Chinese Chicken Stock

I don't normally use a recipe for chicken stock. Chicken bones, maybe a neck, and a bunch of veggies and/or peelings go in a pot with some salt and water and maybe a few herbs. Cook everything together until delicious, strain, use or freeze as needed. No recipe necessary! But, after trying the Chinese vegetable stock recipe and being so impressed by it, I figured I'd give the chicken stock recipe on the next page a try as well.

It was fine. It was a perfectly acceptable chicken stock. But it wasn't really anything special. It wasn't any better than my "just throw a bunch of things in a pot" method. It wasn't worse. It was just... very standard, run-of-the-mill chicken stock. It didn't have the depth and intensity that I was expecting based on how the vegetable stock came out. Nothing wrong with it; it just didn't rock my world.

Chicken Stock

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 1 whole (3.5kg) chicken, quartered
• 900g chicken wings
• 4L water
• 125g fresh ginger, lightly smashed
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 4-5 scallions, cut crosswise into thrids
• 2 onions, quartered
• 60g fresh cilantro, cut into 7cm lengths
• 1/4 c. fried onions (from Onion Oil)
• 1/4 c. goji berries (boxthorn seeds), soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Place the chicken parts (including giblets) in a large pot.
2. Add the water and other ingredients.
3. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and adjust lid so that the pot is still mostly covered, but with a small crack for steam to escape. Simmer for 5 hours, skimming as needed.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool in pot.
6. Strain.
7. Stock may be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what "chicken leg" mushrooms were. The author mentions that they are native to China but now cultivated in western Canada. I figured that would make them easy to find here, but I'd never heard of "chicken leg" mushrooms before. It turns out this is just another name for king oyster mushrooms! Which are, indeed, very easy to find in just about any grocery store here.

Chicken with Chicken Legs

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. ginger juice
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 350g boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 6cm strips, 6x6mm in cross-section

Sauce

• 1/2 c. Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground

Stir-Fry

• 4 1/2 Tbsp. peanut (or other high smoke point) oil, divided
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. peeled minced ginger
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 onions, julienned
• 1/4 c. julienned carrots
• 1/2 c. julienned bamboo shoots
• 64 water chestnuts (preferably fresh), julienned
• 150g king oyster (chicken leg) mushrooms, cut into 6mm thick discs and then 12mm wide strips
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine

Directions

Marinade

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add chicken and toss to coat.
3. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Sauce

1. Combine all sauce ingredients, mix well, and set aside.

Stir-Fry

1. Heat wok over high heat for 30-60 seconds.
2. Add 2 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil and swirl to coat wok.
3. Add ginger and salt and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds.
4. Add onions and stir-fry for 1 minute.
5. Add carrots and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
6. Add the bamboo shoots and cook for another minute.
7. Add the water chestnuts and continue stir-frying for 1 minute.
8. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute more.
9. Remove from heat and transfer vegetables to a bowl.
10. Make sure there are no bits left in the wok and return it to high heat for 30 seconds.
11. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil and swirl to coat.
12. Add the garlic and give it a quick stir.
13. Add the chicken along with its marinade and spread out to form a single layer in the wok.
14. Cook for ~90 seconds and then turn, mix well, and stir-fry for another 60-90 seconds.
15. Drizzle the wine around the edges of the wok and cook for ~30 seconds.
16. Return the vegetables to the wok and stir to mix.
17. Make a well in the centre of the stir-fry, stir the sauce to be sure it's well-mixed, and pour it into the well.
18. Stir-fry for ~2 minutes more. (The sauce should boil and thicken.)
19. Serve with rice.

These mushrooms were phenomenal! Full of rich, dark umami flavour, beautiful texture... just wonderful. I served them with mushu pork and they made a great accompaniment to that. I found that placing a few mushrooms on top of the pork in place of the hoisin sauce worked quite well. Very nice balance.

Braised Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 40 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms, ~2.5cm diameter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. peanut (or other high smoke point) oil
• 2.5cm thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
• 60g raw chicken fat, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. Chicken Stock

Directions

1. Pour hot water over the mushrooms to cover and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Drain, rinse, and squeeze out any excess water.
3. Remove and discard the stems.
4. Heat pot over high heat for 20-30 seconds.
5. Add the oil and heat for another 20-30 seconds.
6. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10-15 seconds.
7. Add the mushroom caps and stir to mix.
8. Add the chicken fat and stir.
9. Now add the wine, stir, and cook for ~1 minute.
10. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper and stir to coat the mushrooms.
11. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
12. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
13. Serve hot.

