STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE

Steamed Black Fungus Chicken in Chinese Wine is typically a Cantonese dish which most people love to eat. In Cantonese, this dish is called ‘Yat Wok Sook’ (literally translated as ‘cooked in one pot’), so you can guess how ‘difficult’ it is to cook this! Like I mentioned in my earlier posts, the Cantonese cannot do without our soups, whether it is ‘Po Tong’ or ‘Kwan Tong’.  So my family finds simple contentment with this dish of steamed chicken, paired with a bowl of piping hot rice and soup!

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH

• It is easy and fuss free to make! Like most cantonese soups, all you have to do is to prepare the ingredients and boil everything in one pot (as the name implies).
• It is a great soup for young mums to drink after giving birth! This also means that it’s one of the typical soups to drink during the confinement period for mothers.

HOW TO MAKE BLACK FUNGUS CHICKEN SOUP? 

1. Use coarse salt to exfoliate the skin of the chicken, then wash the chicken thoroughly.
2. Cut each chicken thigh + drumstick into 5 pieces each.
3. Put the chicken in a big bowl or directly in the steaming plate. Add in the marinade ingredients and mix well. Leave it for about half an hour.
   
4. Soak the black wooden ear fungus, black cloud fungus and golden needles in tap water separately until they expand. Then gentle rub the black wooden ear fungus and black cloud fungus with your fingers to get rid of any dirt or sand.
5. Use a pair of scissors to cut off the hard stems from the black wooden ear fungus, then cut it into thick strips.
6. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. Then soak the mushrooms in hot water until they are soft.
7. Cut off the mushroom stalks and discard it. Wash the mushroom and squeeze dry. Cut the mushroom into thick strips. Keep mushroom water for later use.
   
8. Wash and remove the hard end of the golden needles and tie a knot on each needle. Squeeze dry
9. Lightly rinse the wolf berries and set aside.
10. After marinating the chicken for half an hour, add in black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus, Chinese mushrooms, golden needle, mushroom water and 200 ml of water to the chicken, then mix well. Then transfer the chicken mixture into a stainless steel plate
    
11. In a wok, add in the water for steaming and bring to a boil over high heat.
12. Put in the steaming rack and stainless less plate in, and steam for 25-30 mins over high heat. Ensure there is sufficient water during steaming process. If not, add more boiling water to the wok.
    
13. Spread the wolf berries on top of the chicken during the last 5 mins of steaming
14. Remove from heat, then add in the Hua Tiao Chiew
15. Serve hot with a bowl of steaming hot rice.

MARKETING TIPS

1. Do not buy golden needles that are pale yellow, dark brown and damp. Buy orangey-yellow ones instead. 
   • If they are pale yellow, they have most likely been bleached and washed.
   • If they are dark brown in colour, they have probably been stored for too long and will have a sourish taste which will ruin the dish.
   • To maintain its freshness, you need to store them in a ziplock bag and refrigerate, then they can be stored for many months.
2. Do not use frozen chicken or chicken parts for they are very bland in taste. Frozen chicken or parts are used for the grill or BBQ as they are usually marinated overnight to be flavourful.

COOKING TIPS

1. Do not soak the black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus and golden needle in hot water. These ingredients become soggy and lose flavour if soaked for too long in hot water. They might even disintegrate.
2. Remember to remove the stalk from the mushroom and golden needle. It is hard and chewy, and will ruin the texture of the dish.
3. Tie a knot on the golden needles to prevent them from disintegrating during the cooking process. It also gives it a nice, crunchy texture and more substantial bite.
4. Adjust the amount of the black fungus, wooden ear fungus, mushroom and golden needles to your own preference. I like to eat golden needles so I usually add more to the dish.

HOW TO TELL BETWEEN THE FUNGI

Both black cloud fungus and black wooden ear fungus expand tremendously after soaking, so don’t be fooled by the seemingly small quantity of the dry ingredients! Also, black cloud fungus and black wooden ear fungus are two different things, so don’t get confused.

Apart from being much larger than black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus is also more crunchy so it adds a nice crunchy texture to the dish.

DIETARY MODIFICATIONS

• Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
• Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
• Gluten-Free: Skip the Hua Tiao Chiew and oyster sauce or use a gluten-free condiments.
• Nut-Free: No modifications needed.
• Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.

