Marinating : Combine chopped onions, ginger slices, sherry and salt.
Place chicken on platter, rub inside and out with onion mixture, and place
onion and ginger inside chicken. Allow chicken to marinate for 1 hour. Rub
ham with same marinade, reserve.
Steaming : Steam chicken, breast-side up for 25-30 minutes. At the
same time, steam ham for 20 minutes. Chicken should still be firm but very
moist when removed from steamer. Drain chicken and allow to cool until juices
congeal. Chop Chinese-style into bite-size pieces. Start by cleaving chicken
in half lengthwise through the breast. Remove legs, thighs, and wings; chop
in pieces. Turn carcass, skin down; cleave in half parallel to breast; turn
and chop in pieces. Carefully remove and discard bones.
Slice ham in bite-size pieces to match chicken pieces. Organize in alternating
strips on serving platter, in shape of a chicken if possible. Leave space
around perimeter for vegetable.
Blanching and Stir-frying Vegetable : Wash and remove tough skin
of broccoli. Slice into spears with floret at tip of each spear. Blanch spears
in salted water for 20 seconds. Heat peanut oil in wok until it begins to
smoke; stir-fry broccoli until bright but still crisp. Sprinkle with fish
sauce, toss briefly, then remove to serving platter with meat.
Glazing Sauce : Heat stock and crushed rock sugar in sauce pan; stir
while bringing to boil. Dribble in cornstarch paste to make a light sauce.
Stir in cooked oil. Pour over meat. Serve.
