Name: Slow-Braised Free Range Chicken with Dried String Beans
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: Free range chicken 1, about 800 g (1¾ lb), chopped into serving portions; Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing) 1 Tbsp; Dried string beans 60 g (2 oz), or use fresh string beans if dried ones are not available; Star anise 1; Basic stock 625 ml (20 fl oz / 2½ cups); Chicken egg 1; Tangerine peel 1 tsp; Light soy sauce 1 Tbsp; Cinnamon stick 2.5-cm (1-in) length; Spring onions (scallions) 2, cut into 5-cm (2 -in) lengths; Ginger 2.5-cm (1-in) knob, peeled and finely chopped; Cherry tomatoes 12; Cooking oil 350 ml (11½ fl oz); Potatoes 300 g (11 oz); Salt ½ Tbsp; Black tea leaves 2 Tbsp; Salt to taste; Dark soy sauce 1 Tbsp; Light soy sauce 3 Tbsp

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

New Beijing Cuisine

By Jereme Leung

Published 2010

About

This dish is a testimony of the wisdom of traditional Chinese cooking. In the past, when there was no proper refrigeration and transport, fresh vegetables were in short supply for much of the year in the north of China. Vegetables were preserved by smoking, drying, salting and pickling. In the olden days, string beans were popularly preserved by drying in the sun immediately following the harvest. We’ve used these dried string beans in this rustic, country-style chicken soup.