The most important thing in Cantonese home cooking is to win with fresh food. Actually, the cooking technique is not complicated. ? Before introducing Guangzhou's home cooking, we must first introduce Guangzhou's vegetable market. ? The place where I live in Guangzhou is very close to the city center, probably within the second ring road of Beijing. ? There is a big vegetable market 50 meters below my house, which is a little far away. There are also two shops, and there are also some shops or ghosts selling fresh vegetables and fruits on the roadside. All the fresh foods in our family, including meat, eggs, poultry, vegetables and fruits, are basically solved in the market, and we rarely go to the supermarket. ? Fresh food in the supermarket gives people the impression that it is expensive and not fresh.
The stalls in the market are all fixed all the year round. Most vendors who do neighborhood business will not cheat and sell fake goods, which will ruin their reputation and lead to no business, so the quality is generally reliable. ? The cleanliness of the market is surprising. ? Every day before the market closes, people wash it with water. For me, who comes from a water-deficient city in the north, I can't help but marvel at the fact that Guangzhou people clean food markets and even streets with water every day.
Guangdong people are known as "no chicken is unhappy". ? So every market should have a poultry department. ? There are not only chickens sold here, but also N kinds of chickens, such as Taiye Chicken, Qingping Chicken, Zhanjiang Chicken, Qingyuan Chicken, etc ... In addition to chickens, there are all kinds of ducks, quails, pigeons, young pigeons and old pigeons. Different practices have different effects. ? These birds are alive. Buy them now and kill them now. ? You can buy half a chicken and a quarter a duck. This is unheard of in Beijing. If someone kills a chicken for you, they must take it all away. Who will sell the remaining half? But in Guangzhou, this selling method does ensure the freshness of ingredients. How can a family of three eat a whole chicken and a whole duck at one meal? ? It will be fresh the next day and can be cut and sold. Because it is fresh and has a large passenger flow, I don't mind buying half of what others cut.
The seafood stalls in Guangzhou market are really seafood, not just fish and shrimp. ? Even fish are diverse. Larger fish are cut and sold, such as fish head, fish tail, middle part, and the price is different, as well as fish balls made now. ? The fish is swimming and frozen. There are all kinds of shellfish all year round, such as Meretrix meretrix, Bai Bei, and even high-grade seafood such as abalone, scallop and conch, which are also available in the market. ?
There must be more than one pork stall in each market. All parts of the pig are cut separately, some are hung on hooks and some are put on boxes. They are bright red and tender. ? Later, a famous chain brand "First Native Pig" in Guangzhou was opened in the vegetable market. It's very expensive, and it can actually be done, thanks to the love of Guangzhou people. ? After living in Guangzhou for several years, I found that the beef in Guangzhou market is not good. ? First, beef is rarely seen in markets or supermarkets. Even if it exists, it is not fresh, and it will not rot after thousands of cooking. ? But the beef brisket powder in Guangzhou is so soft and delicious. I don't know what beef they use and how to cook it.
The variety and freshness of vegetables are really incomparable to our northern cities. ? Many vegetables are unheard of, such as mustard, sweet potato leaves, Chinese cabbage seedlings, late flowering Chinese cabbage and so on. ? Vendors selling vegetables in Guangzhou market actually buy goods twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. So for dinner, sometimes we go to buy fresh vegetables in the afternoon. ? Tomatoes, potatoes and wax gourd in northern China are not vegetables here. Vegetables must be green with leaves. ? After living in Guangzhou for several years, I got into the habit of eating green Nahana for every meal, but it is very healthy.
Let's introduce Guangdong home cooking with cooking methods.
Speaking of old fire soup in Guangdong, everyone knows it. ? On my first business trip to Guangzhou, I was immediately shocked to see a wall of soup pots outside the restaurant. ? Cantonese people often cook soup at home, even if they don't cook soup every day, they should cook soup three or four times a week. ? The material of soup is mainly a combination of different meats and different plants. In Guangzhou, pharmacies can be seen everywhere. I feel that Cantonese people are all half Chinese medicine practitioners, and they know all about the medicinal effects of various Chinese herbal medicines. ? I used to think that the soups of Cantonese cuisine are all boiled soups, but later I slowly realized that there are many ways to make soups. ? Generally speaking, when we talk about making soup, we put all kinds of ingredients into the soup pot and cook the soup with the ingredients for at least two hours, which becomes the old fire soup. Among them, the proportion of water is much greater than that of ingredients. ? The ingredients are called "soup dregs" and can be eaten, because many of them have been stewed and have no taste, and even throwing away some of them should be acceptable. ? Another kind of soup is called "stew soup" Generally, it is more precious ingredients (such as Cordyceps sinensis and crocodile meat). ). Put the ingredients into a saucepan (that is, a small closed pot) and add a small amount of water. The method used is actually steaming in water. It is said that it is not easy to waste ingredients. ? There is also "soup", which should be the kind of soup that we northerners often cook. ? As the name implies, boiling ingredients in water is soup, which means that the cooking time is very short. ? Making soup with Cantonese people is probably a last resort. Talking is better than nothing, and it's not really soup. It turns out that tomato egg soup and melon meatball soup, which are our home-cooked dishes, have long lost their place at our small table in Guangzhou.
