Round New Year! Listening to the Huaiyang cuisine master born in the 1980s talk about a fat but not greasy Chinese and foreign mixed blood: lion head
[ Barbecue]
eat meat
In an era when "eating" is no longer just about eating,
In the past, when there was a lack of clothing and food,
Sweet, oily, meaty...
It seems that it has lost its "sex appeal" in the mouths of high-end diners.
Sometimes it makes people feel sick from their eyes to their hearts.
In my humble opinion,
At a banquet now,
If a lion's head is not blessed by a "master",
It is usually not worth using chopsticks.
However, every bite of Master Tao Xiaodong's lion head is "understanding". Good food, like a person, will change with the years and improve.
A rebirth of a lion's head
He is the least talkative among my famous chef friends. Can you imagine? Such a new generation master of Huaiyang once cut dried silk in the vegetable market for two years in order to practice sword skills. He is accustomed to "doing it before saying it", and has the courage to take bold actions to make breakthroughs. For example, as early as a few years ago, he dared to take what most famous chefs believed in-strictly following the Huaiyang cuisine tradition of "big mistakes" to change the "lion's head".
He insisted that in order to obtain a tender taste, the ratio of fat to lean pork was usually half and half, but this would seem too greasy for modern people. Tao Xiaodong quickly changed the ratio to fat, three and lean, seven."The taste is adjusted by allowing the pork to fully eat water with salt. One pound of meat should be eaten in 7 taels of water." Tao Xiaodong said,"How to eat water and how long you eat depends on experience. This is a technical job. If you don't eat well, the meat will not only not be soft and tender, but will also become extremely loose and even become meat paste, which cannot be made into a lion's head."
In Tao Xiaodong's view, chefs just need more time to work with their heads covered, be patient, study, and constantly improve in the details."This is especially true for Huaiyang cuisine." It is said that "a clever woman can't cook without rice", but Huaiyang cuisine is the ultimate of "nothing" among the eight major cuisines. You can have less salt, shark fin tripe, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar! Compared with some big dishes that focus on blending flavors through spices and sauces, Huaiyang cuisine emphasizes the use of the simplest and basic seasonings such as sugar, salt, and soy sauce to cook multi-level flavors, even if it is just a lion's head!
It used to be "fat but not greasy", but now it also needs to be "delicate but not fat". This requirement of "picking bones in eggs" requires chefs to master precise ingredients and seasoning ratios, use precise technological processes, and just right fire power.
If I say the characteristics of Huaiyang cuisine, it is almost "difficult". This successfully proved the big picture inside a seemingly small "lion's head".
Master Tao's two outstanding disciples must have more understanding. One is Ye Mingjun, chief chef of Overseas Chinese Town Store of Jiangsu Yangcheng Yiwei Catering Management Co., Ltd.(national senior chef, famous cook of Huaiyang cuisine, and commando of the New Long March in Yangzhou City). One is Ma Yuming, the chef of Sanbadao Street of Jiangsu Yangcheng Yiwei Catering Management Co., Ltd.(senior cook, lecturer at Huaiyang Cuisine Lecture Hall, and craftsman of Huaiyang Cuisine in Yangzhou City. Participated in filming on CCTV, Jiangsu TV and other food columns many times).
This time, they will perform a Ruyi cabbage and lion head together with the strict master. Although they are currently among the famous chefs, they still look in awe when they see Master Tao's baby-like face that cannot be seen with their eyes when they smile!
"Many people who don't know what it is, think that lion heads are just a few big meatballs, but to be tender as tofu and melt right in the mouth, the draught and proportion of pork, as well as the steaming heat and utensils are all very important. It takes less than ten hours to make a good lion head." They said that after years of experience, the skills in their hands continued to improve due to epiphany in the master's words. Master Tao Xiaodong could often wake up the dreamer with a single word when speaking.
In order to further reduce the guilt of grease and allow the "lion's head" to dance more lightly on the tongue, they used a different pork this time. This clever fusion of pork and water poses a new challenge!
