Chicken and Mushroom Stew with Vermicelli (Northeastern Cuisine)

This chicken stew with mushrooms is incredibly delicious! The chicken is stir-fried to release rich fat, then slowly simmered with fragrant Northeastern mushrooms, resulting in a rich, flavorful, and fragrant broth. The sweet potato vermicelli soaks up the broth, leaving it soft, smooth, and flavorful. The best part is dipping rice in this broth; the rice grains are coated in a delicious aroma, and every bite bursts with rich flavor. It's a truly delicious accompaniment to rice!

Ingredients

half a chicken
50g dried mushrooms (such as shiitake mushrooms, hazel mushrooms, etc.)
50g-100g sweet potato flour
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
10g rock sugar
1 green onion
2 cloves of garlic
3 slices of ginger
1 tablespoon cooking wine
1 star anise
2 bay leaves
5 grams of cinnamon

Steps

Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly, as the soaking water will be used to cook the chicken. Then, soak them in cold water for 2-3 hours, until they are completely soft and have no hard core.
Soak the sweet potato flour in cold water 2 hours in advance.
Wash the chicken thoroughly and drain the water (since it needs to be stir-fried, drain as much water as possible to make it easier to stir-fry).
Cut the green onion into sections, slice the ginger, flatten the garlic, add 1 star anise, 2 bay leaves and 5g cinnamon for later use.
Heat a wok and add 3–4 tablespoons of cooking oil to grease the pan. Add the chicken and, without stirring, cover the wok and reduce the heat to low for 1 minute. Once the chicken is cooked through, continue to fry over medium-low heat until golden brown and the fat has released, creating a rich, alluring aroma. This is the key to the dish.
Push the chicken to the side of the wok and add the ginger, garlic, and scallions. Stir-fry until fragrant. Pour 1 tablespoon of cooking wine from the side of the wok. Add 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and the rock sugar. Stir-fry until evenly combined.
Add the water used to soak the mushrooms or hot water (the amount of water should cover the ingredients, as they will need to simmer for 35-40 minutes, so make sure there is enough water).
Add the soaked vermicelli noodles and cook for the last 2 minutes until softened. Season with salt and serve. The rice is fragrant and the soup is delicious. If you prefer a less brothy soup, reduce the heat and reduce the soup to your desired consistency. If you prefer a rich, rich soup but also crave the sweetness of the corn potstickers, let them absorb the savory flavor of the broth for a more mellow taste.
If you're craving corn tortillas, here's what you need to know (the following ingredients are not in the recipe): Take 50 grams of corn flour and 75 grams of all-purpose flour, blanch them in 30 grams of freshly boiled water, and let them cool slightly. Then, add 1 gram of yeast, 10 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of milk powder (the key to corn flour's deliciousness). Beat an egg, and knead the dough until it doubles in size. Once it's risen, knead it well. About 10 minutes before serving the chicken and mushrooms, roll the dough into five small pieces, place them on the side of the pot, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. These corn tortillas are soft and sweet. Dip them into the rich stewed chicken sauce, and the aroma of the whole grains and the meaty flavor of the chicken will blend seamlessly in your mouth. It's absolutely delicious!