The wind-dried sausage in this dish makes the chicken, already highly seasoned in the marinade, even spicier and richer in taste.

Ingredients:

The rest of the chicken (or 6 drumsticks or thigh pieces), over 2 pounds (900 grams)
12 small or 6 large dried Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted
4 to 6 ounces (115 to175 grams) canned bamboo shoots
6 wind-dried Chinese sausages, liver or pork or both
24 pieces grease proof paper, each
8 inches (20 centimeters) square
24 large pieces coriander leaves (optional)
peanut or corn oil for deep-frying

For the marinade:
3 tablespoons thin soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1⁄4 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:

Skin and bone the drumsticks and thighs. Discard the pinions of the wings and chop each wing into 3 pieces. Scrape out the 2 oysters. Put into a bowl.

Prepare the marinade: Add the soy sauce, sugar, wine or sherry, ginger, five-spice powder and oil to the chicken. Mix well. Let marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, turning the pieces occasionally.

Squeeze out excess water from the mushrooms but leave damp. Halve if small ones are used, quarter if large ones are used. Slice the bamboo shoots into 24 pieces, each 1⁄5 inch (5 millimeters) thick.

Rinse the Chinese sausages and pat dry. Slice each diagonally into 8 pieces, making a total of 48. About 10 minutes before the wrapping, add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots to the chicken, so that they can absorb some of the marinade.

Using a brush, thoroughly oil one side of 1 square of greaseproof paper. Put on a plate or work surface at an angle, like a diamond, and layer on it 1 piece of chicken between 2 slices of Chinese sausage, then 1 piece of bamboo shoot, and, finally, 1 piece of mushroom with a coriander leaf on top.

To wrap in the classic Chinese way, fold the bottom flap up toward the center, then fold the 2 side flaps inward on top of each other and finally fold the top flap down and tuck it squarely inside the opening. Repeat this process until all have been wrapped.

Half fill a wok or deep fryer with oil. Heat to a temperature of 350° to 375°F (180° to 190°C), or until a cube of stale bread browns in 50 to 60 seconds. Slip 12 parcels into the oil, unsealed side down, and deep-fry for about 5 minutes if you like the chicken just done, or for about 8 minutes if you like it much more cooked and slightly charred. Turn them over for the last minute of cooking. 10 Remove with a large hand strainer and, holding it carefully above the oil, let excess oil from the parcels drain back into the wok or deep fryer. Put the parcels on a warm serving plate. Reheat the oil and deep-fry the remainder as before.

Serve hot. As soon as the fingers can stand the heat, open a parcel and savor its contents.

Note: Any leftover parcels can be deep-fried again momentarily or put into a preheated oven of 350°F (180°C) for 10 minutes. Serves 8 as a first course; 4 as a main course with a salad