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 40 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms, ~2.5cm diameter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. peanut (or other high smoke point) oil
• 2.5cm thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. Scallion Oil
• 3 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. Chinese Vegetable Stock

Apparently these pancakes are normally made with soi guah or "water squash". These squash are not commonly available in North America, so the author suggests zucchini as a substitute. She says that relatively small zucchini, around 15cm (6") long are best.

I found the insturctions for how to cut the zucchini for this recipe a little odd: 1cm discs cut into 5mm sticks? We did it this way, but it made for very awkward, chunky pancakes. I think I'd prefer smaller pieces in the future. I think I might try 5mm by 5mm or even 3mm by 5mm sticks next time.

Squash Pancakes

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 1 1/2 c. 5mm thick zucchini slices, cut into 5mm sticks
• 3 Tbsp. scallions, sliced
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. ligh soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2-4 Tbsp. oil, for frying

Directions

1. Crush or finely chop the peanuts.
2. Combine peanuts, zucchini, scallions, egg, soy sauce, wine, flour, sugar, and white pepper and mix well.
3. Heat wok over high heat for ~1 minute.
4. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and use a spatula to coat the wok with it.
5. Pour batter into the oiled wok and swirl it around to keep the pancake moving and prevent it from sticking.
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes, swirling or shaking the wok frequently to prevent sticking.
7. Slide the pancake onto a plate and then invert it onto a second plate.
8. Slide the pancake back into the wok, cooked-side-up.
9. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Add additional oil as needed.
11. Pancake is donw when zucchini is softened and cooked through and golden-brown on both sides.
12. Cut into wedges and serve.

Shanghai bok choy is preferably for this recipe, but it can be made with any variety of bok choy. The best texture and flavour, the bok choy should be quickly blanched in water with a little salt, baking soda, and ginger first. I omitted this step, but if you want to get the absolute best out of your bok choy, it's probably worth doing it. For 1kg of bok choy, you'll need ~1.5L of water, 2 tsp. of salt, 3/4 tsp. of baking soda, and ~3cm piece of ginger. Bring the water to a boil, add the bok choy, and, as soon as the water returns to the boil, drain it.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 c. vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce¹
• 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground

Bok Choy

• 1kg bok choy (preferably Shanghai bok choy)
• 3 Tbsp. onion oil²

Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Quarter bok choy heads and rinse very thoroughly.
3. Blanch the bok choy if desired.
4. Heat wok over high heat.
5. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds or so.
6. Add bok choy and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Pour in sauce and cook for another 3-4 minutes. (The sauce should thicken somewhat during this time.)

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¹ To make this dish vegetarian, simply use vegetarian oyster sauce. For a vegan version, double-check to make sure your sugar is vegan or substitute 3/4 tsp. agave syrup instead. ^Back
2 We didn't have any onion oil on hand, but we did have both scallion oil and garlic oil. I used a mix of both for this. I think they all make a good match for the bok choy. Pick your favourite! ^Back

For a condiment with almost nothing to it, these are incredibly tasty. I guess that's the power of deep frying? They're tasty to much just on their own and even better mixed into a bowl of steaming congee.

Fried Noodles

From Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 1 (227g) package wonton wrappers, cut into 1cm (~0.5") wide strips
• peanut or corn oil, for frying

Directions

1. Heat wok or small pot over medium-high heat for 40 seconds or so.
2. Pour in oil to a depth of 2-3cm (~1").
3. When oil is hot, add a handful of noodles and stir them around.
4. Fry, stirring occasionally for 60-90 seconds.
5. Remove from oil with a spider/Chinese strainer and drain on paper towels.
6. Continue frying in batches until all noodles are cooked.

Jook/Congee

I've been in a big breakfast rut lately. The problem is that I like lots of variety but also minimum effort. I'm not a morning person and I'm way too groggy first thing in the morning to actually do much in the way of cooking. This presents something of a problem.

Lately, I've been craving congee -- or jook, depending on where you're from -- for breakfast. I like the idea of something warm and savoury and comforting that isn't eggs. (Nothing against eggs, I just don't normally feel like actually cooking them for breakfast.) I flipped through a few different recipes before settling on what I was going to do for this batch.

My first stop was Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking where I took a look at her recipe for bak jook or "white congee" and suggested accompaniments. This is a simple porridge of short-grain and glutinous white rice and water. All the seasonings and condiments are added at the table. She suggests salted (duck) eggs, fried peanuts, and fried noodles.

Next, I took a look at a short YouTube video featuring a jook with "lots of vegetables". It suggested including green onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeños, chicken, cabbage, snow peas, green beans, soy sauce, and sesame oil in your jook. They also made their version with brown, rather than white rice and topped it with cilantro.