The lion head of Ruyi cabbage in front of me has a soul. It uses a balance of fresh and fresh food to "dialogue" with diners.
Master Tao Xiaodong chose European pork belly pork, and cut the pork finely and roughly. In fact, the traditional classic and famous dish Yangzhou Lion's Head is cut by hand, so it will have a clear and granular chewy feeling. Master Tao Xiaodong stewed the lion's head with broth, and finally added cabbage. The rich umami adds the sweetness of Jiaodong cabbage, which removes the greasy and aroma. After I finished eating, I quickly asked Master Tao for the recipe.
Ingredients: European Irish pork belly, European Irish pork ribs, shrimp, Jiaodong Chinese cabbage leaves, onion ginger water, cooking wine.
Method: Peel the pork belly and keep it, chop the pork fat and lean meat into meat particles in a ratio of 3:7 or 5:5 respectively, and float in water; add onion ginger water and cooking wine to the pork particles and stir hard to form a meat paste. Refrigerate and let it stand for 12 hours; remove the meat paste, add shrimp seeds, and beat it into a ball; after blanching the pork ribs and meat skins in water, put them into the boiling water pot together with the meatballs, cover with cabbage leaves, and stew for 2.5 hours. Put the lion's head wrapped in cabbage leaves and the filtered raw soup into the container.
I think this dish is a perfect match for Yangzhou fried rice! Moreover, what makes me lucky is that Master Tao Xiaodong's Yangzhou fried rice does not require "overnight meal", and the meat inside can also be used with this pork in front of me. He said that Huaiyang cuisine attaches great importance to not wasting ingredients, such as breaking and stewing fish heads, making soup with fish bones and fish skin, making meatballs with fish, etc., all of which have the concept of saving ingredients. Yangzhou fried rice was originally created by chefs to process the remaining scraps and leftovers. During the development process, some ingredients were added to achieve the integration of the meals, and gradually became a famous dish. Therefore, if you want to stir-fry a Yangzhou fried rice well, using overnight rice is not the first choice.
Yangzhou fried rice is famous for the "broken gold rice" brought by Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, and it is famous throughout the country along with the canal. Yi Bingshou, the prefect of Yangzhou in the Qing Dynasty (Hakka from Ninghua, Fujian), was the golden trumpet. The chef of Yifu added shrimp and roasted pork, which became a popular must-have staple food for salt merchants. Finally, this bowl of Yangzhou fried rice also went to the world with the Hakka people. Now he has a new life in the hands of Master Tao Xiaodong.
Lion heads deserve better meat
I have always felt that the "lion's head" will become more and more popular because the techniques, ingredients and people are constantly improving. Giving yourself and your family greener pork is not only the choice of gourmets and celebrity chefs, but also the consensus of ordinary families! The health concept of modern families has been put on the table schedule due to special times.
For example, I pay special attention to ingredients that support sustainable agriculture. Europe has a long history of producing high-quality pork. Due to its long-term commitment to the outstanding development of agriculture and food processing industries, the EU is now the world's major pork production center and the world's largest net pork exporter. Export standards are extremely high.
Master Tao Xiaodong also believes that European pork is the best choice because it truly makes the meat tender, thin but not firewood.
I researched it and found that the secret is: European pigs are born of happy pigs!
The farm strictly abides by EU regulations, prohibits the use of any growth hormone, and the control of veterinary drugs is also tracked and managed in a strict national database. Pigs are inherently curious and like to 'socialize' and 'explore.' In order to protect their nature, farms often use some special decorative materials to create a natural habitat environment, allowing piglets who like to forage and explore to grow up freely and happily. In Ireland in Europe, farmers feed pigs only with high-quality locally sourced grains and only use certified feed from reliable sources. Pigs are slaughtered when they grow to about six months, resulting in the most tender and delicious pork products. This is a key factor in the delicate, lean and non-firewood quality of European Irish pork.
