[Sca-cooks] Chinese Chicken Soup recipe

[Heleen Greenwald]

Oh my Lord Stephan,
THANK YOU ! THANK YOU! This is exactly the recipe I want.  (I wonder  
if I have time to make a pot of it before Shabbos??)

(and sorry I am so long in responding... I don't check mail every  
day. But thank you!!)
Phillipa


On Jan 17, 2007, at 10:20 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

>
>
> Gai Tong/Toisanese Chicken Soup (ToiSan is a region of the Kwangtung
> Province of China, north of the city of Kwangtung, a.k.a. Canton. Once
> upon a time most of the Chinese immigrants to the U.S. were from
> ToiSan.)
>
> 1 whole chicken, plus all giblets except the liver
> 2 quarts chicken stock, low-sodium if canned
> Dried peel from 1/4 orange or tangerine, scraped off the white  
> pith, 3-4
> square inches
> 1 slice ginger, 1 inch across by 1/4 inch thick
> 1 scallion, tied in a knot so it holds together
> 8 dried black Chinese mushrooms, shiitakes are a poor substitute but
> better than nothing
>
> 1 bunch scallions
> 2 oz fresh ginger root
> peanut or vegetable oil, or vegetable oil with a little sesame oil  
> mixed
> in, for the sauce
>
> Rinse the mushrooms in cold water to remove any surface dirt. Soak  
> them
> in a sealed jar or plastic tub in hot water, using the water level and
> the cover to be sure the mushrooms are submerged. Soak for an hour or
> so, until soft.
>
> Place the chicken in a suitably sized pot, cover with the stock. Add
> additional water if needed to just cover the chicken. Bring to a boil,
> lower the heat to a low simmer, and skim off any foam, fat, etc.  
> Add the
> orange peel, ginger, and scallion. Remove the mushrooms from their
> soaking water, wash them under running water to remove the last traces
> of dirt. Add to the pot, then strain the soaking liquid into the pot
> as well.
>
> Simmer for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is tender but not dry,
> and the stock is rich and flavorful but not heavy. Note that  
> there's no
> salt in this; you really don't need it.
>
> Possible additions might be Chinese red raisins (which are really a
> dried fruit not closely related to grapes; they're about 1/4 inch long
> and a sort of coral red), or 1-inch cubes of winter melon, added about
> 15-20 minutes into the cooking time, so that when the chicken and  
> stock
> are done the melon is translucent and tender. Peeled _fresh_ water
> chestnuts are another option. They taste like coconut. Thinly  
> sliced or
> shredded raw Virginia ham is good too, as is a shot of rice wine,  
> whisky
> or vodka. None of these are strictly necessary, though.
>
> When done, let stand for ten minutes, then remove the chicken from the
> soup pot (I stick a big wooden spoon into the abdominal opening and
> lever it up). Drain any liquid from the chicken, cut up and serve with
> rice and a dip made from equal parts finely minced fresh ginger and
> scallion (not the ones from the soup), sauteed in enough peanut or
> vegetable oil to make a saucy consistency, until the ginger is tender.
> Add a dash of light soy sauce (Japanese types like Kikkoman are  
> okay for
> this). Watch out for spatters. You can add salt if you don't want  
> to use
> soy sauce.
>
> With the addition of a vegetable dish, or the winter melon if you
> included it, you're all set. The ToySanese drink the soup alongside  
> the
> other food, as a beverage, but tea, wine or beer wouldn't be too
> inappropriate.
>
> Adamantius
>
> --------
> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>     Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas
> StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
> **** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org  
> ****
>
>
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