Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms (1 oz) twice. Soak in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, placing a bowl on top of the mushrooms to fully submerge them if needed.

Drain out the water and rinse one more time with clean water, then set aside.

Rinse the cloud ear fungus (0.50 oz) once, then soak in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain out the water and soak in clean warm water for another 5 minutes. Drain again and set aside.

Rinse the goji berries (0.25 oz) and soak in room temperature water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain out the water and set aside.

Rinse the Chinese sausage (2 link) and set aside.

Prep the chicken (1.3 pound). If using chicken drumsticks, remove the skin off by using a paper towel to grip and pull it off. You can skip this step if using a boneless, skinless cut.

Debone the chicken. Cut down the vertical tendon along the bone through the meat to expose the bone. Break the bone by hitting it with the back of the cleaver. Using the cleaver to pin down the bone, pull the meat off and trim off the parts still connected to the bones. (Save the bones for cooking stock!)

Cut chicken into 1/4-inch chunks and place into bowl.

Cut the ginger (0.50 oz) into slices. Trim off the peel and cut into quarters. Add to the chicken.

Add the cooking wine (1 tablespoon) to the chicken and mix together by hand. Set aside and let sit for 8 to 10 minutes.

Cut the Chinese sausage at a diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Cut the white parts of shallots (0.50 oz) into 2-inch segments, trimming apart the bulb at the root if needed. Dice the green parts of shallots (0.50 oz) for garnish.

Peel the remaining ginger (0.50 oz) and cut into thin slices, then into quarters.

In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce (2 tablespoon), light soy sauce (2 teaspoon), sugar (1.5 teaspoon), salt (0.50 teaspoon), white pepper (0.25 teaspoon), cooking wine (2 teaspoon), and cornstarch (2 teaspoon). Stir to thoroughly combine, taste test and adjust to preference.

Add the marinade to chicken and mix by hand until well incorporated. There's no need to add all of the marinade if it feels like too much.

Add the sesame oil (1 teaspoon) and mix in by hand.

Add the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and cloud ear fungus and mix by hand.

Add the oil (1 tablespoon) and mix by hand.

Add ginger and shallots and again, mix by hand.

In a steaming plate, first plate the cloud ear fungus on the bottom, followed by all of the other ingredients, making sure to leave a slight dip in the middle of the plate.

Add Chinese sausage pieces on top and spread them out evenly.

Finally, place the goji berries on top and spread them out evenly.

COURSE 4

Elements of Flavor (Savory)

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In a wide wok with a steaming rack, add water to the bottom of the steamer rack, cover and bring to a boil on high. To give things a head start, you can also boil water separately and add it to the wok first.

Once the water comes to a boil, carefully place the steaming plate inside and cover. Steam on high for 14 to 15 minutes. The timing will vary based on depth and width of plate, amount of water and size of wok.

Sprinkle on the diced shallot greens (or green onions), remove the plate from wok, and serve!