Steamed Poussin with Mushroom, Cloud Fungus and Lily flowers

Steamed Poussin with Mushroom, Cloud Fungus and Lily flowers (金針花菇雲耳蒸雞) is an all-time favourite for many Cantonese families. You may wish to use half of a small chicken for this dish, but I prefer poussin (a young chicken weighing about 500g, sometimes called a spring chicken) which is more tender and succulent.

Most people use shitake mushroom (冬菇), but I suggest trying the small flower mushroom (小花菇) which has stronger flavour. It should be noted that there are two types of black fungus, the larger wood fungus (木耳), and the smaller and thinner cloud fungus (雲耳). I prefer to use cloud fungus as it has a more crunchy texture. A buying tip – the wild mushroom from Yunnan and the black fungus from Heilongjiang are among the best in China.

Dried Lily Flowers (金針), also known as golden needles, are the unopened flowers of the daylily plant. They have a brownish yellow colour with the shape and texture of straw. The Chinese poet Bai Juyi (白居易) had said daylily is a herb that will help us forget our sorrows.

Steamed Poussin with mushroom, cloud fungus and lily flowers has an earthy flavour. This is complemented by the sweetness of red dates and goji berries. The gentle steaming process retains the flavour, tenderness and moisture of the poussin, and you will end up with a wonderfully delicious, broth-like sauce on the plate. This dish will surely bring back many fond memories for Cantonese people.

Steamed Poussin with Mushroom, Could Fungus and Lily Flowers (金針花菇雲耳蒸雞)

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes 30 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 x fresh corn-fed poussin (about 500g) (or half of an organic, or free range chicken), chopped into pieces
• 30g dried small flower mushroom (小花菇) (or dried shiitake mushroom (冬菇), cut into halves or quarters, depending on the size)
• 10g dried cloud ear fungus (雲耳) (or wood fungus (木耳), cut into smaller pieces)
• 15g dried lily flowers (金針)
• 5 red dates (紅棗)
• 1 tbsp goji berries (杞子)
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped

For the marinade:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 10g ginger, pureed
• 2 tsp soy sauce1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. Marinate the poussin (or chicken) pieces for about 2 hours. But do not leave it overnight as this may make the meat mealy and mushy.
2. At the same time, cut off the mushroom stems and the tough bottom sections of the lily flowers. Soak the mushroom, cloud fungus, lily flowers and red dates in separate bowls of water for 2 hours. Drain them thoroughly.
3. Mix the mushroom, fungus, lily flowers, red dates and goji berries with the poussin. Spread the mixture on a deep plate.
4. Steam over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, and leave the chicken in the steamer for another 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the spring onions on top. The chicken will be surrounded by a delicious, broth-like juice released during steaming. Serve with steamed rice to soak it all up!