Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page B8

November 27, 2014

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Fowl play leads to some scrumptious food

By Wu Huixin | November 27, 2014, Thursday | Print Edition

CHINA’S history of domesticating chickens may date back 7,000 years. “The Book of Rites” published in the Warring States Period (476-221 BC) recorded that Chinese people had already made chicken congee and steamed chicken.

In modern society, poultry is still an important staple. Over the years, Chinese people have created numerous dishes made of chicken and duck. The recipes vary according to different provinces.

Shanghai Daily breaks down four classic poultry dishes, which you can find in Hangzhou restaurants.

Stewed chicken with three cups of sauce 三杯鸡

This dish makes a frequent appearance in Taiwanese restaurants, which in return makes people mistakenly think that’s where the dish originated. It’s actually a classic Jiangxi Province dish that was altered slightly in Taiwan to suit their tastes — replacing lard with vegetable oil and topping it with basil.

It is said that its origin dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) when patriot Wen Tianxiang was sentenced to death due to his resistance to Kublai Khan’s invasion.

A jailer who admired Wen’s patriotism took pity on Wen and cooked a chicken with three cups of sweet rice wine for him as his last meal. Wen ate the dish before he was beheaded.

Thereafter, the jailer would stew the dish every year to commemorate Wen’s death. The dish later spread across the country and the recipe was adjusted by replacing rice wine with soy sauce and lard.

The present-day version offered in restaurants is the Taiwanese version with chopped basil sprinkled on top of the chicken.

 

Where to eat:

Ling Long Town

Address: 198 Nanshan Rd

Tel: (0571) 8702-5558

Baked salty chicken 盐焗鸡

 

Hundreds of years ago, Hakka people living in Guangdong Province made a living by making salt. One day, a Meizhou merchant got a chicken from a friend. To keep the chicken longer he used salt to store it. After he got home he felt hungry and took out the salted chicken and roasted it, which turned out succulent and crispy.

The dish later spread across China. The crisp chicken skin along with fresh and tender meat typifies Hakka cuisine. It can be found today in both regular eateries and upscale restaurants.

Sanhuang chicken is the most popular type to make the dish and it’s from Zhanjiang, Guangdong. It has a smooth texture when pickled with salt and baked with other condiments.

 

Where to eat:

Jiu Qi Feng Restaurant

Address: 130 Shuguang Rd

Tel: (0571) 8763-3631

A long time ago a beggar stole a chicken, wrapped it in lotus leaves and buried it. At night, he dug it out and put it on a fire to roast. It turned out tasty, better than chicken cooked by other methods. Afterwards, people named the dish beggar’s chicken.

It’s not clear when the dish first started. Some say it originated in the Song Dynasty as the then noted Buddha Jih mentioned it several times.

Others believe it first appeared in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) because the time-honored restaurant Lou Wai Lou officially started
serving it in the 1850s.

Today, modern restaurants have adapted the traditional recipe by placing the chicken in an iron bowl covered with soil outside. The soil becomes crusty after grilling. In some restaurants, diners are encouraged to crack the crust. To add aroma to the chicken meat, chefs only use wood from fruit trees for baking.

 

Where to eat:

Hangzhou Restaurant

Address: 205 Yan’an Rd

Tel: (0571) 8708-7123

Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty often disguised himself and traveled around the country. On one of his trips he accidentally created a dish known as stewed duck with wine.

When he toured Linwu County of Hunan Province he was caught in the rain one day and ran for shelter in a roadside eatery.

The chef provided the emperor with a bowl of duck. At the time, the emperor was slightly intoxicated and spilled some rice wine in his bowl. The duck meat mixed with the wine and the mellow smell impressed the emperor. The next day when he sobered up, Qianlong recalled the aroma. Imperial chefs quickly made the dish, replacing the rice wine with beer, which had been given as a tribute from Egypt. The dish turned out well and was one of Qianlong’s favorites.

 

Where to eat:

Xiangyuan Restaurant

Address: 254 Gudun Rd

Tel: (0571) 8897-9254

Hangzhou


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend