See You Gai (red Cooked Chicken)

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Title: See You Gai (Red Cooked Chicken)
Categories: Chinese, Chicken
Yield: 6 servings

3 1/2 lb Roasting chicken
1 1/2 c Cold water
1 1/2 c Dark soy sauce
1/4 c Chinese wine or dry sherry
2 Inch piece fresh ginger,
-peeled and sliced
1 Clove garlic
10 Sections star anise
1 1/2 tb Sugar
2 ts Sesame oil

Here is the second chicken recipe from a really
comprehensive and beautiful cookbook, THE COMPLETE
ASIAN COOKBOOK by Charmaine Solomon.

"Red cooking" is the term applied to cooking in dark
soy sauce. The liquid that remains after cooking is
called a "master sauce", and can be frozen or
refrigerated for future use. It should be used to
cook meat or poultry at least once a week to keep it
"alive." Cook chicken drumsticks this way for taking
on picnics or serving at buffet parties. Fragrant
with ginger and anise, red-cooked chicken will surely
become one of your favorites.

Serves: 8 to 10 as part of a large menu, 4-5 as a main
meal with rice

Wash chicken well. Choose a saucepan into which
chicken will just fit so that the soy liquid covers as
much of the bird as possible. Put chicken into
saucepan, breast down, then add all the ingredients
except sesame oil. Bring slowly to the boil, then
reduce heat, cover and simmer very gently for 15
minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken over, replace lid
and simmer 20 minutes, basting breast with liquid
every 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and leave covered in the saucepan
until cool. Lift chicken out of sauce, put on a
serving platter and brush with sesame oil. This gives
the chicken a glistening appearance as well as some
extra flavor.

Traditionally the chicken is put on a chopping board
and cut in two lengthways with a sharp cleaver. Each
half is chopped into 1 1/2 inch strips and reassembled
in the original shape. If this proves too much of an
undertaking, simply carve the chicken into joints.
Serve at room temperature with some of the cooking
liquid as a dipping sauce.

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