Nostalgia in pot-stewed native chicken

On busy days, the most relieving thing is to drink a bowl of  chicken soup with strong sentiment of hometown. In the Jiangchuan district of central Yunnan’s Yuxi City, native chicken stewed in earthen pot is a nutritious dish favored by locals.

The chicken-stewing pot is made by local artisans, and the chickens that are raised free in the field produce high-quality meat. Stewed for hours with mild fire, the chicken tastes fresh, smooth and delicious. Giving off strong aroma, the chicken soup is thick and oily, but not greasy.

Wang Chenghui, a Jiangchuan native, has been a migrant worker for many years. Last year, however, he chose to return home and joined hands with friends in contracting a 5-hactare barren mountain. There, they planted fruit trees, feed native chickens, ducks and geese, and opened a farmhouse canteen.

In setting up a business like this, Wang wants to make up for the nostalgic days over the years. “My founding mission is to show diners the authentic flavors of my hometown, so that Jiangchuan will be visited by more, with its unique customs better known to outsiders,” said Wang.

In stewing the native chicken with a local earthen pot, Wang Chenghui chooses the chicken that has been raised free for around one year. “First, make a fire with dried branches and leaves collected from the orchard and its surrounding woods. Next, pour into the pot some mountain spring water. Then, put cleaned chicken into the pot and cover it up. Finally, heat the chicken for at least three hours with strong fire and mild fire in succession,” said Wang.

“The seemingly simple steps are actually particular about the heating and the water amount, so that an authentic chicken dish can be cooked.” While explaining the stewing steps, Wang put the whole chicken into an earth pot. Having added two pieces of ginger, a few wolfberries, one amomum tsao-ko, one star anise and two roots of hairy asiabell, Wang put more wood into the fire pit made out of mud and stone.

A perfect pot of stewed native chicken features soft and fleshy meat, as well as thick and golden soup. When the fire in the pit faded out, Wang uncovered the pot and he was immediately greeted by a puff of aroma. Drinking a mouthful of soup, the diners felt the pleasant smell, and the whole oral cavity was immensely satisfied.

“At my farmhouse canteen, most diner groups see the pot-stewed chicken as a must-try dish, while other dishes are usually arranged by the staff members flexibly.” Wang’s pot-stewed chicken has made a hit among the diners, reminding them of the hometown sentiments.

In Wang’s view, the hometown dish is a taste of happiness. He hopes to render the canteen and orchard into a reminder of the diners’ hometowns, so that the special taste of happiness can be enjoyed by more.

During the meals, Wang Chenghui would chat with the diners on hometown dishes. By looking into the dining details, he aims to find out ways to improve the native dishes. “It’s a great pleasure to cook the native dishes well and see the diners enjoy them,” said Wang.

Reporting by Xu Hualing (Xinhua); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue