Stewed Chicken, Tiger Lilies, and Black Woodear Fu

Poultry

Stewed Chicken, Tiger Lilies, and Black Woodear Fu
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 2 and a half pounds)
1/4 cup reconstituted tiger lily buds
1/4 cup reconstituted black wood ear (Tremella fungi
) 6 dried black mushrooms (optional)
3 stalks scallion, cut pale part into one-half inch sections
3 slices fresh ginger root
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons cooking wine
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups water
Preparation:
1. Soak tiger lily buds until soft. Pinch off hard end and tie each one into a knot.
2. Soak black wood ear fungi until expanded and soft. Cut off any hard ends and slice them into bite-size pieces. Discard the soaking liquid.
3. Soak black mushroom until soft, if using. Cut off stem and slice each cap into four pieces.
4. Remove skin and fat of chicken. Cut chicken lengthwise in half. Cut off wings and separate the sections at the joints. Separate the breast from the leg sections. Chop each quarter into bite-size pieces. Rinse the chicken and pat dry.
5. Place oil in a hot wok, put ginger slices in before putting in chicken. Stir-fry until color changes, then add wine, soy sauce, sugar, two cups of liquid including the black mushroom soaking water, the tiger lily buds, black mushrooms--if using them, and the wood ear fungi. Cover and simmer for half an hour, adding the scallion toward the last five minutes of cooking.

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