Velvet Chicken Slices
Sliced chicken, white as hibiscus blossoms, braised with ham and pea shoots for a fresh, vibrant appearance and a tender, delicately savory flavor.
Ingredients
Chicken breast (remove tendons, pound into paste)
250 g
Egg whites
50 g
Ham (cut into thin slices)
25 g
Bamboo shoots (cut into thin slices)
several
Pea shoots (washed)
25 g
Lard
500 g
Fresh stock (cold fresh stock for mixing batter, for floating chicken slices)
250 g
Water cornstarch (slurry style)
30 g
Salt
5 g
Milk stock
50 g
White pepper powder
1 g
MSG
0.5 g
Chicken fat
10 g
Instructions
1
Preparing the chicken paste
Remove the tendons from the chicken breast and pound the meat into a paste; transfer to a bowl and add the cold fresh stock, water cornstarch, salt, and egg whites, then mix evenly into a smooth paste. Cut the ham and bamboo shoots into thin slices about 3.5 cm long and 2 cm wide. Wash the pea shoots.
2
Blanching the chicken slices
Place a wok over the heat, add the lard and heat to about 80°C–100°C, and tilt the wok slightly. Use a wok ladle to scoop the chicken paste (about 30 g) and pour it along the edge of the wok, then quickly tilt the wok in the opposite direction so the oil covers the chicken paste. Once it sets and detaches from the wok, lift it out and place it into the fresh stock so it floats — this forms a chicken slice. Repeat until all of the chicken paste is made into chicken slices.
3
Braising the dish
Pour out the blanching oil from the wok, add the ham and bamboo shoot slices, pour in the milk stock, add the salt, MSG, and white pepper powder, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken slices and braise briefly, then add the pea shoots, thicken with the water cornstarch slurry, remove from the heat, and drizzle with the chicken fat.
