ANYTHING GOOSE

Winter in Dongbei could never be complete without stewed goose

在东北，没有铁锅炖大鹅的冬天是不完整的

heated earthen stoves, tieguo dun is now often served in a big wok on tables with a built-in gas or electricity stove. Rolls and corn pancakes can be cooked together with the stew, usually stuck along the sides of the wok as the meat and vegetables bubble below—a cooking style known as “a whole meal in one wok (一锅出).”

The best-known version of tieguo dun is 铁锅炖大鹅, or “goose stewed in iron wok”—along with potatoes, pickled cabbages, and other ingredients of the cook’s choice.

The first snowy days of the year are considered the best time to tuck in. The authentic version calls for a free-range goose that has fed on fresh grass in the summer and been raised on wheat bran and corn grains indoors after the first snow has started to fall. Though a homemade version may not have the same hearty feel as tieguo dun served in restaurants and village homes in Dongbei, it is great comfort food, bubbling and steaming away while the world outside starts to turn chilly.