Scallion Oil Chicken (葱油鸡)

Poach the chicken

1. Put chicken drumsticks in a saucepan/small pot. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken. Add scallions, ginger and Shaoxing rice wine.
2. Bring the water to a full boil and skim off any foam floating on the surface. Turn the heat down to the lowest. Leave to simmer with a lid on for 12 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat. Let it sit (keep the lid on) for a further 10 minutes. Then transfer the chicken to a large bowl of cold water (with ice cubes if available). Keep the stock for later use.
4. Once the chicken becomes cool enough to touch, remove the skin and bones. Tear the flesh into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Make the dressing

1. Halve the scallions. Cut the white part into 2-3 sections. Finely chop the green part.
2. Put the white part of the scallions into a dry, clean saucepan. Add oil. Fry over low heat until the scallions brown on the edge. Pick out the scallion pieces and turn off the heat.
3. Quickly add the chopped scallion green and ginger paste to the hot oil and leave to sizzle.

Assemble the dish

1. Arrange the chicken pieces on a serving plate. Add 2 tablespoons of the stock. Top with half of the scallion oil made in the last step (see note 2). Sprinkle white pepper and pour light soy sauce over.
2. Serve with steamed rice, alone or with other savory dishes.