Cantonese Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, Leek and Water Chestnut Stew

If you can’t find dried shiitake mushrooms, use another dried variety instead. The only sort I could find at my local shop was wild ones.When the stew is done cooking, simply pull off the chicken skin because it ends up a bit flabby. It’s mainly used for flavouring the sauce.

Yield:

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. 25g (1 oz) dried shiitake mushrooms
2. 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
3. 2 chicken legs
4. 225g (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced in half
5. 1 small onion, finely chopped
6. 1 leek, weighing about 200g (7oz), chopped
7. 3 garlic cloves, crushed
8. 2.5cm (1 inch) piece ginger, cut into thin strips
9. 45ml (3 tbsp) Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
10. 60ml (4 tbsp) dark soy sauce
11. 10ml (2 tsp) caster sugar
12. 45ml (3 tbsp) oyster sauce
13. 1 chicken/vegetable stock cube (which makes 450ml stock if mixed with hot water)
14. 1 star anise
15. 250g (8 oz) fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
16. 10ml (2 tsp) cornflour
17. 8 spring onion, finely sliced

Directions

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in 300ml (½ pint) water for 20 minutes. Drain and thinly slice the mushrooms.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and fry chicken all over until golden.
4. Transfer the pieces to a plate put it to the side.
5. Add the onion, leek, garlic and ginger to the casserole and fry until the onion and leek have softened. Add the dried mushrooms and all its liquid to the casserole as well as water chestnuts, soy sauce, wine, sugar, oyster sauce and star anise. Next, add the stock cube to the mix and stir, making sure it dissolves complete. Let the sauce bubble for a minute or two then add the chicken to it. Make sure the chicken it more or less covered.
6. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, add the fresh mushrooms to the pot and stir well. Place the casserole back in the oven, this time at 160°C/fan 140°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for another 30 minutes.
8. Remove the chicken pieces from the casserole and keep warm. Mix cornflour with a little cold water to form a paste, stir into the boiling liquid and simmer for 2 minutes. Serve immediately and don’t forget to sprinkle spring onions on top!

Notes