Yunnan Steamed Chicken Soup (QiguoJi)
- 1 4- to 5-pound chicken, chopped through bones and skin into 2- or 3-inch pieces (have butcher do this)
- 2 cups water
- 4 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
- 5 small scallions, green and white portions, sliced
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Chinese rice
- wine or dry sherry
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
- You will need a 3- to 4-quart heatproof glass or ceramic casserole with a tightly fitting lid; a larger pot, with a lid, that will hold the casserole, and a rack that will fit inside the pot.
- Blanch the chicken in boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse.
- Place the chicken, 2 cups of water, ginger, scallions, rice wine or sherry and a pinch of salt in the casserole and cover with the lid.
- Place the rack inside the larger pot.
- Completely wrap the casserole and lid with plastic wrap and place on the rack.
- Add water to the pot to come 1/3 up the sides of the casserole.
- Cover the outside pot.
- Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat so that the water simmers steadily and creates steam.
- Keep a kettle of hot water ready to refill the pot as water evaporates.
- Steam until the chicken is tender and well covered with broth, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Strain the soup, discarding the ginger and scallions.
- Skim off fat and add salt to taste.
- Just before serving, reheat in a saucepan, preferably enamel or glass.
- Chicken can be nibbled on as a snack or served at room temperature with small bowls of vinegar and soy sauce for dipping.
chicken, water, thin, scallions, chinese rice, wine, kosher salt
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/882 (may not work)