1 Chopped Chicken Sauté
[Ingredients]
- 1 young chicken, approximately 1500 grams
- Yellow wine: 10 grams
- Refined salt: 20 grams
- Ground dried chili: 20 grams
- Ginger: 10 grams
- Wild Sichuan peppercorn: 3 grams
- Cooking oil: 50 grams
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG): 3 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the chicken, drain blood, remove feathers, esophagus, and internal organs. Cut off the feet and claws. Wash thoroughly and pat dry. Remove large bones and use the back of a knife to pound the meat into a paste. Place in a dish, add all seasonings, mix well, and marinate.
Pack into a clay pot, press firmly, seal the mouth of the pot, and place in a cool place to marinate for a week to make “chicken sauté”. - When serving, open the pot and remove the chicken sauté. There are various ways to eat it, such as steaming: cut tofu into small pieces, place in a bowl, cover with an appropriate amount of chicken sauté, and steam together with rice in a steamer. Once cooked, the tofu will absorb the spicy and flavorful taste of the chicken sauté, making it delicious and refreshing.
[Key Techniques]
Steam the chicken sauté with high heat for about 40 minutes until cooked.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Chopped chicken sauté is a specialty preserved food of the Miao ethnic group. To make this dish, finely chop the chicken meat with bones and mix thoroughly with seasonings for marination. The finished chicken sauté is exceptionally fragrant and spicy, with a rich and appetizing flavor.
2 Stir-fried Sweet Papaya with Diced Black-bone Chicken
[Ingredients]
- Chicken breast and thigh meat: 350 grams
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG): 3 grams
- Green papaya: 100 grams
- Soy sauce: 10 grams
- Refined salt: 10 grams
- Wet cornstarch: 15 grams
- White wine: 5 grams
- Green chili: 20 grams
- Green onion: 10 grams
- Lard: 500 grams
- Ginger: 15 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Dice the chicken breast and thigh meat into cubes. Mix with salt, 0 grams of MSG, and 0 grams of wet cornstarch to coat. Dice the green papaya and green chili. Cut the green onion into small sections diagonally. Slice the ginger.
- Heat the wok and add lard, heating it to 40% hot. Stir-fry the chicken cubes and papaya until slightly cooked, then drain the oil.
- Heat the wok again, add more lard, and when hot, stir-fry the green onion, ginger, and chili until fragrant. Add the chicken and papaya cubes, stir-fry together, then add soy sauce, white wine, 0 grams of MSG, and 0 grams of wet cornstarch. Toss the wok a few times, drizzle sesame oil evenly, then transfer to a plate.
[Key Techniques]
Heat the wok, rinse with cold oil, then add lard and heat until 70% hot. Quickly stir-fry the chicken, season, thicken with wet cornstarch, drizzle sesame oil evenly, ensuring a glossy finish without excessive sauce.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Black-bone chicken is a rare and renowned breed known for its medicinal, culinary, and ornamental values worldwide. Its entire body is considered precious. According to “Compendium of Materia Medica,” black-bone chicken is described as having a mild taste and being non-toxic. It nourishes deficiencies, treats thirst and evil qi in diabetes, dysmenorrhea, and other ailments. Traditional Chinese medicine uses black-bone chicken in remedies like Wuji Baifeng Pills, known for effectively treating women’s diseases. Stir-fried sweet papaya with diced black-bone chicken is crisp, tender, fragrant, fresh, and spicy, making it a nourishing and medicinal dish. It is a culinary delight among the Lisu people.
3 Steamed Whole Chicken with Fermented Bean Curd Sauce
[Ingredients]
- 1 young chicken, approximately 1500 grams
- Ground black pepper: 2 grams
- Snow peas: 20 grams
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG): 2 grams
- Fermented bean curd (lufu): 20 grams
- Green onions: 10 grams
- Ginger: 20 grams
- Wet cornstarch: 10 grams
- Refined salt: 5 grams
- Chicken broth: 50 grams
- Chili powder: 5 grams
- Peanut oil: 1000 grams
- Granulated sugar: 5 grams (approximately 150 grams total)
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the chicken, remove internal organs, and pluck feathers. Wash thoroughly and make a cut along the spine. Wash and dry. Rub salt and sugar evenly inside and outside the chicken, marinate for 1 hour. Wash and cut green onions into sections, and bruise the ginger. Remove the skin from the fermented bean curd, place in a bowl, add chili powder and chicken broth, mix well to create a marinade.
