Make your Chinese banquet extra special with Knorr Chicken Powder
A banquet is known as a large feast that is shared between family members or friends on special occasions. It was popular during the Qing Dynasty and has become an embedded fixture of local Chinese culture to this day. The traditional practice of feasting together allows the Chinese to nurture closer relations with each another while being served multiple courses of luxurious and delicious meals.
The Chinese banquet consists of a variety of dishes, most of which are chicken-based, but each dish is unique. Here is a list of signature Chinese banquet chicken dishes that can be enhanced using Knorr Chicken Powder!
- “Zui Ji” Drunken Chicken
Infused with sweet fermented rice wine, Shaoxing Jiu, this seemingly plain-looking appetiser reveals a surprisingly aromatic punch of flavour when you bite into it. There are usually 2 ways to cook this dish: boiling or steaming. When the chicken is boiled, it produces a broth that can be used as a supplement to soups. When steamed, a jelly-like, melt-in-your-mouth gelatin will form on the chicken. - “Zha Ji” Fried Chicken
Start off by boiling the chicken in a mixture of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg to infuse it with a sweet-spicy blend of flavour. Then, set it aside to dry before coating it with vinegar and sugar. Finally, leave the chicken to dry again before deep-frying it until it is crisp to the touch. - Abalone Chicken Breast Soup
Though it may seem easy, this chicken soup requires a long time to prepare. Before adding the abalone into the soup, soak it in cold water for 3 - 4 days. The cold water must be changed regularly every 8 - 12 hours during this period. The longer you soak the abalone, the tenderer it becomes. - “Feng Zhao” Chicken Feet
It may come as a surprise, but many people are actually fans of chicken feet. When preparing this dish, always ensure that you clean the feet skin and remove all remaining chicken nails. This mouth-watering stir-fry has a particularly distinct flavour due to its sauce, which consists of cloves, chilli, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. - “E-Fu” Shredded Chicken Noodle
This golden-colored egg noodle has a smooth and chewy texture due to the soda that was added to the dough. After cooking the noodles, avoid placing it directly on a platter. Instead, let it sit for another 5 - 10 minutes on the pan, allowing it to absorb all the flavours of the seasonings and ingredients. - “Chow Fun” Fried Rice
This dish consists of a mixture of chicken, eggs and vegetables, and is often served last to complete the banquet. The special feature of this dish is the perfect union of soy sauce and white pepper. Shaoxing wine could be added at the end of the stir-frying to give it the extra “wok hay” taste.
Savouring each and every dish is a part of the banquet experience for guests. Therefore, it is important to ensure that each dish is carefully prepared and perfectly plated before is it served. Don’t forget to use Knorr Chicken Powder to intensify the real, scrumptious chicken flavour in all your dishes!
