Chinese Five-Spice Chicken

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Once again reader Rosemary Zwick demonstrates that there is no
shortage of bad food puns in South Africa:

A detective who spent his entire career in plain clothes quit the
police force and bought a farm. "What kind of crops do you plan to
grow?" the police chief asked the farmer-to-be. "Carrots and
potatoes," the man replied. "Why carrots and potatoes?" asked the
chief. "Because," answered the ex-detective, "I'm very fond of
undercover crops."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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You can use one of the commercially prepared Chinese five-spice
powders in this dish if you like, but the mixture of spices in this
recipe will give the dish a brighter, more distinctive flavor.

Chinese Five-Spice Chicken (Wu Hsiang Chi)

2-3 lbs (900-1350 g) chicken pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce
2 Tbs (30 ml) peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground ginger
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 ml) crushed anise seeds
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
A pinch of ground cloves

Place the chicken pieces in a large dish or plastic bag. Mix the
remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Marinate
refrigerated for 1 to 2 hours. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish
and brush with the marinade. Cook uncovered in a preheated 350F
(180C) oven, brushing once or twice with the marinade, until the
chicken is done, about 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Thu Feb 10 06:07:38 2005