Salt-baked Chicken (Yim Kok Kai)

Ingredients
1 kg organic or free-range chicken, washed and patted dry

Marinade
1 tbsp ginger juice
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp sugar

Stuffing
20g codonopsis root (dong sum)
10g angelica root (dong quai)
1 tbsp wolfberries (kei chi)
15g Solomon’s seal (yok chok)
2 pieces greaseproof paper measuring 60x30cm
1 tbsp potato flour, mixed into a gum paste with a little hot water
3.5 kg coarse rock salt

Method
Combine the marinade ingredients; rub or coat chicken with the marinade. Wash the stuffing ingredients and place into the cavity of the bird.

Set the chicken on the two pieces of parchment paper for a double-layer wrap. Fold the paper, overlapping, around the chicken to form a parcel. Seal with the gum paste to form a water-tight parcel.

Place the rock salt into an old wok. Heat salt over medium flame, stirring continuously for five to eight minutes. Make a well in the middle of the hot salt, place the chicken parcel in, and cover completely with salt. Cook, covered with a lid, over low heat for 35 to 40 minutes. Turn chicken over once halfway through the cooking time, making sure no juices spill out. Remove and serve warm.

Thanks to Julie Wong & Debbie Teoh