Mouth-watering 'bites' define local cuisine
By Lu Feiran |
July 28, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE hit TV documentary series called "A Bite of China," which traces the delicious history of regional cuisine, has triggered a foodie craze across the country, and Minhang is no exception. Residents in the district are proud of local specialties, so we decided to take "a bite of Minhang."
Boiled mutton
As early as 5:30am, people are lining up in front of the Huameihong Mutton Store, waiting for the owner to begin selling his famed boiled mutton. Usually the delicacy is sold out within three hours.
Owner Wang Guohua and his wife operate the business out of a grocery market on Huacao Road. Wang cooks the mutton while his wife chops up the finished pieces.
"We add salt and ginger to remove the odor of the mutton, and a little crystal candy helps bring out the delicate flavor of the meat," said Wang.
The mutton simmers for five to six hours to ensure that it is tender and glutinous.
Wang said he learned the recipe and cooking skill from his father-in-law.
"He was very strict," he recalled. "Once I failed to clean the fleece thoroughly from the sheep's leg, and he beat me with a stick."
Qian Jianxing, 80, reckons he is a bit of a connoisseur of boiled mutton, which he has been eating since he was a mere lad.
"Freshly cooked mutton is the most delicious," he said. "You don't have to use chopsticks because the meat is so tender."
Maqiao dried tofu
Maqiao dried tofu has become a specialty of the area, but there is only one company that owns the trademark name Maqiao.
Its owner He Zhifang acquired the trademark in 2006, but name aside, competition in the marketplace is fiercer than she thought. It's hard to make ends meet sometimes, she admitted.
At least the dried tofu produced by her company can be called "authentic." Some housewives in the area would rather patronize her shop in the wet market than buy the tofu elsewhere, He said.
Liu Jie and her husband Yao Danfeng operate a dried tofu workshop that has been selected as a protected site for cultural heritage in Minhang. Liu said Maqiao dried tofu makers are having trouble making much money because their businesses are so small.
Every step of process in making the dried tofu must be carefully executed to produce the authentic taste, she said.
"Many of our orders come from big restaurants because they trust the quality of our product," she said.
Shredded ham hock
Residents living in Zhaojialou Ancient Town are fond of telling visitors that if they don't try the local shredded ham hock, their visit was in vain.
The dish was created in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when a rich businessman named Shen Wansan wanted to cook a ham hock for his mother. The story goes that a royal cook helped him prepare the dish.
First, the ham hock is boiled, and then it is fried until the skin becomes crisp. The meat on the hock is then shredded into small pieces, which are simmered in more than 10 spices. The ham turns out in a succulent dish that is both salty and sweet, a little oily but not greasy.
Shen's mother was so delighted by the dish that her son opened a restaurant to serve it to a wider audience. After his death, his daughter took charge of the restaurant. She spread the recipe to her neighbors, and soon the dish became a signature dish in Zhaojialou. It is now always served at banquets.
Crabapple cakes
Meng Chunfeng, who lives on Qibao Old Street, has been making crabapple cakes for nearly 20 years.
He now works at the Baofeng Restaurant, where many people congregate every day to eat what has become a traditional and favorite snack.
To prepare his famous cakes, Meng first brushes a little oil in the cake pan and then fills half of the mold with flour paste. He adds a layer of bean-paste filling, topping it with flour paste. The cake is decorated with white gourd before it's grilled. The finished cake is golden-colored. The taste is sweet and soft, but not sticky.
Many stores in Qibao sell crabapple cakes, but many locals think the Baofeng version is the best. That accounts for the long lines always around the shop. On a good day, Meng said he sells 2,000 crabapple cakes.
"We make seven cakes at one time, and each batch takes three to four minutes," he said.
Legend has it that the cake dates back to the days of Sun Quan, the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280).
According to the tale, Sun was resting outdoors one day when a passing snack seller gave him a cake to try.
