicken
and serve.
