Dong'an Ji

Dong'an Ji is one of Hunan's most celebrated dishes, named for Dong'an County in southwest Hunan and tracing a lineage over a thousand years. A Tang-dynasty legend holds that three old women improvised it for weary travellers with vinegar, chilli, and whatever poultry was on hand. Today it remains a staple of Hunan banquets: poached chicken pulled from the bone, then finished in a fragrant, slightly tart, numbing sauce of rice vinegar, dried chilli, and Sichuan pepper.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.5kg (3¼ lb), or 800g (1¾ lb) bone-in chicken pieces
• 2 litres (8 cups) water
• 4 spring onions, 2 left whole for poaching, 2 sliced for garnish
• 5cm (2-inch) piece ginger, sliced
• 8–10 dried red chillies, seeds shaken out
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp (45ml) rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp (30ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp (15ml) light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp (30ml) neutral oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot with whole spring onions and half the ginger. Add the chicken and return to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 20–25 minutes for pieces, 35–40 for a whole bird, until just cooked through. Remove and cool slightly.
2. Strip meat from bones by hand into generous chunks, keeping some skin attached. Reserve 120ml (½ cup) of the poaching stock.
3. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns; stir 20 seconds until fragrant. Add remaining ginger and garlic; stir 30 seconds.
4. Add the chicken pieces and toss 2–3 minutes over high heat to pick up colour and flavour.
5. Pour in Shaoxing wine, then rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and reserved stock. Toss and cook 3–4 minutes until the sauce clings to the chicken and reduces slightly.
6. Drizzle with sesame oil, taste and adjust salt. Garnish with spring onion greens.

Cook's Notes: The poaching step keeps the chicken supple — do not overcook it at this stage, as the final wok toss finishes the cooking. The balance between the tart vinegar and the numbing Sichuan pepper is key; taste before serving and add more vinegar if the sauce feels flat.