- Heat a wok over high heat, add peanut oil and heat until 70% hot. Deep-fry the whole chicken until golden brown, remove and place in a soup bowl. Place green onions, ginger, and the fermented bean curd marinade on top. Steam for 3 hours until tender.
- Heat the wok over high heat, strain the steaming juices from the chicken into the wok, add MSG, ground black pepper, thicken with wet cornstarch, then add snow peas. Drizzle sesame oil over the dish, then pour the thickened sauce over the chicken.
[Key Techniques]
Steamed whole chicken with fermented bean curd sauce requires tender chicken meat, rich fermented bean curd flavor, and vibrant color to be authentic.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Yunnan Province’s Lünan Yi Autonomous County, located in southern Yunnan, is renowned for its “Stone Forest”. The region boasts lush mountains, gentle climate, and the Ba River, originating from the Heilongtan, flows through it. Tofu produced locally is delicate and tender, with lufu (fermented bean curd) made from it exhibiting a bright color, fresh and sweet taste, unique texture, and distinctive fragrance, earning it a prestigious reputation nationwide.
- Steamed whole chicken with fermented bean curd sauce is a dish essential for hosting honored guests among the Yi people of Yunnan. Using Lünan fermented bean curd as seasoning, the chicken is delicious, with a rich color, savory and delicious taste, and a unique flavor.
4 Steamed Pearl Bead and Fowl
[Ingredients]
- 1 young fowl, approximately 1500 grams
- Ground black pepper: 5 grams
- Yellow wine: 10 grams
- Pearl bead (Beimu): 50 grams
- Green onions (cut into sections): 50 grams
- Refined salt: 10 grams
- Ginger (sliced): 50 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the fowl, scald to remove feathers, open and clean the cavity. Wash thoroughly. Rub with salt, yellow wine, ground black pepper, green onions, and ginger. Marinate for 2 hours, then remove green onions and ginger. Wash the pearl bead and stuff it into the fowl’s cavity. Place in a soup bowl.
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Set a steaming rack inside, place the soup bowl on the rack, cover, and steam for 2 hours. Remove and serve.
[Key Techniques]
Cover the soup bowl when steaming to preserve the original flavor. This dish is suitable as a medicinal food for both young and old, especially for those with coughs and phlegm.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Pearl bead, also known as Gongshan pearl bead, is mainly produced in the Caoba area of Yunnan Province. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with small, smooth grains resembling pearls. Harvested annually in summer, it is a precious medicinal herb in Yunnan known for its efficacy in relieving coughs, resolving phlegm, clearing heat, and dispersing accumulations. When cooked with fowl, it enhances its medicinal properties. With its attractive color and tender texture, this dish is a delicacy in the Naxi cuisine.
5 Steamed Rock Pigeon with Gastrodia Tubers
[Ingredients]
- Rock pigeon: 4 birds
- Ginger: 10 grams
- Gastrodia tubers (Tianma): 100 grams
- Salt: 10 grams
- Green onions: 10 grams
- White wine: 10 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the rock pigeons, scald to remove feathers and clean out the internal organs. Cut off the heads, feet, and backbone. Divide each bird into 4 pieces and rinse thoroughly.
- Heat a wok and add water, green onions, ginger, and white wine. Bring to a boil and blanch the pigeon pieces briefly. Remove and arrange neatly in a large bowl. Use the original broth mixed with pigeon blood and seasoned with salt, pour into the bowl with the pigeon pieces. Steam for 3 hours.
- Wash the Gastrodia tubers thoroughly with water, slice thinly, and place in a small bowl. Steam for 1 hour. Arrange the pigeon pieces on a serving plate, surround with slices of Gastrodia tubers, and steam for another 10 minutes.
