Steamed Chicken with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

 1 whole fryer chicken or capon, about 3 1/4 lb.
 2 tsp. soy sauce
 2 tsp. rice wine
 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable oil for deep-frying
 1 oz (25g) dried Chinese black mushrooms, soaked and sliced
 2 oz (50g) bamboo shoots, sliced
 3 tbsp scallions, chopped
 5 tsp. fresh ginger, sliced
 2 oz (50g) Yunan preserved vegetable (a kind of salted mustard), sliced
 1 oz (25g) dates
 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock)
 2 tbsp oyster sauce
 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
 1/4 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorn
 2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
 1/4 tsp. sesame oil
 2 tbsp MSG (optional)        

Directions:

Mix soy sauce and rice wine and rub over the chicken inside and out. Heat the oil in a wok to 230oF (110oC). Add the chicken and deep-fry until brown. Remove and drain. Pour the oil out of the wok.

Blanch the mushrooms and bamboo shoot slices briefly in boiling water, drain, and set aside.

Pour 3 1/2 oz (100ml) of oil back into the wok over high heat to 340oF (170oC) until the surface ripples. Add the scallions and ginger and stir-fry. Add the remaining rice wine, soy sauce, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, preserved vegetable, dates, stock, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, peppercorn and chicken. Boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer chicken until cooked. Add MSG (optional).

 Remove mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and dates, and place in serving dish. Remove chicken, chop into 1 by 2 inch (3cm by 5cm ) chunks, and stack in the serving dish. Discard preserved vegetable. Stir cornstarch-water mixture, add to the wok, stirring, until thick. Pour over the chicken and serve.


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