2 pigeons (about 900g), some ginger, 1 tsaoko (also known as black cardamon), 4 cups of chicken stock, 4 cups of water, some sesame oil.
SEASONINGS:
(1) 3T Shaoxing wine, 3T Chinese rose wine.
(2) 1t salt, 2t sugar, 1/2 cup of Shaoxing wine, 3T Chinese rose wine.
PREPARATION :
1. Discard the innards of pigeons; Rinse; Blanch in boiling water for 20 seconds so as to drain the blood; Remove and immediately rinse in running water; Drain; Marinate in seasoning (1) for 1 hour.
2. Rinse and slice ginger; Rinse and crush tsaoko.
3. Pour 4 cups of chicken stock and 4 cups of water to a pot; Bring to the boil over a high heat; Add the ginger and tsaoko; Cook over a high heat briefly; Add pigeons and cover with a lid; Cook over a low heat for 20 minutes; Turn off the heat; Remove and immediately rinse the pigeons in running water to cool; Strain the soup through a sieve.
4. Pour the soup from the step 3 to another pot; Bring to the boil over a high heat; Return the pigeons to the pot; Cover with a lid; Cook over a low heat for 2 minutes; Turn off the heat; Add seasoning (2); Cover with the lid and cool at room temperature; Put in the refrigerator overnight (flip the pigeons over twice in between).
5. Evenly brush the pigeons with some sesame oil; Cut into pieces and serve in cold.
COOKING TIPS:
1. Frozen pigeon should be transferred from the freezer to the lower shelf of a refrigerator a night before the day you intend to cook them to ensure they thaw slowly.
2. To tenderize frozen or chilled pigeon and remove the unpleasant "frozen food" taste, it is better to rinse in running water for 20 minutes before cooking.
