The prime minister and his chicken

Many regarded the Tang Dynasty (618-907) as the pinnacle period of Chinese culture. It was known for its architecture, its women, their dress and its food and these influences spread out to Korea and Japan where they are still apparent to this day.

On a recent stopover to revisit the terracotta warriors in Xi'an, we discovered a delicious dish that has quietly withstood the test of centuries. It was a chicken that was immensely tender and flavorful, but had a crisp crunchy skin.

The first time we had it was an afterthought. We were thoroughly enjoying the famous soup dumplings at a little restaurant along the Muslim snack street.

A pretty waitress with a headscarf wandered up with a selection of cold tossed salads and asked us if we would like to try the house specialty - the hulu chicken.

The name caught our attention. Hulu is the bottle gourd and is usually sun-dried for plates, bowls and wine vessels. It is seldom eaten as a vegetable, except when it is very young and tender.

Our curiosity piqued, we placed the order. The little spring chicken arrived at our table on a dried bottle gourd platter, surrounded by a light salad of lettuce and tomatoes, and a few crackers.

The bird was indeed bottle gourd shaped, nipped in at the waist. Our chopsticks touched the chicken and it literally fell apart. The skin was light and crisp and contrasted with the tender meat which was redolent with aroma of a hundred different spices.

Unlike the barbecued treats in Xi'an which are normally smothered in a thick coat of cumin and chili, our hulu chicken was surprisingly subtle, and I tasted braising spices as well as soy sauces.

The chicken is served with a side saucer of spicy pepper salt but none of us felt the need for additional seasoning.

The next day, after a long tiring trek around the terra-cotta warriors, we stopped by a noodle shop to sample some Xi'an pasta, biangbiang noodles that are freshly pulled.

The chef slaps the noodles against the counter as he stretches the dough, creating the "biang biang" sound the noodles are named after.

We saw the hulu chicken on the menu and decided to order it, our palate memory already drooling at the thought.

It was not disappointing and tasted pretty good, although the second chicken no longer had the novelty factor.

We had asked several people, including the cooks, how this chicken came about. That was when we found out its rather sad history.

The Tang Dynasty was infamous for its love of food and wine. The emperors and their women enjoyed feasts to which certain favored officials were often invited.

One official, reportedly a prime minister, developed such a pampered palate that he was always looking for new epicurean adventures.

He decided he wanted a chicken that was totally tender inside, tasty and full of juices and still had a crisp crunchy skin.

The first cook decided to boil the chicken before deep-frying it, but the process leached the chicken of its juices and it became dry and hard. The prime minister was so displeased he beat the poor chef to death.

The second chef to attempt the dish steamed the bird before deep-frying it, but he forgot to season it and joined his unfortunate colleague in culinary purgatory.

The third chef, having seen two chefs die before him, thought truly hard before he attempted the dish.

First, he brined the chicken, allowing the flavors to seep right through to the bones. Then he carefully tied the chicken to hold its shape before he steamed it. Once it was tender, he allowed the skin to dry out slightly and then flash fried the whole bird, creating the desired crunch on the skin.

Finally the prime minister was delighted with this tender juicy bird that still had a nice crisp skin, and the cook kept his life and lived to pass down his recipe.