1 Steamed Yellow Tube with Marrow and Egg White
[Ingredients]
Yellow tubes (pork intestines): 10 pieces
Egg whites: 10
Cucumber skin: 50g
Ham: 50g
Shiitake mushrooms: 50g
Cilantro (coriander): 50g
Clear broth: 500g
Salt: 5g
Chicken essence: 150g
Cooking wine: 10g
[Cooking Method]
- Clean the yellow tubes and boil them in a pot of water until they are 80% cooked. Remove and rinse under cold water. Remove the oil veins, flip them with chopsticks, and use a knife to evenly score them into centipede leg shapes.
- Take five cooked yellow tubes and lay them flat on a plate. Spread chicken essence evenly inside each tube. Cut cucumber skin, shiitake mushrooms, and ham into small pieces and place them evenly at the openings of the tubes. Steam them until cooked, then cut into 6.6 cm segments. Cut the remaining 5 tubes into 6.6 cm segments and blanch them in boiling water until translucent.
- In a ladle, heat the clear broth with salt and cooking wine until boiling. Skim off any foam, then thicken the broth and pour it over the yellow tubes.
[Cooking Tips]
- The blanching of the yellow tubes should be until they can be easily broken with chopsticks.
- When steaming the egg white base, release the air to prevent bubbles from forming.
- When thickening the broth, ensure it is not too thick.
- Arrange the yellow tube legs in a square shape.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish features unique ingredients, resembling centipedes with distinct colors. It is tender and delicious, with a savory and rich broth, suitable for high-end banquets.
2 Stewed Young Chicken with Round Mushrooms
[Ingredients]
Young chicken: 1
Sichuan peppercorn water: 5g
Round mushrooms: 150g
Star anise: 1 piece
Meat broth: 750g
Salt: 5g
Green onion: 1 stalk
Cooking wine: 20g
Ginger: 1 piece
[Cooking Method]
- Pluck and clean the chicken, remove the internal organs, and chop it into approximately 4 cm square pieces. Blanch briefly in boiling water, then drain and set aside.
- Soak the round mushrooms in warm water until soft, remove the tough stems and impurities, wash thoroughly, and tear into small strips.
- Heat oil in a pot, fry the green onion and ginger until fragrant, then add the meat broth. Add the chicken pieces, round mushrooms, Sichuan peppercorn water, star anise, salt, and cooking wine. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender. Add MSG to taste, then remove the green onion, ginger, and star anise before serving.
[Cooking Tips]
- Use young chicken for tenderness.
- This dish emphasizes the original flavor, so add enough broth at once.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish features tender chicken with fragrant mushrooms, balanced flavors of meat and vegetables, savory and satisfying, making it a popular dish in countless homes across Northeast China.
3 Smoked Chicken with Hook Method
[Ingredients]
40 young chickens
30g cinnamon
10g five-spice powder
30g cloves
10g ground pepper
50g fresh ginger
10g chili powder
10g Sichuan pepper
10g amomum villosum
30g white cardamom
10g dried ginger
30g cassia bark
30g dried tangerine peel
20g grass fruit
400g white sugar
200g sesame oil
50g monosodium glutamate
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter and clean the chickens. Place each chicken on a cutting board with the abdomen facing up. Use a knife to cut through the ribs and spine in the middle, then fold and press with hands. Insert a small wooden stick into the belly to support it. Make a small incision at the tip of the chicken breast, cross-insert the legs, and cross-insert the wings into the cavity. Air-dry the surface.
- Put all the seasoning ingredients into a cloth bag and tie it tightly. Place it in a pot, add fresh ginger, five-spice powder, ground pepper, monosodium glutamate, and chili powder mixed with clean water. Soak the chickens in the pot for 1 hour, then cook over low heat until half-cooked. Add salt and continue cooking until fully cooked. Remove the chickens and smoke them while hot. Before smoking, rub sesame oil all over the chickens. Place them on a grill in the pot. When the bottom of the pot turns slightly red, sprinkle white sugar over them and smoke for 2 minutes. Flip the chickens and smoke for another two to three minutes.
