CNY - Eight Treasure Chicken

Ingredients:
1 chicken (1.6 to 1.8 kg)
800g chinese cabbage

Fillings:
6 red dates (remove seeds)
15g dried lilybud (soak awhile)
3 dried mushroom (soak to soften it, remove stem cut into strip)
2 water chestnut (cut into half each)
3 dried scallop (cut in cube, soak in water for 20 mins, drain dry, retain the water for later use)
25 lotus seeds - see note 1
25 ginko nut - see note 2
2 pieces of garlic - (chopped into fine)
2 pieces of shallot (small onion) - (chopped into fine)
100g roasted pork (cut into strip)

*note 1 :
Lotus seeds -
1. Boil water, then put in dry lotus seed to cook once it boiled, off fire.
2. Cover for 20 mins - repeat this method for 3 times
3. Remember do not wash the lotus seed with water - straight send to boil.

*note 2: Ginko nut
1. Cook ginko nut with shell in hot boiling water for 10 mins, off fire.
2. Cover it until the water is cool down, then drain it.
3. Ready to knock off the shell, you can see a shiny yellow nut infront of you.

*Sauce for filling - put all in a bowl then stir well:
2 tbsp of tap water (part of the water from the scallop water which you had retained)
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

Method for fillings:
1. Heat oil in wok, fry garlic and shallot until fragrant, add roasted pork then smell fragrant. Add lotus seed, ginko nuts, dried lily bulbs, mushroom, chestnut, add in the sauce, then stir fry and add in scallop then stir until well mix, off fire. Scoop all up and put in a plate.

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp black soya sauce, 1 tbsp hua tiao (wine), 1 tbsp ginger juice for 1 hour. (remember not to season the chinese for more than 5 hrs, cos the ginger juice will soften the chicken meat), best is 3 hr.

2. Pluck off the chinese cabbage, leave by leave then wash and drain dry. Boil water in the 3-tier steamer or a cooking wok for steaming. Once after an hour of seasoning, put the cabbage lined around a 8 inches round tray, then cut off the chicken head & feets then put the chicken on top of the the chinese cabbage with the hole of the backside facing upwards for filling.

3. Once the filling been done, scoop up & fill into the chicken thru its backside. Use a toothpick to seal the chicken hole. then put it to steam. Steam it for 1 1/2 hours then it will be ready to serve.