members recipes

This is a simple dish that is packed with flavour, using the whole chicken makes it a great meal for a few people but also gives you more stock to use for other things. I cant be accurate on the timing for the whole chicken as it depends on size.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken or 2 - 3 chicken breast fillets
1inch piece of ginger
4 spring onions
pinch of salt
table spoon of vegetable oil

Optional stock
2 carrots chopped
1 leek chopped
sall bunch of coriander
some whole garlic cloves
few pepper corns

Steamer option
9 thin slices of ginger

Method
1. If you are using the whole chicken make sure it is cleaned and prepared ready to go. Bring a pan of water to the boil large enough to contain the chicken but not too big so the stock is diluted. Add a good pinch of salt and the other stock ingredients followed by the chicken. Cook through on a slow simmer

2. if using the chicken breasts instead bring a steamer to the boil with enough water but again not too much as to dilute the stock, line the steamer tray with the ginger slices and lay the chicken on top sprinkle with little bit of salt. Steam for aproximately 20minutes depending on the size of the breasts

3. While everything is cooking, using a pestle and mortar pound the ginger to a paste with a little salt for abraisive
4. finely chop the spring onions add to the ginger mix and pound again briefly to amalgamate
5. transfer the mix to a heat proof dish
6. Once the chicken is cooked it can be removed and carved for serving
7. Ladle a small amount of stock over the ginger mix to loosen it up. Taste for seasoning
8. Heat the oil in a pan to very hot then carefully pour over the ginger mix
Serve with plain rice and small bowls of the steaming / poaching liquid

The relish is excellent just added to plain rice to give it a great kick.