At Home with Chinese Cuisine (16 page)
Read At Home with Chinese Cuisine Online
Authors: T P Hong
Bang Bang Chicken is known as LeShan Bang Bang Chicken or JiaDing Bang Bang Chicken. The dish is said to originate from the area of LeShan in SiChuan Province (known as JiaDing Fu in the Qing Dynasty). It is also known as a dish with a sauce that has an unconventional blend of tastes in perfect harmony. Imagine blending the tastes of sourness, sweetness, pungency, saltiness and umami, the chilli hotness and the numbness of SiChuan pepper powder, plus the aroma from the spices, sesame seeds and peanuts harmoniously. Further enriched by the optional additions of ginger, garlic and spring onion, it is an atypical blend of sensory delight worth trying not just on chicken, but also on other meat like rabbit, fish, nuts (peanuts) and vegetables such as aubergine and broad bean.
Poaching, banging the meat to loosen the muscle, shredding the meat by hand, and pouring the sauce over the meat to mix are the four steps involved in the preparation. The name of this dish Bang as a noun is the pronunciation of wooden club or stick in Chinese. A rolling pin is an ideal tool in the domestic kitchen. By using it to bang against the meat gently, the muscle fibres are loosened and the meat becomes tenderer. Shredding the meat by hand gives the meat more surface area to be coated with the sauce.
2 leg quarters with the skin on 1 cucumber or 1 orange bell pepper 1-2 t sesame seed, toasted 2-3 T roasted peanuts, skin removed and chopped (optional) 2 T chilli oil for garnishing the plate For the sauce: 2-3 t granulated sugar 2 t light soy sauce 1 T rice vinegar 30 g sesame seed paste, blended with 2 t sesame seed oil 2 T chilli oil 2 T SiChuan peppercorn-infused oil 1-2 t SiChuan pepper powder salt and pepper 2-3 garlic, finely chopped (optional) 2-3 T warm chicken broth or poaching liquid (optional) | Prepare the peppercorn-infused oil by heating the wok over a low heat. Add 35 ml of the cooking oil. When the oil is lukewarm, add the SiChuan peppercorns and stir until the aroma of the peppercorns is released and the colour of the peppercorns turns slightly darker. Switch off the heat and allow the peppercorns to infuse in the oil for 10 minutes or more. To prepare SiChuan pepper powder, please see “SiChuan pepper(corn) powder” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Put the meat in a saucepan in cold water with the lid on over a low heat. Bring the water to a gentle simmer. Add 1 T of the rice wine and 2-3 pieces of sliced ginger. Simmer very gently for 10 minutes or so. Switch off the heat and leave the meat in the cooking liquid (with the lid on) for 20 minutes. Bring the meat out to cool down. When they are cool enough to handle, separate the skin from the meat. Remove the bone. Wrap the meat in cling film or place it in a bag. Use a rolling pin to bang against the meat gently to loosen its muscle tissue. Shred the chicken by hand. Scrape off the fat underneath the skin and cut the skin finely using a knife. Prepare the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. Taste to adjust the seasoning. Just before serving, slice the cucumber into fine shreds. Pile the cucumber on a plate, topped with the skin and the meat. When ready to serve, pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle the sesame seeds and peanuts (if used) on top. Drizzle more chilli oil in a circle to serve. |
NanJing Duck Poached in Brine
南京鹽水鴨
There are three scenes I associate with the city of NanJing. The mature dryondras lining the streets to give shade in the scorching heat of the summer were so welcoming when we strolled around the city during our first visit. They remind me so much of Paris and various French cities I’ve visited. I was moved by the richness of the colour combination of the silk cloud brocade on display in the museum. The peering eyes of the majestic head of the dragon seemed to be able to see through me from the billowing clouds. Most of all, I miss the beautiful duck dishes I have tasted there. NanJing was where I had my best roast duck. I was told that the famous Beijing roast duck originated from NanJing and travelled northward in the Ming Dynasty.
