Introducing two special delicacies from my hometown!
First course: Mao’s Braised Pork
Speaking of Hunan cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind is Mao’s Braised Pork. Last time I passed through Changsha, I went to try it. It tasted like agate. The braised pork trembles when you pick it up with chopsticks. It is fat but not greasy, fragrant but not woody, and melts in your mouth. It is a real craving-satisfaction.
1. When making braised pork, you must use this three-layered high-quality pork belly. Use an airbrush to do laser hair removal, shave it again, and wash it off.
Cut it into large pieces of meat four centimeters square and eat it at Caizhuangzui.
Put the cut meat into a pot under cold water, pour in 50 cents of cooking wine, cook for about two or three minutes, and then take it out of the pot.
Rinse with clean water and set aside to drain.
2. Heat a wide pan of oil. When the oil temperature is 50% hot, pour in the meat. Be sure to drain the water before adding it to the pan, otherwise it will fry.
Turn over medium-low heat and stir frequently to get all the oil out of the fat. Fry until slightly browned and remove from the pan. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pot, add onion, garlic and ginger slices and sauté until fragrant. Pour the pork belly in. The braised pork dish itself still smells like meat.
Don’t use too much aniseed. Two star anise, a few fragrant leaves, a piece of galangal, and a piece of cinnamon are enough. Stir out the aroma of the ingredients.
Put in a few more Dried chili pepper enhances the flavor, scoop in a spoonful of sugar (I boiled the sugar in advance), mix the color evenly, pour a can of beer along the edge of the pot, add a little salt to increase the base taste, and spoon in a few more spoons water.
4. After the fire comes to a boil, transfer it to the casserole, simmer over low heat until the heat becomes natural. Look at the effect of stewing this for an hour, it’s shiny and oily.
At this time, pick out the aniseed ingredients. The soup at the bottom of the pot will become sticky and the meat pieces will be cooked until they are shiny.
Second course: Fish head with chopped pepper
Fish head with chopped pepper is a traditional Hunan dish. It is said to have originated during the Yongzheng period. The fiery red pepper is covered with white and tender fish. The head meat is rich in flavor, tender and spicy, very delicious.
1. One fresh fish head, split it from the top of the head, scrape off the black membrane, turn the fish head over, make a few cuts on the fish meat, chop the fish head a few times, and marinate It tastes so good when served.
Wash the fish head and marinate it. Flatten the ginger, cut it into minced pieces, rub the green onion vigorously to get the green onion juice, and apply it on the fish head. Another 50 cents worth of cooking wine to remove the fishy smell.
Chop minced garlic, minced ginger, and a few wild mountain peppers into fine pieces, prepare 200 grams of minced pepper sauce, pour it into a grate and squeeze out the juice inside.
2. Then boil half a pot of water, pour in the chopped pepper sauce, and blanch the water quickly. Remove the dryness and salty taste of the chili sauce.
For those with stronger tastes, this step can be omitted.
3. Pour more oil into the pot. When the oil temperature is 50% hot, add minced ginger, garlic and wild pepper, stir-fry over medium heat to remove the moisture.
Add the chopped pepper and stir-fry together. Stir-fry the chopped pepper sauce until fragrant. Then add chicken powder and pepper. Stir the seasoning and turn off the heat.
4. Put the marinated fish head on a larger plate, evenly pour the fried chopped chili sauce, and then steam it in the pot.
After the pot is filled with air, place the chopped pepper fish head on the grate and steam over medium heat for 15 minutes.
When the auspicious time comes, take out the fish head, pour some steamed fish soy sauce on top of the fish head, sprinkle with chopped green onion, stir up the 200-degree hot oil, and the fragrance can't stop rising upwards.