Cantonese-Style Steamed Chicken with Wood Ear & Shiitake

Ginny Grant

Serves

4

Preparation

25 mins

Cook

20 mins

Marinate

30 mins

Ingredients

10g dried wood ear (black fungus) mushrooms
6 dried shiitake
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3cm-piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cornflour
450g chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces (can be skin-on if preferred)
2 spring onions, sliced
optional ingredients: 20g dried lily buds, 2 tablespoons goji berries, 5 red dates, 2 Chinese sausages (lap cheong)

VEGAN/VEGETARIAN

Omit the sausage. You could use quorn or other mock meat in place of chicken. Or slice silken tofu and carefully put on the steaming plate. Double the marinade ingredients but omit the cornflour. Stir half the marinade through the vegetables and put to one side of the tofu. Drizzle the remaining marinade over tofu and steam for 10 minutes. Use black bean sauce in place of oyster sauce.

Steamed chicken makes a most satisfying meal and it is infinitely adaptable to what you have to hand. I often have a stash of dried mushrooms and they add a great texture as well as flavour. They are reasonably cheap to buy at Asian supermarkets and if you find some dried lily buds, goji berries or red dates they would be perfect (but not essential) to add.

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Instructions

1.Rehydrate the wood ear and shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes.
2.Drain, reserving the mushroom liquid for another use. Rub to remove any dirt.
3.Cut the wood ear into small pieces.Remove and discard the shiitake stems and cut the caps into quarters.
4.If using lily buds, soak for 20 minutes but do these separately and discard the soaking liquid as it is quite bitter. Remove the tougher root end.
5.If using red dates, soak for 20 minutes, drain then remove the pits and cut in half.
6.If using goji berries, soak for 10 minutes and then drain before using.
7.In a bowl, combine the Shaoxing wine, oyster and soy sauces, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, garlic, ginger and cornflour.
8.Add the chicken, mushrooms, half the spring onions and lily buds, red dates or goji berries if using.
9.Mix well and leave to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
10.Put in a single layer in a pie dish or similar, sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and scatter over the thinly sliced Chinese sausage (if using)
11.Put into a steamer (or on a trivet over boiling water in a wok), cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
12.Serve with rice and steamed or blanched Asian greens.

Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe

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