4 Chicken legs with thighs
-attached (about 2 1/2
-pounds)
1 ts Salt
1/8 ts White pepper
2 Green onions
3 Thin slices fresh ginger
-root
2 tb Rice wine
3 c Shredded iceberg lettuce
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Rice vinegar
3 tb Chicken stock or broth
2 tb Soy sauce
1 tb Sesame oil
1/3 c Minced green onion, white
-part only
2 tb Minced pared fresh ginger
-root
2 tb Minced fresh parsley
1 sm Egg white
4 tb Cornstarch
4 c Vegetable oil
This one is kinda unusual as it calls for frying up
joined legs and thighs then cutting them into one inch
bone-in slices after cooking. This is usually done
with whole birds and I don't see why you couldn't use
a whole chicken in this recipe. You'll need a Chinese
cleaver or a hefty chef's knife for the chopping.
Three of the contributing chefs who created original
recipes for the book are Japanese. I understand that
Chinese food is the favorite 'gaijin' cuisine in Japan
and Chinese places abound. Just an interesting
tidbit...
1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; rub to coat
evenly. Place chicken in non aluminum baking pan.
Pound 2 onions and the sliced ginger root lightly with
flat side of cleaver; chop coarsely and scatter over
chicken. Sprinkle chicken with rice wine. Marinate
at room temperature, turning chicken once, for 30
minutes.
2. Arrange lettuce on large serving platter.
Refrigerate covered.
3. Mix sugar, vinegar, stock, soy sauce and sesame
oil in small saucepan. Stir in minced onion, ginger
and parsley.
4. Whisk egg white in small bowl until foamy and
double in volume. Whisk in 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Reserve batter.
5. Heat wok over high heat for 20 seconds; add
vegetable oil and heat to 350F.
6. Meanwhile, drain chicken; discard marinade. Pat
chicken dry with paper toweling; dust with 2
tablespoons cornstarch. Spread batter on areas of
chicken not covered with skin, coating evenly.
7. Fry 2 chicken pieces at a time, turning once,
until crispy and cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes. (To
test for doneness, pierce thickest part of drumstick
to the bone with tip of knife; juices should run
clear.) Drain chicken on paper toweling, keep warm in
a 200F oven. Repeat, frying remaining 2 chicken pieces.
8. Heat stock mixture over medium heat to simmering.
Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 minute. Keep
dressing hot.
9. Cut warm chicken into 1/2-inch wide slices; use a
meat mallet or hammer to pound cleaver or sturdy
chef's knife through bones. Reassemble chicken slices
and place on bed of lettuce. Pour hot dressing over
chicken. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
From "Wok Cooking Class Cookbook" by the Editors of
Consumers Guide, Beekman House, N.Y, 1983. ISBN
0-517-40269-6
