Happy Bird Crosses The Golden Bridge

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 2 1/4 lbs winter melon (can substitute watermelon)
• 12 slices chinese ham, 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cornish hens, approx. 1 to 1 1/4 lbs. each
• 4 slices gingerroot
• 4 shallots, parts
• cooking oil
• 4 fluid ounces light soy sauce
• 1 ounce dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed well with 2 tbsp. water)
• 10 sprigs flowering chives

Recipe

• 1 ----to prepare----.
• 2 mix the marinade and coat cornish game hens with it for 2 to 3 minutes.
• 3 remove skin of winter melon and cut 12 slices about 2ö wide, 1â¼ô long and 1ö thick.
• 4 make a slit sideways on the longest side of each piece and insert one ham slice.
• 5 ----to cook----.
• 6 deep-fry cornish hens over a medium flame until golden.
• 7 heat the wok or pot, and add 1 tbsp. oil.
• 8 when it is very hot, stir-fry the ginger and shallots for 1 minute.
• 9 then add above stewing seasoning ingredients and cornish hens, cover and braise over a slow flame for 20 to 25 minutes.
• 10 remove cornish hens.
• 11 reserve 1 cup of the cornish hen braising stock, to make sauce later.
• 12 double the remaining braising stock's liquid volume by adding water, and then immerse winter melon slices.
• 13 cook for 5 minutes, then turn off heat.
• 14 cover wok, leave winter melon slices for a further 5 minutes (thus ensuring they do not lose their shape through excess direct cooking).
• 15 mix sauce ingredients with reserved cup of cornish hen braising stock and heat.
• 16 ----to present----.
• 17 cut cornish hens into pieces and arrange across serving dish.
• 18 place 6 overlapping winter melon slices on each side of cornish hens.
• 19 pour sauce over, and garnish with flowering chives.