[Key Techniques]
When steaming the pigeon, seal the bowl with cotton paper to prevent water vapor from entering and preserve the original flavors.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Rock pigeons, also known as wild pigeons, prefer to flock together and feed on grains and seeds. They weigh around 400 grams and inhabit rocky areas, hence the name “rock pigeon”. The meat is delicious and tender.
- Rock pigeons are believed to tonify the middle and benefit qi (energy). When paired with Gastrodia tubers, they are considered to strengthen the body. It is also used to treat dizziness, headaches, and childhood convulsions. This dish retains its original flavors with fresh and tender broth, making it a famous dish in Naxi cuisine.
6 Drunken Chicken
[Ingredients]
- 1 tender hen, approximately 2000 grams
- Coarse rice wine: 500 grams
- Granulated red sugar: 400 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the chicken, remove feathers, esophagus, crop, and trachea. Open the abdomen and remove internal organs. Rinse thoroughly. Chop the chicken into small pieces with bones. Soak in clean water to remove blood. Drain the chicken pieces and organs, then place them in a bowl. Add red sugar and coarse rice wine, knead evenly, and marinate for half an hour.
- Place the chicken pieces, organs, rice wine, and red sugar sauce into a large clay pot with a small mouth but a large belly. Cover the pot with a bowl (upside down) and seal the pot with dough.
- Heat a pot over medium heat, add 1000 grams of salt. Place the clay pot on top and pour half a bowl of cold water into the inverted bowl covering the pot’s mouth. Heat slowly until the water in the bowl evaporates completely.
[Key Techniques]
Using salt to conduct heat gradually allows for faster cooking compared to stewing, preserving the original flavors and imparting a unique style.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Drunken chicken is a traditional sweet dish of the Pumi ethnic group, prepared using a unique method of salt-baked heat conduction, which is rare in traditional cooking methods. Some ethnic minorities in Yunnan not only enjoy drinking alcohol but also use it as a cooking ingredient, as seen in the Pumi’s drunken chicken. The dish has a deep red color, strong aroma of wine, and a tender and sweet taste. It can also be enhanced with medicinal herbs such as Amomum, Sanqi (Panax notoginseng), or Angelica sinensis, which promote blood circulation, invigorate the brain, and are suitable for consumption by the elderly and postpartum women.
7 Sloping Chicken
[Ingredients]
- 1 tender hen, approximately 2000 grams
- Ginger slices: 30 grams
- White wine: 800 grams
- Refined salt: 10 grams
- Lacquer oil: 500 grams
- Green onion segments: 50 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the chicken, bleed and remove feathers, extract internal organs, and clean thoroughly. Cut into pieces according to the number of diners.
- Heat a wok and add lacquer oil. Heat to about 60% hot, then fry the chicken pieces until they turn golden brown. Transfer the chicken and lacquer oil into a clay pot. Add salt, green onion segments, ginger slices, and white wine. Cover the pot with an inverted bowl and pour cold water into the bowl. Seal the pot with dough and simmer over low heat for 2 hours until cooked.
[Key Techniques]
The clay pot should be heated rapidly at first and then simmered slowly for about 2 hours until the water in the inverted bowl evaporates completely and the chicken is tender and cooked.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Sloping chicken, a famous dish of the Nu ethnic group, is akin to the Han-style lacquered pot drunken chicken. Drunken chicken is also found in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, originating from the Southern Song Dynasty. Legend has it that three sisters-in-law all wanted to prove their culinary skills, leading the three brothers to decide on a chicken cooking contest. The result was the drunken chicken made by the sisters-in-law, which impressed everyone and became a popular dish, spreading across the region as a distinctive Zhejiang cuisine. Although sharing the same name with the Zhejiang drunken chicken, the Nu ethnic sloping chicken has its own unique preparation method.
