Herbal Beggar's Chicken

I came to realized that the past couple of months has been onerous physically and I can only imagine that the month of June would take it to the next level. It reminded me of those days when I was still living at home with Ah Po, where she would make herbal teas every now and then for us. She would put them out and make me drink them. It's one of those things that I took for granted, being skeptical that those herbal stuff doesn't do anything... but they do taste good, most of the time. Only after leaving home, I realized that the herbal teas that Ah Po made did have medicinal benefits.

So, in the attempt of repairing my body and health and getting them ready for the month of June, I opted for Herbal Beggar's Chicken. I must say that the fragrance imparted while the chicken is steaming was quite beatificus. Not to mention, the chicken did turn out to be very juicy and tender. Hmmm.... yummilicious!

Important herbs

Chicken came out from steaming

Need to hang out with cooks at kopitiam to learn chicken-chopping-skills!

Herbal Beggar's Chicken
1 whole chicken (preferably kampung chicken)
Cling film paper
Parchment paper

Seasoning A:
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/2 tbsp of Xiaoshing wine
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

Seasoning B:
1 tsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of pepper
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tsp of dark soy sauce
1 tsp of Xiaoshing wine
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

Herbs:
4 slices of tong kwai
3 slices of pak kei
10 g of tong sum
10 g of wai sun
4 red dates, pitted

Thickening:
1 tsp of cornstarch
2 tbsp of water

Rinse the chicken, drain well. Rub seasoning A on the skin. Combine seasoning B in a small bowl and rub the inside or cavity of the chicken.
Rinse all the herbs and place in a small bowl. Steam for 10 - 15 minutes.
Stuff the herbs into the cavity of the chicken. Wrap the chicken with cling film wrap and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours.
Remove the cling film wrap and place the chicken on 2 sheets of parchment papers. Wrap up neatly and tuck in the edges. Put chicken in a deep dish and steam over medium heat for 1 - 1.25 hours or until chicken is almost tender.
Reserve the chicken stock and bring to boil. Then, thicken with cornstarch mixture. Pour over the chicken and serve.