Beef balls, as a famous Chaoshan snack, have a history of nearly a hundred years in Shantou. Beef balls can be divided into two types: beef balls and beef tendon balls. The meatballs are relatively tender and have a tender and smooth texture. The beef tendon balls have some tender tendons added to the beef, making them very chewy. The traditional preparation method is to use fresh beef shank meat ingredients, remove the tendons and cut into pieces, place them on a large chopping board, use two special square hammer knives (weighing about 3 kilograms) to cut the beef shank meat up and down continuously. Hammer into meat sauce, add a small amount of snow powder, refined salt, fine fish sauce and MSG, continue hammering for another 15 minutes, then use a large bowl to serve, add minced fish, white meat cubes and MSG, mix well, and stir the tart with your hands. Until the meat slurry sticks to your hands and does not fall off, then grab the meat slurry with your hands, clench your fists and squeeze into balls, scoop them into a basin of warm water with a spoon, cook the balls over slow fire for about 8 minutes, and pick up the beef balls. It is said that good beef balls can jump high when thrown on the ground. In the past, beef balls were all hand-made, which may allow for this performance. Since they were all manually operated, the cost was higher than that of machine-made ones. After the advent of pill blasting machines in the early 1980s, the traditional hand-beaten production method became increasingly rare. With the growing demand from outsiders and old Shantou people who want to taste the kind of hand-beaten beef balls that can bounce as high as they fall on the ground, the delicious hand-beaten beef balls have reappeared in the world. When eating, put the original soup and beef balls into the pot and bring to a boil (the water should not be too boiling, otherwise the beef balls will not be smooth), add an appropriate amount of MSG, sesame oil, pepper and celery grains, and serve with sand tea sauce or chili sauce. . Many people dip their beef balls in chili sauce, but the most authentic way is to dip them in the local specialty Shacha sauce. Beef balls can also be eaten grilled. When grilling, cut the beef balls in half, smear them with sauce and honey and roast them until they are ready to chew.
Ping Pong Cake
Ping Pong Cake is a specialty delicacy in Rongcheng District, Jieyang City. Generally oblate in shape. The bare skin is translucent. It is made from glutinous rice soaked and ground into a paste, cooked, and then a small amount of sugar is added and kneaded to make the skin soft and thick. Use white sugar, sesame seeds, peanut kernels, betel glutinous rice bran, and scallion oil as the filling. The origin of the name of Ping Pong Cake: Penku bran is made from glutinous rice grains. When the glutinous rice grains are fried, when the rice grains are heated, the husks will expand. At this time, there will be a continuous "cracking" sound, just like the sound of beating table tennis balls. Taking advantage of this "crackling" sound, the cake was named "Ping Pong Kueh", which is very vivid. In 1997, it was recognized as a "Chinese Famous Snack" at the first national Chinese Famous Snack Recognition Conference. "Ping Pong Cake" is the most famous one produced in Jieyang. Nowadays, "Ping Pong Tree" is mostly produced in a semi-mechanized manner. The finished product is vacuum-packed and can be stored for three to six months without the use of preservatives. This not only increases the output but is also convenient to carry. The packaging is also relatively refined and elegant. Very popular among tourists.