[Key Techniques]
- Cooking the chickens requires precise timing to ensure tenderness without falling apart, maintaining the chicken’s integrity for the next step.
- The smoking time should not be too long to avoid overly dark color, which affects the appearance.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Deep red color, shiny and translucent, tender and aromatic, falling apart into strands, rich smoky flavor, with a lingering aftertaste.
4 Soy Sauce Braised Tender Chicken
[Ingredients]
750g tender chicken
150g sesame oil
150g soy sauce
50g white sugar
125g cooking wine
30g scallions
15g fresh ginger
15g five-spice powder
[Cooking Method]
- Wash the chicken thoroughly, then soak it in soy sauce for 4 hours to marinate. Remove and set aside.
- Place a pot over heat, add water, and bring it to a boil. Add the marinated chicken, cooking wine, scallions, and ginger. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Add soy sauce and sugar, reduce the heat to medium, and continue simmering. Turn the chicken several times to ensure even coloring. Simmer for 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
- Transfer the sauce to high heat, add five-spice powder, and simmer until fragrant. Add the chicken and sesame oil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors penetrate the meat. Remove from heat, let cool, then chop into pieces and arrange on a serving plate. Pour over the braising sauce and serve.
[Key Techniques]
- No salt is needed in this dish, so soy sauce should be used generously.
- Avoid boiling the chicken over high heat to prevent breaking the skin, which affects the appearance and texture.
[Flavor Characteristics]
The chicken is tender and flavorful with a rich soy aroma, perfect with rice or as a standalone dish.
5 Smoked Spruce Grouse
[Ingredients]
10 spruce grouses
10g Sichuan peppercorns
10g cloves
20g zanthoxylum
500g green onions
50g fresh ginger
20g soy sauce
25g salt
2g monosodium glutamate
200g white sugar
10g tea leaves
50g sesame oil
5g bay leaves
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the spruce grouses, drain the blood, pluck and clean. Stuff 50g of green onions and 5g of ginger into the cavity of each grouse. Place the grouses in a clean pot and add enough water to submerge them.
- Place the pot over heat, bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Add soy sauce, salt, white sugar, monosodium glutamate. Place cloves, zanthoxylum, Sichuan peppercorns, and bay leaves in a cheesecloth bag, tie securely, and add to the pot.
- Cook the grouses until partially cooked, then remove. In a smoking pot, add 100g of white sugar and 10g of tea leaves. Place a rack inside, add the grouses, cover tightly, and smoke.
- Place the smoking pot over heat until yellow smoke appears. Remove from heat and let it smoke for 10 minutes. Brush with sesame oil before serving.
[Key Techniques]
- Cook the grouses until partially cooked to maintain tenderness; do not overcook to avoid toughness.
- Control the smoking time carefully to achieve the desired color without over-smoking.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- The grouses are named “spruce grouse” due to their habitat in spruce forests.
- This dish is deliciously tender, savory, with a strong smoky flavor.
6 Braised Eggs with Dried Shrimp
[Ingredients]
15g dried large shrimp, rehydrated
15g Shaoxing wine
15g sesame seeds
300g eggs
50g wet starch (cornstarch slurry)
10g sesame oil
100g cold chicken broth
2g monosodium glutamate (MSG)
15g salted water
50g rendered lard
[Cooking Method]
- Finely chop the rehydrated large shrimp and place in a large bowl. Add clarified shrimp water, wet starch, salted water, Shaoxing wine, MSG, and cold chicken broth. Mix well.
- Heat a large ladle over high heat until hot. Coat the ladle with a handful of lard, swirling to coat, then pour out the excess oil. Pour the egg mixture into the ladle, stir-frying with a spoon while continuously drizzling in rendered lard. Once the egg mixture starts to thicken, flip it using the flipping ladle technique. Drizzle with a small amount of rendered lard and sesame seeds. Reduce heat to low and braise for about 10 minutes. Flip the ladle over high heat and transfer to a serving dish.
