Dish of Chicken with Black Mushrooms
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Chicken with Black Mushrooms


China

Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
2 main
***
2-1/4 hrs
Yes
This recipe was derived from a Chinese medicinal cookbook. It balances the Yin of the mushrooms with the Yang of the chicken to revive your energy. It's pretty good eating too.

1
------
1/4
1-1/2
1
1
1/4
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8
4
2
1/2
2
1/2
1-1/2
2
3
1/2
1
1-1/2
1/2
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#
---
in
T
T
T
t
---

oz
oz
in

T
T
T
T
T
T
c
t
---

Chicken (1)
-- Marinade
Ginger root
Soy Sauce
Rice Wine
Oyster Sauce
Salt
-----------
Black Mushrooms
Onion
Carrots, thin
Ginger
Scallions
Cornstarch
Water
Oil
Rice Wine
Rice Vinegar
Soy Sauce (2)
Chicken stock
Salt
-- Garnish
Scallion rings

Prep   -   (1-1/4 hrs)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into convenient bite size pieces (if meat only) or chop into smallish serving pieces if bone-in. This is best done with a razor sharp Chinese cleaver along with a soft faced mallet with which to drive it through the bones.
  2. Grate GINGER, or chop it fine and pound in a mortar. Mix together All Marinade items.
  3. Mix Marinade with Chicken. Let marinate, turning a couple times, for at least an hour on the counter or three or more hours in the refrigerator.
  4. Soak MUSHROOMS in warm water for about 1/2 hour, then stem and slice caps about 1/4 inch thick.
  5. Chop ONIONS small.
  6. Slice CARROTS thin on a diagonal. Slice GINGER thin and cut slices into narrow matchsticks. Mix both with Mushrooms.
  7. Cut SCALLIONS into thin rings. divide in half, reserve half for Garnish.
  8. Mix Cornstarch with Water.
Run   -   (1 hr)
  1. Drain Chicken, keeping the marinade.
  2. In a spacious sauté pan heat Oil and fry Chicken pieces until lightly browned on all size. Remove and drain on paper towels.
  3. See that there is 1 T Oil left in the pan. Fry Onions over moderate heat stirring until translucent, then stir in Mushroom Mix and fry stirring until coated with oil.
  4. Stir in Rice Wine and Vinegar. Deglaze the pan scraping up the bottom with a spatula.
  5. Stir in Stock, Soy Sauce, Chicken and any left-over marinade. Simmer covered, stirring now and then, until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.
  6. Remove Chicken and other solids with a slotted spoon. Turn heat to high and reduce liquid by about 1/3.
  7. Turn heat down to low. Stir in the Scallions, then the Cornstarch mix and simmer until sauce thickens. Adjust liquid as needed and check seasoning.
  8. Serving: you can pour the sauce over the chicken or, as I do, mix the chicken back into the sauce.
  9. Garnish with remaining Scallions and serve hot with plenty of steamed long grain rice.
NOTES:
  1. Chicken:

      Weight is for skinless, boneless meat. In Chine they would more likely use chicken pieces chopped to serving size. If you do that double the weight for the same amount of meat. Free range chickens would be great, but would push the cost and inconvenience waaaay up - so I use all thigh and leg meat which have more flavor than the dry, cardboard flavored breast meat we get around here.
  2. Soy Sauce:

      The original recipe called for "dark soy sauce", but I don't like the color, taste or sugar content of dark soy so I use the regular variety.
  3. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch ar=as required tt=to taste
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