As the major city of JiangSu Province, the area surrounding NanJing is described as the land of fish and rice. It is close to the YangTze River, which facilitates the exchange of goods and culture. It has a climate suitable for the cultivation of rice and a wide variety of green vegetables, and there are ponds and lakes dotted around that provide ideal homes for fish, shrimp, and aquatic birds such as ducks.
NanJing had been the capital city for ten dynasties throughout the history of China. It not only was a political and academic centre; the Ming Dynasty built its largest academy, the national university, there. Where the imperial courts, politicians, men of literature
, and tradesmen mingle, it usually is a fertile ground for the development of a rich food culture.
Duck is a source of meat for all seasons in NanJing. Pressed salted duck is renowned nationally and is produced in spring and autumn. The winter pressed salted duck is more popular with locals and is a must for Chinese New Year gatherings. Pressed salted duck involves curing the meat with salt and spices, and the carcass is pressed flat, supported by bamboo slivers so that it can be hung to air. This air curing is done in late spring and winter. In case you come across it, the meat has to be soaked in several changes of fresh water to reduce the impurities and its saltiness. Wash the meat with warm water to remove any grease attached on the meat, especially on the skin. Add the ginger, spring onions, and whole black peppers to a pot with sufficient water to cover the meat; simmer for approximately a quarter of an hour (depending on the size of the meat) until it is cooked. Leave the meat to cool skin side up, and slice thinly to serve.
In the summer, NanJing Pipa Duck, another dish of cured duck in brine, is available. The cured duck takes the pear shape of pipa (Chinese lute), a traditional Chinese musical instrument – hence the name. The duck can be incorporated into soup dishes, which are traditionally consumed to dispel the summer heat.
NanJing duck cooked in brine is closely associated with the autumn and osmanthus flowers. The tiny, creamy yellow osmanthus flowers are dizzily scented. The scent permeates the autumn air, announcing the arrival of cool evening air. As described in the book
White
Gate
Recipes,
by JiangTsaiSuo, a writer from the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), “Come to JinLing [the old name of NanJing] in August [August in Chinese lunar calendar is an autumn month]; the famous dish was the Duck Cooked in Brine. Everybody thought that the meat has the sweet scent of osmanthus.”
This dish is a choice for the autumn because the ducks are plump from good feeding in the spring and summer, and they are leaner because they have not yet fattened themselves up to fend off the cold winter. The young ones are chosen, weighing ideally between 2–2.5 kg, and traditionally ducks used for this dish are those that are free to roam, raised by the pond, pick fish and shrimps from the water, and are fed on rice grain husks. The texture of the meat is firmer when the bird is free to roam, and that is the texture Chinese prefer.
Ducks or ducklings are easily available in British supermarkets all year round; they are no longer just birds for festivity. All my family members love duck. Back in the UK, I noticed that the flesh of the duck from some supermarkets is becoming softer and softer. The breast portion is getting bigger, and the leg quarters are reducing in size. In all probability, it is a response to consumers’ preference in that apart from confit de canard or roasting the duck whole, pan-fried duck breast is probably one of the most popular ways of having duck in the West. The difference between ducks and chickens is worryingly narrowing.
When supermarkets do not stock them on a regular basis, buy organic ducks online if possible; their flesh is firmer, and they taste gamier and sweeter. In preparation for cooking, remove the fat on the flap by the neck and inside the tail cavity. Do not truss the bird. You want the cooking liquid to flow without barrier from both inside and outside the cavity. Rinse away any trace of blood and blood clots inside the cavity. Leave the duck to soak in cold water for 20 minutes or so. Pat it dry, and then it is ready for cooking.
