Shiitake mushroom chicken with galangal sauce 沙姜香菇鸡

    This is a very good winter dish matching so well with rice or even you can mix it up with pasta or any noodles!Galangal (Kaempferia glanga) also be called aromatic ginger, kencur, sand ginger, resurrection lily which has been used hundreds of years in Chinese medicine for cold, indigestion, pectoral, abdominal pains, headache and toothache. I guess it doesn't matter if it really works for all the above problems since I just simply love the taste and the warmness it brings to my stomach. It's hard to find fresh Galangal root so in this dish I use galangal root powder which can be find in most of the Chinese grocery stores. I also used orange peel powder in this dish and of course you can use fresh mandarin peel instead. Vegetarian version of this dish will come up next week.
    沙姜这调料简直太神奇了！不光美味还能暖胃，行气止痛，缓解牙痛和风湿关节痛，主治肠胃炎和消化不良。作为我的调味品大爱，还能保持身体暖和。这道菜非常实用，摇身一变便可以做炒饭，炒面，甚至和意大利面也是绝配呢！这道菜的素食版本下周更新。

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken tights each piece cut into 4 smaller pieces; 2 tsp orange peel powder; 10-12 tsp galangal powder; 5-7 dried shiitake mushroom; 1cup dried bamboo (optional); 70ml low sodium soy sauce; 1/2 tbsp oil; 1/2 tbsp sesame oil; 8-10 Sichuan peppercorn; 4-5 dried chili pepper; 2 cup cooking wine;  5 slices regular ginger; 2 pieces bay leaf; 1tsp sugar or a bit more based on your taste.

Instructions:

1:  Soak dried shiitake mushroom and dried bamboo for 20mins in 1.5 cup of water separately after well wash. Slice the mushroom and keep the mushroom soaking water. 

2:  Heat up cooking oil and sesame oil on high and add Sichuan peppercorn, dried chili pepper stirring frequently for 10 seconds.

3:  Add chicken, bay leaf, ginger slice stirring until chicken is turning white. Add cooking wine, mushroom soaking water, galangal powder, orange peel powder (or 1/4 of fresh mandarin peel), sugar, soy sauce and keep stirring until all the spice mixed well, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover the lid, reduce the heat to low after boiling.

4: Add mushroom slice and bamboo pieces when there is only half liquid left in the pot. Stir well and cover the lid.

5: Cook until there is only 1/3 liquid in the pot then spray some spring onion on the top for serving.

Tips: I highly recommend to make pasta or chaomian noodles with the leftover. Just simple heat up the rest, add a little bit water and then add the noodles. 

食材：8个去骨去皮的鸡腿肉并切成切块；2茶匙陈皮粉；10－12茶匙沙姜粉；5－7个干香菇；1杯干竹笋；70ml 减盐酱油；1／2汤匙食用油；1／2汤匙芝麻油；8－10颗四川花椒；4－5个干辣椒；2杯米酒；5片姜；2片香叶；1茶匙糖或根据个人口味增减

步骤：

1：干香菇，干竹笋洗净后各用1.5杯水发泡20分钟。保留干香菇的发泡水，香菇切条。

2：大火烧热食用油和芝麻油，爆香花椒和干辣椒。

3：加入鸡块，香叶，姜片炒至鸡肉变白。加入米酒，发香菇的水，沙姜粉，陈皮粉（可用1／4的新鲜橘子皮代替），糖，酱油并混合均匀，中火煮开后加盖用小火慢炖。

4：锅中料汁煮至一半时加入香菇和竹笋，混合均匀后加盖继续慢煮。

5：当锅中料汁只剩1／3时，撒入小葱，翻炒均匀后关火。

关键： 强烈推荐用这个菜做炒面或者意大利面。将煮熟的面条混入菜汁中翻炒均匀即可。人间美味啊！