Three Braised Dishes of the Yangtze

Three Braised Dishes of the Yangtze

　　Changjiangpu in Yingcheng is located at a key junction of water and land transportation, blessed with abundant resources and prosperous trade, attracting merchants from all over. Over the generations, it has produced many renowned chefs, earning the reputation of “the best food in Changjiangpu.” The “Three Braised Dishes of the Yangtze” are especially famous and enduring.

　　The “Three Braised Dishes of the Yangtze” refer to braised pork, braised chicken, and braised duck—three traditional signature dishes of Changjiangpu that have enjoyed a longstanding reputation for their excellent color, aroma, taste, and presentation. They have a history of over a hundred years. Legend has it that during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, there was a restaurant called Chen Wanshun in Changjiangpu, run by four brothers. Eventually, the youngest, Chen Fasong, took over the business alone, and people came to commonly call it the “Fourth House Restaurant,” which gained quite a local reputation. Chen’s eldest son, Chen Ziting, began learning the culinary arts at age 12 from his cousins Qi and Fen. He studied diligently, carefully exploring the principles of “tender, soft, and light” in cooking, mastering heat control to perfection, and refining his cooking skills over time, especially gaining deep knowledge of local traditional dishes. At age 16, he took over the “Fourth House Restaurant” on his own and began refining traditional dishes by researching ingredients, cooking methods, heat application, and seasonings, making continuous improvements—especially focusing on achieving the “tender, soft, and light” qualities. He became particularly skilled at preparing the “Three Braised Dishes,” crafting braised pork, braised chicken, and braised duck that were richly aromatic, brightly colored, high-quality, and delicious, causing a sensation at the time and establishing him as a master and successor of the “Three Braised Dishes of the Yangtze.” Over generations, chefs have inherited and further refined these dishes, making them increasingly exquisite and turning them into renowned delicacies across the Chu region.

　　Braised pork is the pièce de résistance of the “Three Braised Dishes of the Yangtze.” The preparation method: Cut pork shoulder into whole square pieces about the size of a bowl rim, place skin-side down on charcoal fire to scorch, then scrape and wash clean until the skin turns golden yellow. Use a knife to score shallow diagonal squares on the lean meat (without cutting the skin). Then place the meat skin-side down in a clay pot lined with pork bones, add 500 grams of water, along with soy sauce, star anise, rice wine, scallions, and ginger. Cover the pot and simmer until the meat pieces take on color. Remove, rinse once with water, and filter the original broth. Return the meat to the pot, add rock sugar, and simmer over low heat for about two hours until the meat becomes tender and fragrant. Transfer to a serving plate, pour over the sauce, sprinkle with chopped scallions and a touch of pepper, and it’s ready to serve. This dish has a amber-like color, resembles a setting sun in shape, and boasts a deliciously tender and soft texture that is rich yet not greasy.

　　The main ingredient for braised chicken is a yellow-feathered hen or capon from the previous year—its meat is tender, juicy, flavorful, and highly nutritious. The preparation involves flattening the whole cleaned chicken with a knife, placing it in a clay pot, adding an appropriate amount of water, along with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, star anise, and other seasonings. Simmer until the chicken takes on color, then remove and rinse off any impurities on the surface. Filter the original broth, return the whole chicken to the pot, add rock sugar, and simmer gently over low heat for about an hour until the sauce thickens and the chicken becomes very tender. Serve the chicken and broth together on a plate, arrange the chicken in a lying-down position with chopsticks, garnish slightly, and sprinkle with pepper and scallions. The result is a braised chicken with a bright yellow hue, tender meat, a well-balanced sweet-and-salty flavor, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

　　The preparation of braised duck is rather elaborate. The finished braised duck features an intact shape, a bright reddish color, a soft and smooth texture, and a rich, mellow fragrance. It is believed to nourish yin, clear deficiency heat, benefit the stomach, promote fluid production, and replenish qi and blood. The method involves briefly blanching a plump, freshly slaughtered and cleaned young duck (preferably male) in boiling water, then using your hand to rub off the outer layer of skin. Bundle scallions and bruised ginger inside the duck’s cavity, and simmer it in cold water with added soy sauce, star anise, and rice wine until the meat takes on color. Remove, rinse off surface impurities, filter the original broth, then return the whole duck to a clay pot, adding diced pork fat and white rock sugar. Simmer gently over low heat for one and a half hours until the sauce thickens and the duck meat becomes very tender. Remove from the pot, place in a serving dish, garnish slightly, and sprinkle with a bit of pepper and scallions to finish.