Chicken Cooked with Sour Bamboo Shoots

Chicken with sour bamboo shoots is a Dai classic, slow-cooking a local free-range bird with naturally fermented bamboo shoots until the broth turns tart and deep and the meat falls tender, its sour fragrance filling the air.

The dish comes from the Dai of Xishuangbanna, who for generations have gathered fresh rainforest shoots and fermented them sour, using the shoots in place of vinegar and for depth of flavour, the very type of the sour-and-hot Dai palate.

Served by the pot, diners first sip the sour broth then eat the chicken, the tartness opening the appetite, most often with sticky rice, a hearty dish for both daily meals and guests.

The sour-savoury broth drawn from fermented bamboo shoots and the tender chicken in its rich liquor are the defining marks of this dish.