Chicken Floss (Shredded Chicken)

Ingredients

• 1 whole bird Fat chicken
• Egg white
• Cornstarch (芡粉)
• Pine nuts (松子肉)
• Chicken breast meat (脯子肉)
• Sesame oil (香油)
• 1/2 pint (半斤) Baihuo wine (百花酒)
• 1 large cup Autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油)
• 1 iron spoon Chicken fat (雞油)
• Winter bamboo shoots (冬筍)
• Fragrant mushrooms (香蕈)
• Ginger (薑)
• Scallion (蔥)
• 1 large bowl Water
• Remaining chicken bones and skin

Instructions

1. Select a fat chicken and use only the two legs.
2. Remove all tendons and sinews, then mince the meat finely—take care not to rupture the skin.
3. Combine the minced leg meat with egg white, cornstarch, and pine nuts, chopping all together into a uniform mixture.
4. If the legs do not yield sufficient quantity, supplement with breast meat cut into small cubes.
5. Heat sesame oil in the wok until very hot, then sear the breast meat cubes until golden on all sides.
6. Transfer to a clay or earthenware vessel.
7. To the vessel, add half a pint of baihuo wine (百花酒 — a refined Jiangnan rice wine), one large cup of autumn-pressed soy sauce (秋油 — soy sauce pressed in the autumn, the finest grade), and one iron spoonful of rendered chicken fat.
8. Arrange the winter bamboo shoots, fragrant mushrooms, ginger, and scallion around the meat mixture.
9. Cover the entire surface with the reserved chicken bones and skin.
10. Add one large bowl of water.
11. Place the vessel in the steaming basket and steam thoroughly until the meat is tender and the flavors have melded.
12. Before serving, remove and discard the bones and skin that were used as a cover.