This past weekend my parents were visiting from Miami for business and pleasure. While they were here I wanted to make one of my Mom’s favorite dishes, Chicken and Dungu. This was a staple meal that my grandmother made all the time while my mom, uncle and aunt were growing up. Being Chinese-Jamaican my grandmother incorporated a lot of Chinese recipes in everyday cooking. On my last visit home to Miami, I was able to find some dungu or should I say Chinese mushrooms and brought it back to Atlanta. The blending flavors of the chicken and the mushrooms come together so well they burst in your mouth.
The ingredients needed are: a whole chicken cut up in small pieces, dungu (chinese mushrooms), scallion, soy auce, black bean sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, salt, black pepper.
First wash the chicken and dash lemon juice on the whole chicken you had cut-up at the grocery store in small pieces. Then season it with garlic, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Place the chicken wrapped in an airtight container and sit seasoned over-night. This will enhance all the flavors in the chicken.
The night before you choose to make the chicken and dungu, soak the mushrooms in a large pot filled with water. Cover and leave till the morning.
When you are ready to start cooking wash out the old water and re-fill the pot with the mushrooms with fresh water. Next, turn your fire on and boil the mushrooms for about 30 minutes or so. You really want to make sure the mushrooms become soft and juicy.
After the mushrooms have boiled, strain the water out and let mushrooms cool completely. You can rinse them with cold water. As the mushrooms are cooling you can start on cooking the chicken.
In a large pot add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Allow the oil to get hot, you can always check to see if the oil is hot enough by sprinkling water in the pot and if it sizzles that means it is ready. Add the chicken piece by piece. Allowing on side to brown and then turn over and repeat. You will not be able to fit all of the chicken pieces at one time. Fry the chicken in batches then.
As the chicken is cooking, cut the stems off of the mushrooms and slice in half or bite sized pieces.
Set the mushrooms aside after cutting them up and move on to cutting up scallion.
Make sure to cut up a lot because it will be added not only to the chicken that is being cooked but also for the sauce on the side.
Add all of the chicken, including the batches you browned earlier, the cut-up mushrooms, and the scallion. Also add 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of black bean sauce, and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Mix it all together and let simmer for about 20 minutes on low heat.
Chicken and Dungu
1 whole chicken, cut up
2 cups of dungu (Chinese mushrooms)
scallion
2 teaspoon of vegetable oil
3 tablespoons of chopped garlic
2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of black bean sauce
2 teaspoon of soy sauce
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Wash the chicken and pour lemon juice on it. Season the chicken with salt, black pepper, soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons of chopped garlic. Place the seasoned chicken in the refrigerator to sit overnight.
In a large pot soak 2 cups of mushrooms in water to sit overnight to soften. The next day, pour out the old water and re-fill it w new water. Boil the mushrooms for about 30 minutes. When that is done, drain the mushrooms and run cold water on them. Set aside and cool completely before chopping.
While the mushrooms are cooling, in a dutch pot pour 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. Allow the oil to get hot before placing the chicken to brown. (To test the oil and make sure it is hot enough you can sprinkle water in it. When it sizzles that means it is ready) Fry the chicken in batches.
While the chicken is being cooked, chop up plenty of scallion. You will add the scallion and the mushrooms in the pot after the chicken is finished browning. When all the chicken is done browning add the mushrooms, scallion, teaspoons of oyster sauce, black bean sauce, and soy sauce.
Simmer on low heat, everything inside the pot for 20 minutes. At this time you can prepare the fluffy white rice and the sauce.
Sauce: In a small bowl add 1/2 cup of soy sauce, the extra chopped scallion form earlier, and sliced scotch bonnet pepper. Mix this together. In a small frying pan add a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Allow the oil to get very hot. When the oil is hot enough slowly add the hot oil to the soy sauce mixture allowing the scallion to sizzle.
Enjoy!!!!!!!
