Chaoshan Soy-Braised Goose 潮汕卤鹅

Chaoshan Soy-Braised Goose (潮汕卤鹅) is whole goose simmered in a spiced soy braising liquid, a traditional dish of the Chaoshan (潮汕) area and a classic of Teochew (Chaozhou) cuisine. The China Cuisine Association (中国烹饪协会) named it one of the ten classic dishes of Guangdong in its "Chinese Cuisine" (中国菜) selection. The making technique, as submitted by Shantou (汕头), is on Guangdong's provincial list of intangible cultural heritage, and Southcn dates the craft back about 300 years.

The goose and the braising liquid

The preferred bird is the Lion-head goose (狮头鹅), which carries a fleshy crest like a lion's head and is described by Southcn as the world's largest goose breed. It originated in Raoping (饶平) in Chaozhou, and Chenghai District (澄海区) of Shantou crossed it with other breeds to produce the Chenghai Lion-head goose. The braising liquid is made by slowly frying soy sauce, rock sugar, cassia bark, star anise, bay leaf, galangal (南姜), garlic and liquorice root in set proportions, then adding boiling water and pork belly and simmering them together.

How it is made

The plucked goose is rubbed with salt, then smeared inside and out with crushed galangal and garlic, left for 30 minutes, rinsed and dried. The key technique is "三吊三浸", three liftings and three soakings. The goose goes into the boiling liquid for about 15 minutes, is hung up by the neck on an iron hook and lifted out, by which time its skin has taken on a pale golden soy colour. After three to five minutes hanging, it goes back into the liquid, now at a gentle simmer, for another 15 minutes; after a second short rest comes a final soak of about 30 minutes before the last lift. Control of the heat throughout is the other key to the craft.

How it is eaten

Southcn lists eight prized parts: head, liver, feet, wings, gizzard, intestines, meat and egg. The head is gelatinous, the liver soft and rich, the feet chewy, the wings tender enough to eat by hand. A mixed platter is dipped in garlic vinegar, which cuts the richness. Goose meat, liver and egg are also served over rice with coriander and a little of the braising liquid as goose rice.

Festivals and customs

A Chaoshan saying holds that "无鹅不成宴" ("there is no banquet without goose"). Braised goose is a fixture of the New Year's Eve dinner and of offerings to ancestors: at Spring Festival the neck, wings and feet are decorated with red paper-cuts. In the "赛大鹅" ("great goose contest") custom, families set their braised geese on the ancestral-hall altar and compare whose is the biggest. In the past a pair of white geese was given as a betrothal gift in place of the wild geese of older marriage rites.