I admire the delicacy and nutrition of Guangdong Old Fire Soup wholeheartedly, and I am determined to learn authentic Guangzhou Old Fire Soup. Following online recipes is always beside the point. ? Fortunately, the soup made by my sister-in-law is amazing, so I humbly ask her for advice. ? I followed her with a small notebook while she was cooking. I'll buy whatever she buys; I put whatever ingredients she puts in the soup; When she put the ingredients, when I put them; All recipe steps are recorded for reference at any time. After several rounds, I found that the soup was not as good as her. ? I can't say why, but I always feel a little worse. This is probably the lack of precipitation. ? After working as a daughter-in-law in Guangdong for a while, I feel that the course of making soup can basically pass. ? Once I made a soup carefully for my husband to evaluate. ? Husband's evaluation is "delicious, but still not a qualified Guangdong daughter-in-law." ? A real Guangdong daughter-in-law can not only make delicious soup, but also make various corresponding soups at any time according to the season and family health. ? For example, if a family member coughs, it is necessary to boil the soup of North and South Apricot and Thin Sydney (note: North and South Apricot are two kinds of almonds that grow in the south and the north respectively); Cook mung bean old pigeon soup when you get angry (note that it can only be old pigeons, not young pigeons). " ? It seems that for Cantonese, apart from delicious food, every kind of food must have a certain effect. ? I feel that I will never understand the true meaning of Cantonese soup in my life. ?
In my family's menu, the only dish used for steaming is egg custard. ? In fact, steaming can maintain the nutrition of dishes to the maximum extent, and it is simple and fast. ? There are many steamed dishes in Cantonese home cooking, such as steamed fish and ribs. ? Personally, I think the fish mainly sold in Beijing is not fresh enough. Even live fish, mostly river fish, such as carp and grass carp, also have Saturn flavor, so it must be seasoned with braised pork and sweet and sour pork. ? The fish bought in Guangzhou market, mainly marine fish, are basically fresh, just steamed and poured with sauce, which is delicious. ? Even high-grade fish and grouper are available in the market, and the key to buying and steaming is the heat. That's five to eight minutes. Over time, the fish will get older and less delicious. ? Time is short, no steaming, and the meat is bloodshot from the bones. If you steam it again, it won't be so delicious once. ? Steamed fish in Cantonese style does not contain salt, but is only seasoned with ginger and onion. Ginger and shallots should be cut into filaments and spread under the fish. ? After the fish is steamed, pour out the fish soup on the plate (note that this fish soup is not poured out, it condenses all delicious fish and can be drunk alone). ? Then open another oil pan, pour steamed fish soy sauce or soy sauce when the oil is hot, and then immediately pour this sauce on the steamed fish. ? Just eat it, and it's not much different from the hundreds of stones in restaurants outside. In addition, you can also steam fish with chopped pepper or winter vegetables. Don't buy grouper, it will spoil the fish. Ordinary bass, or the middle of a big fish. ? Spread the minced onion and ginger, then put the chopped pepper or winter vegetables bought in the supermarket and steam them in the pot. It will be ready in less than ten minutes. ? The most common and cheapest fish on the market is tilapia, which is African crucian carp. ? But not as prickly as our common crucian carp. ? This kind of fish can't be steamed even if you buy live fish. If I want to braise in soy sauce, I usually buy tilapia. ?
Scallops are also sold. When you choose them in the market, the vendor will help you open them and clean them up. ? When you get home, add garlic, and once the vermicelli is steamed, it will be the same as the steamed scallops with garlic vermicelli eaten in restaurants outside, and the price will be half cheaper. ? Abalone is also sold in the market. ? I remember about RMB at that time? 8- 10 yuan each, not big, only suitable for home cooking. ? One person buys two or three, and the vendors in the market have been cleaned up when they buy them. ? When you come back, add shredded ginger and shredded onion, steam with soy sauce, and make a dish in less than 10 minutes.
Pork ribs can also be steamed. ? Chop it into small pieces, buy it back, grab it evenly with soy sauce, salt and starch, add minced garlic, marinate for about 20 minutes, add a few douchi, and steam for about 10 minute. ? There is a simpler way to steam the marinated ribs with rice, which saves both fire and time. ? The meal is ready and the ribs are ready. Just stir-fry a vegetable and you can have dinner.
Steamed meat pie with winter vegetables is a real home-cooked dish. ? Meat is minced by buying lean meat, and steaming meat directly is not delicious. Winter vegetables are a kind of pickles. ? Chopped meat with soy sauce, salt, starch, some oil and winter vegetables is delicious when steamed casually. ? My daughter liked it very much when she was young.
Vegetables can also be steamed, but generally we just steam cabbage with garlic or pumpkin. ?
When buying chilled fish, it's not easy to steam. ? Ice fish refers to frozen fish, which are basically marine fish. ? Pomfret (that is, flat fish), redwood fish and sand head fish can all be bought and fried. ? There are golden pomfret and white pomfret in pomfret, and golden pomfret is not so delicious. ?
All vegetables, except garlic, can be boiled in white. ? Summer in Guangzhou is sultry. I have no appetite, such as Chinese cabbage and mustard. Blanch with water after washing (put a little oil in the blanched vegetable water) and drizzle with soy sauce. Almost no difficulty, but refreshing and nutritious. ? Blanched vegetables turn yellow easily. If you want to cook green boiled vegetables in restaurants, there is a secret: blanch the blanched vegetables immediately. ? Vegetables treated in this way will not turn yellow even if they are left for a period of time.
Shrimps are basically boiled in water and then dipped in sauce. It seems that braised shrimps have never been cooked. ? I like eating that kind of patterned conch very much. If I buy it, I can also blanch it with boiling water and dip it in some seasoning. Eat at least seventy or eighty yuan a catty in a restaurant, which is less than half the price on the market, and ensure freshness.
As I said before, home cooking is only available at home. ? Beijing's home cooking was cooked for me by my parents and raised me; Guangzhou's home cooking is for myself and for my husband. ? Later, we had a daughter, and our family moved to Vancouver. I will write about Vancouver's home cooking in the future. ?