Brother Zhai’s Small Pot Cooking

Brother Zhai’s Small Pot Cooking

　　The person who first introduced Yuxi small pot rice noodles to Kunming was Zhai Yong’an, a native of Jinguanying in Yuxi. Orphaned at a young age and growing up in extreme poverty, his mother went to Kunming to weave cloth for a living, later remarrying an Sichuanese man who sold dumplings from a shoulder pole. The Sichuanese man taught him the skills for making and selling dumplings from a pole. After his stepfather passed away, Zhai Yong’an began selling dumplings from a shoulder pole on the streets. In the early 1920s, he applied the cooking methods of Yuxi small pot dishes to his offerings in Kunming, continuously refining them. Thanks to Zhai Yong’an’s ingenuity and his relentless pursuit of quality, his dishes developed a unique flavor that strongly appealed to customers, gradually earning a growing reputation. In 1938, Zhai Yong’an set up shop on Duan Shi Street. At that time, there were three small pot cooking shops on Duan Shi Street, all offering delicious fare, but Zhai Yong’an’s stood out as the best. To this day, some elderly residents of Kunming still fondly recall the small pot noodles from Duan Shi Street.

In the 1930s, Yuxi Street, located at the northern entrance of San Shi Street, emerged. Originally a market for vendors selling Yuxi cloth, it also saw the opening of two small pot cooking shops. Due to brisk business, within just a few years, this small Yuxi Street came to host around 20 cooking shops. Almost the entire street was lined with eateries. Aside from the small pot cooking shops, which nearly rivaled the Zhai family’s offerings, their braised dishes and cold chicken were also exquisitely prepared, most of them run by fellow Yuxi natives. By the 1940s, Yuxi small pot cooking had spread across the six eastern and southern districts of Kunming, totaling no fewer than a hundred establishments.

It was also during the 1930s that Zhai Yong’an created his small pot braised erkuai (a type of rice cake) (there were also braised rice noodles and braised noodles, but none became as famous as the braised erkuai). Its color, aroma, and taste reached the pinnacle of perfection, unmatched by any other, causing a huge sensation at the time. Other shops rushed to imitate it, and it quickly became a wildly popular delicacy. Later, variations emerged such as braised erkuai with crispy pork cracklings, green peas, and more. Toppings included not only shredded meat, but also eel, braised chicken, braised pork, and crispy fried options.

Small pot dishes could be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and could also function as a main dish for a proper meal. They were affordable and delicious, suitable for all ages and social classes. Laborers could spend just a few dimes to eat two bowls and feel full, while wealthier patrons would even come by car to enjoy the food. Particularly noteworthy was how aircraft pilots often had others entrust them to use thermoses to buy several servings from the Zhai family, which they would then transport by plane to places like Hong Kong or Chongqing to enjoy. During the War of Resistance, American soldiers who came to Kunming to support the anti-Japanese effort also flocked to try the dishes. They ate with great relish, and afterward gave a thumbs-up, exclaiming, “Top-notch ! Top-notch!” Some American officers believed that, having traveled the world, they had never tasted such delicious food.