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Cook-off features dishes of local mothers
By Wu Huixin |
July 4, 2013, Thursday
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WHEREVER we may roam, we always remember mom's cooking. It conjures memories of home and childhood, and can make us nostalgic even when we're far away.
With that in mind, the Hangzhou Tourism Commission held a cook-off last week at the Dragon Hotel at which nine Hangzhou mothers prepared their own signature dishes. Most were everyday dishes made of local fresh food.
The fermented red bean curd fried with pork chop, fish ball soup and osmanthus fruit cheese pie won through their exquisite flavors and innovative preparation.
Noted chefs Ye Baorong and Jin Weikai served as judges. Ye, the executive chef of the Dragon Hotel, had his signature dish - fried shrimp with Longjing tea - featured in the food documentary "A Bite of China."
This competition was part of the city's "Modern-day Marco Polo, Dr Hangzhou" campaign, which encourages foreigners to explore Hangzhou like the famous Venetian did, but starting on the Internet.
All the dishes in the cook-off will be shared soon on the website http://pinterest.com/hangzhouchina/tea-for-two-just-me-you/, which includes an introduction to the food and culture of Hangzhou. There are chances to win a round-trip to Hangzhou by playing an online game.
Shanghai Daily watched the cook-off and was impressed by the mothers' sophisticated culinary techniques. Here are nine dishes that won over the two judges.
Hangzhou spiced duck
This is a traditional Hangzhou dish. Though it is a meat dish, it can stimulate appetite with its enticing flavor. The key when cooking this dish is to handle the heat and liquid appropriately, gauging them by the size of the duck.
Fish ball soup??ìàó??2
The dish is suitable for children and the elderly since the homemade fish balls are nutritious and should contain no bones.
The recipe originally came from Shaoxing, a city south of Hangzhou. The clear soup and smooth and al dente fish balls helped popularize it around Hangzhou. Fish balls can be made with corn starch and eggs and cooked in stock.
Fermented red bean curd fried with pork chop
The fermented red bean curd is the only seasoning used in preparing this dish - no salt, monosodium glutamate or other additive are needed. It pairs well with rice.
The fermented red bean curd is prepared with red yeast rice (cultivated with Monascus purpureus, a fungus often used in China) and has a deep-red color and distinctive flavor and aroma. It often looks somewhat like ketchup and is seasoned with rose essence, caramel and natural sugar.
Tomato soup braised with fish
Unlike the common version of the dish, this recipe adds bamboo shoots and is prepared in a classical Hangzhou style.
Adding some drops of white vinegar is recommended when cooking the soup to remove the fishy smell. Other ingredients include shallot flakes and ginger slices.
Pineapple with twisted dough strips and shrimp
This is a modern fusion recipe made with local foods and incorporates three main characteristics of Taiwanese cuisine - seafood, fruit and snacks. The dough sticks are cut into segments and stuffed with shrimp. Pineapple cubes and the dough stick segments are then mixed with salad.
Vinegar pepper chicken
This dish won praise for its delicate taste and simple preparation. First, marinate diced chicken with salt; second, mix shallot, ginger and garlic slices, and add cooking wine and soy sauce and cook until the fragrance develops; last, pour the combination of seasonings over the chicken and steam for 15 minutes.
Crucian carp with shallots
The crucian carp is a favorite fish of Hangzhou natives and is believed to lower cholesterol and increase breast milk. It is often served on the tables of breast-feeding mothers.
The fish must be marinated with soy sauce before cooking. Fry it until the fish turns yellow, then cook it over a low fire for a few minutes with ingredients like diced shallots, garlic, ginger and sugar. Then turn up the heat and add monosodium glutamate and sesame oil.
Fish with scallion oil
Before cooking, the fish is coated with starch, which makes it turn out tender. Heat a pot of water, adding some salt. Put the fish to boil for three seconds and quickly remove it from the water.
Stir in some scallions with soy sauce and oil, and then pour it over the fish.
