Chicken in rice wine (姜酒雞)

Chicken cooked in rice wine is a must during confinement and is best eaten during the first 2 weeks of the confinement period. However, nowadays we don’t have to be in confinement to eat this dish. All we have to do to enjoy confinement food is to use less ginger. It is best cooked with glutinous rice wine. If you cannot get this wine than you can substitute with Shaoxing wine which is made from fermented rice and is less sweet.

Glutinous rice wine is made from fermented glutinous rice which is rich in iron therefore it is popularly used for postnatal nursing mothers to replace blood loss during delivery of the baby. It is slightly sweeter and smoother compared to normal rice wine. It is low in fat and free of cholesterol with high dietary fibre to reduce risk of heart attack and diabetes. It promotes blood circulation, expels cold energy and speeds up the effects of herbs.  It contains 10 to 20 percent alcohol. The recommendation is that the new mother should consume about 12 bottles of rice wine during the confinement month. This is not difficult to achieve because almost every dish will have the wine in it. 

Ingredients for sweet version

½ chicken cut into small bite size pieces

1 medium sized old ginger  

Rice wine (1/2 bottle)

Brown sugar

Sesame oil

Cut the ginger into fine strips

Heat the sesame oil in a wok then add the ginger

Fry the ginger until light brown and fragrant

Add the chicken and a little wine and mix thoroughly

Cover and simmer over low fire until the chicken is cooked

In the meantime break the sugar into smaller pieces

 

Once the chicken is tender, lower the fire and gently pour in the remaining rice wine so that it does not evaporate too quickly. Add the brown sugar, more if you like it sweeter.

Dish up and eat with rice or on its’ own.

Egg and rice wine

If you are tired of eating chicken you can use eggs instead. I actually prefer eating this dish more than the chicken.

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 medium sized old ginger sliced finely

Rice wine

Brown sugar

Sesame oil

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat up lightly

Heat the sesame oil in a wok and add the ginger and fry until light brown and fragrant

Pour the beaten egg onto the ginger and stir gently until cooked

Lower the fire and gently pour in the rice wine so that it does not evaporate too quickly

Add the brown sugar, more if you like it sweet. Mix thoroughly.

Dish up and eat with rice or as it is.

In case you don't like the sweet version then you can try the salty version which is equally delicious. This version uses black fungus and less wine. If I am not mistaken it is a Hakka dish. 

Black Fungus (Mok Yee) is sometimes known as wood ear or cloud ear. It is an edible jelly fungus or mushroom that is dark brown to black. It is rich in iron, vitamin K as well as cellulose and a special plant collagen. Regular consumption can help prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.
Ingredients for salty version

Half a chicken cut into bite size pieces

5 pieces of wood fungus soaked until soft and cut into smaller pieces

1 medium sized old ginger sliced finely

Rice wine

Fry the thinly sliced ginger in sesame oil until lightly brown and fragrant

Add the chicken pieces and fry until meat changes colour

Add the wood fungus and some rice wine.

Mix thoroughly, add some hot water, cover and simmer until the meat is cooked

Add more rice wine and bring it to the boiling point for 1 minute.

Dish up and serve with rice.