Romertopf's Beggar's Chicken

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Title: ROMERTOPF'S BEGGAR'S CHICKEN
Categories: Chinese, Poultry
Yield: 4 servings

Stephen Ceideburg
4 lb Frying chicken, cut into
-sections
Arrowroot
MARINADE:
1 ts Sesame oil
1 tb Dry sherry
1/4 ts Chinese Five Spices (see
-note below)
1/4 ts White pepper
1 Clove pressed garlic
1/4 c Soy sauce
1 ts Grated fresh ginger root

For teriyaki lovers, here's the finest recipe inspired
by the excellent little pamphlet Cook in Clay
published by the makers of the Romertopf pot. We've
served this dish, with variations, to as many as a
dozen guests with never anything less than ecstatic
results. The chicken comes out tender and full of
flavor, especially after being marinated in this
incredible sauce. You can add all sorts of Chinese or
Japanese seasonings, but be sure they stay on the
bland side. Caution: Don't add any salt-there's enough
in any good soy sauce. (We prefer the rich, heavy soy
sauce bottled in Hong Kong in a brown stone jug by Ko
Sang Yick.)

In a non-metal bowl, combine the ingredients for the
marinade, mix well, and marinate the pieces of chicken
for at least half a day, turning frequently.

When ready to cook, presoak pot, top and bottom, in
water for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and the marinade to the pot.

Place covered pot in a cold oven.

Set temperature to 450 degrees F.

Cook 45 minutes.

Ten minutes before end of cooking time, remove the pot
and pour off the liquid into a saucepan.

Return the pot to the oven, uncovered, for the final
10 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, bring the liquid in saucepan to a boil and
thicken with arrowroot.

Serve with rice, liberally drenched with the sauce.

For an optional Chinese touch, sprinkle the chicken
with almonds and sesame seeds.

Note: Chinese Five Spices are a combination, in powder
form, usually found in Chinese markets. If not
available, use star anise, ground to a powder with a
mortar and pestle.

From "Romertopf, The Clay-Pot Cookbook", Georgia
McLeod Sales and Grover Sales, Atheneum, NY, 1979.
ISBN 0-689-70547-6

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