Stewed Chicken with Maojian Mushrooms

Stewed Chicken with Maojian Mushrooms

　　Maojian mushrooms are found only in the Greater Khingan Mountains of China. Historical records indicate that during the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi sent people to the deep valleys of the Greater Khingan Mountains in the northeast to engage in gold mining. Sixty years later, people were amazed to discover that a special kind of mushroom grew on the mined stones—Maojian stones—in the abandoned mining areas. These mushrooms emitted a fragrant aroma, and upon picking and eating them, people found their taste delicious and flavor exquisite. Due to their extremely limited yield, they were regarded as tribute food by local officials and served to the imperial court. With the advancement of science, today, after analysis of their components, it has been confirmed that the amino acids, proteins, and trace elements contained in Maojian mushrooms are several to dozens of times higher than those in ordinary mushrooms. They are hailed as “meat among vegetables” and the “sacred mushroom,” making them an excellent gift for friends and family.