And last, but not least, I had a gander at Budget Byte$ InstantPot jook recipe. They included garlic, ginger, chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and salt in their jook, which used jasmine rice as its base. And for toppings, they went with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Those three recipes gave me a pretty good base to work from to create my own custom congee tailored to my tastes. I ended up using short-grain brown rice as the base and using a mix of vegetable broth and water for the liquid component. I followed the suggestion of including some aromatics and mushrooms and added some green vegetables (based on what was on sale at the grocery store) right at the end of cooking. Condiment-wise, I went with fried onions, sesame seeds, fried noodles, light soy sauce, and Laoganma (spicy chili crisp). There would've been fried peanuts as well if I hadn't burned them. And hard-boiled eggs if I hadn't forgotten them.

InstantPot Jook

Adapted from Budget Byte$ (and a couple others)

Ingredients

• 1 c. short-grain brown rice
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2.5cm (1") knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 200-250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 6-8 pieces dried black fungus, crumbled
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 5 c. water
• 50g pea shoots (or other vegetable of choice)
• 170-200g snow peas (or other vegetable of choice), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2-3 scallions, sliced

Condiments¹ (Optional)

• Laoganma (spicy chili crisp)
• sesame seeds (preferably toasted)
• chopped peanuts
• light soy sauce
• fried onions
• fried noodles
• boiled eggs (hard or soft)
• salted eggs²
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Measure rice into InstantPot.
2. Place garlic and ginger on top, along with fresh and dried mushrooms.
3. Add vegetable broth and water.
4. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
5. Leave on "keep warm" until ready to serve³.
6. About 5-10 minutes before serving, stir in the pea shoots, snow peas, and scallions.
7. Serve with whatever condiments you prefer.

This is an incredibly flexible recipe. Feel free to vary, increase, or reduce the inclusions based on what you find appealing or what's available and/or on sale.
Other inclusions that I think might go well:

• cabbage, shredded
• Brussels sprouts, quartered
• bok choy (especially Shanghai bok choy)
• gai lan
• broccolini
• carrots, grated
• sugar snap peas (mangetouts)
• tofu
• shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried)
• dried black mushrooms⁴

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¹ I didn't end up using all of these condiments. This is just a list of suggestions and ideas. Feel free to mix-and-match as you see fit. ^Back
2 You can buy salted duck eggs but Eileen Yin-Fei Lo advises against this. She recommends making your own at home. I haven't tried this yet. I'll do a write-up if when I do. In the meantime, I'm happy with adding plain (unsalted) hard-boiled eggs to my congee. ^Back
3 You can cook your congee the night before and just leave it on "keep warm" overnight. ^Back
4 Not to be confused with "black fungus". Black mushrooms look like pretty typical mushrooms and rehydrate to a chewy texture. Black fungus, meanwhile, is a shelf fungus, if I remember correctly. Its form factor is more of a thin, crinkly sheet, black on top and white/cream on the underside. It rehyrates into slippery sheets that are normally julienned to make thin, jelly-tough, wobbly matchsticks. If I forget to rehydrate my black fungus ahead of time, I just crumble it and mix it into the liquid component of whatever I'm cooking. ^Back

Steamed Black Mushrooms

In theory I was going to serve these mushrooms along-side poached pea sprouts. In practice I wasn't able to get everything done in time and ended up serving them along-side some leftover broccoli soup and a slice of garlic toast. They came out quite tasty nonetheless!

Steamed Black Mushrooms
Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
40 dried black mushrooms (~1 1/2" in diameter)
4 scallions, cut into 2" lengths
3 Tbsp. peanut oil (I accidentally put 5 Tbsp.)
1"-thick slice ginger, unpeeled and lightly smashed
1 c. chicken stock
2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
1 1/2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

1. Cover the mushrooms with hot water and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Drain. Rinse thoroughly. Then squeeze out the excess water. (Whoops! I forgot to rinse mine!)
3. Remove and discard the stems.
4. Place mushroom caps in a steam-proof dish.
5. Combine scallions, oil, ginger, stock, wine, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
6. Pour the broth mixture over the mushrooms and toss well.
7. Place dish in a steamer.
8. Cover and steam for 30 minutes.

The recipe recommends discarding the scallions and ginger once the mushrooms come out of the steamer. I, however, found the steamed scallions to be delicious and enjoyed eating them with the mushrooms.

Infused Oils

I think I included the instructions for how to make onion(-infused) oil in my post on Chinese vegetable stock. It now occurs to me that it would make a lot more sense to have it as a stand-alone post. That way it's easy to reference and refer back to if I ever want to suggest using it in other recipes.