[Key Techniques]
- Ensure the eggs have enough moisture to ensure a soft and tender texture.
- Use low to medium heat for braising to avoid breaking the eggs. Master the flipping ladle technique to maintain the shape.
[Flavor Characteristics]
“Braised Eggs with Dried Shrimp” is a traditional dish from Liaoning province. It features dried large shrimp and eggs cooked using a pan-braising method. The dish has a golden color, a soft and fragrant texture, and pairs well with wine or as a standalone dish.
7 Yupu Zaiya
[Main Ingredients]
1 young chicken
10g shredded green onion
10g sesame oil (net weight 500g)
15g Shaoxing wine
10g salt
15g sugar
20g soy sauce
30g wet starch
2g Sichuan peppercorns
3g MSG
3g cinnamon
3g star anise
10g shredded ginger
[Cooking Method]
- Prepare the chicken: clean and gut the chicken, remove beak, claws, and wing tips. Rub the chicken with Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, MSG, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon. Marinate briefly, steam until tender, remove and drain juices. Coat the chicken evenly with wet starch paste.
- Heat oil in a wok until moderately hot. Fry the chicken briefly to slightly harden the skin, pour out excess oil, then stir-fry with shredded green onion and ginger. Mix soy sauce, sugar, MSG, sesame oil, and a little wet starch into a sauce, pour over the chicken in the wok, gently toss, and serve.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Steam the chicken until very tender, about 2 hours.
- Fry at a slightly higher oil temperature until the skin is crispy and golden.
- Cook quickly without stirring excessively to ensure the starch paste thickens the sauce smoothly.
[Flavor Characteristics]
“Yupu Zaiya” is a traditional delicacy from Liaoning Province, using young chicken and fried cooking techniques. The dish has a translucent red appearance, with crispy, boneless meat that is flavorful and delicious.
8 Braised Red-Legged Partridge
[Main Ingredients]
1 red-legged partridge
3g MSG
30g wet starch
25g soy sauce
10g green onions
15g rice vinegar
10g garlic
15g sugar
3g ground black pepper
10g ginger
500g chicken broth
10g sesame oil
250g carrots
50g rendered pork fat
10g salt
[Cooking Method]
- Skin, clean the internal organs, and wash away blood residue from the partridge. Chop into pieces resembling spare ribs. Cut carrots into large dice. Peel and lightly crush the ginger. Cut green onions into segments. Lightly crush the garlic cloves.
- Blanch the partridge pieces in boiling water briefly, then rinse under cold water. Place in a bowl with green onions, ginger, and soy sauce, stew for about 10 minutes.
- Heat the rendered pork fat in a wok until moderately hot, then add the partridge pieces from the stewing liquid. Stir-fry until the liquid evaporates and the partridge starts to sizzle evenly. Add carrot pieces and continue stir-frying briefly. Color with soy sauce, add salt, rice vinegar, sugar, green onions, ginger, garlic, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, adjust seasoning for saltiness and flavor, then reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and braise until tender.
- When the sauce reduces to half, increase heat to high to thicken the sauce. Use wet starch to thicken, then stir in ground black pepper, sesame oil, and MSG. Transfer to a serving plate.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Use high heat to bring to a boil and low heat to braise until the partridge is tender.
- The finished dish should have a reddish color with a shiny sauce, and a savory and delicious taste.
[Flavor Characteristics]
“Braised Red-Legged Partridge” is a specialty dish from Heilongjiang Province. It features wild red-legged partridge meat braised to tender perfection, with a deep red color, savory flavor enhanced by a hint of spice, and a rich, appetizing aroma.
