Composition of banquet dishes
Chinese banquet food structure, there is a "dragon head, elephant belly, phoenix tail" said. It is like the ancient army in the front, the army and the rear guard, but also like the modern symphony in the overture, climax and the end. Cold dishes are usually beautifully shaped, small and exquisite for the opening dish, play a preemptive role; hot dishes with colorful delicacies, showing the most exciting part of the banquet; meal dishes are the icing on the cake, colorful.
The structure of Chinese banquet dishes must grasp the three prominent principles and requirements of the group: that is, in the banquet highlights the hot dishes, in the hot dishes highlight the big dishes, in the big dishes highlight the first dishes.
(a) cold dishes Cold dishes, also known as "cold plate", "cold meat", "cold dishes", etc., is relative to the hot dishes.
The form of: single plate, double spell, triple spell, assorted platters, color platter with plate.
1, single platter: generally use 5 ~ 7 inch plate, each plate contains only a cold dish, each table according to the banquet specifications set six, eight, ten single plate (Northwest customary singular). Modeling, taste more, is the most commonly used form of cold dishes in the banquet.
2, platter: each plate consists of two kinds of raw materials called "double platter"; by three kinds of raw materials called "triple platter"; by ten kinds of raw materials called "assorted platter". Banquet held in the countryside with the platter form. Nowadays, the hotel held in the high-grade banquets to single-dish-based.
3, the main plate and dish: mostly in the middle, high-grade banquets cold dishes. The main plate is mainly used "fancy cold spell" way, fancy cold spell design according to the intention of the banquet to design.
Fancy Cold Pieces can not be single, must be accompanied by a dish on the table, no dish accompanied by fancy Cold Pieces appear to be false and insubstantial, loss of utility, with a dish can enrich the banquet cold dishes and make up for the lack of taste of the main dish. The amount of dishes around the general in about 100 grams.
4, each guest cold dishes platter: refers to the production of a platter for each guest, better adapted to the "sharing system" requirements.
(2) hot dishes hot dishes generally by the hot fried, large dishes, they belong to the "trunk" of the food, the quality requirements are higher, the banquet gradually to the climax.
1, stir-fry Generally ranked in the cold dishes, before the big dishes, and play a role in the beginning and end of the excessive.
Dish characteristics: colorful taste, fresh hot and refreshing
Materials: fish, poultry, livestock, eggs, fruits and vegetables and other crisp raw materials.
Cooking characteristics: hot oil on a high flame, seasoned with juice, the product is crisp and refreshing.
Cooking method: deep-frying, stir-frying, popping, stir-frying and other fast cooking methods, most dishes in 30 seconds - 2 minutes to complete.
The shape of the raw materials after processing: mostly small raw materials.
The way of serving in the banquet: can be continuous, can also be interspersed in the large dishes on the table, the general quality of the first, the quality of the second after the first, the taste of the light first, the taste of the strong after the first. The general is 4-6 courses, 300 grams / course, 8-9 inch plate.
2, big dishes also known as the "main dish", is the main dishes in the banquet, usually by the first dish, hot meat dishes (mountain treasures, seafood, meat, eggs, fruits, etc.) composition. The cost is about 50-60% of the total cost.
The composition of large dishes: raw materials are mostly rare seafood and other raw materials of the essence of the parts, usually with the whole or large pieces of assembled (10 chicken wings, 12 quail), placed in a large tableware, dishes, full, generous, spectacular.
Cooking methods: mainly with roasted, grilled, stewed, simmered, baked, braised and other long heating dishes.
Product characteristics: crispy, crisp, soft, in both quality and quantity are beyond other dishes.
The form of the dishes in the banquet: generally pay attention to the shape, expensive dishes are used in the form of "each guest" on the table, accompanied by snacks, saucers, with a certain momentum, each plate of material in the 750 grams or more.
3, the first dish
is the whole table banquet in the best raw materials, the most refined quality, fame, the most expensive dishes. Usually ranked in front of all the dishes, commanding the whole table.
