Note: We first published this recipe in August 2013. We have since re-tested it, re-photographed it, and added metric measurements with clearer instructions.
A Recipe Inspired by the Jade Temple
My mom came up with this Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushrooms recipe after visiting the Jade Temple (玉佛寺) in Shanghai. The temple got its name from the two jade buddhas that “live” there, each carved from a complete piece of jade and “invited” from Myanmar in the late 1800s. If you find yourself in Shanghai, you have to go there. Reason 1: You’ll get the experience of seeing a working buddhist temple. Reason 2: Double mushroom noodles! After you pay a visit to both buddhas, stop at the Jade Temple’s kitchen, where they crank out cheap vegetarian dishes. They’re most well-known for their noodle soups. Order a bowl of their Braised Double Mushroom Noodle Soup, and you won’t be sorry. Kaitlin gets weekly cravings for it. One summer, she got noodle fever, and made us all get on a 5-hour high speed train from Beijing to Shanghai for that bowl of noodle soup. That’s how good it is! Here is their address and phone number: 玉佛寺 / 上海 普陀区 江宁路999号/ 02162665596. Just copy it and give it to the taxi driver! Now, obviously this is not a vegetarian dish. But it does feature “double” mushrooms—dried shiitakes and dried wood ears—braised together in a rich, dark sauce. The chicken wings add a stickiness to that sauce that’s hard to resist. It’s perfect with some steamed rice. Just add a green vegetable, and dinner’s on the table!
Recipe Instructions
Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the ginger and let it cook for about a minute until fragrant. Then turn up the heat to high and add the chicken. Keep stirring until the chicken is browned, and add the soaked dried shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. Keep stirring for another couple minutes. Then add 1 to 1 ¼ cup of the water you used to soak the mushrooms. Also add the Shaoxing wine, sugar, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. mix everything well. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the wok, and simmer over low heat for about 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce is thick and gooey. If the sauce is still too thin after 45 minutes, turn up the heat and reduce the sauce until it coats the chicken and mushrooms. You can also add more water if you like more sauce. Stir in the scallions, and cook until they’re just wilted. Serve your Chinese Braised Chicken with Mushrooms with lots of rice and a green vegetable!