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One-Pot Black Fungus Chicken in Chinese Wine Recipe

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Cantonese

Keyword: black fungus chicken soup, chicken soup black fungus cantonese, chicken soup with black fungus

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 46kcal

Author: Bee Leng

Steamed Black Fungus Chicken with Chinese Wine is a well-loved Cantonese 'yat wok sook' (cooked in one pot) and is great to drink for young mums after childbirth! 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 pieces Chicken Thigh with Drumstick
• 1 1/2 TBsp Wolfberries About 10-15 gm
• 15 gm Black Wooden Ear Fungus About 2 large pieces
• 10 gm Black Cloud Fungus 10 gm
• 30 gm Golden Needles
• 2-3 TBsp Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao Chiew / Shaoxing Wine)
• 4-5 Chinese Dried Shiitake Mushrooms Medium sized
• 200 ml Water

Read Also:  Sugarcane Smoked Chicken

Marinade

• 1 1/4 TBsp Corn flour
• 2 tsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 TBsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tsp Sesame Oil

Instructions

PREPARATION METHOD

• Use coarse salt to exfoliate the skin of the chicken, then wash the chicken thoroughly.
• Cut each chicken thigh + drumstick into 5 pieces each.
• Put the chicken in a big bowl or directly in the steaming plate. Add in the marinade ingredients and mix well. Leave it for about half an hour.
• Soak the black wooden ear fungus, black cloud fungus and golden needles in tap water separately until they expand. Then gentle rub the black wooden ear fungus and black cloud fungus with your fingers to get rid of any dirt or sand.
• Use a pair of scissors to cut off the hard stems from the black wooden ear fungus, then cut it into thick strips. 
• Wash the mushrooms thoroughly. Then soak the mushrooms in hot water until they are soft.
• Cut off the mushroom stalks and discard it. Wash the mushroom and squeeze dry. Cut the mushroom into thick strips. Keep mushroom water for later use.
• Wash and remove the hard end of the golden needles and tie a knot on each needle. Squeeze dry.
• Lightly rinse the wolf berries and set aside.
• After marinating the chicken for half an hour, add in black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus, Chinese mushrooms, golden needle, mushroom water and 200 ml of water to the chicken, then mix well. Then transfer the chicken mixture into a stainless steel plate.

COOKING METHOD 

• In a wok, add in the water for steaming and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Put in the steaming rack and stainless less plate in, and steam for 25-30 mins over high heat. Ensure there is sufficient water during steaming process. If not, add more boiling water to the wok.
• Spread the wolf berries on top of the chicken during the last 5 mins of steaming.
• Remove from heat, then add in the Hua Tiao Chiew.
• Serve hot with a bowl of steaming hot rice.

Notes

MARKETING TIPS

1. Do not buy golden needles that are pale yellow, dark brown and damp. Buy orangey-yellow ones instead. 
   • If they are pale yellow, they have most likely been bleached and washed.
   • If they are dark brown in colour, they have probably been stored for too long and will have a sourish taste which will ruin the dish.
   • To maintain its freshness, you need to store them in a ziplock bag and refrigerate, then they can be stored for many months.
2. Do not use frozen chicken or chicken parts for they are very bland in taste. Frozen chicken or parts are used for the grill or BBQ as they are usually marinated overnight to be flavourful.

Read Also:  Chicken Karaage (Inspired by Singa the Lion)

COOKING TIPS

1. Do not soak the black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus and golden needle in hot water. These ingredients become soggy and lose flavour if soaked for too long in hot water. They might even disintegrate.
2. Remember to remove the stalk from the mushroom and golden needle. It is hard and chewy, and will ruin the texture of the dish. 
3. Tie a knot on the golden needles to prevent them from disintegrating during the cooking process. It also gives it a nice, crunchy texture and more substantial bite.
4. Adjust the amount of the black fungus, wooden ear fungus, mushroom and golden needles to your own preference. I like to eat golden needles so I usually add more to the dish.

HOW TO TELL BETWEEN THE FUNGI

Both black cloud fungus and black wooden ear fungus expand tremendously after soaking, so don't be fooled by the seemingly small quantity of the dry ingredients! Also, black cloud fungus and black wooden ear fungus are two different things, so don't get confused.

Apart from being much larger than black cloud fungus, black wooden ear fungus is also more crunchy so it adds a nice crunchy texture to the dish.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 3g | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.6mg