Thanh Chuong hill chicken specialty
(Baonghean.vn) -Thanh Chuong has many specialties, in addition to the ones that many people already know such as: pickled vegetables, goat meat from Cau Gang, wet cake from Dung market, nam cake from Ro market, fish from Giang river, bamboo shoots from Con market, Thanh Mai tea, etc., there are also hill chickens, grass-fed pigs, etc.
The reason it is called hill chicken is because Thanh Chuong district (Nghe An) has many hills and mountains, people have the habit of raising free-range chickens, digging for insects during the day, and flying up to trees to sleep at night.
Previously, people called it ri chicken, but for Thanh Chuong people, ri chicken is a wild chicken living in the mountains and forests, not owned by anyone. Now it still exists but is very rare. Hill chicken is a chicken that is raised, managed and owned and used by families. It belongs to the free-range chicken breed, is fertile, easy to raise, and weighs an average of 1.2 to 1.5 kg. The meat is fragrant and fatty. Skilled people can process it into dozens of dishes: salt-fried chicken, lemongrass-fried chicken, chicken soup, boiled chicken, shredded chicken, roasted chicken, grilled chicken wrapped in lotus leaves, lemongrass-braised chicken, ginger-braised chicken, Chinese herbal chicken, lemongrass-chili-fried chicken... and after enjoying the chicken wine dishes, the ancients taught: "Heaven and earth are fragrant with flowers, people drink chicken wine", having another bowl of chicken porridge is considered a great meal, even if you fast all day, you will still be as healthy as usual. No matter how you make it, even without spices, if a house cooks chicken, the whole neighborhood will know because of its characteristic, fragrant, suffocating smell.
There are many recipes, the spices must be adjusted according to each dish, and it also depends on each person's taste. In addition to boiled chicken, fried chicken and ginger chicken are popular dishes, easy to make, delicious, easy to eat, and especially during Tet, when the stomach is full of everything, this is the most attractive dish.
Here is how to prepare these two dishes:
Fried chicken dish: Choose a young chicken weighing 1.2 to 1.5 kg, with soft, smooth feathers, small pores, and golden skin (if the feathers are not smooth and the legs are rough, the chicken is old), clean the feathers, remove the intestines, wash, chop into square pieces, season with a little fish sauce for fragrance (some people use salt), pepper, you can add a little sugar and stir well, marinate for about 30 minutes. Put the pan on the stove, add oil and shallots to create a fragrant smell, then add the marinated chicken and stir well, cover tightly for about 30 minutes, let the meat cook until golden brown, if bland, add a little salt, add a little boiling water, cover and cook for another 5 minutes, remove from heat, sprinkle with sliced lemon leaves, eat hot. This dish is very suitable for people with poor appetite, weak body, and women after giving birth.
Chicken stewed with ginger and lemongrass: The way to choose the chicken is the same as above. After cutting into bite-sized pieces, add crushed ginger and lemongrass, add spices to taste such as chili pepper, a few spoons of fish sauce, 1 spoon of sugar and half a cup of white wine to soften the meat quickly. Stir well, cover with lid and marinate for about 30 minutes to absorb the spices. Then put on the stove and cook for about 30 minutes (please note, do not open the lid during cooking). Then take it off the stove and scoop it into a bowl and eat with hot rice. This dish is very suitable for many people, especially those who have just recovered from illness. With the aroma of the meat and the spiciness of the spices, it will bring us a delicious feeling to the point of ecstasy. Eating it will make us feel warm and sweaty. Eating it with rice will only make you full and never bored.
On the occasion of Tet, we would like to introduce some easy-to-make hometown specialties for you to treat your guests.
Quang Dao
