King Hua, a city in Chekiang province, is noted for producing the best hams in China. Consequently Chinese dishes using ham as an ingredient are dubbed "King Hua" to show their excellent quality. As time passed, King Hua became a synonym for ham.
King Hua chicken is a famous Cantonese banquet dish. The recipe and methods are as follows.
1. Select a piece of Virginia ham (about 4 oz.), wash clean, steam for 20 minutes, remove the skin, slice into 18 1"-wide and 2"-long pieces.
2. Put 8 cups of water in the pan and boil, add 2 green onions, 3 slices of ginger and a whole chicken (about 11/2 lbs.) Cover and cook for 5 minutes, turn chicken once, then cook another 3 minutes, and turn off the fire. Remove chicken after 15 minutes, and reserve the stock.
3. Remove chicken bones, slice chicken meat into the same size as ham pieces. Arrange on the platter by placing one piece of ham between every two pieces of chicken.
4. Soak the chicken and ham with 1 cup of boiling soup for 5 minutes to make it hot, then carefully pour off the stock. Boil another cup of stock with salt and cornstarch, then pour it over the chicken and ham on the platter.
5. Arrange the cooked green cabbage (about 3" long and seasoned with salt) around the platter before serving.