How to make Sima Huai Fu Chicken and the recipes of Sima Huai Fu Chicken

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Sima Huai Fu Chicken

Ingredients

Main Ingredients and Seasonings:

  • Clean chicken meat: 500 grams
  • Fine salt: 5 grams
  • Chinese yam (Huai yam): 250 grams
  • Soy sauce: 25 grams
  • Spring onion: 25 grams
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG): 5 grams
  • Ginger: 25 grams
  • Shaoxing wine: 10 grams
  • White sugar: 1 gram
  • Clear broth: 250 grams
  • Wet cornstarch: 25 grams
  • Rendered lard: 1000 grams
  • Egg: 1 (approximately 150 grams)
  • Star anise: 2 pieces

Cooking Method

  1. Wash the chicken meat and cut into cubes of about 2 cm. Marinate with 3 grams of fine salt and 15 grams of soy sauce. Add the egg and wet cornstarch mixture, stir well to coat. Peel the Chinese yam and cut into cubes similar in size to the chicken pieces.
  2. Heat the rendered lard in a wok over high heat until it reaches 60% hot. Fry the chicken pieces until golden brown, then transfer to a large soup bowl. Fry the Chinese yam cubes until golden brown, then remove and place on top of the chicken. Add 2 grams of fine salt, 10 grams of soy sauce, spring onion, ginger, white sugar, star anise, MSG, and Shaoxing wine into the soup bowl. Pour in the clear broth, steam until fully cooked, then remove. Arrange the chicken pieces and Chinese yam on a serving dish. Filter the broth through a sieve into the wok, reduce over high heat until thickened, then pour over the chicken and Chinese yam.

Key Techniques

  1. Flatten the chicken meat on a cutting board and gently pat with a knife to make shallow cross cuts. Cut into 2 cm cubes to enhance flavor absorption and ensure tenderness.
  2. Fry the chicken pieces briefly to avoid excessive moisture loss and maintain freshness.

Flavor Characteristics

“Sima Huai Fu Chicken” is a traditional and renowned dish in Henan cuisine with a long history. “Sima” refers to Sima Yi, a famous general of the Wei Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, and “Huai Fu” refers to Huaiqing Prefecture, Sima Yi’s hometown, known historically for its “Four Great Huai Medicinals” (Huai Chinese yam, Huai Achyranthes root, Huai Brassica rapa, Huai Rehmannia root). Sima Yi believed that chicken was a delicious food, and Chinese yam was a superior tonic. Combining these two ingredients created a dish that is not only delicious but also nourishing for the body and mind. “Sima Huai Fu Chicken” has been passed down through generations and remains popular today for its savory and tender chicken with soft and flavorful Chinese yam.

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