My all time favourite Chinese dish is the “white cut
chicken” (白切鷄),
which comes in many guises, the popular HaiNan chicken being a variation on the
same theme. When I was in my
twenties, my roommate and I could easily polish off a whole “white-cut” chicken
between us. Now, I still couldn’t
pass the dish by; whenever I go to a new restaurant, if they offer it, I’ll try
it to see if it meets the “standard”.
As the name suggests, it is actually a poached whole
chicken, chopped up and reassembled, and served with ginger and scallions. The chicken itself is not hard to make,
it’s just difficult to perfect so that the chicken is thoroughly cooked but
stays tender. That is not easy because
of the anatomy of the chicken and the difficulty of having to cook white breast
meat the same length of time as the dark thigh meat. The true test of a well-made white-cut chicken is in the
tenderness of the white meat and the ‘crispness’ of the skin. There is also a technique to making the ginger-scallion
sauce. A friend of mine, Mr. Anonymous, has the method down
pat. I can vouch for that as
I’ve tried his homemade edition - yes, he prepared a takeout special for me
last time I visited the west coast!
He had picked up the method from talking to a few experienced
chefs. Here are his instructions:
1.
Cook with
the best whole chicken one can get:
Whenever possible, buy a freshly killed, never before frozen,
organic, free-range chicken, found in poultry shops that handle their own processing. The perfect size is a bird between 2.5
and 3 pounds. Chinese cochin, the
so-called “yellow-feather chicken” (a misnomer as the feathers are actually
bronze in color) is preferred because it is leaner and has more flavor; the
meat is firmer and the bones harder.
2. Poaching the “Easy Way”:
Fill a large pot
with enough water to cover the whole chicken. Add a couple of slices of ginger, a stalk of green onion and a teaspoon of “sha-ginger” powder (沙薑粉 more on this powder later). When the water is boiling,
hold the chicken by its neck or
feet and dip it into the water
in a slow up and down motion a few times
to fill and refill its body cavity with hot water. This brings the inside and outside of the chicken to the
same temperature for even cooking. The water at this point
will be below boiling point, so bring the pot to a boil again. Submerge the chicken, cover the
pot, turn off the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes. Bring the water to a simmer, turn off the heat,
and poach for another 15 minutes. Take
the chicken out to cool.
3. Alternatively,
for the best results, poach with two pots and finish the cooking with a cold
bath:
Fill two large pots with water. Add a
couple of slices of ginger, a stalk of
green onion and a teaspoon
of “sha-ginger” powder into each. Bring both pots to a boil. Hold the chicken by its neck and dip
it into the first pot in a slow up and down motion a few times to fill and refill its body cavity with hot
water. Bring the water to a boil again. Submerge the chicken, cover the pot, and turn off the heat.
After 15 minutes, move
the chicken to the second pot of boiling water. Again, submerge, turn
off the heat and poach for another 15 minutes. Violà, the poaching is done.
While the chicken is being poached, prepare a large body of
cold water with some ice cubes and season it with some “sha-ginger” powder. Drop the poached chicken immediately into the cold water until
its skin is cool. The cold bath (過泠诃) stops
the internal cooking, firms up
the meat, and crisps the chicken skin.
(Optional step: Rub
the chicken all over with some chicken fat from the pot to give it sheen. For a healthier option, use sesame oil)
Note: a large chicken may have to be poached for another 15 minutes. Exact cooking time depends on how much water in the pots, the size of chicken, etc., try it out and make appropriate
adjustments.
4. To make the classic Ginger-Scallion Dipping
Sauce:
Grate a
large piece of fresh ginger. Chop finely a bunch of scallions.
Mix the ginger and
scallions in a bowl. Add a couple of teaspoons of “sha-ginger” powder and some salt. “Sha-ginger”
is the secret ingredient; it adds a
unique aroma and complexity to
the sauce. To finish, pour very hot cooking oil over the mixture and mix it well.
A
few notes on making the sauce:
·
Chop
the scallions and ginger by hand instead of using a food processor for better
texture.
·
Be careful
when pouring hot oil over the ginger-scallion mixture. It will splatter and can be messy.
·
Another option is to add room temperature salad oil to the mixture and let it steep. This method works but the sauce will be less aromatic and the scallions stay raw.
·
Do
not use microwave to make the sauce;
the ginger and scallion will most likely be burnt.
·
For the
brave ones, use rendered chicken fat in place of cooking oil. Delicious!
·
The proportion
of ginger and the white and green parts of scallions affects the color, texture
and flavor of the sauce. Adjust
the amount to suit your taste.
Finish eating the white-cut
chicken preferably on the
day it is made. Chicken spoils quickly even with
refrigeration. That is one reason
why so many Chinese bbq delis and restaurants nowadays sell “kwei-fei chicken” (貴妃鷄) instead. “Kwei-fei chicken” is white-cut chicken marinated in light colored spicy
brine (白鹵水) for a
savory flavor. The brined chicken lasts longer.
So, what on earth is 沙薑粉 (pronounced Sha Jiang Fen)?
– ˜
The Chinese name
literally means “sand-ginger”, and according to Google, the spice name is
Zedoary. It is a rhizome, ginger-like but not regular ginger, galangal or turmeric. I have seen it only in powder form in
the spice section of Chinese markets.
The Chinese use it for cooking certain
chicken dishes besides white-cut chicken.
