Bai Qie Ji (Boiled Chicken with Soy Sauce): An Introduction
Bai Qie Ji, also known as Bai Zhan Ji, is a renowned traditional dish within the Cantonese cuisine, one of China's Eight Great Cuisines. Originating in folk inns during the Qing Dynasty, it is named for its preparation method: boiling the chicken without seasoning and slicing it as needed for serving. Bai Qie Ji is celebrated for its tender, smooth texture and rich, authentic flavor.
Cuisine:
Bai Qie Ji belongs to the Cantonese cuisine, which is renowned for its light and delicious flavors and emphasis on the original taste of ingredients. As a representative dish of Cantonese cuisine, Bai Qie Ji fully demonstrates the characteristics and essence of this culinary tradition.
Taste:
Bai Qie Ji has a light and delicious taste with a rich, authentic flavor. It uses fresh chicken meat, slowly cooked and dried before being sliced and served with specially prepared condiments. These condiments, including ginger and scallion paste, peanut oil, and soy sauce, are carefully blended to fully highlight the delicious taste of the chicken, enhancing appetite.
Characteristics:
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Simple Preparation: The preparation of Bai Qie Ji is relatively straightforward, requiring no excessive cooking skills or complicated seasoning. It emphasizes retaining the original taste of the chicken meat, avoiding the use of too many ingredients and seasonings during cooking.
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Perfectly Cooked: Bai Qie Ji requires precise control of cooking time and temperature to ensure the chicken is perfectly cooked but not overdone, resulting in a skin that is crisp and meat that is tender and smooth. This cooking method retains the chicken's delicate texture while avoiding the poor texture caused by overcooking.
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Rich Accompaniments: Although Bai Qie Ji itself has a light taste, its condiments are rich and varied. These condiments not only enhance the taste of the chicken but also add more flavor and texture to the dish.
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Nutritious: Chicken meat is a high-protein, low-fat food rich in nutrients such as protein, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. As a light dish, Bai Qie Ji is suitable for being served with other ingredients to complement the various nutrients needed by the human body.
Ingredients:
The main ingredient of Bai Qie Ji is fresh chicken meat, typically fine-boned farm-raised chickens or three-yellow chickens. These chickens have tender meat and a delicious flavor and are rich in nutrients. Additionally, the preparation of Bai Qie Ji requires some seasonings and condiments, such as onions, ginger, garlic, peanut oil, soy sauce, and salt. These seasonings and condiments serve to remove fishy smell (a term for unwanted flavors often associated with meat or fish) and enhance the aroma, improving the overall taste.
In summary, Bai Qie Ji, as a classic dish of Cantonese cuisine, is deeply loved for its light and delicious taste and authentic flavor. Its simple yet refined preparation, tender and smooth texture, and rich nutritional value make it a highly recommended delicacy for family gatherings or entertaining guests.
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