[Preface] For us chicken keepers, a hen is like one of our own kids. Of course she deserves proper care. So I …
[Preface]
For us chicken keepers, a hen is like one of our own kids. Of course she deserves proper care.
So I went and asked Scholar Li, the most learned man in the village, to help me put this to paper. I talked, he wrote, and here it is, for everyone to learn from.
[Volume I: How to Raise Them]
Once a hen has laid her eggs, she is worn out. You have to set her up with a good nest.
Find a dry corner out of the wind, spread the straw nice and thick, and let her settle in.
For the next few days, do not keep fussing over her. Let her rest. Give her a couple of quiet days and she will come back around.
And the feed, you cannot cheap out on that.
Stop giving her coarse husks. That stuff scratches the throat.
Get some good millet, soften it with warm water, then mix in a handful of chopped greens.
Feed her three times a day and she will plump up in no time.
One more thing. Do not give her anything too salty, or she will do nothing but drink water and never put on weight.
Just you wait. In ten days or so, her feathers will shine, her little eyes will perk up, and she will get rounder by the day.
Once your hen is nice and plump, you are set.
[Volume II: How to Eat Them]
Whew, talking this much has made me hungry.
Now let me tell you the best way to fix up a chicken at home.
First, take off the two legs. That is the strongest meat on the whole bird.
Rub them hard with salt and ground Sichuan pepper, then hang them somewhere airy for seven or eight days.
That is what we call "Fragrant Cured Chicken Legs."
Now grab a clay pot. Line the bottom with a few slices of cured pork, a few chunks of winter bamboo shoot, and a couple of mushrooms.
Set those two legs right on top and pour in good stock. Perfect.
Bring it to a lively bubble, then turn it down low and let it simmer slow.
Do not rush it. Let the fragrance do its work.
After a little over an hour, lift the lid and take a look.
Mercy me. The broth is golden and bright, with little beads of fat rising to the surface.
Touch the meat with your chopsticks and it falls right off, so tender it practically melts.
Take a bite and it is salty and fragrant, so satisfying.
Now add a big bowl of white rice on the side, and I would not trade it for all the delicacies in the world.
That, right there, is Kaifeng's finest: "Fragrant Cured Chicken Leg Soup"!
Now tell me, doesn't that hit the spot?