- This dish uses wine instead of water, imparting a rich wine flavor to the tender and delicious chicken meat, promoting health and bone strength. There’s a local saying: “Lacquer oil braised chicken with steamed buns, not afraid of hot weather, not afraid of ground heat, not afraid of miasma.”
8 Steamed Chicken Stomach with Lamb
[Ingredients]
- Cooked chicken breast meat: 75 grams
- Shredded green onion: 5 grams
- Oil-soaked fish stomach: 20 grams
- Refined salt: 1 gram
- Cooked lamb tendon: 70 grams
- Shaoxing wine: 10 grams
- Milk: 150 grams
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG): 2.5 grams
- Wet cornstarch: 10 grams
- Chicken broth: 250 grams
- Ginger juice: 2.5 grams
- Rendered chicken fat: 50 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Rinse the oil-soaked fish stomach to remove grease and odor, then slice into 1 cm thick pieces with the white, even side facing down in the center of a plate. Place the cooked chicken breast meat, skin side down, on a cutting board, and slice into 1 cm thick pieces along the grain. Arrange these pieces alongside the fish stomach on one side of the plate. Vertically cut the cooked lamb tendon in half, place in a frying pan, add 100 grams of chicken broth, and simmer over low heat until tender. Transfer to the other side of the plate next to the fish stomach.
- Heat 10 grams of rendered chicken fat in a frying pan over high heat until hot. Add shredded green onion and stir-fry until golden, then deglaze with Shaoxing wine and pour in 150 grams of chicken broth. Remove the shredded green onion, gently place the fish stomach slices, chicken breast slices, and lamb tendon into the pan. Once the broth boils, remove and strain out most of the broth. Add milk, ginger juice, refined salt, and MSG. Once the milk is about to boil, stir in the diluted wet cornstarch to thicken. After thickening, drizzle 10 grams of rendered chicken fat along the edge of the pan, gently stir, then drizzle another 20 grams of rendered chicken fat to finish.
[Key Techniques]
The lamb tendon should simmer in chicken broth until tender, approximately 1 hour in advance if prepared separately.
[Flavor Characteristics]
“Steamed Chicken Stomach with Lamb” is a signature dish from Beijing’s Donglaishun Halal Restaurant, using cooked chicken breast meat, yellow fish stomach, and lamb tendon. With each ingredient offering distinct flavors, the chicken is tender, fish stomach is soft, and lamb tendon is supple. Cooking together harmonizes the flavors, resulting in a creamy white appearance with a golden layer of rendered fat, offering a rich and nutritious taste experience.
9 Steamed Chicken
[Ingredients]
- Tender chicken: 1 whole (about 500 grams)
- Garlic shoots: 20 grams
- Chicken gizzard: 1
- Shredded green onion: 50 grams
- Tofu: 400 grams
- Sesame oil: 20 grams
- Starch: 50 grams
- Sesame seeds: 10 grams
- Eggs: 3
- Ground pepper: 3 grams
- Rehydrated dried mushrooms: 20 grams
- Ginkgo nuts: 10
- Refined salt: 5 grams
- Rehydrated dried lily buds: 50 grams
- Dried seaweed: 5 grams
- Soy sauce: 20 grams
- Shredded red chili: 3 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Clean and wash the chicken, removing the head and feet. Mince the chicken gizzard. Squeeze excess water from the rehydrated dried mushrooms and shred them. Cut the green onion in half and then into 3 cm long shreds. Peel the ginkgo nuts, fry with refined salt until green.
- Crack 1 egg into a bowl, add starch, sesame seeds, refined salt, minced garlic shoots, sesame oil, soy sauce, and minced chicken gizzard. Mix into a paste.
- Place the chicken breast side up on a plate, spread the egg mixture evenly over it, and steam for about 3 hours.
- Cut the tofu into slices about 0.6 cm thick and 3 cm wide, then pan-fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Boil 1 egg until cooked, peel and cut in half horizontally. Use a sharp knife to make zigzag cuts around the edges of one half and gently open it up. Cut the other half vertically into four segments.
- Use the remaining egg white and yolk to make egg skins, then cut into shreds.
