Chapter 9 Lianyuan Pearl Plum Chicken

Lianyuan is located in the central part of Hunan, the source of Lianshui, the southeastern foot of Xuefeng Mountain, and many hills and mountains.The beautiful scenery of the Meijiang River in the north of Lianyuan can be called a beauty in Sanxiang, and Zhumei is among them.Lianyuan, formerly known as Lantian, pays attention to spicy and spicy food, and has a tricky taste. It is a typical Hunan custom of heavy spicy thick oil. Lianyuan was an important commercial port connecting central Hunan and western Hunan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the Anti-Japanese War, the National Hunan Normal University and other schools moved to Lantian. The quiet town was developed and won the reputation of "Little Nanjing". Qian Zhongshu wrote here .

Zhumei is a small town in the north of Lianyuan, close to the Meijiang Scenic Area, and is famous for producing three yellow chickens.According to the eating habits of the Zhumei people, they have created a unique way of eating three yellow chickens. Through the efforts of generations of caterers, the existing Zhumei native chickens have been made, which are loved by diners and tourists. The Zhumei chicken is completely different from other chickens. The chicken needs the authentic three-yellow chicken from Lianyuan Zhumei. Most of them grow up eating natural grass and wild insects, and also eat some whole grains.Choose young hens with a gross weight of about four catties that have not laid eggs. When eaten, they have a pure taste and high nutritional value.Pork belly with skin needs to be fed pure grass pork belly, and the pork belly raised by feed is not acceptable, and it must be a special-grade pork belly with clear fat and fine lines.The pepper should be sweet and super spicy Lianyuan chaotian pepper, which cannot be replaced by other peppers, and cut into one centimeter long tube.When making it, the Sanhuang chicken needs to be killed, cut the chicken into large pieces, add chicken intestines, chicken offal, chicken blood, cut pork belly into large slices, and add seven or eight slices to one chicken.

Zhumei chicken is mainly stewed in red. Before putting it into the pot, stir-fry the pork belly. The lean meat is yellow, and the fat is oily. Then put the chicken pieces and stir-fry to turn white. Add cooking wine, fan the water and add thin ginger slices and chicken offal , continue to stir-fry, add water after the chicken is yellow, add green chili, red chili, salt, and chicken stock, and braise until the aroma is overflowing, and the soup is dried up and taken out of the pot. Authentic Lianyuan Zhumei chicken has a secret recipe, which is the soup when cooking the chicken, and it is never passed on.Now in Loudi and Changsha Zhumei local chicken specialty stores, the secret recipe soup is delivered by the old store.Authentic Zhumei chicken is very particular about the cooking time and the order of the ingredients, otherwise the taste will be completely different.When many diners come to Lianyuan, they must eat Zhumei chicken to taste the characteristics of Lianyuan.

There is no heating device for Zhumei chicken, and it is served in a stainless steel basin as large as a washbasin. The basin is full, and it looks like it is full of peppers.Peppers are mixed with cyan and red, which are more eye-catching in the pot.Sweep away a thick layer of chili, chicken and pork belly are interspersed, the chicken is bright in color, fragrant and mellow.Immediately, there is a smell of fried chicken, and the wafting taste is very delicious, which is different from the smell of stewing and boiling.The pork belly is one centimeter thick, and one piece has half a small bowl. The color is white like oil residue after being boiled, and it has undulations.The pork belly is no longer greasy, and it is mellow and delicious. The lean meat is rich in soup, not thick, soft and tender.Zhumei chicken skin is pure yellow, with a strong sense of bronze, and the chicken is slightly white.When the chicken is bitten in the mouth, it is very glutinous and sticky. The chicken is delicate and has no rough feeling. You can chew it however you want, and you will not be able to chew the chicken. It is tender and refreshing, spicy but not astringent.Taste slowly, the chicken is very sweet, naturally sweet and pure, with the spiciness of the chili sauce, the chicken aroma is completely changed into a spicy aroma.The chicken ribs are not completely boneless, so you need to chew slowly when eating to find the feeling and taste of eating.Each section of chicken intestines is not long, soft and chewy, with chili juice, it tastes spicy when eaten.Small pieces of chicken blood and chili soup are all boiled into the pores of the chicken blood. It tastes spicy and crispy.Small pieces of chicken offal, crispy and fragrant, with a different flavor.If served with slightly sweet Xinhua water and wine, the spicy taste of Chaotian pepper will be alleviated, and the taste of eating wine will be increased, and the taste of chicken and pork belly will be more pure.

Zhumei chicken was once the favorite of Li Gang, a famous official who fought against the Jin Dynasty. The modern Zhumei chicken was founded in 1998 in Zhumei Yunxiao Village.