---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
  
       Title: STEAMED GINGER CHICKEN WITH BLACK BEANS
  Categories: Chinese, Poultry
       Yield: 4 servings
  
            Stephen Ceideburg
       1    Frying chicken
       2 ts Ginger juice,
            -or minced ginger
       2 ts Sugar
     3/4 ts Salt
   3 1/2 tb Cornstarch
       4 ts Sesame oil
   2 1/2 tb Soy sauce
       2 tb Sherry
     1/4 c  Salted fermented black beans
       1    Clove garlic
  
   Chop the chicken, bones and all, into Chinese serving
   pieces--about an inch and a half. Use a juicer to get
   the 2 teaspoons of ginger juice. You can just mince
   it, but there will be a subtle difference. Put the
   chicken into a big bowl and sprinkle with the ginger
   juice or minced ginger. Combine sugar, salt,
   cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce and booze in another
   bowl. Blend it to a smooth paste. Rinse the black
   beans in a strainer until visible salt is gone. Drain
   and mince finely along with the garlic. Add to the
   seasoning paste and mix well. Add all this to the
   chicken and mix to coat thoroughly.
   
   At this point, I put the chicken on two 8 inch pie
   plates and put each plate into a steamer compartment
   on my aluminum steamer. If you don't have one you can
   improvise using a large pot and a low-sided dish held
   just above the water by an inverted dish or whatever.
   The idea is to allow the steam to circulate around the
   chicken while keeping the boiling water from splashing
   into the dish holding the it. Start the water boiling
   and place the plate onto the inverted dish in the
   large pot. Cover tightly and steam for 25 to 30
   minutes--a little longer if you like your chicken well
   done. The water should be boiling just enough to
   produce steam. When you're handling the dish, BE
   CAREFUL. Steam burns are no fun.
   
   This makes enough for four served with rice. (And
   there won't be any leftovers.) I serve it with steamed
   rice, a bowl of chopped up green onions, and small
   dishes of hot mustard, hoisin sauce and Vietnamese
   chili dip. I usually put out small dishes of Chinkiang
   vinegar and spiced salt as well. Dip a piece of
   chicken into the sauce of your choice and then into
   the green onions and enjoy! The taste is rich and
   subtle, the chicken succulent and steamy. The green
   onions and dips serve as a counterpoint the richness.
   
   It’s one of the few Chinese dishes I know that I can
   serve to someone who “doesn't like Chinese food” with
   no problems. It’s a quick and easy dish once you get
   it down. The fermented black beans, hoisin sauce,
   fresh ginger and sesame oil are fairly specialized,
   but any good Oriental market and many supermarkets
   will carry them. All will keep for a long time in the
   fridge. The sesame oil is the dark, cooked Oriental
   variety, not the health store variety. The latter
   won't work. While you're in the Chinese market, pick
   up a can of preserved tea melons or sweet mixed
   pickles. They're an excellent accompa- niment. Water
   melon pickles or chutneys also go well with it. One
   hint--don't let the chicken sit in the bean sauce
   mixture too long. It’s not a marinade and will become
   overpowering if left too long.
   
   From “The Step-by-Step Chinese Cookbook” by Georges
   Spunt. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York. 1973.
  
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