Chicken Stew Soy Bean Paste Recipe

Ingredients:

600 g shoulder of pork or chicken meat

150 g bamboo shoots, sliced into 1/2 cm widths

15 to 20 medium-size dried Chinese Shiitake mushrooms

2 stalks cooking sugar cane (each stalk about 18 to 20 cm long)

1 tablespoon salted soy beans, mashed or pounded

8 cloves garlic, peeled

5 shallots, peeled

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, according to taste

2 cups water

2 cloves

2 cm length cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 green chilies

Method:

Cut the pork into 3 cm cubes; do not discard fat and skin. Wash and drain. Pound garlic and shallots till fine. Scrub sugar cane well; cut each stalk into half and split it down the length in 2 or 4. Set aside. Wash mushrooms and soak in hot water for at least 1 hour or in tap water for up to 24 hours till softened. Squeeze to remove excess water; discard stalks. Heat a wok over High Heat for about 1/2 minute; add oil till smoking hot, then stir-fry the pounded garlic and shallots till fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add the mashed salted soy beans and stir-fry for about 1 minute till fragrant and slightly crispy. Add the pork and stir-fry for about 5 minutes till meat changes color. (If you think the salted soy beans might burn, turn the heat down a little). Add sliced bamboo shoots and stir-fry for 1 minute before adding the mushrooms. Stir-fry the mixture for at least 10 minutes if you want the dish to be fragrant. Pour in the dark soy sauce and stir-fry for about 1 minute before adding the water, sugar, sugar cane pieces, cloves and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil over High Heat and transfer to a pot. Continue to simmer over Low Heat for about 2 hours or till the pork becomes very tender and the water has been reduced to a thick gravy. Add extra sugar if the gravy is too salty. Remove sugar cane. Cut off stalks from green chilies. Break or cut the chilies into thick slices and mix into the Chicken Stew. Serve.