En papillote the Chinese way

Editor's Note: Traditional and fusion cooking styles, regional and international ingredients and a new awareness of healthy eating are all factors contributing to an exciting time for Chinese cuisine. We explore the possibilities.

French cuisine holds parallels with Chinese cuisine, and the two are so similar, in fact, that the basics mirror each other most of the time.

It is no use asking unanswerable questions about who came first. People with good palates and an appreciation of ingredients usually arrive at the same conclusions, even without consultation.

So it is that both Chinese and French cooks know that wrapping food in paper and cooking in it preserves that best natural flavors. The French call this method "en papillote". Chinese chefs, lacking the linguistic sophistication, simply tag a prefix - paper-wrapped chicken, paper-wrapped ribs, paper-wrapped fish ... Whatever.

All this was totally lost on me. As a little girl, it was a very rare treat when the family visited a chicken farm in the evenings for the speciality dish - paper-wrapped chicken.

The chef only slaughtered, marinated and wrapped up the bird when the order came in, so the wait was long. But it was alright. There were enough distractions.

There were chickens cackling in huge cages, their necks sticking out as they pecked hopefully at their feeding troughs. Usually, the farmer would scatter a handful of fodder if he saw children hanging about, so the chickens were conditioned to like people. Even cacophonous children.

There were also pigeons with exotic crowns. They shimmered as they strode about and were truly magnificent. They were pets, not food.

So were the peacocks, given the run of the courtyard so they sauntered disdainfully around, sometimes flaring their tails to show off in front of their admiring females and visiting infant humans.

The farmer also kept a mouse deer, a tiny little creature so shy it crouched in a corner all the time, blending into the surrounding foliage. Apart from testing our eyesight, it really wasn't much fun.

By the time we'd visited all the animals, the adults would start calling us back to the table. Dinner was ready, finally.

The lazy susan at the center of the table would have a platter piled high with little oily parcels. Right beside it would be a stainless steel basin/mixing bowl to catch all the discarded wrapping paper.

Even before the chicken reached our mouths, our noses would have sniffed out the fragrance. It was a heady mixture of Chinese wine, ginger juice and other assorted secret ingredients.

As the adults unwrapped the oily paper, they were always careful to catch the juices, making sure the drips were either in the bowl of rice, or a plate of plain fried rice vermicelli.

The children just licked the juices from their fingers.

The chicken was always tender, and so full of flavor it was like a merry-go-round in the mouth.

First, the chicken fat and skin were slightly crisp, the meat tender and just cooked through so juices squirted with every bite. Best of all, the marinade was a sophisticated mix of ginger juice and a fiery Chinese spirit that was scented with roses.

To a child, it was almost a guilty pleasure to eat this.

The adults may indulge with beer and BYO whisky, but the kids could only enjoy the chicken. Its wine-scented flavor made us feel so grown-up.

Years later, the chicken farm was sacrificed to the urban sprawl and our family gatherings faded into memory. I also learned to cook.

One Christmas, I decided to make paper-wrapped chicken to see if I could recapture the taste. I'm happy to say the recipe became so popular that it featured as a signature dish in one of my cookbooks.

If you plan well, it can be a pretty fuss-free dish for a party.

Motivated by this success, I went on to experiment with en papillote cooking, Chinese-style. The next thing I wrapped in paper was a sweet rack of ribs inspired by the famous spare ribs of Wuxi.

You need a rack of baby back ribs, because they are tender and moist. You also need the best quality brown sugar, good five-spice powder and Chinese black vinegar, preferably from Zhenjiang.

Both recipes make great finger food and are ideal for a large crowd, especially if you have an air-fryer sitting on the counter.

paulined@chinadaily.com.cn

Recipes

Paper-wrapped chicken

(Estimate 300 g boneless chicken per person)

3 kg boned, chicken thigh meat, rinsed and drained

Marinade:

1/2 cup ginger juice

1/2 cup Chinese rice wine or mirin

3/4 cup soya sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 heaped teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Meiguilu spirit

(This is a rose-scented white spirit from Tianjin. Substitute with a good whisky.)

1/4 cup sesame oil

36 squares baking parchment, trimmed into 10 cm squares

1/2 cup sesame oil

Prepare the chicken by cutting them into bite-sized chunks. Don't be tempted to use large pieces. Smaller portions absorb the marinade better, and cook faster.

Place the chicken in a large basin, and add the Meiguilu first. Then, add the ginger juice, rice wine, sugar, soy sauce and rest of seasoning.

Go to work massaging the marinade into the chicken. Leave the basin, covered, in the fridge overnight.

The next day, you're ready to start wrapping. Prepare some coriander sprigs and thinly slice up some red chili peppers.

Generously brush the baking parchment square with sesame oil. Place a leaf or two of coriander under the chicken. Chicken best placed skin-side down. Wrap up the chicken and tuck the loose end tightly into the fold.

Once you wrap the chicken into parcels, you're ready to fry.

You can fry immediately, or keep the parcels for no more than two days.

I'm using my air-fryer (200 deg C for 15 minutes.) but you can use vegetable oil to deep-fry. Ten to 12 minutes on medium heat. But remember to drain well. I've tried baking and grilling but they don't work as well.

Serve hot, and remember a large basin for the discarded wrappers.

Paper-wrapped ribs

1 rack of baby pork ribs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Chine fragrant black vinegar (not the Shanxi vinegar which is too harsh)

1/4 cup Meiguilu white spirit 1 teaspoon salt

Cut up the rack into individual ribs. Marinade with rest of ingredients.

Wrap two ribs in each packet.

Deep fry as above or use the air fryer. Sweet, tangy and addictive.