9 Stir-Fried Partridge with Fern Tips
[Main Ingredients]
200g partridge breast meat
50g salted fern tips
50g bamboo shoots
50g chicken broth
50g rendered pork fat
1 egg white
10g salt
15g Shaoxing wine
3g MSG
5g Sichuan peppercorn oil
15g sugar
10g green onions
10g ginger
10g garlic
20g dry starch
[Cooking Method]
- Slice the partridge breast meat thinly and evenly, then place in a bowl. Add dry starch, egg white, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Mix well.
- Soak the fern tips in clean water for 1 hour, rinse to remove excess salt, then dice. Rinse again in warm water and soak in cold water.
- Slice the bamboo shoots and blanch briefly in boiling water. Drain well. Finely chop the green onions, ginger, and garlic.
- Heat the rendered pork fat in a wok until moderately hot. Add the sliced partridge meat and stir quickly until just cooked through. Drain off excess oil using a colander.
- Keep some oil in the wok and heat until hot. Stir-fry green onions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Add diced fern tips and sliced bamboo shoots, stir briefly, then add the cooked partridge meat. Pour in chicken broth, season with salt, MSG, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and sugar. Stir-fry until the sauce reduces.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Slice the partridge meat thinly and evenly.
- Use high heat to quickly cook the meat and avoid overcooking.
- The dish should have a balanced savory taste, highlighting the natural flavors of the ingredients.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- The partridge, also known as the wild chicken or woodcock, resembles a domestic chicken in appearance. The males are majestic with long tail feathers, a purplish-green head, reddish cheeks and eye patches, and distinctive white neck rings. They are adorned with beautiful brown feathers with hints of purple, green, black, gray, red, chestnut, light yellow, and white. They weigh approximately 1.25-1.75 kg. Females are less vibrant and smaller, typically weighing between 0.75-1.25 kg. The best time for their consumption is during late autumn and early winter when they are plump.
- Fern tips, from the family of ostrich ferns, are harvested in early spring in the northeastern provinces of China. They are tender and best when fresh for cooking.
- “Stir-Fried Partridge with Fern Tips” is a specialty dish from Heilongjiang Province, featuring partridge breast meat and wild fern tips stir-fried to a savory and light flavor, suitable for both casual meals and festive occasions.
10 Stir-Fried Sand Partridge
[Main Ingredients]
1 sand partridge
15g Shaoxing wine
500g rendered pork fat
10g green onions
1 egg
10g shredded ginger
50g flour
5g shredded garlic
5g salt
10g sesame oil
2g MSG
15g soy sauce
10g rice vinegar
[Cooking Method]
- Peel the skin off the sand partridge, remove the gizzard and internal organs, wash off any blood, and chop into pieces about 1 cm wide and 3 cm long. Place in a bowl, add soy sauce and salt, marinate for half a day.
- Heat a wok over high heat until very hot, wipe clean, then add the rendered pork fat. Heat until it is about 70% hot, then quickly add the marinated sand partridge pieces and the beaten egg. Mix well, sprinkle with flour, and fry in the wok until golden brown and crispy. Drain off excess oil using a colander.
- Mix rice vinegar, MSG, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine in a small bowl to make a red-colored sauce.
- Heat some oil in the cleaned wok, stir-fry green onions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Add the fried sand partridge pieces and the prepared sauce, stir-fry briefly. Finish with sesame oil, transfer to a serving plate.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Use high heat for quick frying until golden.
- Ensure the sauce is not too watery to maintain focus on the main ingredients.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- The sand partridge resembles a pigeon in appearance, with a short and slightly curved beak, sandy-brown upper body with black markings. It measures about 40 cm in length and weighs approximately 20 grams. Its meat is medicinal and edible, mild and nourishing, beneficial for tonifying the middle, supplementing qi, warming the stomach, and invigorating the spleen. It is used traditionally for treating conditions such as cold diarrhea, qi deficiency, and prolapse in women.
- “Stir-Fried Sand Partridge” is a traditional dish from Northeast China, featuring sand partridge cooked using stir-frying techniques. The meat is tender and juicy, with a golden-red hue, and offers a savory and refreshing taste, delightful to the palate.