All you need to whip up this nutritious and tasty pot of Hakka yellow wine chicken are a few simple ingredients.

A Hakka friend told me about this dish which is regarded as Hakka confinement food, but you do not have to be a new mother to enjoy it.

I went for a Malaysian brand of Hakka yellow rice wine as it is sweet and does not have any bitter aftertaste. Adjust the quantity of ginger according to your preference. I chose not to add any water to the chicken to fully harness the taste of the wine.

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Ingredients

3 tbsp sesame oil


120g ginger, cut two thick slices and cut the remainder into strips


900g chicken legs (cut each chicken leg into four pieces)


9g dried woodear mushrooms, soak, remove the hard bits of stem and slice thinly


3 large red dates (40g), halved and deseeded


220ml Shaoxing wine


550ml Hakka huang jiu (yellow rice wine)


¾ tbsp sugar


1 flat tsp salt

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Method

1. In a frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium-low heat.

2. Add the thick slices of ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add the remaining ginger strips and fry for 45 seconds until fragrant.

3. Add the chicken pieces, turn up the heat to high and pan-fry them for 10 minutes until browned.

4. Add the dried woodear and stir-fry for 45 seconds.

5. Add the red dates and the Shaoxing wine.

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6. Add the yellow rice wine and stir through. Transfer the mixture into a claypot.

7. Cover and allow the mixture to come a boil.

8. Add the sugar and season with salt. Stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil again. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cook in the residual heat for another 20 minutes.

9. Serve hot.