Every Yaos' meal

Every Yaos' meal

　　"Food is the first necessity of the people." Edible items include rice, wheat, beans, millet, fish, meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and more. The variety is too numerous to list, and many of these can be cooked into nutritious and delicious dishes. By adding different types and appropriate amounts of Chinese herbal medicine during cooking, along with proper preparation techniques, medicinal cuisine can be made. The characteristic of medicinal cuisine is that the medicine borrows the flavor of food, and food enhances the potency of the medicine. Consumers can not only gain nutrition but also enjoy the benefits of improving health and preventing illness.

The Wa people have several methods for preparing chicken, such as roasting, stir-frying, boiling, or making chicken congee. Among these, chicken congee is the most common and is considered a high-quality dish served to guests by the Wa. Wa-style chicken congee is different from ordinary rice; it can be eaten both as a main dish and as a side. In many cases, it is served as a dish. Wa chicken congee is much softer than regular rice but slightly drier than porridge. Depending on how the chicken is prepared and the steps involved in making the dish, there are two methods: one is called hand-torn chicken congee, and the other is knife-chopped chicken congee. Among them, hand-torn chicken congee is considered the most refined version, with a more complex preparation process and richer flavor. Below is a brief introduction to the preparation methods and seasoning mixtures for these two types of chicken congee.

The preparation of hand-torn chicken congee usually goes like this: after the chicken is slaughtered, it is not chopped or cut but placed whole into a pot and boiled in clear water. Once the chicken is cooked, it is taken out, and washed rice is added to the chicken broth to cook. After cooking for a while, a handful of pickled bamboo shoots is added and cooked until the rice is soft and tender—softer than regular rice, but not too watery. If there is too much broth, it can be drained off, or the mixture can be cooked longer to concentrate the liquid. Then the pot is removed from heat and covered. The cooked chicken is not cut with a knife but torn by hand. The meat is carefully torn off the bones, and the finer it is torn, the better.

The torn chicken pieces are gathered in a small bowl, and prepared seasonings such as mint leaves, fennel, and smartweed are finely chopped and sprinkled over the chicken. Then, ground Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and chili powder are added and carefully mixed. Once thoroughly stirred, the mixture is combined with the congee and stirred again— the more evenly and thoroughly it’s mixed, the better. This is how hand-torn chicken congee is made. It's important to use the right amount of each ingredient to achieve the perfect balance. Knife-chopped chicken congee: The preparation process for knife-chopped chicken congee is simpler compared to the hand-torn version. The chicken is cut into small chunks and boiled in clear water. First, the chicken is boiled for a while, and just before it is fully cooked, the rice is added. The chicken and rice are then cooked together. When the rice is nearly done, a bit of pickled bamboo shoot is added, and the mixture continues to cook until the rice is fully softened. If there is too much broth, some can be drained or the mixture can be cooked a bit longer to allow the liquid to reduce.

Finally, the pot is removed from heat, and the prepared seasonings (the same as in the previous method), along with ground Sichuan peppercorns, salt, and chili peppers, are added. Everything is stirred carefully until evenly mixed. This completes the preparation of knife-chopped chicken congee. Any type of chicken can be used to make chicken congee. However, the Wa believe that a young female chicken weighing about 1 kilogram and that has not yet laid eggs is the best choice. If serving guests, white-feathered chickens should not be used. The Wa consider serving white-feathered chickens to be impolite to guests, which may discourage them from returning in the future.