January 1, 1944 Fansheng Monthly (Second Issue)
Author: Zhi
I am not saying that the food of Huzhou people is unique in the world, but I hope that what I said about the food of Huzhou people will inspire other Cantonese people. The food of Henan people, the food of Henan people, etc. can be combined into a grand view of Chinese food. Although we people in Huzhou (now called Wuxing) are indeed enviable when it comes to food, because Huzhou is located on the edge of Taihu Lake, and there are many rivers around the city. Therefore, fish and shrimp are particularly famous. Most of the shrimps eaten by Shanghainese are shipped from Huzhou. Of course there are many ways to eat shrimps, stir-fried shrimps and seared shrimp balls are the most common; jumping shrimps with fermented fermented bean curd are particularly popular among ordinary people. A plate of raw shrimps is still jumping when it is served to the table. In fact, this way of eating is not only It is very dangerous in terms of hygiene, and the taste is not as good as the shrimps in our hometown. The method is to cut off the whiskers and feet of the raw shrimps, soak them in good soy sauce, add some wine, pepper and green onions, cover it in a bowl, and wait for about ten minutes. , its umami flavor is soaked into the shrimp meat, and the taste is better than jumping shrimp.
There are many kinds of fish. The most unique one is the fish produced during the Huangmei season in April and May, or it is called reverse fish , because this fish swims against the current and its shape is like a strip of fish. , the body is long and narrow, no more than five or six inches at most, the mouth is not as sharp as a fish, and it has no thin bones, and has a belly of roe. Some are like the string boards used by women, so they are also called string boards (fish industry) fish. To eat it, first wash off the fish scales gill plates and intestines, put the roe still in the belly, soak the slices with salt water, then soak them in soy sauce, put them in an oil pan and sear them until they become burnt. The grilled fish that is common in Shanghai is the same as the , but the grilled fish has thin meat and a long flat tail. The (fish industry) fish is swallow-tail shaped, the meat is thick, and it tastes delicious. This kind of fish is not available elsewhere.
There is another kind of fish called bream, which is small like bream and has a small pointed head and tail. Its side is similar to the tropical fish that people in Shanghai reward, but it is silver and only one or two inches long. This fish is also from Huzhou. specialty. There are ways to eat it, such as the above-mentioned (fish industry) fish, or braised, and the taste is fresh and tender.
Mandarin fish , crucian carp, herring , although they are not unique to Huzhou, they are not as fat as those raised by Huzhou country people in their own fish ponds. The feed they use from their customary habits can make it particularly fat. What? feed? I'm sorry I don't know, but when we were guests in the countryside, they caught a few fresh fish from the fish pond to treat us; the stewed mandarin fish was so tender and fresh that you couldn't get it in any famous restaurant. Anyone who has swam in the West Lake in Hangzhou will praise the deliciousness of the vinegar fish on the West Lake. The reason is that the live fish kept in the West Lake are caught and steamed on the spot, but they are not as good as those caught on the spot in the fish pond by us Huzhou country people. Good. West Lake vinegar fish is probably made from herring or grass carp, but they are caught from ordinary rivers and raised in bamboo cages in the West Lake. Its meat is not as fat and tender as that in the pond at home. Dishes made from such freshly fat fish are always delicious without any special cooking. Just add a little lard, ginger, salt, wine, onions, etc., and steam them in a rice pot, and it will become a very delicious dish. Delicious food. The intestines and liver of herring are called cabbage, and they are fried like bald lung in restaurants like Zhengxing Restaurant in Shanghai. When foreigners eat fish, they throw away the contents of the fish belly, and they throw away the heads and feet when eating chicken and duck. However, we Chinese will make these into delicious dishes; especially cabbage, which is also very popular in Shanghai.
What kind of celebrations do country people have? Most of them hire ordinary cooks and prepare their own wine and food. The skill of the cooks is judged by the quality of fried fish with vinegar.I once saw a famous chef's stir-fry method. He cut the fresh herring into small pieces head to tail, heated up a very hot oil pan, put some chili peppers in the oil, and added soy sauce, wine, salt, sugar, Vinegar and other substances are placed in the iron pot. When green smoke comes out of the oil pan, pour the contents of the iron pot and the fish pieces into the pot at the same time. Immediately slide the iron pot into the pot to make the fish fillets When the ingredients are all stained on the pot, pour 1 or 2 scalding hot water along the edge of the pot. Cover the pot tightly for less than a minute. When smoke comes out from around the pot lid, uncover it and add some minced onion, ginger and pepper. , with sesame oil on top, it becomes a special dish, fresh and tender, which you canāt find in ordinary restaurants.
In the countryside, I also ate bamboo shoots that were just dug out of the bamboo garden. They were extremely fresh and tender. In the mountains of Nanxiang, there are vast bamboo gardens. On the yellow soil, stands more than ten feet high Moso bamboo . There is not a single weed on the ground. In the spring, they specialize in digging bamboo shoots to sell, and the bamboo shoots dug out are all They are thick and big, each weighing twenty to thirty kilograms. They can be eaten in various ways. We like to cut them into thin threads and wrap them with minced meat, shrimp and other ingredients to make wontons, which are better than those in Guangdong. wontons , Fuzhouās flat food is much more delicious.
At the same time, a kind of fungus is produced in autumn, called cold dew fungus. It is white in color. Each one is only about the size of copper yuan . Boil it in an oil pan, and then soak it in good soy sauce. You can also There are various ways to eat it. It's best to boil some chicken soup and eat it with noodles. Some people say that it is poisonous and should not be eaten with crabs, but I once had a friendās homemade cold dew mushroom crab noodles, which was really delicious.
In the Nanxun area of āāDongxiang, a special kind of fragrant kohlrabi is made, which also has a unique flavor. It is different from Yunnan purple kohlrabi. In Shanghai, it is also common for Nanxun people to sell it with a basket on their back. Shuanglin is also famous for its lamb. It is cooked in a special way that is not smelly and extremely delicious. The Shanghai Pot Soup is first served in the building Mutton Noodles , the method was passed down from there.
There is a special kind of eggplant stew, also called smelly stew. Almost everyone has a homemade one, which is to rot the leftover pickled eggplant in a stew, add some bamboo shoots fragrant mushrooms pepper and other things to make it When they rot together for a long time, they all become stewed. At that time, items such as amaranth roots, edamame pods, broad beans, etc. can be soaked overnight to become delicacies. The most common one is dried stinky tofu. Guanghua Restaurant on Fuchu Road, Shanghai There is a restaurant near the theater called Stinky Tofu King, which is famous for its techniques. Add bamboo shoots, edamame, hot sauce, and soybean oil, and steam it in a rice pot. It is also delicious.
There are two specialties in the countryside, one is called "smoked green beans", which are tender soybeans (also called edamame pods) dried over charcoal fire. They often soak them in tea to treat guests. One is called "Wo Zhi", which is to spread the glutinous rice into thin slices in a pot so that it is dry but not burnt; add some sugar and soak it in boiling water to turn it into a delicious snack.
In addition, such as fresh water chestnut and tender lotus root, which is a specialty of fruits, Si'an crisp sugar, which is a specialty of tea and snacks, Zhulaoda Zongzi, which is a specialty of snacks, and tender duck with screw meat, which is a new invention in wine and food. As well as Linghu's soft tofu, Wuzhen 's sauce duck, Meixi 's soy sauce... etc., are all well-known foods.
