Among the favorite foods of Hangzhou people, Wushan roast chicken is well-known, but many foodies are also thinking of another chicken in their hearts - Kangqiao roast chicken. In the foodies of Hangzhou, there has always been a saying that "there is Wushan roast chicken in the south and Kangqiao roast chicken in the north", in the early nineties, many people had eaten Kangqiao roast chicken, but in 1994, this chicken suddenly disappeared, leaving foodies empty for a long time.
Recently, in the canal neighborhood of the north of the city, Kangqiao Farmers' Market, a delicatessen called "Kangqiao Li Lifen Roast Chicken" opened, from 7:30 a.m. the first pot of roast chicken out of the pot, the store has been lined up in a long line, because there are too many to help others buy, and the window is also posted with a notice of "one per person".
Yes, this is the old taste of the former Kangqiao roast chicken, compared with Wushan roast chicken, Kangqiao roast chicken is made by first marinating and then brine, cooling and then frying in the frying pan, the skin is crispy, and the meat is tender. The two chickens have different recipes and taste very different, and both have countless foodie fans.
When the family Li Lifen told reporters that Kangqiao's old foundation did not roast chicken, in the 1980s, when the reform and opening up began, almost every household in Kangqiao raised chickens, becoming an important chicken base in Hangzhou. At that time, chickens were uniformly purchased by the supply and marketing cooperatives, and there were more chickens, but the purchase volume of the supply and marketing cooperatives could not keep up, but every day there were chicken farmers who asked for chickens.
Therefore, the leader of the supply and marketing cooperatives thought of opening a roast chicken factory and making the chicken into a brine, so he invited two able people, one is a Shanghai roast chicken master with ancestral secret recipes, and the other is the old director of the later roast chicken factory, whose family has the secret recipe of Traditional Chinese medicine in the Qing Palace.
With powerful technology, the roast chicken factory was successfully established in 1983, her husband Wang Jianguo drove three cards a day to deliver, Li Lifen was 34 years old at the time, responsible for killing chickens every day, she changed from a frightened hand to a good hand. The roast chickens in the factory sold better and better, from 200 a day to several thousand. At that time, many units issued welfare every New Year's Holiday, and they would send Kangqiao roast chicken.
The great development of the roast chicken factory for several years, but Li Lifen tired and miserable, the hand has been soaked in sewage for many years, resulting in cracking, suppuration, joint deformation, even chopsticks can not hold, eat can only eat steamed bread, because the hand can not hold the bowl, can only hold and eat. I couldn't hold the comb, I couldn't comb my hair, I could only cut all the braids.
Although her husband Wang Jianhua only works as a delivery, he is a smart person with a heart, watching the roast chicken master work for a long time, and he has slowly mastered all the techniques and tricks.
Kangqiao roast chicken is becoming more and more famous, and there are 3 sales points in Hangzhou, Pine Farm, Wener Street and Dongshan Lane, and the factory not only has good benefits, but also won the Golden Eagle Award. But the good times are not long, by 1992, Kangqiao roast chicken factory encountered fraudsters, delivery but could not receive payment, the factory began to decline, the old factory director is also retired, the old factory director feels that Wang Jianhua is down-to-earth, so Wang Jianhua must contract the roast chicken factory.
Li Lifen recalled that in 1992, although she and her husband contracted the roast chicken factory, the two people were not the material for business and were always deceived. Until 1994, the factory could not even pay the trademark fee of Kangqiao roast chicken, and only sold white chicken. Later, due to demolition, only the white chicken stalls in Dongshan Lane were left at the three sales points.
At that time, Li Lifen and her wife were so difficult that they could even pay the booth fee, or two old customers who liked to buy her roast chicken helped to teach. Her stall can only sell fresh food, not cooked food, but many old customers often come to her and say that they want to eat Kangqiao roast chicken. She asked the customer to leave a note, and when she had saved enough of a dozen, she asked her husband to burn it.
Until 2004, the husband and wife registered and established the Hangzhou Kangqiao "Li Lifen" Roast Chicken Factory. Because there has been no fixed storefront for a long time, Li Lifen's Kangqiao roast chicken has always been sold in bulk, and most of them are only made for two months a year. Many old customers do not know where to buy, fortunately in various agricultural fairs, New Year goods exhibition, Li Lifen will actively participate, everyone can buy a pleasure at the exhibition. The question Li Lifen was asked the most at the exhibition was, when will you open a store?
At a meeting in Gongshu District, when discussing the development and transformation of Kangqiao District, someone chanted Kangqiao roast chicken: "Before we all said Kangqiao roast chicken, now Kangqiao roast chicken is gone." This sentiment was remembered by Qian Zhiwei, secretary of the Party Working Committee of Kangqiao Street.
By chance, when Qian Zhiwei was shopping for vegetables at the Gongchenqiao Farmers' Market, he found a brine shop called "Kangqiao Roast Chicken", which was small but the business was very hot. Ask the clerk, it turned out that this shop was not opened by Li Lifen, but the chicken was personally supervised by Wang Jianhua every day.
After many years, Qian Zhiwei actually found Kangqiao roast chicken again, and he immediately had the idea of letting Kangqiao roast chicken "go home". Therefore, Kangqiao Street quickly contacted Li Lifen. For the return of this roast chicken, the street was busy and spent a lot of effort. On June 24, the Kangqiao "Li Lifen" roast chicken brand officially signed a contract with the Canal Neighborhood Kangqiao Farmers' Market.
In terms of streets, it is not just a store that returns, but to retain the local atmosphere of the old bottom. Kangqiao roast chicken is still made in the old way, with beautiful coat color, healthy and strong, grain-fed, 2.5 kg to 2.8 kg of red hair chicken is killed and grilled, adding sand kernels, cardamom and other more than ten kinds of Chinese herbs, stewed, brine, fried, many customers are sighing, the taste of childhood is back.
Now, Li Lifen and her new store has a newly designed store sign, and the packaging bag is also printed with a logo designed according to her avatar. Li Lifen told reporters that she never thought that the first storefront business was so good, selling hundreds of them a day, and it was too late to burn.
Li Lifen, who is 71 years old this year, and she and her husband decided to adopt a cooperative operation, and Wang Jianhua is now in charge of firing, but also brings apprentices, he said: "I am old, I can't eat and burn all the time, but also hope that someone can pass on this craft." ”
Now, not only can you buy Kangqiao roast chicken, but you can also buy chicken feet, wings, roast duck and roast chicken made of the same recipe. Moreover, such chain stores will be more and more in the future, and Kangqiao Street also plans to open a branch on the upcoming Yiqiao Old Street, so that Kangqiao Roast Chicken can truly achieve brand development.