1.8–2.0 kg duck, cleaned and patted dry 30 ml rice wine 3 T salt 1 T SiChuan peppercorns, seeds removed 10 g ginger, sliced 2 spring onion whites For the cooking liquid: 3 T salt 5 star anise segments 3 cm cassia bark or cinnamon stick 3 T rice wine sufficient water to cover the duck in the pot | Place a shallow pan over a low heat. Put in salt and stir to get rid of any moisture; it takes approximately 3–5 minutes. Add SiChuan peppercorns and stir from time to time until the aroma of the peppercorn is released. Leave them to cool and grind the mixture into powder. Rub the duck with the wine first, and then rub the warm salt-and-pepper mixture into the duck skin and the cavity. Place the ginger and spring onion whites in the cavity. Leave the duck in the fridge for 4–5 hours. R Prepare a salt (1 T) and water (30 ml) mixture for brushing the duck. Boil water in a deep pot over a high heat. Add the salt, the herb and spice bag, and the duck in the water. Add the wine in the water. When the water starts to boil, turn the heat down to the lowest. Allow the water to simmer away very gently (only the occasional rising of tiny bubbles on the surface) for 20 minutes without the lid on. When the time is up, bring the duck out with a spatula and leave it in a bowl or plate standing upright. Brush the duck skin with the cooking liquid thoroughly and leave it to cool down for 10 minutes or so. Switch the heat on to boil the same pot of water. When the water is boiling, put the duck back in to the water. Turn the heat down immediately to allow the water to simmer gently for another 20 minutes. Switch off the heat and leave the duck in the pot until the cooking liquid turns lukewarm. Check whether the duck is done by inserting a chopstick into the thickest area of the breast and the thickest part of the thigh. The meat is done when the juice comes out clear. Pat dry the duck and leave it to chill in the fridge completely before cutting to size to serve, either boned or on the bone. |
Chicken Baked in Crust (Beggar’s Chicken)
叫化雞
Known as Beggar’s Chicken, both ZheJiang and JianSu provinces claim it to be their own. Stories have been told of JuHongJang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor QianLong of the Qing Dynasty. Both of them were offered chicken baked in a mud crust by beggars during their plain clothes visits to the countryside. Despite a very humble beginning, the two emperors’ approval of its flavour gave the dish the legitimacy of being considered for the formal occasion.
Judging from the cooking techniques described in the stories, the earliest version of this dish goes like this: A beggar got hold of a chicken. There was an open fire in front of him. He used the mud from the riverbank to wrap the chicken up and baked it in the hot ash.
A later version involved a chef who wandered around the lakeside one day and was attracted by the aroma of cooking. He noticed a beggar cooking a chicken wrapped in mud. He asked for a piece and enjoyed the flavour. He later adapted and refined this unique recipe and made it famous by giving it an attention-catching name: beggar’s chicken. Over the years, spices and condiments were used to marinate the chicken. Stuffing appeared to give more layers of flavour to the chicken. Mud was no longer used but has been replaced by a muddy mixture used to seal the lid of the urn used for aging ShauXing wine.
As time went by, layers of lotus leaves and heatproof cellophane paper were used for wrapping the chicken. Stuffing became more elaborate to please affluent diners, and bread dough has been used to replace the muddy mixture for wrapping the chicken up for baking. But the traditional restaurants in ZheJiang remain true to the old practices of using the lotus leaves without the cellophane paper, having simple stuffing to give moisture in baking, and insisting on the muddy mixture to wrap up the chicken for baking so as to make a statement about the originality of the dish.
In both Zhejiang and JianSu provinces, the free-range three-yellow hen weighing between 1.0–1.5 kg is the choice for its good flavour. This species of chicken has a yellow peak, yellow feet, and yellow feathers – hence the name.
The water-repellent surface of the lotus leaf makes it an ideal wrapping material for steaming. Fresh lotus leaves are plentiful in the summer; they need to be blanched in boiling water to soften and be left to cool down in cold water. Dried ones are available in Chinese or oriental grocery stores; they need to be soaked in cold water and blanched in boiling water beforehand.
Stuffing 1 is the basic stuffing to give moisture in baking. It can be replaced by the more elaborate Stuffing 2, if you prefer.