- Remove the steamed chicken from the steamer, pour the chicken broth into an aluminum pot containing the tofu. Place the chicken, maintaining its original shape, on top of the tofu in the aluminum pot. Place half an egg in the center of the chicken meat and symmetrically arrange the four segmented egg pieces at the corners. Arrange the egg skin shreds, shredded dried seaweed, shredded rehydrated dried mushrooms, and shredded green onion around the egg. Garnish with green ginkgo nuts and pine nuts. Cover the pot and place on low heat. When the dish is slightly heated in the pot, sprinkle with ground pepper and serve.
[Key Techniques]
This dish emphasizes aesthetic presentation and delicate craftsmanship to showcase the sophistication of banquet dining.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish is a grand Korean-style cuisine, known for its meticulous craftsmanship, vibrant colors, beautiful presentation, tender texture, and flavorful spicy taste.
10 Roast Chicken Crisps
[Ingredients]
- Young chicken breast meat: 200 grams
- Clean winter bamboo shoots: 40 grams
- Rehydrated sea cucumber: 50 grams
- Cooked yellow chicory hearts: 30 grams
- Cooked heart of lettuce: 30 grams
- Sweet bean paste: 5 grams
- Red hard egg paste: 150 grams
- Chicken broth: 250 grams
- Minced ginger: 5 grams
- Wet starch: 7 grams
- Minced green onion: 5 grams
- Rendered chicken fat: 60 grams
- Shaoxing wine: 10 grams
- Sichuan peppercorn oil: 10 grams
- Refined salt: 5 grams
- Peanut oil: 750 grams
- MSG: 1 gram
- Soy sauce: 30 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Cut the chicken into 2 mm cubes, place in a bowl, and mix with 5 grams of minced green onion, 5 grams of minced ginger, 10 grams of soy sauce, sweet bean paste, 10 grams of Shaoxing wine, 1 gram of MSG, and 5 grams of refined salt. Marinate evenly.
- Cut the sea cucumber and winter bamboo shoots into 2 mm cubes. Squeeze excess water from the yellow chicory hearts and lettuce hearts, then dice. Combine with the marinated chicken in a bowl, add 70 grams of red hard egg paste, and mix well. Form 20 spindle-shaped balls and place on a plate.
- Heat peanut oil in a wok over medium heat until 30% hot. Coat each ball evenly with egg yolk paste and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain excess oil to create chicken crisps.
- Heat 20 grams of peanut oil in the wok, stir-fry 5 grams each of minced green onion and minced ginger until fragrant. Add 10 grams of soy sauce, chicken broth, and 5 grams of refined salt. When it starts boiling, add the chicken crisps. Once boiling again, reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer until the broth reduces by half. Remove the chicken crisps and place in a bowl. Steam for 15 minutes, then invert onto a large soup plate.
- Pour the remaining broth into the wok, bring to a boil, and thicken with wet starch. Add the remaining 10 grams of Shaoxing wine, 1 gram of MSG, 10 grams of soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn oil. Drizzle with rendered chicken fat over the chicken crisps.
[Key Techniques]
Thickening the sauce involves pouring, mixing, and drizzling methods. This dish uses the drizzling method: place the chicken crisps on a plate, combine the remaining sauce and starch mixture in the wok until it foams, ensuring the starch is fully dissolved before drizzling over the dish.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- “Roast Chicken Crisps” is a famous halal dish from Wentaihe Restaurant in Jining, Shandong. Established by the Hui Muslim Wen Fuzhang at the end of the Qing Dynasty, it’s located south of the Yuehe River in Jining. Initially known as “Wen Family House,” it became renowned for its ducks and chickens, evolving into Jining’s largest halal restaurant during the Republican era. Known for dishes like roast duck, braised duck feet, steamed chicken, and braised chicken, Roast Chicken Crisps is a signature dish.
- Created by Ma Juren in the early 20th century, this dish boasts a history of seven or eight decades. With its deep red color, fresh and savory taste, tender texture, and delightful aroma, it remains a favorite for its unique flavor profile.