With the first dish should pay attention to:
(1) the cost of the first dish is too high or too low, will affect the configuration of the other dishes, so the specifications of the feast is often examined to the first dish as a standard.
(2) In view of the status of the first course, so the raw materials are more mountain treasures or commonly used in the best varieties of raw materials.
(3) the first course should be with the nature of the banquet, specifications, flavor coordination, take care of the taste of the guest of honor hobbies.
(4) the first dish should be conspicuous, combined with the technical strengths of the restaurant, the vessel should be large, full plate, pay attention to modeling, the waiter should focus on the introduction.
4, hot meat dishes
is the main pillar of the dishes, banquets are often arranged 2-5, mostly by fish and shrimp dishes, livestock dishes, eggs and milk dishes and sea food. They are associated with sweets, soups as a whole, *** with baking head dishes, constituting the backbone of the banquet.
With hot meat dishes must pay attention to:
(1) hot meat dishes grade how, can not exceed the first course.
(2) between the hot dishes should be reasonable, to avoid repetition, the use of larger containers.
(3) Use 750-1250 grams per serving.
(4) Plastic hot meat dishes, because of the big win, so the amount of general unrestricted, such as roast duck, roast goose and so on.
(3) sweet dishes sweet dishes including sweet soup, sweet soup, where all the sweet dishes in the banquet.
Beet varieties: more varieties, dry and thin, hot and cold, meat and vegetarian, according to the season, cost and other factors to consider.
Materials: a wide range of fruits and vegetables, fungus ear, animal eggs and milk. Among them, high-grade sugar bird's nest, ice sugar turtle, ice sugar toad; mid-range have scattered braised eight treasures, pulling bananas; low-grade have mixed fruit soup, honey lotus root.
Cooking methods: pulling silk, honey, frosting, sugar water, steaming, frying, chilling and so on.
Role: improve nutrition, adjust the taste, increase the flavor, alcohol and sober.
(D) Vegetarian
Vegetarian dishes are indispensable in banquets, more varieties, more beans, mushrooms, seasonal vegetables. Usually with 2-4, the order of serving more back.
Vegetarian dishes should be noted:
One must be in season today, two must take the essence, three must be carefully prepared.
Cooking methods: depending on the raw materials, can be fried, stewed, roasted, grilled, braised and so on.
Role: improve the nutritional structure of banquet food, regulate the acid-base balance of the human body, to get rid of fat and alcohol, change the taste, enhance appetite, promote digestion.
(E) points
Featured banquet snacks: focus on style and grade, pay attention to the shape and orchestration, exquisite, high ornamental value.
The arrangement of dim sum: general arrangement of 2-4, with the dishes, soups, together with the menu, a variety of varieties, a variety of cooking methods
On the order of dim sum: generally interspersed between the dishes on the seat,
Configuration of the seat point requirements: a few but refined, and must be famous products, three should be asked to experts in the production.
(F) soup dishes Soup dishes are more varied, traditional banquets in the first soup, two soup, soup, soup and rice soup points.
1, the first soup:
Also known as the "opening soup", this dish before the cold plate on the table.
With: with seaweed, shrimp, fish and other tender raw materials blanch in broth, slightly soup-like.
Features: light taste, fresh and pure aroma
Role: used for banquets before the mouth refreshing throat, appetizing and refreshing, stimulate the appetite.
Changes: the first soup is used in the South such as Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau. Now the mainland hotels are also doing, but more of this soup in the form of soup arrangements in the cold dishes, as the first dish on the table.
2, two soup
Originally from the Qing Dynasty. Because the Manchu feast of the first course for the barbecue, in order to cool the mouth and throat, the first course is often accompanied by a soup dish, in the hot dishes arranged in the second and so named. If the first dish is braised, two soup can be omitted, if the second dish on the barbecue, the two soup moved to the third place.
3, in the soup also known as "with the soup". After three rounds of wine, half of the dishes eaten, interspersed in the meat and hot dishes after the soup that is the soup.
