Hakka-style salt-baked chicken

Active: 40 minutes; Total: 4 hours 15 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

Chicken, whole	4 pounds
Ginger, fresh, unpeeled, cut into 5 slices	1-inch piece
Scallions, cut into 1 ½-inch long pieces	2 medium
Rice wine or dry sherry	1 ½ tablespoons
Cilantro	5 sprigs + 2 sprigs
Star anise, whole, coarsely crushed	1
Rose dew liqueur or extra-dry vermouth	1 tablespoon
Salt, kosher	4 ½ pounds + ¼ teaspoon
Chinese chile sauce	1 tablespoon
Water, hot	1 tablespoon
Vinegar, rice	1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons
Sugar, granulated	½ teaspoon + 1 teaspoon
Garlic, finely chopped	4 teaspoons
Ginger, peeled, finely chopped	1 tablespoon
Oil, corn or peanut	2 tablespoons

1. Remove and discard giblets; trim excess fat; pat chicken dry with paper towels. 
2. Smash the ginger and scallions on a cutting board with the broad side of a knife blade. 
3. Rub the chicken cavity with rice wine; stuff with the smashed ginger and scallion, 5 cilantro sprigs, and crushed star anise. 
4. Pull the chicken legs together, and truss tightly with butcher’s twine; tuck the wings back behind the neck. 
5. Brush liqueur evenly over the chicken skin. 
6. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack; let stand at room temperature in an airy place until the skin is dry to the touch, about 2 hours. 
7. Wrap the chicken in a single layer of loose-weave cheesecloth; bunch together extra cheesecloth above the breast, tying into a knot or with a piece of string; trim off excess cheesecloth. (The chicken should be tightly wrapped in a bundle.) 
8. Preheat oven to 275°F. 
9. Place 4 ½-pounds salt in a large, heavy, ovenproof stockpot that is just wider than the chicken and will hold the chicken snugly. 
10. Heat over medium-high, stirring often, until the salt is very hot to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. 
11. Remove and reserve 7-cups salt from the stockpot, leaving about 1 inch of salt on the bottom of the stockpot. 
12. Place the cheesecloth-wrapped chicken in the stockpot, breast side up, and cover completely with the reserved hot salt. 
13. Cover the stockpot; bake in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of the chicken registers 160°F, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. 
14. Remove from oven; let the chicken stand in stockpot for 20 minutes. 
15. Hakka chile sauce: Whisk together chile sauce, water, 1-teaspoon vinegar, and ½-teaspoon sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves; let stand 15 minutes before serving. 
16. Hakka garlic sauce: Whisk together 2-tablespoons vinegar, garlic, and 1-teaspoon sugar until the sugar dissolves; let stand 15 minutes before serving. 
17. Hakka ginger sauce: Place 1-tablespoon ginger in a small, heavy serving saucer; heat the oil over medium-high heat until nearly smoking, then pour over ginger; stir to combine; sprinkle with salt, stir again; serve warm or at room temperature. 
18. Gently remove the chicken from the stockpot, holding the knotted cheesecloth on top and pushing the salt aside. (Try not to tip the chicken, so the juices do not spill.) 
19. Carefully transfer the chicken to a platter, and remove the cheesecloth; discard the salt in the stockpot. Remove the trussing strings from the chicken; remove and discard solids inside the cavity of the chicken. 
20. Serve the chicken warm or at room temperature; chop Chinese-style into bite-size pieces; garnish with remaining cilantro sprigs, and serve with the sauces. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Chicken.

Pressure cooker chicken & rice with mushrooms

Soy sauce, light	1 tablespoon
Sugar	½ teaspoon
Cornstarch	½ teaspoon
Rice wine	1 teaspoon
Ginger, peeled, minced	1 tablespoon +
Five-spice powder	1 teaspoon
Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless	1 pound
Olive oil	1 tablespoon
Mushrooms, cleaned, stems trimmed, sliced	1 pound
Onion, chopped	1 large
Rice, white	2 cups
Salt	1 teaspoon
Water	1 ½ cups
Green onions, sliced	Garnish

1. Combine soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, rice wine, pepper, ginger, and five-spice powder in a large plastic resealable bag; add the chicken, then marinate for 20 minutes. 
2. Set your all-in-one pressure cooker to Sauté, and heat the oil. 
3. Add the mushrooms and onions, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms surrender their moisture and the onions are translucent, about 8 to 9 minutes. 
4. Add the chicken (discarding the marinate sauce), rice, salt, and water. 
5. Lock the lid, and cook on High pressure for 10 minutes, then natural release the pressure for 15 minutes.
6. Stir to break up any browned rice from the bottom of the pot.
7. Scoop into individual bowl, garnish with the green onions, and serve!

Chinese-style roasted duck

Duck, whole	3 pounds
Water, boiling
Salt	2 teaspoons
Peppercorns (Szechuan, if available)	1 ½ teaspoons
Bean sauce, ground	2 tablespoons
Soy sauce, light	2 tablespoons
Rice wine	1 tablespoon
Sugar	2 teaspoons
Cilantro sprigs	1/3 cup +
Vegetable oil	1 teaspoon
Garlic, smashed	5 cloves
Ginger	3 slices
Scallions, whole	3

1. Remove any fat pockets from the duck, and rub it all over with salt. 
2. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan, and slowly pour the boiling water over the skin. 
3. Air-dry the duck 3 hours in a breezy winter's COLD room under a fan, turning once, until the skin feels dry to the touch. Never do this on a hot day or in a heated room. 
4. In a small skillet over medium heat, roast the peppercorns, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until fragrant and begin to smoke. 
5. Place in a mortar, and crush until ground; set aside. 
6. In a small bowl, combine the bean sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, roasted pepper, and cilantro sprigs. 
7. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. 
8. Add the oil, garlic, ginger, and scallions, and stir-fry 10 seconds. 
9. Add the soy sauce mixture, and bring to a boil. 
10. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. 
11. Remove from heat, uncover, and cool completely. 
12. Preheat to 425°F; ensure a rack is in the middle. 
13. Add boiling water to the pan to a depth of ½-inch. 
14. Carefully spoon the scallion soy mixture into the cavity. 
15. Close the cavity with a bamboo skewer, weaving the two sides of side together. 
16. Finish by tucking the tail end in, place on rack breast side up. 
17. Place the duck in the oven, and roast 20 minutes. 
18. Reduce to 325°F, and roast 20 minutes more, monitor and cover any skin with foil that is browning too quickly. 
19. Using several thicken of paper towels, turn the duck over, and roast 20 minutes more. 
20. Increase to 425°F, and roast 12 to 15 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer registers 170°F. 
21. Carefully transfer to a platter; remove the skewer and gently pour the juices out of the duck. 
22. Allow to rest 15 minutes, removing any fat from the juice. 
23. Cut and disjoint the duck into serving pieces, reserving the juices. 
24. Garnish with cilantro, and serve immediately.