Onion Oil
From Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
1 3/4 c. peanut oil
1 lb. onions, very thinly sliced (should give ~4 c.)

1. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds.
2. Add the peanut oil and onions and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
3. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 15 minutes. (Onions should turn light brown and crisp.)
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl.
6. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature.
7. Pour the cooled oil into a sterilized glass jar and close tightly. Oil will keep at room temperature for 1 week or 3 months in the fridge.
8. Transfer fried onions to an air-tight container. Onions will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Scallion Oil
From Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
2 c. peanut oil
4 large bunches scallions (~1 1/4 lbs. total), cut into 2" lengths and white portions lightly smashed

1. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds.
2. Add the peanut oil, then the scallions.
3. Allow to bubble and boil for a moment, then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes. (The oil should turn golden-brown.)
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Follow straining and storage instructions as for onion oil above.

Garlic Oil
From Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
1 1/2 c. peanut oil
2 1/4 c. thinly sliced garlic (~3 heads)

1. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds.
2. Add the peanut oil and garlic and stir.
3. Reduce heat to medium and allow to bubble and boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once every minute, until the garlic turns light brown.
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Follow straining and storage instructions as for onion oil above.

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Adaptations

FODMAP Considerations

While onions are not FODMAP-friendly, the onion-infused oil is. Use it in dishes that need a bit of savoury, onion-y goodness! However, if you're on a low FODMAP diet, you should either toss the fried onions or give them to your FODMAP-tolerant friends.

If you make your scallion oil with only the green parts of the scallions, then both fried scallions and the infused oil should be FODMAP-friendly.

Chinese Vegetable Stock

Since we're eating leftovers tonight, I guess now is a good time to post about the vegetable stock that I made last week. I completely forgot to do a write up when I made it initially, but I guess it all works out since it gives me something to write about today. The process was a little involved, but I think it'd go a lot smoother if I did it again, since I have all the ingredients on hand now.

Chinese Vegetable Stock
2.3L water
3/4 lbs. carrots, cut into thirds
3 yellow onions, quartered
3/4 lb. green onions, cut into thirds
3/4 lb. button mushrooms, quartered
6 ribs celery, cut into thirds
4 oz. fresh cilantro, very rough chopped
1/4 c. dried red dates (jujubes)
1/6 c. dried goji berries (wolfberries, boxthorn seeds)
4 oz. ginger paste (or fresh ginger, peeled, halved, and lightly smashed)
2 Tbsp. scallion oil
1/2 c. fried scallions (from scallion oil)
2 Tbsp. fried garlic (from garlic oil)
1 Tbsp. salt

First off, if you don't already have scallion oil (and fried scallions and garlic) on hand, you'll have to make some!

Scallion Oil (and Fried Scallions)
1 c. peanut oil
3/4 lb. scallions, very rough chopped

1. Lightly smash the white portions of the scallions.
2. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil followed by the scallions.
3. Once everything is vigorously bubbling, reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes.
4. Strain the oil through a fine mess and allow to cool. Both oil and scallions will keep in the fridge for several months. (Use a sterilized jar for storing the oil.)

Garlic Oil (and Fried Garlic)
1/2 c. peanut oil
1 head garlic, thinly sliced

1. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the peanut oil followed by the garlic.
2. Stir and reduce heat to medium.
3. Once everything is nicely bubbling, reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
4. Strain and store both oil and garlic as for scallion oil.

You begin to see why making this broth was such an involved process! Now I have both types of oil and the fried garlic and scallions on hand, so it'll be much easier in the future!

Now that all the frying and yak-shaving is done, onward to making our actual broth!

1. Soak the dates in very hot water. You'll want to let them sit in the water for at least half an hour, so do this first. Once the half our is up, drain them and add them to the pot.
2. Soak the goji berries in some very hot water. They should only need about 10 minutes of soaking. Once they're done, drain them and add them to the pot as well.
3. Add everything else to the pot! I did this in my crockpot, but it also works in a stock pot on the stove.
4. For the crockpot, I turned it on high for a few hours before switching it to low overnight. If you're doing it on the stove, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for at least 5 hours.

After a night simmering in my crockpot I was rewarded with some of the most delicious, rich-smelling stock I've ever seen! It was glorious! I'm pretty sure this is going to be my go-to vegetable stock recipe for the rest of forever!

In case anyone was wondering, I got this recipe out of Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking. I halved all the quantities to make it fit in my crockpot (and used a crockpot rather than stove top), but other than that, kept the recipe the same. I'm looking forward to trying her recipe for chicken stock at some point as well, but I had more immediate uses for the vegetable stock for now, so I figured I'd try that one first. Needless to say, I'm very pleased with how this turned out! Om nom nom!