Free Food Recipes

Ingredients

• 0.9-1 kg (2-2 1/2 lb) young chicken
• 6 large Chinese dried mushrooms
• 50 g (2 oz) bamboo shoots
• 1 large water melon (about 2.65 kg/5-6 lb)
• 3 slices root ginger
• 12 ml (2 1/2 teaspoons) salt
• 50-75 g (2-3 oz) ham
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) dry sherry
• 22- 10 ml (2 teaspoons) shrimp sauce

Serve 6-8

** Free Food Recipes **

Method:

1. Remove the head, feet and innards of the chicken. Parboil the cleaned chicken in boiling water for 5-6 minutes and drain it. Soak the mushrooms in water for 20 minutes; drain and discard the stalks.

2. Cut the bamboo shoots into medium-sized thin slices. Remove the top fifth of the melon by slicing it off horizontally. Keep the ‘lid’. Scoop out all the pulp, seeds and flesh of the melon, leaving a large cavity.

3. Place the chicken, ginger and salt in a casserole, and pour in 1 liter (2 pints) water. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots and ham, spreading them evenly over the chicken in the liquid in the casserole. Bring to the boil, place an asbestos sheet under the casserole, and simmer very gently for 2 hours.

4. Put the melon in a large heatproof bowl so that it stands upright securely and transfer the chicken into the cavity. Pour in the soup from the casserole. Discard the ginger, and use tongs or chopsticks to transfer the bamboo shoots, ham and mushrooms from the casserole into the melon.

5. Add the pieces of melon flesh from the inside of the melon, cut into regular-sized. 12 g (1/2 oz) chunks. Sprinkle the contents with the sherry and shrimp sauce. Insert the bowl with the melon in it into a steamer, and steam for 15 minutes.

6. Close the top of the melon with the sliced-off ‘lid’, and bring the whole melon to the table still standing in the heatproof bowl. Open the lid and allow the diners to help themselves with their chopsticks and spoons.