Steamed Chicken with Black Fungus and Mushroom

One favourite dish of Hubby is Steamed Chicken. It’s quick and simple, busy Moms and working ladies may find it easy and elderly folks may like it too.

Sigh! My little guy is not fond of meat and I have to try ways to incorporate meat into his diet. Cooking for a family is not an easy task, (Mom, I can’t say how much I appreciate you for what you were & are now capable of doing - and now I know… :-), thank you!), where the cook of the family needs to strike a nutrition balance among the members, and it’s even tougher if you have an unwell or elderly family member joining in the mealtime.

For a growing active child, he needs more protein, muscles-building and energy-giving food with the proper nutrition called for brain-building as well, whereas, both my husband and I needed to reduce our calories intake. We have been practicing, low salt – less oil - less red meat type of cooking for some years now, since we got married. We have decided to head towards a healthier lifestyle, with healthier food intake and errr…regular exercise :-)

(Before)

(Steamer)

I hope you will like this, Steamed Chicken :

1 whole chicken leg, skin removed, deboned (if you want) and fats trimmed

½-¾ tsp of salt (to taste)

1 piece dried black fungus (in Cantonese - “wood ear” 木耳 ), soaked and cut to shreds

1 packet Enoki mushroom, chopped to 1cm length

1-2 tsp Sesame oil

4-6 slices of ginger

1.      Wash & clean the chicken leg.

2.      Lightly salt the chicken leg and place in steamer-proof dish

3.      Dribble sesame oil on the meat.

4.      Place the ginger slices on the chicken.

5.       Top the chicken with black fungus shreds and mushroom pieces.

6.      Steam for 30 minutes.

(After) - the chicken is in there alright... just too much toppings, but we love the toppings! :-)

Served hot with the gravy as well, on white rice.

The dried black fungus will need to be soaked for 30 minutes prior to cooking. We quite like black fungus in our cooking as it gives it a crunchy taste even after steaming.

I’ve tried adapting this recipe with chicken pieces instead of a whole leg (I was feeding 11 pax), added shredded dried Chinese mushroom (that has been soaked), shredded ginger instead of slices and finally adding 1-2 tsp of brandy to the chicken before serving, you can try if you want.  Hmmm…tasty!

You might want to know the Health benefits of Black Fungus (Wood Ear),

Chinese Food Health  " ...labeled as a medicinal food for thousands of years known for its rich nutrients such as iron, protein, fat, vitamins, polysaccharide, and other minerals. 

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners, black fungus has a bittersweet taste and is “neutral in nature” that can replenish “Qi” (essential energy), enrich and activate blood, purify lungs and intestines, etc. Its applications include anemia, haematemesis, uterine bleeding, hemorrhoid, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and even cancer prevention..."

Health benefits of Enoki Mushrooms, 

Chinese Food Recipes " ...Enoki mushrooms is highly nutritious. It contain vitamin B1, B2 and E. It helps the brain development. It is good for hypertension patients and elder people. Enoki mushrooms help to reduce blood cholesterol level and prevent hypertension and arteriosclerosis. The abundant vitamin B in Enoki mushrooms helps relieve fatigue and increase sugar and fat metabolism, thus helps weight loss. They are cold in nature therefore are not suitable for patients suffering from diarrhea and loose stool.

Fresh enoki mushrooms are available mainly in Asian specialty food stores bundled in plastic bags. When buying, pick those with firm, white, shiny caps and avoid mushrooms with slimy or brownish stalks. The mushrooms are also sold canned and in jars. Store enoki mushrooms in the refrigerator and they will keep for about a week.


Healthy New Age "...All of the edible mushrooms that grow wild (on wood) appear to have special medicinal properties. The Enoki mushroom harbors the polysaccharide, flammulin, which Japanese and Chinese medical researchers claim to have shown anti-tumor/anti-cancer properties.
It should be noted that Nagano, Japan- the heart of Enoki agriculture, has a very low rate of cancer. The Enoki is said to be anti-viral, anti-bacteriological thereby providing a powerful immunological boost and it has been shown to have particularly positive effects in the treatment of prostate cancer and lymphoma.10


Some have said that boiling and drinking the water of black fungus can help clear blockage of arteries for stroke patients... I'm not sure how true, but it's best to consult your physician.