TREASURY CHICKEN IN HERBAL SOUP - 八宝药材鸡

Ingredients: (5-6 pax)

1-1.5 kg                             Whole chicken (W/O head & feet)
2-3 sheets                          Alum. foil (Size is big enough to wrap the whole chicken)
1000 ml                             water
                                          Oil
                                          Salt
1-2 sticks                          Clean toothpicks

Mixed Ingredients:         

1 pc                                   Baby corn
1/3 pc                               Carrots
4-5 pcs                              Mushrooms (Soaked)
4-5 pcs                              Button mushrooms
4-5 pcs                              Dried Oysters
4-5 pcs                              Chestnuts
60 gm+                             Lotus Seeds
60 gm+                              Ginkgo

Herbs:

1 tbsp                                  Red dates
1 tbsp                                  Wolfberry
5 slices                                Angelina Sinensis (Dang Gui)
2-3 slices                            Dioscorea opposita (Huai Shan)
Few Strips                          Solomonseal Rhizome (Yu Zhu)
3-4 small pcs                      Abalone

Methods:

1.                               Firstly, heat a pot with water. Add in all the herbal ingredients
                                  and bring to boil. Lower heat and continue boiling for
                                  20-25 mins. Add in little salt to taste, then off heat and set aside.

2.                                   Heat wok with little oil, add in all the mix ingredients, stir fry well.
3.                                   From the herbal soup, strain & scoop some herbal condiments,
                                      add into the wok, stir fry & mix well evenly. Dont forget to
                                      sprinkle little salt to taste. Dish out all the mixture on a plate
                                      and let aside.

4.                                  Heat a steamer with enough water for stewing.
5.                                  Bring in the whole clean chichen. Sprinkle salt all over the
                                     chicken, rub it inside & outside evenly. Then stuff all the
                                     stir fried ingredients into the chicken's stomach.
                                     (If cannot put in all, just leave aside)

6.                                 Now use a toothpicks to seal back the bottom hole.

7.                              Take a big bowl or plate, lined it with alum. foil, (nice enough
                                 to store soup) place in the stuffed chicken, then pour in all the
                                 ready soup and the balance fried mixture if any.

8.                               Now wrapped/sealed up the whole chicken. Check & confirm
                                  without any leaking or else you have to double wrap again.

9.                               Place the whole wrapped chicken in the steamer/wok and start
                                  stewing for at least 2 hrs. If you've prepared earlier, just reheat
                                  when its dinner time.

                                 Enjoy your meal...

YAM RICE WITH LOTUS SEED - 芋头莲子饭

Ingredients: ( 3-4 pax)

1 tsp                     Chopped garlic
                             Olive oil
                             Few drops sesame oil
                             Water
                             Salt
                             Sugar (Optional)
                             Thick dark soy sauce

1 1/2 cup              White rice grains (washed clean)
1 small bowl         Yam ( cut into smaller cubes)
1 pkt  (80gm+)      Lotus seed
1/2 small bowl      Anchovies (银鱼仔)

Methods:

1.                        Heat wok with olive oil, put in garlic to saute a little. Add in the anchovies
                           to stir fry, follow then the yam cubes and lotus seeds.  Mix well.
2.                        Add in salt to taste, sprinkle little sugar, few drops of sesame oil, then
                           the thick black soy sauce. Continue to stir fry & mix well.

3.                        Lastly, add in the rice grains. Mix well.
4.                        Off heat and transfer the mix ingredients into the rice cooker. Add in
                           water (Your actual cooking rice water), cover lid, on switch, press
                           button & here it goes....cook your rice.

5.                        Rice cooked. Can serve as it is or just add with a side dish of
                           leafy veggies.

EMPEROR CHICKEN IN CLAYPOT HERBS - 瓦煲皇帝药材鸡

Ingredients: (4-5 pax)

1 kg+                      Whole chicken (Clean w/o head & feet)
1500-2000ml          Water
                               Salt to taste
1 pkt                       Ready packed herbs
                              (Inside are some herbs condiment & a small pack in powder form)

                                 (Rhizoma Odorati, wolfberry, radix angelica sinensis,
                                  astragalus membranaceus, codonopsis pilosula, red dates.)

Methods:

1.                             Put all the herbs condiment (except the powder pack) into a claypot,
                                pour in half of the water, and let boil for 10 mins.
2.                            Now slowly sprinkle the powdered herbs all over the chicken, inside
                               & outside, rub over it evenly.
3.                            Slowly put the chicken into the claypot, add salt and some water,
                               continue to boil for 10 mins..Lower the heat.

                           
4.                              Continue to add the water (if it is lesser).  Keep boiling at lower heat
                                 for about 40-45 mins or till chicken is cook.

 
5.                                  Turn off heat. Serve it in the claypot, the whole chicken.