Role: to eliminate the front of the wine and vegetables of the greasy, open the back of the beauty of the delicacies.
4, the seat of the soup, also known as the "main soup", "tail soup", is the last dish in the dish, but also the best soup.
Raw materials: the seat of the soup higher specifications, available plastic chicken and fish, plus expensive accessories, made of clear soup or milk soup can be. In order to differentiate taste, if the second soup is clear soup, the seat soup with milk soup, and vice versa.
Requirements: served in pots and pans, and replaced by hot pots and pans in winter. The size of the soup should be second only to the first course, to give a perfect finish to the hot dishes.
5, rice soup
The banquet is about to end with the rice soup, the soup specifications are lower, with ordinary ingredients can be made. Modern banquets in the rice soup is not common, only in some areas of popularity.
(VII) staple food
staple food made of grain and beans, can supplement the sugar-based nutrients, to assist the cold dishes and hot dishes, so that the banquet food nutritional structure of a balanced, all the food supporting the dragon.
The staple food usually includes rice and pasta, general banquets do not use porridge.
(H) rice
Also known as "small dishes", specifically referred to after drinking with the following rice dishes
Role: clear the mouth, unctuous, sobering, rice and other functions.
Small dishes in the seat of the soup after the seat, but some sumptuous feast, due to the dishes, guests rarely use the rice, but also often cancel the rice; some simple banquets due to the dishes less, can be equipped with rice as a meal snacks.
(IX) auxiliary food
1, hand dish: before the start of the banquet to receive guests supporting snacks, such as fruit, candied fruit, melon seeds and so on.
2, cake: mainly to highlight the purpose of the banquet, adding festive atmosphere.
3, fruit: with fresh fruit - such as "smooth sailing" and so on
4, tea: First, pay attention to the grade; Second, respect for the customs of the guests, such as North China more flower tea, Northeast China more sweet tea, Northwest China more gaiwan tea, the Yangtze River Basin more green tea or green tea, ethnic minorities more mixed tea, reception of East Asia, West Asia and Central Africa, foreign guests with green tea, Eastern and Western Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia with black tea, black tea, black tea, red tea, black tea. Southeast Asia should use black tea, Japan should use oolong tea, and the gift of the tea ceremony.
Second, the banquet dishes grouping method
1, the reasonable distribution of the cost of dishes
2, the establishment of the core dishes
The core dishes are the main character of each table. Generally speaking, the main plate, first course, seat soup, the first point, is the banquet food "four pillars"; desserts, vegetarian dishes, wine, tea is the basic composition of the banquet, should pay attention to.
Because, the first demolition is the "commander-in-chief", the main plate is the "facade", beets and vegetables have to relieve, regulate the nutrition and sober up the special role of alcohol; the seat of the soup is the best soup, the first point of view is the best snacks; wine and tea can show that the specifications of the banquet should be prioritized as the core.
3, auxiliary dishes equipped
Once the core dishes are established, auxiliary dishes should be "soldiers with the will go", so that the banquet to form a perfect gastronomic system.
Auxiliary dishes, in terms of quantity, pay attention to the "degree", and the core dishes to maintain a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3; in terms of quality, pay attention to the "proportionality", grades can be slightly lower than the core dishes, but can not be different; in addition, auxiliary dishes must pay attention to make up for the shortcomings of the core dishes.
4, the order of banquet dishes
The general order of the banquet is the first cold after the hot, first fried after burning, first salty and then sweet, the first after the taste of light thick. The traditional order of serving the first hot dish is the most expensive dish, the main course on the order of fried dishes, dishes, rice, desserts, soups, snacks, fruits. Modern Chinese food arrangement is slightly different, generally cold dishes, hot stir-fry, dishes, soup dishes, fried rice, pasta, fruit, on the soup indicates that the dish Qi, some places on a dim sum and then on the practice of a dish.
In short, the design of the banquet should be based on the type of banquet, characteristics, needs, due to people, events, and time. It will take a lot of effort.