Tiểu Quan Chicken Patty - Elaborate Tet Delight in Hung Yen

During the longan land's Tet or summer festivals, visitors can relish the familiar yet exotic taste of Tiểu Quan chicken patty. The chicken patty is meticulously crafted, reflecting the region's longstanding culinary heritage.

Tiểu Quan Chicken Patty - Elaborate Tet Delight in Hung Yen

In the old days, during every Tet occasion, people had nothing delicious except for their home-raised chickens. Therefore, creative women innovated and passed down the recipe for chicken patties. With its unique and delicious flavor, it didn't take long for this dish to become popular across the region.

The process of making Tiểu Quan chicken patty is very intricate at every stage, especially requiring strength to grind the patty to a smooth, chewy texture. Free-range chickens with firm meat are chosen to make the chicken patty. The chicken meat must be filtered, removing all the skin and bones.

Many households making chicken patties traditionally use a stone mortar to grind the chicken meat. The grinder must estimate the grinding time. If the grinding is too little, the patty will not be soft and smooth, but if ground too finely, the patty will be crushed. During grinding, eggs and spices are added for grinding together. Additionally, dried orange peel is added to give the dish a subtle fragrance.

After grinding, the chicken patty is carefully spread with a layer of meat on a bamboo tray for grilling. The process of spreading the meat also requires experienced estimation; if spread too thinly, the patty will collapse and fall into the fire, if too thick, it won't cook evenly.

Tiny Quan Chicken Patty is grilled over charcoal (charcoal made from wood). Especially, locals often use charcoal from dried lychee branches or roots to give the patty the best aroma. Since chicken patty is only made from chicken breast meat, it tends to be dry, so people often add a little pork fat for grilling.

Chicken patty is served with sticky rice, white rice, an indispensable dish in the Tet feast or for entertainment. When cooked, the patty has a beautiful golden color, cohesive texture, not cracked, exuding a faint scent of orange peel and pepper. When enjoying it, diners feel the fragrant, spicy, rich, and extremely attractive flavor.

From the available rural ingredients, Tiny Quan chicken patty is now one of the most attractive dishes in the culinary culture of lychee land, Hung Yen. Over time, Tiny Quan chicken patty has also been changed and improved according to taste, but the value of the dish remains enduring because it reflects family affection and the atmosphere of reunion during Tet.

 According to Mytour

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References: Travel Guide by Mytour