Jianshui Delicacies
Jianshui Steamed Chicken
Jianshui produces a special earthenware casserole that is used for steaming food, especially for chicken. There is a hollow pipe in the middle of the casserole from where the steam goes in and congeals into water drops on the cover, and then drops down and becomes the broth. For two to three hours the delectable soup is accumulated in this way with fresh and tender chicken meet easily separating from the bone.
Choose young hens which are just able to lay eggs and young cocks are just able to crow to cook the steamed chicken with Jianshui earthenware casserole. The chicken cannot be fat, nor to thin, and not be big or small. Put ginger, shallot, a little pepper and salt in when the chicken is steamed. Yunnan local herb medicines are also welcome, for example, Pseudo-ginseng (Sanqi in Chinese), cordyceps, and gastrodia elata which will make the chicken and soup tonify our lung, blood, spleen, stomach, and kidney. Ham and dried black mushrooms are also good ingredient choices.
Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles
Deriving its name from the story of crossing the bridge in Nanhu Lake of Mengzi County in the south of Yunnan, this local dish would be served in a big pot in which the hot soup is prepared beforehand, sliced chicken, fish and pork etc go after, and finally the vegetables and rice noodle.
Jianshui Caoya
Caoya grows in water. Jianshui people saute, boil, steam caoya for eating. It can be cooked with chicken, ham, or fish.
Jianshui Tofu
Wrap the tofu with gauze first and press it with wooden board until the juice inside is squeezed out. Take the tofu out and put them in basket and scatter some salt on each tofu, and cover another basket on. To turn over the tofu in the basket everyday until its color becomes gray white. People will use charcoal to barbecue the tofu. The barbecue is made of iron bars welded simply together. Sesame oil is ‘painted’ on the iron bars first, and tofu is put on and turned over for some times until it gets inflated. And dip it into a mixture of juice of fermented bean curd, mashed garlic, or chili powder, salt, pepper, and coriander before eating. You can find Jianshui tofu in every barbecue store in the evening. The stall holders usually sit facing the south picking the tofu cooked for people around. A corn will be put into a jar near you after you have served five pieces of tofu. And accounts will be settled by counting how much corns you get. It is interesting that the ting ting voice heard here and there when you enjoy the yummy tofus. It is also a great enjoyment when you give a gentle spite of the cooked crispy tofu with its wonderful aroma smoke out its tiny tiny pores with the juice of fermented bean curd spilling over.
“云南臭豆腐，要数临安府(临安府即现在的建水县)。闻着臭，吃着香，胀鼓圆圆黄灿灿，四棱八角讨人想，三顿不吃心就慌。”
Lotus root with glutinous rice in
Wash the lotus roots and cut one side of its rhizoma down. Soak the glutinous rice in water for a period of time and put them into the lotus. Boil them. Slice. Deep fry it until its color turns golden. Dish up. Scatter Chinese red pepper and chili pepper. It taste crispy, sweet and tender.
Qujiang duck
The duck is roasted in mud stove which has an excellent breathability with branches of chestnut or pine trees no thicker than the little finger of girls. One stove can roast two hundred ducks every day.
Birds’ nest
Every spring, swallows from Malaysia come to a karst cave in the east of Jianshui nesting and brooding there, which brings the name Swallows’ Cave. On August 8th, the Nest Festival, local people climb on the cliff to pick the swallows’ nests when the swallows fly back to their hometown.
Liang Shao Fen
Liang Shao Fen is made from sweet potatoes.
Soak the dry sweet potato noodles in water. Boil a pot of water and put the sweet potato noodles in. Stir. Add more water in. Continue to stir until the sweet potato noodles become transparent. Put them into cool water. Use colander to take them out. Bowl up. Add in ginger and garlic juice, marinade, peanut better, salt, chili pepper, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, light soy sauce, and cool chicken.
Recommended Tour with Jianshui Delicacies
12-day Jianshui, Yuanyang, Xishuangbanna, Dali Tour
Have Natasha as your local tour consultant, translator, and companion.
Email Natasha at tourcompanion@163.com or WeChat Natasha at exidea