有關她的招牌菜烤雞的一切都是從頭做起,包括這道菜成功的秘密所在:徐蒝用她花園中的兩個罐子做成的一款定制赤陶烤爐。她說,她自己制成的烤爐比普通烤爐受熱更加均勻,還能夠達到更高的溫度。
不要被這種烤雞的原始和樸素所迷惑了。徐蒝對制作過程的每一步都會精心考慮,不會放過任何細微之處。成品出來了——這是一道頗為考究、令人垂涎欲滴的菜,正式名稱叫做黃土雞。
當?shù)赜袡C雞:徐蒝選取了香港有名的龍崗雞,這種雞以皮薄且脂肪含量適中而聞名。這些雞在當?shù)匚桂B(yǎng),因而它們不含激素,平常吃的食物中還加入了玉米,徐蒝認為這也是雞肉的味道更加發(fā)甜的原因。
調味:徐蒝并不是將雞浸泡在鹵汁中入味,而是把一種調味醬涂抹到雞身內部,這種醬料由咖喱葉(她自己種的)、杜衡(也是她種的)、應季的果酒(她自釀的)以及特級初榨橄欖油(她親自從意大利帶回的)制成。在45分鐘的烹制過程中——溫度將超過260攝氏度——這些味道會滲透到整只雞當中?局浦霸陔u皮上撒上少許粗海鹽就可以了。
雞皮:不同于其它烤雞,徐蒝烹制的烤雞雞皮吃起來十分酥脆,而為了做出這種口感,她在烤制時會吊住雞脖,將雞掛在烤爐內的一個小圓環(huán)上(這樣一來,汁液就不會流到雞身上了)。如果使用旋轉式烤肉架,雞油會回流滲入雞皮,而采用徐蒝的方法則確保了所有雞油都直接流入底部,這才有了雞皮的酥脆口感。徐蒝補充說,我們有時會回收這些雞油,用來炒飯給員工當工作餐。
手撕肉:無論你平常愛吃雞胸肉還是雞腿肉,面對這一盤汁多味美的雞肉,你都不會失望。這道雞肉上菜時是整只雞端上桌,然后服務生在桌邊用手一塊塊將其撕開(當然是戴上手套),因為用刀切的話會擠壓雞肉,汁兒就會流出來。
售價:328港元(約合42美元,需提前預訂)
地址:香港灣仔船街18號鴛鴦飯店 電話:852- 2866-0868
英文閱讀:
Chef Margaret Xu, of Hong Kong's Yin Yang restaurant, is a self-professed 'D.I.Y. freak.' And everything about her signature roast chicken is made from scratch, including the secret to its success: a custom terra-cotta oven that Ms. Xu made from two pots in her garden. She says her oven creation provides better heat distribution and reaches higher temperatures than a regular oven.
Don't be fooled by the simplicity of her roast chicken. Ms. Xu considers every step and subtle detail. The final product ' a well-edited and satisfying dish formally called 'Yellow earth chicken' ' has been proclaimed by many Hong Kong foodies as the best roast chicken in the city.
Local organic chicken: Ms. Xu uses a famous breed of Lung Kung chicken from Hong Kong, which is known for its thinner skin and medium amount of fat. The chickens are raised locally, so they are hormone-free and fed on a diet consisting partly of corn, which she believes accounts for a sweeter flavor in the flesh.
Seasoning: Rather than marinate her chicken, Ms. Xu actually seasons the inside cavity with a paste made from curry leaves (that she grows), wild ginger (also grown by her), seasonal fruit wine (that she ferments), and extra virgin olive oil (that she hand-carried from Italy). During the 45-minute cooking time ' a tempurature of higher than 260 degrees Celsius ' the flavors permeate the entire bird. Only a light sprinkling of course sea salt is added to the skin just before cooking.
Skin: To achieve the crunch in the chicken skin that's unique to her dish, Ms. Xu roasts her chicken by hanging it by the neck on a small circular rim inside the oven (that way the juices from the cavity don't drip out). Unlike a rotisserie, where the chicken fat drips back onto the skin, this ensures that all the fat falls straight to the bottom, and makes for an extra crispy skin. 'We sometimes save the fat to make fried rice for our staff meals,' adds Ms. Xu.
Hand-shredded meat: Whether you're a white- or dark-meat fan, you won't be disappointed by the succulent array. The entire bird is hand-shredded tableside (with gloves, of course) since chopping down with a knife would press down on the flesh and cause the juices to run out of it.
Price: 328 Hong Kong dollars, or US$42 (must order in advance)
Yin Yang, 18 Ship St., Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Tel:852- 2866-0868
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