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Food from the gods works its magic
By Xu Wenwen and Wu Huixin |
November 22, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
It's cold outside, so you're thankful of the steaming heat inside the hotpot restaurant. And when waiting staff bring platters of raw ingredients to the table, you know that these will soon be transformed into tasty fare to be shared among your party, guaranteed to banish winter's chill.
Hotpot - huoguo (鐏攨) in Chinese - is a much-loved meal that people around China enjoy taking with family and friends. In winter it's especially popular, as who could resist the combination of warming food and good company?
However, the large communal pot presents its own problems. As everybody's chopsticks dip into the broth, it's not the most hygienic arrangement.
And as everyone has their own favorite seasonings, one pot with one flavor is unlikely to satisfy everyone.
People in Macau invented doulao (璞嗘崬) - a table tennis racket sized pot for one. While raw ingredients are still shared, customers choose their own soup.
This arrangement also means diners needn't stretch over the table to dip a tasty morsel in the communal broth, nor have to stand up to ladle a bowl of soup - a sure recipe for splashing fellow diners.
Instead, they can simply dip the food into the hotpot in front of them.
Another attraction of doulao is that, according to legend, it symbolizes good fortune.
The story goes that at the beginning of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) there was a businessman in Macau named Jin Jia, who was also a philanthropist who helped the poor. His kind heart moved a god in heaven who gave Jin a magic pot containing an inexhaustible supply of food, and people flocked for a scoop.
People named the pot doulao (閮芥崬) - which literally means "scoop together." However, a gang of criminals heard about this magic pot and snatched it from Jin. In the fracas, the pot fell to the ground and smashed into pieces. The fragment that Jin managed to save turned into a golden bean, but the other pieces grabbed by the criminals became worthless shards of crockery.
The golden bean still worked the pot's magic; when put into a jar of rice, the quantity increased, and when put in a jar of oil, more oil was produced. Jin then opened an restaurant free to the poor, named doulao (璞嗘崬).
While the pronunciation is similar to the original doulao (閮芥崬) - meaning "scoop together" - the restaurant name doulao (璞嗘崬)has a different Chinese character for dou and translates as "scoop from the bean."
According to the story, doulao then became a popular meal in Macau.
Unlike traditional hotpot elsewhere in China that has meat and vegetables as its main ingredients, doulao includes seafood in many guises - including fresh seafood, seafood meatballs and mashed seafood - all cooked in a clear, light soup. Often considered an upmarket meal, recently cheaper doulao restaurants have opened, bringing Jin's tasty fare to more diners. Here are three doulao options in Hangzhou.
Qing Lao Fang
(闈掓崬鍧)
Most important in creating tasty doulao are the quality of the soup and the freshness of ingredients. Mindful of this, Qing Lao Fang, a newly opened doulao restaurant, prepares fresh soup daily.
A huge pot of soup, with stock made from pork bones, herbs and seasoning, but without SMG, is made fresh every morning. The stock can then be flavored with options such as tomato and curry, and ladled into small pot.
The restaurant also offers large hotpots - four hotpots embedded in one table - for large groups.
Its baozai rice (Canton-style steamed rice in a clay pot, 鐓蹭粩楗) is also a must-try.
The two-story restaurant is set on banks of a small river on Xiaohezhi Street, an old lane with a strong folk Hangzhou style.
Address: 52 Xiaohezhi Street
Tel: (0571) 8601-2007
Pros: Fair prices; fresh food; no SMG in the soup; a pleasant location.
Cons: The restaurant is new and the waiting staff somewhat slow.
Jianshazui Macau Doulao
(灏栨矙鍜婢抽棬璞嗘崬)
This doulao restaurant offers many kinds of fish and sea animals in several aquariums, including king crab, sea cucumber and abalone.
It prides itself on providing really fresh food, from fresh-from-the-tank fish to tender cabbage leaves and firm mushrooms.
To accompany all this fresh fare are 20 kinds of sauces (there are five spicy ones alone), plus the option to devise your own.
And accident-prone diners will be pleased to hear that all the hotpots are embedded in the table to reduce the chance of scalding.
Address: 213 Chaohui Road
Tel: (0571) 8538-1111
Pros: Fresh food; many options of seafood and sauces; embedded pots.
Cons: Prices are a little high.
Jiang Nan Mi Lao
(姹熷崡杩锋崬)
Jiang Nan Mi Lao features modern, low-profile d茅cor in southern China style. Walls on the walkway to the restaurant feature Chinese traditional ink paintings, while floral wallpaper decorates the walls of the lobby.
The restaurant seeks to adapt Macau doulao to local style. Recommended ingredients include not only seafood but also beef, mutton and "silkie" - a white-feathered, black-boned chicken, the meat of which is said to be good for blood circulation.
