Pecan Smoked Chinese Chicken Aspic with Walnuts and Mushrooms

Frankly I would be lying if I said that this dish wasn't inspired by Lea Linster's Aspic Duck Foie Gras Terrine dish. I set out to create something that would be pretty, presentable, simple(-er) to assemble that would also be an interesting combination of earthy flavours.

Ingredients : 

1 litre of chicken stock

7 grams of Agar Agar in powdered form (available in asian grocery stores)

loose leaf jasmine green tea

3 chicken breasts

5 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons xiao xing (shao shing) cooking wine

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

pecan wood chips

a handful of walnuts

400 grams oyster mushrooms

Method: 

1. Cut the chicken into strips and marinade in soy sauce, sugar, xiao xing and sesame seed oil. Leave for 6 hours. 

2. Soak wood chips. I placed mine into an old biscuit tin and then placed two steaming trays from old rice cookers on top of each other on top (drain the chips!). Then place over the electric hob on highest heat - make sure to put a small bowl of water in the middle tray. Place marinaded chicken to smoke for 15 minutes. 

3. Once smoked, grill the chicken on a skillet until cooked through. Try not to dry the chicken out though!

4. In a pot bring the stock to a boil. In a strainer, filler with jasmine tea and then let soak for 5 minutes in the stock. 

5. Shell walnuts. Wash and chop mushrooms and then fry in sesame seed oil and with a decent splash of dry sherry or xiao xing rice wine. Add the walnuts. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. 

6. Add the agar agar to the stock and dissolve while boiling - if the stock is not boiling it will not dissolve and the aspic will not set! Line a loaf tin with the mushrooms and walnuts.

7. Pour a little of the stock with agar agar into the loaf tin to cover the walnuts and mushrooms. Layer the chicken on top lengthwise. Add more to cover. 

8. Chill until cold in the fridge. 

9. Press gently around the edges of the tin and turn out the aspic. Cut into strips and serve.