On the basis of strict EU regulations, Ireland implements the "Origin Green Source" sustainable agricultural production plan across the country, which controls the operating processes of all pig farms and processing plants to ensure that the impact on the environment is reduced and that agricultural production is achieved and maintained. Economic and ecological sustainability.
In 2012, the Irish government officially formulated and promulgated the world's first and only national-level food sustainable development plan-the Origin Green Green Origin Plan. The plan adheres to modern food production rules that are purely natural and environmentally friendly, collaboratively controls greenhouse gas emissions, and strives to ensure the production of safe and high-quality food while protecting the ecological environment and achieving coordinated development of economy, environment and society.
This project is so far the only food development project supported by a country in the world that combines safety, quality and environmental protection in food production. Its core is to propose solutions to improve food safety and promote sustainable development through advanced scientific monitoring and third-party independent audits of the entire process of food production, and help farms and food producers effectively implement them, ultimately promoting the entire food production. Sustainable development of the industrial chain.
Under the plan, almost all producers and processors across the country, as well as major retailers and catering companies, are audited every 18 months to ensure they meet strict food safety, animal welfare, environmental protection, traceability and sustainability standards. The Quality Assurance Program is one of the most stringent national food standards in the world and is a guarantee of safe, high-quality food production in Ireland.
The Irish Food Authority's Quality Assurance Scheme has been implemented for more than 20 years. On this basis, the Origin Green Green Plan puts forward higher requirements. On the premise of ensuring food safety, it uses smart technology to help farms measure and track carbon emissions., improve farm production and management efficiency, and truly achieve sustainable development of food production.
The global food and beverage industry is facing huge challenges, such as the changing climate, pollution of natural resources, and the depletion of natural resources caused by growing demand for raw materials. In response to these challenges, the Origin Green Green Initiative advocates the establishment of infrastructure facilities and frameworks to promote Ireland to become the world leader in sustainable food and beverage production.
In 2020, 5.97 million tons of pork worth approximately 14.9 billion euros were exported from the EU region to the world. The EU maintains close trade relations with Asia. China, Japan and South Korea are the EU's three most important markets in the Asian region, accounting for more than 60% of the EU's total pork exports.
I was fortunate to learn about the "European Pork and Poultry Project" co-sponsored by the European Union and Ireland. The project is committed to promoting high-quality European ingredients in the Chinese market and building market awareness and trust in the quality of European pork and poultry products. The Irish Food Authority is the official executive agency of the European Pork and Poultry Project in the Chinese market.
For me, the safest thing about European Irish pork is that it is "traceable throughout the process." Ireland, a Western European country, has a unique geographical location. The terrain of the island country serves as a natural virus barrier, blocking the biohazards of foreign viruses to the emerald island country. At the same time, a strict pork quality assurance plan ensures that the "farm-to-table" process of European Irish pork is transparent.
Pigs are bred and grown on the same farm. When they leave the farm, they are marked with ear tags or laser stamps. The information is transmitted to the product traceability code of the processing plant, so every piece of pork you enjoy at the table can be traced from distribution to production to origin.
This kind of peace of mind is not only a slogan, but also a resounding voice.
A beautiful pig feast
Not long ago, I had the honor to participate in the "European Pork and Poultry Meat-Leaders in the Field of Quality Assurance and Food Safety" project team activity sponsored by the European Union. Following Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Dali, EU pork came to Yangzhou on December 21, known as the "World's Gourmet Capital", and the 'Western Food and Dongfeng Italian' European-style pork table series also landed in Yangzhou.
More than 40 people, including representatives of the European pork and poultry meat project team, representatives of the Huaiyang Cuisine Chefs Association of Yangzhou City, and chief chefs and founders of the Yangzhou catering industry, gathered together.
Food knows no borders, and the event was launched with a dialogue forum between Chinese and Western food cultures.
Mr. Su Liwen, representative of the European pork and poultry project team, said,"Yangzhou has been selected by UNESCO as the world's gourmet capital and plays an important role in the Chinese catering industry. Therefore, we regard Yangzhou as an important stop in the European pork-flavored table series activities. We hope that through today's event, everyone can better understand the characteristics of European pork and try to apply more European pork in daily cooking."
