Recipe-Dish-Steamed Chicken with Black Fungus 木耳蒸鸡

     A quite familiar steamed dish to almost all southerners in China might be the Steamed Chicken with Black Fungus. As a student, I should say, in my hometown, all restaurants in primary shools, junior middle schools, senior high schools and universities provide this and can do this right, though they may not cook so well generally. Besides, at home, mama cooks this well with dates and mushrooms. In my life, this is a never-miss. Thanks to the Chinese food shop I found here, I can have ingredients like black fungus and dates altogether. I just can’t wait to introduce you the recipe for this.

Enjoy the fun Fun FUNGUS!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 chicken or chicken thigh, cut to small pieces, don’t dice
• 3 slices ginger, stacked and sliced thinly
• a handful of dried black fungus, soaked in water, drained and cut to strips, add more if you like
• Dates, lycium and mushrooms help perfect the color and flavor, add some as you like, also soak in water first

Seasonings:

• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp corn flour
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Chinese wine (Rice wine or Shaoxing wine)
• A little pepper will induce the flavor

Method:

1. Combine chicken with black fungus and seasonings in a deep plate. Put the dish in refrigerate covered for at an hour or just put it in ordinary temperature is OK.

2. Scatter sliced ginger, dates, lyceum and mushrooms over the chicken.

3. Steam at high heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. Serve with white rice.

Time:

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Yield: serves 2 to 3

    Since this is a steamed dish, it may get lots of water in plate. Don’t pour those liquid out because the essence of chicken and other seasoning is in it. 1tsp or so, the sauce can light up your bowl of pure white rice.

    Someone will ask how to steam this. There are various solutions. For me, for the sake of saving electricity, I usually use my rice cooker to cook the rice and a small dish of this together by putting it on a steam tray.

Enjoy your homemade flavor!

Remember:

1.      Cooking time would be slightly varied between different cooking wares.

2.      Chinese dish can have a flexible ingredient proportion. Keeping trying and you will cook your new flavor. You may use other seasoning as well.

If you tried, don’t hesitate to share. Picture? Words? Essays? WELCOME!

Have difficulties? Let me help you. 

Dish Recipe -- Stir Fried Sugar Snap Peas with chicken

    I don’t think people should be blamed on their choice of eating too much meat and too little vegetables. You may face to dried leaves and shrunken cucumbers after 3 to 4 days preservation in ordinary temperature. The process of having fresh vegetables can be inconvenient in our neighborhood. For me, even I am a student, I can only buy eating stuffs once a week. So I recommend a dish whose ingredients can be bought in supermarkets and can be preserved freshly both in ordinary temperature and in fridges. Amazingly, you may say Hey! They Look FRESH!

        HEALTH food, EASY to cook!

Ingredients:

• 170 gm sugar snap peas
• 150 gm chicken breast
• ½ carrot, sliced
• 6 baby corns, fresh or canned, halved if too long
• 5 to 6 cloud ears
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp chicken stock

Seasonings:

• 1½ tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp corn flour
• ½ tsp sugar
• pepper, to taste

Time:

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Yield: serves 3 to 4

        Not all the peas can be eaten raw because their grassy taste. This kind is called sugar peas or snap peas, which have round pods as opposed to the flat shape of snow peas. Sugar peas taste sweeter than other kinds so I like them very much. 

        Stir-fried can be done with pans too, such as deep frying pan. If you are like me, a student living in dorm with a roommate, and there is no pan then you can use other kinds of cooker like induction cookers.  Don’t worry about the stiring or mixing technique, they are similar to mixing in western cooking.

Method:

• Soak cloud ears until softened. Boil them in water for 2 to 3 minutes. Trim the roots. Cut into smaller pieces for nice looking and easy stiring. Set aside.
• Julienne chicken and mix with marinade. Set aside.
• Remove the tissue running along both sides of the peas, from tail to top. If you want them to be crispy, then rinse and blanch them in salted water for about 2 to 3 minutes, over high heat. Immediately soak in cold water until cold to touch. Drain well.

• Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until its color turns white. Set aside.
• Use the same wok. Add more oil. Saute garlic until fragrant. Add carrots, baby corns and stir fry. Toss back peas. Sprinkle wine, pour in stock. Season with salt. Add cloud ears and cook until sauce dries up a bit. Add chicken and stir quickly. Pour in thickening and cook to preferred consistency. Serve hot.

Enjoy your homemade flavor!

Remember: Cooking time would be slightly varied between different cooking wares.