Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients : Serves 4

6 Dried Chinese mushrooms 1 kg Small roasting chicken 1 tablespoon Finely shredded fresh ginger 3 Spring onions, sliced diagonally 2 teaspoons Fish sauce 1 Small glove garlic, crushed 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Sesame oil Good grinding of black pepper

Method : Pour hot water over mushrooms and leave to soak at least 20 minutes. Cut off and discard stems, cut mushroom caps into thin slices. Divide chicken into two parts. With a sharp knife bone the chicken. Use the bones for stock, and cut the flesh (together with skin) into bite-size pieces. Put these into a heatproof bowl with the mushroom slices, ginger, spring onions, pepper, fish sauce, garlic, salt and sesame oil. Mix well. Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan or deep frying pan or wok. Put the bowl in the pan - water should come a third of the way up the bowl. Cover and steam for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Check periodically to ensure that water has not boiled away, and add more boiling water if it is getting low. Serve with rice, noodles or cellophane noodles.