Dongbei Da Pan Ji

Da Pan Ji — literally "big plate chicken" — originated among the Uyghur communities of Xinjiang before spreading across northern China and becoming a cornerstone of Dongbei comfort cooking. A whole chicken is braised in a rich, brick-red sauce of tomato, potato, and aromatic spices, then presented in a comically large shallow platter with thick belt noodles piled alongside to soak up the sauce.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) whole chicken, cut into 5 cm (2-inch) bone-in pieces
• 3 tbsp (45ml) vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp (60ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbsp (30g) doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste)
• 3 tbsp (45ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15g) sugar
• 3 medium potatoes, about 600g (1.3 lb), peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 medium carrots, sliced thick on the diagonal
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 30g (1 oz) fresh ginger, sliced
• 4 dried red chilies
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 600ml (2½ cups) water or chicken stock
• 2 medium green bell peppers, cut into large pieces
• 400g (14 oz) fresh thick belt noodles (or pappardelle), cooked and drained

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large wok or wide pot over high heat. Brown chicken pieces in batches, 3 to 4 minutes per batch, until golden. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add doubanjiang and stir-fry for 1 minute until oil turns red and fragrant.
3. Add garlic, ginger, dried chilies, bay leaves, cinnamon, and star anise; stir-fry 1 minute.
4. Return chicken to the pot. Add Shaoxing wine and stir to coat.
5. Add soy sauces, sugar, potatoes, carrots, onion, and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 minutes.
6. Add green bell peppers and cook uncovered for a further 8 to 10 minutes until peppers are just tender and sauce has thickened to a rich glaze.
7. Arrange cooked noodles on one side of a very large serving platter. Ladle the chicken and sauce over and alongside the noodles.

Cook's Notes: The noodles should be added to the platter just before serving and left for diners to mix in themselves, so they do not become too soft. Da Pan Ji is a communal dish — serve it in the center of the table with chopsticks for all.