- March 10,2023
According to origin of Zhejiang cuisine, Shaoxing cuisine is first. Among many Shaoxing dishes, Yue Chicken in Clear Soup has to be first course!
At call of Yuevantai, Yue chickens were banished from pets exclusively for emperors and concubines for common people. Since then, it has become a "walking delicacy" on Yuexiang ancestors' table.
In fact, fame of "Clean Soup and More Chicken" is due to contribution of "Old Man from Shiquan" Qianlong.
It is said that when Emperor Qianlong visited Jiangnan several times, he almost always stayed at Shaoxing Mansion. One day, he and his ministers approached side gate of Shaoxing and suddenly smelled a strange smell. Hearing this, greedy worms in his stomach were ready to burst out, so he led all ministers to "go out in search of incense." After a while they came to farmer's house. It turned out that woman was cooking chicken soup.
Looking at this group of unusual temperament, woman hurriedly and politely brought a large bowl of chicken soup to table. After drinking straight chicken soup, dipping chicken in soy sauce, Qianlong soon began to feast on it regardless of his image. After eating, Qianlong still wanted to say something. Back in Beijing, foodie Qianlong never forgot about Yue Chicken Soup. Therefore, “more chicken soup” - this farm chicken soup became a court tribute.
At present, Clear Soup Chicken has become main configuration of various restaurants in Shaoxing, but no restaurant that sells Clear Soup Chicken dares to say that it is real Clear Soup Chicken.
Due to its long history, original taste has been altered through a process of inheritance. But there are more and more ways to do it: you can add ham, green vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and other ingredients. No matter what ingredients are added to it, it can extract highest flavor, and there is no equal in world!
In October 1933, Liu Yazi and his wife, a well-known poetess, came to Shaoxing. After they accidentally tasted "Yue Chicken in Clear Soup", they were full of praise, bluntly saying that "the skin is thin, meat is tender, bones are loose, and soup is fresh." So, in short, right.
Many foodies want to know why this seemingly simple bowl of chicken soup is so appealing? The key to answer is how to choose chicken. As a rule, main dish is tender chicken, which is complemented by a chowder made from old wine, cooked slowly in a transparent saucepan, just right. It's so delicious, I'm afraid there are few of them in this world!
Among China's "Eight Major Cuisines", Zhejiang Cuisine is well-known, and its light and delicious taste is secret that visitors vie for. It is Shaoxing people's attention to food that makes such a delicious "clear chicken soup".
The most common condiments used by ancestors of Shaoxing people are rice wine, soy sauce and salt. To cook Yue chicken, you need chickens raised by free-range farmers. The chickens in poultry farm have lost their original spirituality due to lack of a certain nature. Therefore, "Clean Soup and More Chicken" is no longer as simple as taste of Shaoxing people, but a kind of obsession with ingredients, and such impeccable sincerity is a magic weapon to achieve "Clean Soup and More Chicken"!
