Beggar’s Chicken

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.5 – March/ April 2002)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1 kampong hen (approx. 1.5kg)

Seasoning:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp superior quality dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Shao Xing wine/ Chinese Cooking wine

Chinese Herbs:
4 pieces Dang Sheng
4 slices Dang Gui Tou
10 red dates (soaked, pitted)
1 tbsp Qi Zi (soaked)
6 pieces Yi Zhu
4 pieces Huai Shan
5 pieces Bei Qi

For Wrapping:
1 piece cling film
2 pieces grease-proof paper
1 raffia string
Clay (stiff tenacious soil)

Method:
1. Clean kampung hen. Mix well seasoning. Rub seasoning all over the chicken (internally and externally).
2. Clean Chinese herbs and stuff into the chicken’s cavity.
3. Wrap chicken with cling film. Follow by a layer of grease-proof paper. Tie with raffia string.
4. Mix water with yellow soil to form clay.
5. Spread out a piece of grease-proof paper on the floor. Apply clay and place (3) onto it. Cover with clay and wrap up.
6. Bury the chicken into the hot ash for 4 hours.
7. Unwrap and knock off the crust. Serve hot.

Remarks: For homemakers to prepare this recipe, substitute the wrapping ingredients with aluminium foil. Bake in oven at 180 degrees celsius for 1 hour. However, the taste will be different from the original recipe.