The “cooking mama” in me seems to be awaken and I have decided to cook again! This time round, I decided to make something that is more nourishing to our body without us going through an elaborated process. Is this even possible? Of course, it is la. I have tried and tested. So here is it. Tada~~ Steamed Yomeishu Chicken Mid-joint Wings!
Due to my poor health, since young I have been drinking herbal soups. Hence, upon knowing the benefits of drinking Yomeishu, I have started drinking Yomeishu 2 months ago. Yomeishu is made at the foot of Japan’s Central Alps, in Komagane city. An natural environment with more than 70% of the natural-growth forest. It is manufactured using more than 10 types of herbs immersed in a wine base made from steamed glutinous rice for more than 2 months. Although there is 14% alcohol content present in Yomeishu, the natural flavor of cinnamon and slight sweetness made Yomeishu a very pleasant tonic to have. There is no bitter aftertaste or strong alcoholic taste. The recommended amount is 20ml per serving and 3 times a day, before meals, if possible. 
Due to my busy schedule, it is sometimes very hard to have it 3 times a day. Hence, my routine is to have it at least once per day, just before my sleep. After drinking it for a period of time, I noticed that the signs of physical fatigue and poor appetite have reduced. I used to suffer from cold fingers whenever I am in an air conditioned place. However, with the regular consumption, I found my blood circulation improved and I no longer feel my fingers being icy cold. =)
Traditionally, if we wanted to nourish our body, we would usually double boil herbal soup for hours to get the essence from the herbs to strengthen our body. However, I find double boiling soup too much of a hassle. Hence, I have gone online searching for methods that can shorten the cooking process without compromising on the benefits from the herbs. This is when I discovered that I can use Yomeishu for cooking as well. Awesomeness!! Not only my health is improving, I can reap the effects of herbal soup with the usage of Yomeishu in cooking. So here is it, my tried and tested humble recipe for Steamed Yomeishu Chicken Mid-joint Wings. I have used mid-joint wings as it is J’s preferred part of the chicken. If you prefer to use drumstick or whole chicken, you gotta tweak the recipe accordingly. =)
Ingredients:
12 chicken mid-joint wings
1 Tbsp Wolfberries
5 Red Dates
5 Tbsp Water/ Stock (or 2 cups of Yomeishu) *
4 Dried Mushroom (soaked and cut strips)
1 Piece of Black Fungus (soaked and cut strips)
1 Piece of Ginger (finely shredded)
Marinade:
3 Tbsp Yomeishu
3 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Pinch of Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Rinse the chicken mid-joint wings with water.
2. Place the chicken mid-joint wings into a bowl and season them with the “Marinade” for at least an hour. **
3. Heat up the water in a wok/ pan.
4. Place the chicken onto a porcelain plate or a metal plate
5. Rinse the wolfberries and red dates.
6. Arrange the dried mushroom, black fungus, ginger, wolfberries and red dates on top of the chicken mid-joint and pour 2 cups of Yomeishu onto the plated chicken mid-joint wings.
7. Place the chicken mid-joint wings into the wok/ pan once the water in it started to boil.
8. Cover the wok/ pan with a cover and cook the chicken mid-joint wings on high heat for 10 ~ 15 minutes.
9. Rest the chicken mid-joint wings for 5 minutes. ***
10. Serve hot with or without rice.
Note:
*You can opt to use water, stock or yomeishu to have some gravy to go with the rice later. Personally, I prefer to use Yomeishu as it gives the chicken mid-joint more flavours and nice aroma. It is also less of a hassle than to prepare the stock. ?
**I prefer my chicken to be more well seasoned so I usually marinate it the night before.
*** I have attended a Master class by Australia Masterchef winner, Adam Liew, and he mentioned that by resting the meat, it will give us a more juicy meat to enjoy. You may skip this step if you believe that food should be served real hot. For me, that 5 minutes doesn’t make much difference to the temperature of the food but it makes my food more juicy and I get to take picture of the product of my effort. So why not.
Yomeishu herbal liqueur is available at all major supermarkets. For more details, you can check out Yomeishu’s website, facebook or instagram.
