My dad loves this dish. The gravy with the chicken and black fungus goes so well with rice. For me, I enjoy black fungus very much. I even came up with a black fungus salad just to eat it on it’s own. I will share the recipe for that later on. And to add on, it lowers cholesterol. I am always concious of that because my better half was given a high cholesterol warning during his annual medical checkup.

Black fungus is very popular in Chinese cuisine. Although tasteless by itself, when cooked with other ingredients, it absorbed the flavor while maintaining its crunchiness.

Black fungus is known to reduce cholesterol amongst other health benefits.

I prefer to cook this dish in a claypot. However, a wok or skillet works too.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced into thin pieces

250g chicken thigh or leg, cut into pieces

15g or 4-5 pieces black fungus (cloud ear), soaked in warm water until soft and cut into pieces (I like lots of black fungus in my dish, you can adjust accordingly to your preference)

20g of lily bud, soak in water until soft

2 stalks scallions for garnishing

Preparing the Sauce:

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
5 tbsp water
1 tsp Shaoxing wine (optional but definitely taste better with it)
1/4 tsp sugar
2-3 dashes of white pepper
A Pinch of salt
1 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in the sauce together, stir to mix well. Set aside.

2. Heat up the claypot on high heat. Add the oil and when the oil is heated, add the ginger and stir fry until aromatic.

3. Add the chicken and stir continuously until the meat turns opaque, then add the black fungus and Lily bud.

4. Add the sauce into the claypot, ensure that all ingredients are coated well. Reduce to low heat, cover the pot and simmer on low heat, for about 10 minutes or until chicken is tender.

5. If the sauce dries up, add some water to dilute the sauce. Garnish with scallions and serve.