Simple chinese cooking recipe

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ?Simple chinese cooking recipe

Simple chinese cooking recipe :

Soy Sauce Chicken

For the Chinese, Cantonese-style soy sauce chicken, duck, and pork are as poplar and versatile as cold cuts are to Americans. They aren’t used in sandwiches but as appetizers, side dishes, or as part of multicourse meal, usually served at room temperature. Leftover pieces, especially the bony backs, are saved to add to soup noodles to make the broth even tastier. You can see the prepared meats hanging in the windows of grocery stores in Chinatown. You can buy a whole or half chicken and have it chopped up-bones and all – into bite-size pieces. It’s quite a show to watch the chefs chop. They often work behind a clear Plexiglas wall, both for sanitary reasons and to keep the juices from splattering everywhere and making a mess.

You can prepare your own soy sauce chicken with this recipe. I often drop a few shelled hard boiled eggs into the cooking liquid at the point when the chicken is turned over. They should be basted and turned occasionally for even color. The giblets may also be cooked along with the chicken. Be sure to allow them to simmer for at least twenty-five minutes to ensure that they are cooked through. Serve the chicken with Chinese steamed bread (page 122) to dip in the delicious gravy.

1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
3 slices unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch each
2 whole star anise
1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon
1 (3-inch) piece dried or fresh orange peel
½ cup dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons dry sherry
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil (optional)

1. Rinse and drain the chicken. Remove any excess fat from the cavity and discard.

2. Place the gingerroot, star anise, cinnamon, orange peel, soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and 1 cup water in a Dutch oven or roaster large enough to hold the whole chicken. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil.

3. Add the chicken, breast side down, and with a large spoon or bulb baster, baste a few times. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Baste frequently and check that the liquid remains at just the barest simmer.

4. Turn the chicken over and continue to simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover the pan, bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat, and baste frequently for about 10 minutes, or until the skin is brown. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 1 hour. Test for doneness by sticking a chopstick into the thigh; if the juices run clear the chicken is done. If not, turn the heat on to medium and bring to a boil again. Turn off the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Check for doneness again and repeat if necessary.

5. Carve the chicken, place on a platter, and sparingly pour some of the cooking juices over it. Mix sesame seed oil, if using, into the cooking liquid and serve the remaining juices on the side. (To serve Chinese style, see pages 164-165, cut up the chicken and reassemble all the pieces on the platter. Mix the sesame seed oil, if using, into the cooking liquid and lightly drizzle the juices over the chicken pieces). Serve cold.