{soya sauce chicken in hermie}

For as long as I can remember, I have been eating a version of this chicken for dinner with my family. However, it has usually come from one of those Chinese BBQ meat places in Chinatown that have other assorted meats hanging in the window. Although I have attempted to make this at home the traditional way with a pot on the stove, somehow, this Thermomix version is easier still. The hardest part is chopping the chicken up at the end 'chinese' style without hacking it to pieces.

120 g soy sauce

150 g dark soy sauce

4 tablespoons shaoxing wine

15 ginger, peeled, sliced (I like mine quite strong so even more the better)

3 cloves garlic, peeled

3 star anise

2cm cinnamon stick (I just use the whole stick)

1.5 tablespoons sugar

900g boiling water

1-1.2kg whole chicken with parson's nose removed (depending on your chicken, i also remove as much fat around the neck part)

3 spring onions, cut in 10cm lengths

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Place sauces, wine, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, sugar and water into bowl. Cook 10min / 100C/ stir speed.

2. Place chicken bottom end down over into bowl around the blades. Do not tear the skin.

3. Stuff spring onions into chicken cavity.

4. Top up with boiling water so that sauce covers chicken as much as possible. Cook 30min / 90C/ stir speed. Place a bowl or mug over the hole in the top as MC will not fit. Chicken will rotate in the bowl whilst cooking.

5. After 30min, leave chicken in bowl for another 30-40 minutes to continue to poach. Remove.

6. Chop 'chinese' style through bones and all to serve seasoned with sesame oil and pepper.

I like to serve this with rice and some simple green vegetables steamed and gently seasoned with a sprinkling of sesame oil and oyster sauce. This can be done in the varoma while you are chopping up the chicken. For hardier vegetables such as bok choi or gai lan (using the stock as the steaming liquid) 10-12min / varoma / speed 3 for softer vegetables (e.g. cos lettuce) 3-5min / varoma / speed 3

Note: In my experience, the soya sauce chicken from shops usually looks a bit darker and this is probably due to the brand of sauces that they use. I personally do not like using MSG in my cooking (due to a food intolerance) and find that the AYAM brand does not contain it. However, it is not as dark and strong in flavour and this is probably why my chicken is not as dark but still just as flavoursome.

* Above recipe is originally printed in the "A Taste of Asia" Thermomix cookbook available here