Yan Su Ji (鹽酥雞/盐酥鸡) Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Yan Su Ji (鹽酥雞/盐酥鸡) Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

 

 

Yan su ji (鹽酥雞/盐酥鸡) (pinyin with tones: yán sū jī), Taiwanese popcorn chicken, also called xian su ji (鹹酥雞/咸酥鸡) (pinyin with tones: xián sū jī), is the top choice of late night supper. You can find a yan su ji stand in every city, every night market, and even almost every street in Taiwan. There are so many stand owners claim that they are the inventor of yan su ji; the only thing we are sure is that yan su ji originates in Taiwan.

 

How It Is Made?

Yan su ji is made from bite-sized chicken which is marinated with some sauce and spices, depending on each stand’s secret recipe there will be different ingredients, and then deep fried with a coat of sweet potato flour, which will increase the crispy texture. Sometimes basils and garlic will be put into deep-fry together to make the aroma of yan su ji stronger.

 

The Meaning Of Yan Su Ji

Nowadays, yan su ji stands are selling not only yan su ji but other things like tian bu la (甜不辣, tempura), shu tiao (薯條, fries), zhu xie gao (豬血糕, pig’s blood cake), xiang gu (香菇, shiikate mushroom), dou gan (豆乾, hard bean curd), yin si juan (銀絲卷, silver thread roll), and nuo mi chang (糯米腸, glutinous rice sausage), just to name a few. So next time when you hear somebody wants to buy yan su ji, it implies all these deep-fried foods at yan su ji stand, not just yan su ji itself.

 

How To Order?

When you arrive at a yan su ji stand, you can find baskets and tongs on the sides. Take one basket and one tong and pick whatever you want. For the food with a skewer, one skewer is usually one serving; but if the food is not with a skewer such as yan su ji, tian bu la, and shu tiao, just pick one piece in the basket, the owner will get one serving for you by weighing the food. After that, you can choose whether you want spicy powder or not; if not, they will still sprinkle some white pepper on your food. Some yan su ji stands have their special sauce, which you can also decide if you want it on your food.

 

「有些鹽酥雞攤有自己獨家特製的醬料，我每次點也都是必加醬。越長大才發現身邊友人很多都是『胡椒粉派』(就是那種吃薯條薯餅只加胡椒粉、不沾番茄醬的)。大家是『加醬派』還是『胡椒粉派』呢？」——Mosa 疑問

#YanSuJi(鹽酥雞/盐酥鸡)的英文

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