Eight famous Huaiyang dishes: squirrel mandarin fish, stewed raw meat, Dongpo pork elbow, Dongshan old goose, crab meat and lion head, eight-treasure rice, jujube cubed meat, and salted duck.
1. Squirrel mandarin fish Squirrel mandarin fish is a classic dish in Huaiyang cuisine.
The squirrel mandarin fish uses the char-cooking method, that is, the mandarin fish is first cut and marinated until it is fragrant, then covered with batter, fried in hot oil until golden and crispy on the outside, and finally the gravy is poured over the fried fish.
2. Stewed Shengkou. Stewed Shengkou was one of the four famous dishes in Nanjing during the Republic of China.
To kill fresh eel alive, beat it on the back with a wooden stick, then fry it and then stew it.
The word "sheng knock" in the name of the dish comes from the action of tapping.
The beauty of this dish lies in the combination of pork belly and fish. The combination of two originally unrelated ingredients creates a wonderful taste.
3. Long-term stewing and steaming of Dongpo pork elbows are the secret to making Dongpo meat fat but not greasy, thin but not burnt.
Let the cooked elbow dry for a while, then remove the bones and dry the water vapor on the surface. Pour a little oil into the pot, heat it until it is 70% hot, and put the elbow skin down.
Don't add too much oil when searing the meat skin, just sear the meat skin until it turns golden brown.
4. Dongshan Lao Goose This dish is called "Lao Goose" but it is not old at all.
The goose that is about 6 months old is used. The goose meat is chopped into pieces and put into the pot, covered with potato cubes, then poured with secret sauce and steamed.
Finally, mix the sauce with chopped green onions and pour it over the freshly cooked goose.
The goose meat is neither old nor tender, and is very delicate. It is carefully cooked, the gravy is fragrant, and the bones and meat are crispy. It has captured the tongues of many foodies.
5. Crab Meat Lion Head incorporates crab meat into the dish, and the whole dish has a crab flavor.
It is able to produce a mellow crab flavor, firstly because it uses crabs from Zhenjiang, and secondly because of the cooking method. It is not fried or braised. It is steamed and then added with soup, so we have this mellow and fragrant crab meat lion head.
A truly good lion's head is soft and round, and does not fall apart or break when shaken.
6. The so-called "eight treasures" of eight-treasure rice are not fixed and are determined by the chef according to local customs.
Glutinous rice, white sugar, and cooked lard are the main raw materials of eight-treasure rice.
Steam the glutinous rice, stir in lard and sugar while it's hot, then add eight treasures and steam it twice.
Take a bite and you'll find plump glutinous rice, dense red bean paste, sweet and sour dried fruits, and crispy nuts. It's sweet and soft, with rich layers and a long aftertaste.
7. Jujube meat: The meat of jujube meat is fat and rotten, sweet and salty. The jujube paste is sweet and oily. It is not greasy to eat and has a unique flavor.
Scrape and clean the pork ribs and cook until medium-cooked, remove and wash, cut a knife on the skin of the meat; wash and boil the red dates, peel and core them, spread the date puree on the meat surface, seal with cellophane paper, and then
Steam in a basket for about 1 hour.
8. Salted Duck Nanjing has many special delicacies related to ducks, among which the most representative duck dish is undoubtedly the salted duck.
The techniques for making salted duck include: fattening the duck, feeding it with rice, opening and draining it, frying and salting it, clearing and re-brining it, drying it and blanching it thoroughly.
The cooked salted duck is crystal clear and leaves a fragrant aroma in your mouth. It has thin skin and tender meat. This is the classic Nanjing salted duck.