Address: 4/F, Intime Qingchun Branch, 18-26 Jingtan Road
Tel: (0571) 8653-3728
Pros: A peaceful environment; delicious soup bases.
Cons: Servings are on the small side.
Hotpot - huoguo (鐏攨) in Chinese - is a much-loved meal that people around China enjoy taking with family and friends. In winter it's especially popular, as who could resist the combination of warming food and good company?
However, the large communal pot presents its own problems. As everybody's chopsticks dip into the broth, it's not the most hygienic arrangement.
And as everyone has their own favorite seasonings, one pot with one flavor is unlikely to satisfy everyone.
People in Macau invented doulao (璞嗘崬) - a table tennis racket sized pot for one. While raw ingredients are still shared, customers choose their own soup.
This arrangement also means diners needn't stretch over the table to dip a tasty morsel in the communal broth, nor have to stand up to ladle a bowl of soup - a sure recipe for splashing fellow diners.
Instead, they can simply dip the food into the hotpot in front of them.
Another attraction of doulao is that, according to legend, it symbolizes good fortune.
The story goes that at the beginning of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) there was a businessman in Macau named Jin Jia, who was also a philanthropist who helped the poor. His kind heart moved a god in heaven who gave Jin a magic pot containing an inexhaustible supply of food, and people flocked for a scoop.
People named the pot doulao (閮芥崬) - which literally means "scoop together." However, a gang of criminals heard about this magic pot and snatched it from Jin. In the fracas, the pot fell to the ground and smashed into pieces. The fragment that Jin managed to save turned into a golden bean, but the other pieces grabbed by the criminals became worthless shards of crockery.
The golden bean still worked the pot's magic; when put into a jar of rice, the quantity increased, and when put in a jar of oil, more oil was produced. Jin then opened an restaurant free to the poor, named doulao (璞嗘崬).
While the pronunciation is similar to the original doulao (閮芥崬) - meaning "scoop together" - the restaurant name doulao (璞嗘崬)has a different Chinese character for dou and translates as "scoop from the bean."
According to the story, doulao then became a popular meal in Macau.
Unlike traditional hotpot elsewhere in China that has meat and vegetables as its main ingredients, doulao includes seafood in many guises - including fresh seafood, seafood meatballs and mashed seafood - all cooked in a clear, light soup. Often considered an upmarket meal, recently cheaper doulao restaurants have opened, bringing Jin's tasty fare to more diners. Here are three doulao options in Hangzhou.
Qing Lao Fang
(闈掓崬鍧)
Most important in creating tasty doulao are the quality of the soup and the freshness of ingredients. Mindful of this, Qing Lao Fang, a newly opened doulao restaurant, prepares fresh soup daily.
A huge pot of soup, with stock made from pork bones, herbs and seasoning, but without SMG, is made fresh every morning. The stock can then be flavored with options such as tomato and curry, and ladled into small pot.
The restaurant also offers large hotpots - four hotpots embedded in one table - for large groups.
Its baozai rice (Canton-style steamed rice in a clay pot, 鐓蹭粩楗) is also a must-try.
The two-story restaurant is set on banks of a small river on Xiaohezhi Street, an old lane with a strong folk Hangzhou style.
Address: 52 Xiaohezhi Street
Tel: (0571) 8601-2007
Pros: Fair prices; fresh food; no SMG in the soup; a pleasant location.
Cons: The restaurant is new and the waiting staff somewhat slow.
Jianshazui Macau Doulao
(灏栨矙鍜婢抽棬璞嗘崬)
This doulao restaurant offers many kinds of fish and sea animals in several aquariums, including king crab, sea cucumber and abalone.
It prides itself on providing really fresh food, from fresh-from-the-tank fish to tender cabbage leaves and firm mushrooms.
To accompany all this fresh fare are 20 kinds of sauces (there are five spicy ones alone), plus the option to devise your own.
And accident-prone diners will be pleased to hear that all the hotpots are embedded in the table to reduce the chance of scalding.
Address: 213 Chaohui Road
Tel: (0571) 8538-1111
Pros: Fresh food; many options of seafood and sauces; embedded pots.
Cons: Prices are a little high.
Jiang Nan Mi Lao
(姹熷崡杩锋崬)
Jiang Nan Mi Lao features modern, low-profile d茅cor in southern China style. Walls on the walkway to the restaurant feature Chinese traditional ink paintings, while floral wallpaper decorates the walls of the lobby.
The restaurant seeks to adapt Macau doulao to local style. Recommended ingredients include not only seafood but also beef, mutton and "silkie" - a white-feathered, black-boned chicken, the meat of which is said to be good for blood circulation.
Address: 4/F, Intime Qingchun Branch, 18-26 Jingtan Road
Tel: (0571) 8653-3728
Pros: A peaceful environment; delicious soup bases.
Cons: Servings are on the small side.
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