To compose salt-baked rooster, or yim guk gai in Cantonese, a full rooster is marinated, wrapped in a parcel, placed in a wok or ceramic pot that’s then stuffed with heated salt, and roasted. The cause of the salt is never any longer to taste the rooster, however rather to transfer the heat evenly to the rooster, cooking it gently and ensuing in silky, juicy meat. Whereas the ragged formulation is monumental, we additionally love adapting extinct-faculty recipes so they’re less complicated to compose—on this case, replicating the flavour of a ragged salt-baked rooster with out having to contend with a few kilos of sea salt. This straightforward version is effectively seasoned with the requisite sand ginger, Shaoxing wine, and staunch a few teaspoons of salt before it’s baked to juicy perfection.
This recipe used to be excerpted from ‘The Woks of Lifestyles’ by Bill Leung, Kaitlin Leung, Judy Leung, and Sarah Leung. Buy the paunchy book on Amazon. Rep more of our current Chinese language rooster recipes →
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System
1 (4- to 5-pound) total rooster, giblets and neck eliminated
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
3 to 3½ tsp. honest sea salt
2 tsp. sand ginger powder or galangal powder
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns
½ tsp. white pepper powder
¼ tsp. five-spice powder
1 tsp. mushroom powder or rooster powder (no longer compulsory)
3 medium garlic cloves, smashed
2 (⅛-wander-thick) slices contemporary ginger, smashed
1 scallion, white share only, lower into 2-wander pieces and smashed
1 dried bay leaf
1 tiny or ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
Preparation
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Step 1
Do away with any giblets from the rooster and rinse the cavity to absolutely shipshape it out (reckoning on how your rooster used to be processed, it could well possibly well well aloof non-public some organ tissue within the cavity). Pat the rooster and the cavity dry with a paper towel. Be sure that to disinfect your sink and work floor after handling the raw rooster.
Step 2
Put the rooster in a baking dish (or any vessel which that you simply would be in a position to well additionally marinate it in). Rub all of the rooster with the Shaoxing wine, interior and out. In a tiny bowl, combine the oil, salt, sand ginger powder, sugar, ground Sichuan peppercorns, white pepper, five-spice powder, and mushroom or rooster powder (if utilizing). Completely rub the rooster interior and out with the spice mixture. Put the garlic, ginger, scallion, and bay leaf within the cavity. Tie the legs along with kitchen string and tuck the flit tricks below the lend a hand. Duvet and marinate the rooster overnight within the refrigerator.
Step 3
3½ to 4 hours before serving, clutch the rooster out of the fridge and let take a seat at room temperature for 2 hours. (Cooking a rooster straight out of the refrigerator will result in undercooking or uneven cooking.)
Step 4
Location a rack within the course of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a astronomical solid-iron pan (this can relief the rooster roast rapid and evenly) with the onion slices to present protection to the skin on the bottom of the rooster. Put the rooster within the pan breast facet up.
Step 5
Roast the rooster for 75 to 85 minutes, rotating the pan midway by. When a meat thermometer within the thickest share of the thigh reads 165°F, put off the rooster from the oven and tent it lightly with aluminum foil. Let it rest for quarter-hour before carving. The drippings are delicious—rather salty, however ultimate to dip the rooster pieces in. (And the bones and carcass compose a tasty stock.)
Reprinted with permission from The Woks of Lifestyles by Bill Leung, Kaitlin Leung, Judy Leung, and Sarah Leung, copyright © 2022. Photography by Sarah Leung and Kaitlin Leung. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random Condominium, LLC. Buy the paunchy book from Penguin Random Condominium, Amazon, or Book shop.
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