Eight Treasure Chicken

I had made this specially for Dad's birthday in Kuantan since Eight Treasure Chicken have a name that symbolize good fortune and prosperous. The fillings inside taste good but the chicken meat was rather bland. I think it's better to marinade the chicken overnight.

Ingredients

2 pcs lotus leaves

1 chicken (app 1 kg)

6 cloves garlic

1 Chinese sausage, sliced

4 Chinese mushroom, soaked, removed stem, cut into quarter

120g Chinese cabbage, sliced

5 chestnuts, soaked overnight

10 ginkgo nuts

40g lotus seeds

1 carrot, sliced

Marinade

1 tbsp Chinese rose wine

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tbsp salt

Seasoning

1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

3/4 bowl water

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

dash of sesame oil and pepper

Methods

1. Cook lotus leaves in boiling water until they soften. Rinse and wipe it.
2. Rub marinades except dark soy sauce on the chicken's skin and inside of chicken. Marinade overnight. Then wipe the chicken with kitchen paper. Rub dark soy sauce on chicken, pour some hot oil onto chicken skin to enhance its colour. Then rinse the chicken with cold water.
3. Heat up oil, fry garlic until golden brown. Pour in wine. Add all ingredients in order except lotus leaves and chicken and fry until fragrant. Add water and seasoning. Cook till cabbage softens. Thicken gravy with starch solution. Dish out and leave to slightly cool.
4. Stuff the dish into chicken stomach. Seat with toothpicks. Place the balance of dish and stock at the side of chicken. Wrap with lotus leaves tightly.
5. Boil some water in a wok. Steam over low heat for 2 hours.
6. Serve.

All filling stuffed inside the chicken

Wrapped up in lotus leaves.

I had used aluminium foil to wrapped the lotus leaves too since the gravy is leaking out.

Hot hot hot!

The yummy fillings inside once the chicken is cut open.

All ready to be served.