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1
Rub the chicken inside and out with salt, half of the soy sauce and half of the wine.
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2
Set aside for at least one hour.
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3
Meanwhile, put the mushrooms in a small mixing bowl and add warm water to cover.
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4
Let stand half an hour or until the caps are softened.
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5
Drain and squeeze to extract and discard excess moisture.
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6
Cut off and discard the tough stems.
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7
Cut the caps into thin slivers and set aside.
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8
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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9
Cut the preserved vegetable into thin slivers.
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10
If it has been packed in a shredded state, shred it further.
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11
Set aside.
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12
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and add the pork.
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13
Cook, stirring rapidly, until it loses its raw look.
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14
Add the mushrooms, preserved vegetable and bamboo shoots.
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15
Add the remaining soy sauce, remaining wine, salt and sugar.
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16
Cook, stirring, one minute.
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17
Set aside to cool.
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18
Stuff the mixture inside the chicken.
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19
Fold the wing tips under the chicken.
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20
Truss the chicken as neatly as possible with string.
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21
Lay out a large rectangle of aluminum foil on a flat surface.
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22
Place the chicken in the center.
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23
Wrap the chicken as compactly as possible inside the foil.
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24
Gather together a large handful of the clay.
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25
Flatten this handful to a thickness of about one inch and apply it to one outside section of the foil-wrapped chicken.
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26
Place another flattened handful of clay slightly overlapping and press to seal the two pieces together.
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27
Continue applying handfuls of clay, pressing as you work, until the chicken is completely and compactly covered with clay.
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28
Smooth the clay over as you work.
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29
You may bake the chicken at this point or you may ''sculpt'' the product with additional pieces of clay, shaping it to resemble a whole bird with beak, feet, eyes, tail feathers and so on.
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30
Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes.
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31
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
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32
As the clay bakes, it may develop cracks.
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33
As these are noticed, seal the cracks by smearing on a little more clay.
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34
Continue baking the chicken for 30 minutes.
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35
If desired, you may then paint the clay with poster paint or watercolors.
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36
To serve, crack the clay, remove the chicken and peel away and discard the foil.
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37
Carve the chicken and serve with the preserved-vegetable stuffing.
