Steamed Whole Chicken

This chicken was excellent on day one, delicious in a pilau on day two and even better in a sandwich on day three!!

For this recipe I used my stainless steel veg steamer over a saucepan of water.

Ingredients:

1 small chicken (up to 1.4kg)

2 tsp table salt

2 tbsp sesame oil (for brushing)

For the cavity paste: 

1 large garlic clove

40g spring onions (finely sliced)

40g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

Blitz above ingredients to a paste and then add 1 tbsp sea salt.

For the ginger and spring onion sauce:

15g fresh ginger, peeled and grated

30g spring onions, finely chopped

½ tsp sea salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation:

Rub skin with table salt inside and out, then rinse the chicken.

Rub cavity of chicken with the paste using your hands.

Place whole chicken in steamer and steam for 1 hour, watching that the pan does not run dry.  Add more water as necessary.  

Once cooked, allow to rest in steamer for 10 mins, then take out and brush the skin with the sesame oil.

Chop chicken into chunks and arrange on a platter.  

To make the sauce : mix ginger, spring onion and salt in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the vegetable oil to smoking point in a pan and then pour over the ginger and onion mixture and serve.

Serve with plain steamed rice and steamed pak choi or similar.