1.0–1.5 kg whole chicken 2 cloves parchment paper 2 dried lotus leaves For the marinade: 3 T ShauXing wine 3 T dark soy sauce 2 t ginger powder salt and pepper | Leave the dried lotus leaves to be soaked in cold water overnight or until they are soft enough to handle. Then blanch them in boiling water for about 1 minute, bring them out, drain, and pat dry. Clean the chicken, especially any blood clots by the ribs. Remove the two sacks of fat inside the cavity. Remove the leg bone by slitting open the inside of the leg and cutting loose the joint between the thigh and the leg. Chop off the leg bone at 2 cm above the joint between the leg and the foot. Open the wing and remove the humerus between the shoulder joint and elbow by slitting open the inside of the drumette. Use the back of a cleaver to break the backbone, breastbone, and thighbones; this will help us to fold the chicken neatly. Take care not to damage the skin. Rub the chicken with the salt first, and then with the wine and soy sauce. Rub in ground ginger and pepper. Leave it in the fridge to rest for 30–60 minutes. To reconstitute the dried shiitake mushrooms, please see “dried shiitake mushrooms” in the Readers’ Guide to Recipes. Slice them finely. |
For Stuffing 1: 4–5 spring onion whites, sliced on the slant 4–5 dried shiitake mushrooms For Stuffing 2: 2 spring onion whites, cut into 3cm segments 10 g fresh ginger, finely chopped 100 g lean pork 100 g chicken breasts 50 g fresh prawns 4–5 dried shiitake mushrooms 30 g pork fat 4 t ShauXing wine 1½ T soy sauce 2 t sugar 45 ml cooking oil (consider home-rendered lard) For the crust: 800 g plain flour 2 t salt 150 ml ShauXing wine 250 ml or more water (room temperature) | For Stuffing 1: Put the wok over a medium heat until hot. Pour in 1 T of the cooking oil and wait until it is hot. Add the shiitake mushrooms and stir until aromatic. Add the spring onion whites and salt and pepper until they are soft. For Stuffing 2: Finely dice lean pork, chicken breast, fresh prawns, shiitake mushrooms, and pork fat. Put the wok over a medium heat until hot. Pour in 3 T of the oil and wait until it is hot. Put in segments of spring onion whites and stir until they turn golden. Discard them. Add the ginger and stir until aromatic; add the shiitake mushrooms and stir until aromatic. Add pork fat, lean pork, and chicken breast and stir until the meat is almost done. Add the prawns and stir until they turn pale. Add the wine, soy sauce, and sugar and stir until all ingredients are amalgamated and there is no loose liquid lying in the wok. Leave them to cool down completely. F Find a deep dish big enough to accommodate the chicken; it will be easier to do the wrapping with a concave dish. Place 2 lotus leaves on the dish, the smooth side down, to form a single piece large enough to wrap around the chicken. Place a piece of parchment paper large enough to wrap around the chicken on top of the lotus leaves. Place chicken in the centre of the dish, breast side up. Bring the wings up to cross over on the breast; place a clove underneath the wings on each side. Bring the legs in to cross over on the abdomen. Wrap the chicken with the parchment paper and then the 2 layers of lotus leaves. It should look like a neat parcel. Tie it with string to keep the wrapping in shape. Roll the crust dough out big enough to wrap around the parcel, but leave a circle about 3 cm in diameter on the backbone side open. Place the parcel on a baking sheet, breast side up, and bake it in the oven 200°C for 40 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 160°C for 2 hours. With Stuffing 2, bake it for a further 30 minutes. When the time is up, bring the parcel out and leave it to rest for 20–30 minutes. Crack open the crust, put the parcel on a deep serving dish, and remove the string. Unfold the 2 layers of lotus leaves and the parchment paper to display the chicken. Be careful with the cooking juice gathered inside the parchment paper. It is usually served together with the chicken. |