Kunming: Steam Pot Chicken 昆明：汽锅鸡

As far back as the period of the Qianlong Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, Steam Pot Chicken was popular in the south Yunnan. According to legend, it is a dish created by Yang Li, a cook in Defuju Restaurant in Jian’an Prefecture (now Jianshui County). In that year, the Emperor made an inspection tour to Jian’an Prefecture. To please the Emperor, the magistrate proclaimed that he would collect the most delicious dishes and the selected dishes could win 50 taels of silver. Yang Li was poor and his mother was ill. In order to get the generous award, he integrated the local methods of cooking hot pot and steaming buns and created the steam pot. In addition, regardless of risking his own life, he climbed to the height of swallows to get a bird's nest for the purpose of cooking a steam pot chicken with bird's nest. Unexpectedly, the steam pot was stolen and Yang Li was accused of deceiving his majesty and sentenced to death. Fortunately, when the Emperor inquired about the facts, he absolved Yang Li from the death penalty and changed the Fudeju into “Yang Li’s Steam Pot Chicken”. Since then, the Steam Pot Chicken has gained considerable fame, becoming a famous Yunnan dish. At that time, the cooking method of the Steam Pot Chicken was very simple but its taste was mellow and pure.
早在清代乾隆年间，汽锅鸡就流行在滇南一带。相传是监安府（今建水县）福德居厨师杨沥发明的吃法。那年皇帝巡视监安，知府为取悦天子，发出布告征求佳肴，选中的赏银50两。杨沥家贫，老母病重，为得重赏，他综合了当地吃火锅和蒸馒头的方法，创造了汽锅，又不顾生命危险，爬上燕子洞顶采来燕窝，想做一道燕窝汽锅鸡应征。不料汽锅被盗，杨沥被问欺君之罪，要杀头。幸而皇帝问明真相，免杨沥一死，并把福德居改名为“杨沥汽锅鸡”。从此汽锅鸡名声大振，成滇中名菜。那时汽锅鸡的做法很简单，但味道很醇正。