To make the Ginger scallion dipping sauce:
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is very hot, add the ginger and stir constantly so that it does not burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. Add a generous pinch of salt (use less salt if you’re going to use oyster sauce). Cook the ginger, stirring, for about 1 minute until it loses its raw bite. Note that if your ginger is old (ie. fibrous), it may take longer to cook.

Add the green onions and turn off the heat. Stir the green onions and cook until they just start to wilt. Then remove from heat and dish out. If you like more flavour, add the oyster sauce to the middle of the dip and serve. The oyster sauce will inadvertantly get mixed with the rest of the dipping sauce as people dip their chicken pieces into it.

Steaming the Chicken:
Set up your steaming equipment- use a glass rimmed dish set on a rack in a wok of water.

Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle salt into the cavity of the chicken and place the chicken, breast side up, onto the glass dish in the wok. Cover with a high domed lid and turn the heat on to high. Once the water gets to the strongest boil and a lot of steam is escaping, set your timer for 20 minutes. Do not reduce the heat. At no time should you lift the lid. If you do, add 1 minute to your steaming time. After steaming for 20 minutes, turn the heat off and leave the chicken in the wok for 20 more minutes.

Then using tongs, lift the chicken carefully and pour out all of the juices from its cavity back into the glass dish that it was steamed in (chicken stock can be used for other dishes - i.e. soups).

Set the chicken onto a clean plate and sprinkle salt over the entire surface of the chicken. Then cover loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, use a cleaver to chop off the drumsticks, wings and thighs. Then remove the breast bone and back bones and chop the breasts into 4 or 5 pieces each, keeping the skin on.

Plate the chicken pieces and serve warm or at room temperature with ginger scallion dipping sauce and/or chili soy sauce.