I believe the recipe originates from the Hakka food,客家菜kè jiā cài or “guest families”. Unlike most cuisines in China, Hakka food is defined by a group of people rather than a geographical region. The Hakka had to make do with whatever unclaimed territory they could find, so frugality became a defining characteristic of their food. This lovely, lightly seasoned dish comes together so easily that some Chinese families adopt it as a staple. I will certainly scoop up spoonfuls of savory, earthy and yet subtly sweet sauce to put over mounds of jasmine rice,

Serves 2-4

• 400-500g (two bone or boneless chick thighs), cut into small pieces
• 3g                        ginger, thinly sliced姜片
• 2 sprigs               spring onions, separate green and white parts, green part for garnish only，香葱
• 3 to 5                red dates (remove the seed and split the date in half)
• 3 to 5               dried shiitake mushroom 香菇, dehydrated, stalk removed (soak in the water for 30 minutes)
• ½ cup              dried black wood wears 黑木耳, dehydrated (soak in the water for 30 minutes)

Seasonings

• ½ teaspoon     salt
• 2 tablespoons   light soy sauce生抽
• 1 tablespoon     corn starch淀粉
• ¼ teaspoon        ground white pepper 白胡椒粉
• 2 tablespoons     Chinese cooking wine 料酒

Method

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Separate green and white parts of spring onions.
2. Place chicken, spring onions (white part only) and ginger in a mixing bowl. Add in all the seasonings and mix well. Allow it to marinate for half an hour. Then add dried dates and soaked mushrooms.  Mix well. 
3. Place the marinated ingredients in a shallow, heat proof bowl. Prepare the steamer and bring the water up to a rapid boil. Cover the bowl with a plate or aluminium foil. Steam the chicken over high heat for 15-20 minutes, making sure it is thoroughly cooked. Remove from steamer and sprinkle on spring onions (green part) before serving.

 

 

 

There is a very long list of fermented soybean products in the Asian soy cuisines, such as Miso and Natto from Japan and Gochujang from Korea. Used as seasonings, they are found as culinary staples in the home kitchens of the East Asia countries. It is amazing how these little fermented black beans豆豉dòu chǐ have elevated the nutty and sweet flavour of this soy protein-rich dish, making the ordinary truly extraordinary.  Fermented black beans are usually packed in small plastic bags and can be found in any Chinese grocery stores.

Serves 2-4

• 250g                    Tofu sheets, cut into small squares， 豆腐皮/千张切小块
• 2 tablespoons    cooking oil
• 3-4 cloves           garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon   fermented blackbeans豆豉 (rinse them and chop them coarsely to release the flavour)
• 3-4                                     red chili pepper (replaced by red pepper if non-spicy taste preferred.)
• 3-4                                     green chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon                   Chinese cooking wine
• 2 tablespoons    light soy sauce 生抽
• 1/2 tablespoon   dark soy sauce老抽

Method

1. Cut the tofu sheets, red and green chili pepper into small squares.
2. Heat the cooking oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic then black beans till fragrant. Place tofu sheets followed by red and green peppers. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine and 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce. Mix well. If the tofu sheers are stuck together, use chopsticks to separate them so each small sheet is evenly coated with seasonings. Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and plate.