At the forum, Master Tao Xiaodong, deputy general manager of Jiangsu Yangcheng Yiwei Catering Management Co., Ltd. and famous Chinese cooking master, shared in detail the cooking techniques and flavor details of traditional Huaiyang cuisine. Mr. Xu Ming, executive vice president of Yangzhou City Huaiyang Cuisine Chefs Association, expressed his expectations for the future development of Huaiyang cuisine.
As for me, as a standard foodie, my skills and expectations are not as deep as the delicious food presented at this banquet!
Osmanthus and honey fragrant honeycomb plum meat with roasted pepper and drunk abaloneEuropean pork and plum meat are pickled in barbecued pork sauce with blueberry juice, and baked. The plum meat is sweet and sour, paired with fresh, sweet and slightly spicy seafood, as well as sweet and sour osmanthus derived from Yangzhou's traditional sweet and sour juice. juice.
The whole dish combines Huaiyang techniques and Jiangnan seasoning, with a slight Sichuan-style roasted pepper flavor. The layers are clear, and the front and back middle tunes are layered, just like the Jiangnan landscape.
There is one thing I have to mention! Steamed buns are a traditional delicacy in Yangzhou. The chef makes the crab meat buns in a fried manner and combines them with sour soup Wensi tofu to create an unparalleled couple.Pan-fried crab roe meat bun with sour soup Wensi tofu。
European pork belly pork is made into meat paste and mixed with crab meal. The meat is tender and fresh, which is a sin for me.
Master Tao said, don't worry! It seems that this dish originated from Huaiyang's classic dishes Wensi tofu and crab yellow soup dumplings. However, in the subtle improvements, Wensi tofu is added to the sour taste, and the crab yellow soup dumplings are changed to a pan-fried cooking method. The fried crab roe meat bun has a crispy outer skin and a juicy pork inside. It is paired with sour Wensi tofu to relieve the greasy taste.
He said that the "silk" of this Wensi tofu is very rich, blending with various delicacies from Jiangnan, such as shredded winter bamboo shoots, shredded mushrooms, shredded ham, and shredded green vegetables, cooked together, and then mixed with orange acid. The comfortable sour taste in the fruit aroma has finally been decrypted!
On that day, the entire set of dishes arranged by Master Tao was based on Huaiyang cuisine, integrating traditional classics with trend innovation, using various cooking techniques such as frying, frying, roasting, steaming and stewing, and multi-level complex flavors such as sour, sweet, salty, spicy and fresh, showing the multiple possibilities and plasticity of European pork.
Simple and crude meat eaters can also find beauty in this banquet.
Everyone has eaten abalone braised pork? I'm still obsessedHoneycomb plum meatOn the crispy aroma at the entrance, the delicacy of abalone comes! Using Huaiyang cuisine, drunken seasoning, and refreshing fruit aroma gives pork plum meat a multi-level taste experience.
And Master Tao Xiaodong's kitchen also emits the taste of aquatic products and meat that hits the soul. That isSalt-baked winter bamboo shoots and salted fish ribs!That's also what I can't put down.
Winter bamboo shoots are available in Jiangnan in winter, with tender and fragrant bamboo shoots. Every household in Yangzhou will make a winter bamboo shoot and salted fish braised pork. Salt-baked winter bamboo shoot and salted fish ribs are derived from this dish. European pork ribs and fish brisket meat and winter bamboo shoots are treated together, presented in salt baked form when served, combined with Hakka wisdom, it is both warm and novel.
In short, familiar yet unfamiliar, cordial and charming!
I think all aesthetics are like this. Being swept by this ever-changing world, we have to find new existences while constantly moving forward.
The goddess asked
What kind of pork do you like to eat?
"Knowledge is not true knowledge."
--Hegel
Food Bless You!
Consultant for China International Food Expo
Producer of "God's Table"
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