Favourite Family Recipe: Cora’s silky steamed chicken with shiitake and lily buds

Favourite Family Recipe finalist Cora Li shows Joe Fortes executive chef Wayne Sych how to make a Cantonese dish that reminds her of home.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms

1/3 cup dried lily buds

10 medium dried shiitake mushrooms (rinsed and soaked to reconstituted, or can use fresh)

1 pound chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into uniform bite-size pieces (if using bone-in, be careful when chopping to avoid bone fragments)

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice wine

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ginger, thinly sliced or grated

1 scallion (chopped, white and green parts separated)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2-3 dried red dates (optional)

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder

Pickled mustard tuber, sliced, in slivers

Directions:

1) Rinse dried shiitake, wood ear mushrooms, lily buds and dried dates (if using). Cut off the tough bottom part of the lily buds and the shiitake mushroom stems.

2) Soak shiitake, wood ear and lily buds in their own separate bowls. Traditional method is to use cold water and soak for 1 to 2 hours, but I have used hot water to cut the time down to 30mins

3) Once reconstituted, squeeze all water out of the wood ear, shiitake and lily buds. Slice shiitake and roughly chop wood ear mushrooms. Slice dried dates (if using).

4) Mix together water, oils, rice wine, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper, chicken bouillon, ginger and white parts of the scallions. Combine chicken with wood ear, shiitake, lily buds and pickled mustard greens. Pour over marinade and combine well. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight to incorporate flavours.

5) Bring the chicken mixture up to room temperature when you are ready to cook. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cornstarch over the mixture and combine well to ensure full incorporation.

6) Transfer everything to a deep dish and top with half of the chopped green parts of the scallion.

7) Ensure your water is fully boiling before placing into steamer. Steam for 13 minutes, shut off the heat and let the dish steam for another 2 minutes.

8) Sprinkle with the rest of the green scallions. Enjoy!