Lianshui Chicken Cake

Lianshui Chicken Cake

Lianshui Chicken Cake is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　"Lianshui is known for three treasures: its fine liquor, bundled trotters, and chicken cake." This is how people near and far summarize and praise the local food culture of Lianshui. Speaking of Lianshui Chicken Cake, there's an interesting story behind it. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong passed through Lianshui on his southern tour, he was famished and actually asked if there was any "vegetarian chicken" to eat. Chicken is obviously meat—how could there be vegetarian chicken? But a Mr. Yao in Lianshui racked his brains and actually created a dish—translucent, tender as pastry, and “vegetarian chicken”—that made the emperor break into a sweat with delight. He praised it nonstop and waxed lyrical about the virtues of “sharing simplicity with the people,” and from then on, Lianshui Chicken Cake became famous.

　　　　Chicken Cake is also called “Vegetarian Chicken.” Its fame not only comes from the legend involving Emperor Qianlong but also from its refined taste and bright color. Because of its soft, flaky texture and delicate flavor, it is also referred to as Crispy Chicken. As a unique traditional delicacy created in both urban and rural Lianshui, it has a history of over 200 years. During festivals and holidays, friends from all over come to Lianshui just to have a taste of this chicken cake, especially overseas Lianshui natives who go to great lengths—traveling thousands of miles back home or sending requests—to enjoy it, as if savoring a rare delicacy. In the mid-1980s, Gu Zhutong, a famous Lianshui native living in Taiwan, once asked someone to bring two local specialties back home, one of which was Lianshui Chicken Cake.

　　The chicken cake is primarily made from chicken breast meat, along with appropriate amounts of fresh shrimp, eggs, yam, bean starch, scallion and ginger juice, and more than ten kinds of seasonings. The main steps involve soaking chicken breast meat and minced fish in water to remove the blood, making it as white as jade, then draining and mincing it into a paste. Egg whites are mixed into the paste, followed by crushed yam, fresh shrimp, starch, and seasonings, stirred until evenly combined into a sticky white batter. This mixture is spread about one inch thick in a steaming tray. The egg yolks are stirred into the remaining batter to form a yellow paste, which is then spread evenly over the top. After steaming over low heat, it’s cooled to form the chicken cake. It is then cut into palm-sized blocks and stored. When cooking, the blocks are sliced into thin, transparent pieces, briefly boiled, and served—giving you a taste of this widely renowned delicacy.

　　　　The preparation of the cake pays great attention to ingredients, knife skills, mixing technique, and cooking control. The proportions of chicken, eggs, bean starch, yam, and seasonings are all skillfully managed by the chef. Soy sauce cannot be used, nor can scallion and ginger juice be added directly—doing so would affect the color and texture. Knife work is key to the cake: the finer the main and supplementary ingredients are chopped, the more tender and rich the final texture. As for cooking, the intensity and duration of the heat, as well as the type of fuel used, all influence the quality of the chicken cake, with various nuances and secrets involved.

　　　　Lianshui Chicken Cake is characterized by its tenderness, fineness, vegetarian style, freshness, and brightness. With its yellow-and-white translucent appearance, delicious taste, and refined nutrition, it is refreshing, smooth as cream, tender yet not falling apart, and fresh without dispersing. It can be prepared in many ways—as a main dish or an ingredient, braised, steamed, stir-fried, or made into soups. It can be sliced, diced, or cut into strips and chunks, offering a wide variety of presentations with no fixed style. When making chicken cake dishes, ingredients like green vegetables, bamboo shoots, squid, and enoki mushrooms are first prepared, then the sliced chicken cake is added. When serving, the slices are neatly arranged in the center of the bowl, floating in the broth, surrounded by colorful vegetables, offering a delightful layered taste experience. For the steamed bowl version, the cake is sliced and neatly stacked in a bowl, giving an all-yellow appearance, but when turned out, the layers show white on the inside, creating a richly satisfying bite-by-bite experience. Chopped into small cubes and stir-fried with mushrooms or made into a soup, it’s just as “fantastic.”

　　　　In 1998, Lianshui Chicken Cake was named one of the Top Ten Dishes of Huaiyin City (now Huai’an City).