Fascinated by its good taste, Sun asked what the cake was called. "Sweet cake," the vendor replied. Sun said there were so many types of "sweet cakes" in the country that the name didn't do it justice. Looking around at the crabapple trees in bloom in the town at the time, Sun renamed the snack "crabapple cake."
Boiled mutton
As early as 5:30am, people are lining up in front of the Huameihong Mutton Store, waiting for the owner to begin selling his famed boiled mutton. Usually the delicacy is sold out within three hours.
Owner Wang Guohua and his wife operate the business out of a grocery market on Huacao Road. Wang cooks the mutton while his wife chops up the finished pieces.
"We add salt and ginger to remove the odor of the mutton, and a little crystal candy helps bring out the delicate flavor of the meat," said Wang.
The mutton simmers for five to six hours to ensure that it is tender and glutinous.
Wang said he learned the recipe and cooking skill from his father-in-law.
"He was very strict," he recalled. "Once I failed to clean the fleece thoroughly from the sheep's leg, and he beat me with a stick."
Qian Jianxing, 80, reckons he is a bit of a connoisseur of boiled mutton, which he has been eating since he was a mere lad.
"Freshly cooked mutton is the most delicious," he said. "You don't have to use chopsticks because the meat is so tender."
Maqiao dried tofu
Maqiao dried tofu has become a specialty of the area, but there is only one company that owns the trademark name Maqiao.
Its owner He Zhifang acquired the trademark in 2006, but name aside, competition in the marketplace is fiercer than she thought. It's hard to make ends meet sometimes, she admitted.
At least the dried tofu produced by her company can be called "authentic." Some housewives in the area would rather patronize her shop in the wet market than buy the tofu elsewhere, He said.
Liu Jie and her husband Yao Danfeng operate a dried tofu workshop that has been selected as a protected site for cultural heritage in Minhang. Liu said Maqiao dried tofu makers are having trouble making much money because their businesses are so small.
Every step of process in making the dried tofu must be carefully executed to produce the authentic taste, she said.
"Many of our orders come from big restaurants because they trust the quality of our product," she said.
Shredded ham hock
Residents living in Zhaojialou Ancient Town are fond of telling visitors that if they don't try the local shredded ham hock, their visit was in vain.
The dish was created in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when a rich businessman named Shen Wansan wanted to cook a ham hock for his mother. The story goes that a royal cook helped him prepare the dish.
First, the ham hock is boiled, and then it is fried until the skin becomes crisp. The meat on the hock is then shredded into small pieces, which are simmered in more than 10 spices. The ham turns out in a succulent dish that is both salty and sweet, a little oily but not greasy.
Shen's mother was so delighted by the dish that her son opened a restaurant to serve it to a wider audience. After his death, his daughter took charge of the restaurant. She spread the recipe to her neighbors, and soon the dish became a signature dish in Zhaojialou. It is now always served at banquets.
Crabapple cakes
Meng Chunfeng, who lives on Qibao Old Street, has been making crabapple cakes for nearly 20 years.
He now works at the Baofeng Restaurant, where many people congregate every day to eat what has become a traditional and favorite snack.
To prepare his famous cakes, Meng first brushes a little oil in the cake pan and then fills half of the mold with flour paste. He adds a layer of bean-paste filling, topping it with flour paste. The cake is decorated with white gourd before it's grilled. The finished cake is golden-colored. The taste is sweet and soft, but not sticky.
Many stores in Qibao sell crabapple cakes, but many locals think the Baofeng version is the best. That accounts for the long lines always around the shop. On a good day, Meng said he sells 2,000 crabapple cakes.
"We make seven cakes at one time, and each batch takes three to four minutes," he said.
Legend has it that the cake dates back to the days of Sun Quan, the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280).
According to the tale, Sun was resting outdoors one day when a passing snack seller gave him a cake to try.
Fascinated by its good taste, Sun asked what the cake was called. "Sweet cake," the vendor replied. Sun said there were so many types of "sweet cakes" in the country that the name didn't do it justice. Looking around at the crabapple trees in bloom in the town at the time, Sun renamed the snack "crabapple cake."
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