Osmanthus fruit cheese pie
This was the only dessert in the cook-off. Osmanthus is the city flower of Hangzhou. Gourmet mother Ding Ting said she wanted to bring the refreshing smell of autumn to people during the hot summer days.
With that in mind, the Hangzhou Tourism Commission held a cook-off last week at the Dragon Hotel at which nine Hangzhou mothers prepared their own signature dishes. Most were everyday dishes made of local fresh food.
The fermented red bean curd fried with pork chop, fish ball soup and osmanthus fruit cheese pie won through their exquisite flavors and innovative preparation.
Noted chefs Ye Baorong and Jin Weikai served as judges. Ye, the executive chef of the Dragon Hotel, had his signature dish - fried shrimp with Longjing tea - featured in the food documentary "A Bite of China."
This competition was part of the city's "Modern-day Marco Polo, Dr Hangzhou" campaign, which encourages foreigners to explore Hangzhou like the famous Venetian did, but starting on the Internet.
All the dishes in the cook-off will be shared soon on the website http://pinterest.com/hangzhouchina/tea-for-two-just-me-you/, which includes an introduction to the food and culture of Hangzhou. There are chances to win a round-trip to Hangzhou by playing an online game.
Shanghai Daily watched the cook-off and was impressed by the mothers' sophisticated culinary techniques. Here are nine dishes that won over the two judges.
Hangzhou spiced duck
This is a traditional Hangzhou dish. Though it is a meat dish, it can stimulate appetite with its enticing flavor. The key when cooking this dish is to handle the heat and liquid appropriately, gauging them by the size of the duck.
Fish ball soup??ìàó??2
The dish is suitable for children and the elderly since the homemade fish balls are nutritious and should contain no bones.
The recipe originally came from Shaoxing, a city south of Hangzhou. The clear soup and smooth and al dente fish balls helped popularize it around Hangzhou. Fish balls can be made with corn starch and eggs and cooked in stock.
Fermented red bean curd fried with pork chop
The fermented red bean curd is the only seasoning used in preparing this dish - no salt, monosodium glutamate or other additive are needed. It pairs well with rice.
The fermented red bean curd is prepared with red yeast rice (cultivated with Monascus purpureus, a fungus often used in China) and has a deep-red color and distinctive flavor and aroma. It often looks somewhat like ketchup and is seasoned with rose essence, caramel and natural sugar.
Tomato soup braised with fish
Unlike the common version of the dish, this recipe adds bamboo shoots and is prepared in a classical Hangzhou style.
Adding some drops of white vinegar is recommended when cooking the soup to remove the fishy smell. Other ingredients include shallot flakes and ginger slices.
Pineapple with twisted dough strips and shrimp
This is a modern fusion recipe made with local foods and incorporates three main characteristics of Taiwanese cuisine - seafood, fruit and snacks. The dough sticks are cut into segments and stuffed with shrimp. Pineapple cubes and the dough stick segments are then mixed with salad.
Vinegar pepper chicken
This dish won praise for its delicate taste and simple preparation. First, marinate diced chicken with salt; second, mix shallot, ginger and garlic slices, and add cooking wine and soy sauce and cook until the fragrance develops; last, pour the combination of seasonings over the chicken and steam for 15 minutes.
Crucian carp with shallots
The crucian carp is a favorite fish of Hangzhou natives and is believed to lower cholesterol and increase breast milk. It is often served on the tables of breast-feeding mothers.
The fish must be marinated with soy sauce before cooking. Fry it until the fish turns yellow, then cook it over a low fire for a few minutes with ingredients like diced shallots, garlic, ginger and sugar. Then turn up the heat and add monosodium glutamate and sesame oil.
Fish with scallion oil
Before cooking, the fish is coated with starch, which makes it turn out tender. Heat a pot of water, adding some salt. Put the fish to boil for three seconds and quickly remove it from the water.
Stir in some scallions with soy sauce and oil, and then pour it over the fish.
Osmanthus fruit cheese pie
This was the only dessert in the cook-off. Osmanthus is the city flower of Hangzhou. Gourmet mother Ding Ting said she wanted to bring the refreshing smell of autumn to people during the hot summer days.
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