Smoky Wok

This is a much loved and classic chicken dish in Chinese cuisine.  This invigorating dish combines different textures in an appetising and sweet/spicy (from the ginger wine) broth.  The fragrance of the wine is essential and hence it is a good idea to get your ginger wine from a reliable source.  If you want this dish to be halal, you can follow the steps I will provide below but use halal mirin and chicken broth instead.

We usually like to add wood ear's fungus which provide good crunch and copious amounts of old ginger to add to the dish.  This dish also belongs to the 'heaty' types of Chinese food and is especially good for one who is down with the cold.  This is also probably due to ginger's widely recognised healing qualities.  I hope you do give this a try soon!

This recipe is part of my Yuen Chun Recipes, an ongoing project on this blog.

Serving suggestion: with steamed rice

Ingredients:

1/2 chicken, cut into pieces or alternatively use 2 chicken thighs

Handful of wood's ear fungus, re-hydrated and sliced

4 cloves garlic

6 slices ginger, slivered

Condiments:

1/2 bottle ginger rice wine (this is usually already sweetened)

1 tablespoon light soy sauce (I used Yuen Chun's)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method:

Firstly, heat up your wok until almost smoking.  Add 3 tablespoons oil and swirl to coat.  Turn heat to low.  Add garlic and ginger slivers.  Fry till aromatic.

Add wood's ear fungus slices.  Then add chicken pieces.  Give everything some quick stirs and add in the ginger wine.  Bring to a boil. Add light soy sauce.  Turn heat to medium and cover.  Allow to cook for about 20 minutes.  Lift cover and do a taste test.  Add more soy sauce if necessary.  Finally add the sesame oil.

Serve hot with rice or on its' own.