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Beggar's Chicken

Category: Oriental

Author: The Savvybearcat

Date: 1/1/2007

Rating:

(3.0) by 1 users

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb Frying chicken
3 Dried lotus leaves
4 lb Wet modeling clay

MMMMMSTUFFING

1/2 lb Ground pork
2 tbsp Salted mustard green,
Minced
1 tbsp Peanut oil
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Fresh ginger root, minced

MMMMMMIXTURE FOR SKIN

1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Medium sherry
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Dark soy sauce

Instructions:

Prepare Chicken: Trim excess fat from chicken; remove wing tips. Mix
mixture for skin; rub chicken inside & out with it. Leave uncovered
at room temperature, while coating is absorbed and dried. Repeat if
necessary.

Stuffing: In hot wok, heat peanut oil to smoking. Stir-fry ground
pork 2 minutes; add mustard green, ginger & sugar; stir-fry 1 more
minute. Remove & cool.

Lotus Leaves: Number of leaves depends on their size & that of
chicken. Reduce heat under boiling water to simmer, & steep leaves
for 3-5 minutes, until wet through & pliable (no longer or leaves may
shred). Now soak in cold water for 10 minutes, or longer, until time
to use them; open folded leaves in cold water to wash them.

Wrap Chicken: Preheat oven to 550 degrees. Stuff chicken with pork
mixture. Cut hard center out of lotus leaves, then slit along fold
about 3" on each side of center, so cut away center can be
overlapped. Wrap chicken in 3 layers of lotus leaves. Tie securely
with piece of cotton or fiber string (don't use nylon; it might
melt). Spread soft, wet modeling clay about 1/2" thick on sheet of
newspaper. Bring clay pack around chicken & seal. Remove newspaper.
(Use foil if clay unavailable.)

Roasting: Place clay-covered chicken on rack in shallow roasting pan
in preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour; reduce heat to 350 degrees &
bake for another 1
1/2 hours.

Serve: Present fired clay chicken to table. Crack clay with suitable
object, allowing some of steam to escape before you proceed. Remove
clay; carefully cut open lotus leaves with scissors. Chicken will be
very soft & tender; break apart to get at stuffing. Serve guests, or
invite them to pick with chopsticks.