Poon Choi

Poon Choi has been around for a long time as a Hakka dish. It is also generally called a large dish. The large dish is derived from the traditional Hakka "big dish for getting rich", as the name suggests. Just use a big plate, put all the food in it, and mix it together to create a unique taste. Rich ingredients are stacked layer by layer on the large plate, and the ingredients that absorb the sauce most easily are usually placed at the bottom. When eating, eat each plate and eat it layer by layer. The juices blend together and the taste is rich and fragrant.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, villagers in Xiasha, Shenzhen called Poon Choi "Xin'an Poon Choi". At that time, Poon Choi was served in wooden basins, with one wooden basin for each table and an Eight Immortals table with four long strips. There are stools and a table for eight people, commonly known as "eating Poon Choi". Later, Xiasha's population prospered, life became more and more prosperous, and more and more people celebrated the Lantern Festival, so it was renamed "Big Poon Choi". They claim that the village's Poon Choi is authentic Poon Choi with well-preserved workmanship, ingredients and cooking methods.

The Wai Tsuen in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, recommends Poon Choi as a local signature dish (Wai Tsuen cuisine) to the world; about the origin of Wai Tsuen cuisine. Foodie Tao Ge said that the Yuen Long Plain is a land of plenty and rich in raw materials. But there are also some lesser-known reasons. For example, a clan with a bit of history has a wealthy family, is self-sufficient in farming, and has plenty of food and clothing. Parents are afraid that their second-generation ancestors will cause trouble when they go out, so they try to find concubines for them, allow them to smoke, and keep them at home all day long. The young masters stayed at home, and of course they ate breakfast and thought about lunch, and ate lunch and thought about dinner, forcing the cooks to use their brains and do their best to cook delicious dishes to satisfy their appetites. The delicious and varied dishes from the surrounding villages, which are made from local materials, emerged at the historic moment.

Poon Choi has a more rustic flavor than the "Yipin Guo" that has its origins. The cooking method of Poon Choi, which looks like a rough dish, is very particular. It requires frying, deep-frying, roasting, boiling, stewing, and stewing. Finally, it is filled into pots layer by layer, and there is more inside. It is composed of more than ten kinds of raw materials such as chicken, duck, fish, oysters, yuba, radish, mushrooms, and pork. The way of eating Poon Choi is also in line with the traditional Chinese clan rules. Each table of diners only eats one Poon Choi, which symbolizes reunion and creates an auspicious atmosphere. Everyone holds chopsticks and keeps rummaging around in the basin, which will definitely create an interesting scene. Moreover, the deeper the dish is in the basin, the more delicious it tastes. Traditionally, Poon Choi is served in wooden basins, but now most use stainless steel basins. Some restaurants also use casseroles, which can be heated at any time and have the characteristics of hot pot.

What is very intriguing is that although there is a custom of eating Poon Choi in the coastal areas of Guangdong, the New Territories of Hong Kong and even Southeast Asia, there are probably two versions of the origin of Poon Choi.

At the end of the Song Dynasty, General Wen Tianxiang led his troops and were chased by Yuan soldiers. He fled across the Lingding Ocean to the beach in Shenzhen City (then Dongguan). Articles usually write that it is Xin'an County. In fact, Xin'an County is located in In the first year of Wanli of the Ming Dynasty (1573), this county had not yet appeared in the Yuan Dynasty, let alone the Song Dynasty. At that time, it was already dark when Wen Tianxiang landed on the beach, and the troops only had rice cakes with them and lacked food. Wen Tianxiang's state of mind can be imagined: "I am afraid of being on the beach, I am afraid, and I am sighing at Lingting in the ocean." The boatmen sympathized with the loyal ministers and used their own reserves of pork, radishes, and freshly caught fish and shrimp. There were not so many dishes on the boat, so they had to make do with some and use wooden basins to serve them together. Wen Tianxiang is a Hakka, and most people in Xiasha Village, Shenzhen now consider themselves Hakkas. Therefore, it is not difficult to explain why the Hakkas and Xiasha villagers are so enthusiastic about Poon Cai.

Another version is: At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Song Emperor escaped from the pursuit of the Jin soldiers and ended up in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. Just as his followers were going out to collect food, the villagers at that time learned that the emperor was coming and expressed their gratitude to him. With their thoughts in mind, they contributed the most precious food at home one after another, and hurriedly used wooden basins as utensils to hold delicacies. This also resulted in the way that Poon Choi always puts the most precious ingredients on the top. However, this legend is just a legend. If you look into it carefully, it will always make you suspicious, because using the wooden basin used for washing your body as a food utensil is an act of great disrespect, and I am afraid that the people at that time would not be so disrespectful to the emperor. Christine.

No matter what the historical facts are, Poon Choi is a wonder in the catering industry. Its diversified cooking methods, the structure of ingredients can be changed at will, and the joyful and harmonious atmosphere of reunion created when enjoying it. All of this boils down to the root cause. After all, it is a rare "harmony" enjoyment.

Authentic ways to cook dishes

Pork, chicken, duck, goose, abalone, ginseng, wings, tripe, fish, crab, mushrooms, fish balls, etc. can be used as The main ingredients of the dish include squid, dried eel, dried shrimp, pork skin, bamboo shoots, radish, etc. The braised pork is the best test of cooking skills. Currently, the most admired expert in braised pork is Master Tang Lai Fat from Pingshan.

After the ingredients are cooked, they are stacked layer by layer on the plate. The bottom layer is made of materials that can easily absorb the sauce, such as radish, dried eel, pork, bamboo branches, etc., and the middle layer is It is pork, and the upper layers are chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, etc. When eating, you should eat it layer by layer, which is hygienic and orderly. But people who only eat meat in modern times often use serving chopsticks to pick up the delicious radish from the bottom first.