Basic Steamed Fowl Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Place chicken in a large heatproof bowl. Add mushrooms, whole, along with water. 2. Steam 2 hours. (See HOW-TO, _Steaming.) Add salt to taste. This chicken can be served hot or cold. When using it for cold dishes, remove skin, slice meat thin and serve either in salads or with dips for white-cut chicken. (Search for "Category: White-Cooked or Roast Chicken Dips".) NOTE: A larger bird, steamed slowly 3 to 4 hours in 8 cups of water, makes a dish that's nutritious and easily digestible for expectant mothers, convalescents and small children. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

Steps:

• Mix the yogurt, spices, ginger paste, garlic paste, chopped green chiles and salt in a large bowl to make a pasty marinade. Add the chicken and thoroughly rub the marinade into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Place a tawa, griddle or comal on the stove if you have one and center a large stock pot or Dutch oven on top of it. Otherwise, place the pot directly on the stove. The stock pot or Dutch oven should be large enough to hold the chicken pieces in a single layer, and deep enough to gather steam. Add enough ghee to coat the bottom of the pot, then add the chicken in one layer, meatier side down. Cover and cook on medium for 10 minutes.
• Turn the heat to the lowest setting and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue cooking, covered, for another 30 minutes. Remove the lid. Cook on medium until the juices in the pot have mostly evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and pour any juices from the pot over the chicken. Garnish with cilantro and chile flakes and serve with chutney and lemon wedges for squeezing.