Mains

Qukes® with Poached Chicken, Coriander Leaves and Soy Sauce

Created especially by celebrity cook, Stefano de Pieri, of the Mildura Grand Hotel's Stefano's Restaurant.

Serves 4-6.
Prep Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 60 minutes.

Ingredients

• 4 Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers, cut lengthwise in chunky pieces
• 1 x 1.6kg free range or corn fed chicken
• 3 spring onions, green part only, roughly sliced
• 3cm ginger, roughly sliced
• Fresh coriander leaves

Sauce

• 2cm ginger, finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, white part only, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• Light soy sauce *

Cooking Instructions

• Bring a very large pot of water to the boil. Place the chicken in it and wait a minute for the boil to resume. Cover with foil to seal well, and cover with a lid, if available.
• Turn off the heat and leave to stand for 45 minutes.*
• Remove the chicken carefully, using a tool that will not tear the skin or allow any of the juices to be lost.
• Place the chicken in a tub of cold water and ice, to arrest the cooking process. Add more ice if needed.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce - chop ginger and spring onions and place in a stainless steel bowl or similar. Bring the oil to smoking point and add it to the ginger and spring onions. When cool add soy sauce to taste.
• When the chicken is cold,** slice it and serve with sauce, coriander leaves and plenty of Qukes®. Serve with steamed white rice.

*As time passes the heat in the pot diminishes. By the time the heat reaches the bones of the chicken, it has lost its intensity, which means the marrow inside the bone is still reddish. Do not let that put you off - the chicken is perfectly cooked.

**The chicken is best if prepared the day before.