Chapter 6 eat in jiangxi

A few days ago, I sat with Mr. Yang Shujin (Jiayu) at Tianchu restaurant. Yang is from Jiangxi. I have read the book. All the famous dishes in restaurants around China are mentioned in the book, but there is no mention of Jiangxi's delicious dishes and famous restaurants. People from other provinces often say that there are no top-notch restaurants in Jiangxi. There are no outstanding dishes, what do you think?" The author said: "These words are said by people who have never been to Jiangxi. In fact, Jiangxi is adjacent to Fujian and Zhejiang in the east. After Dayu in the south is Guangdong, and up the river in the west is Sichuan and Hunan, which is addicted to spicy food. The north is followed by Yizhou. Hubei, which is famous for its steamed dishes, borders Hubei, and Jiangxi Province has already made the food in the southeastern half of China full of beauty and essence, so why must there be Jiangxi restaurants!” The same is true for authentic Peking restaurants (in some restaurants in Taiwan, the signboard says Pingjin snacks, strictly speaking, it can only be regarded as Shandong cuisine in Denglaiqing).

"Back then, Uncle Sheng Duo, Li Muzhai, Dehua County, Guizhou Province said: 'Although there are no delicacies and delicious restaurants in the two provinces of Jiangxi Province, there are no famous restaurants, but there is one floor. The more precious the food, the more Jiangxi fine porcelain is used. Sheng, gourmet food must have beautiful utensils, and it is enough to be proud of it.' This sentence seems a bit exaggerated, but after careful consideration, it really makes sense." The compatriots in Jiangxi are always self-effacing, eating and drinking without changing their enjoyment, writing about the country of righteousness, and not studying food and drink.In fact, the way of cutting and cooking in Jiangxi has long been quite famous and good at winning games.Before the sea ban was opened, Ganzhou (known as Qianzhou in ancient times) in Jiangxi Province was the only place to pass through the international trade route from North China to Guangzhou.Back then, merchants gathered and vehicles and boats converged. Since it is surrounded by clouds, it is natural to sing, drink and eat here.In an article written by Dai Quheng, the number one scholar of Dayu in Jiangxi during the 1890s, he praised Ganzhou's food and drink, including cow lips and pig's head, goose palm and turtle skirt, and tripod and pot slaughter. The dishes are superb!

Mr. Tan Zuyan traveled from Guangzhou to Nanjing one year and passed through Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province. The local gentry Liu Liangzhan hosted a banquet at his Hua'e Lane apartment.There is a restaurant in Ganzhou called Zhang Wanxing. Braised duck liver, paper-wrapped chicken, and double-flavored duck tongue with hibiscus are all famous dishes of his family, especially the stewed red wings. So Zhang Wanxing’s head chef was called to cook at home. . Zhang Wanxing heard that he invited the "Chairman of the National Government" and he is also a big expert in eating shark's fin. Juice, purple abalone, and ginger leg are all extracted from the essence, and the knife skills are of course more careful and not sloppy.When this stewed abalone fin casserole is served on the table and the lid is lifted, the aroma of Qiongyao will immediately spread, and the wings will be moist and fat.Of course, Weigong is full of fun, and it is also a feast for the general guests.After the banquet, Wei Gong was full of praise, thinking that the four major restaurants in Guangzhou, Moshang, Wenyuan, Nanyuan, and Dasanyuan, all made abalone fins.If Cao Jinchen (Tan Chu) hadn't given careful guidance, he might not be as good as Zhang Wanxing.When Wei Gong was leaving, he was so happy that he wrote four big characters "Tui Tan Pu Yuan" to commemorate Zhang Wanxing!Zhang Wanxing has been famous in southern Jiangxi since then, and visitors from both lakes and lakes must try his family's red braised ribs.In fact, apart from the shark fin, there are several other special dishes in his family, such as meat with thousands of flavors, each with different flavors, all of which have their own unique features.

During the spring break of the 21st year of the Republic of China, I traveled from Hankou to Nanchang, Jiujiang with my best friend Tang Peihuang and Liu Mengbai for a spring outing. We walked past a small restaurant in Nanchang and saw many people waiting in line.After inquiring with passers-by, I realized that I was waiting to eat "Shabu rice meat".What is steamed rice meat, not only do I, a northerner, not know, even Tang and Liu from Hubei don't want to slaughter sheep, but it is inconvenient to ask again, lest people will laugh at us as country bumpkins.So at noon the next day, the three of us discussed together and joined the queue to wait for the meal.Only after eating it did I know it was "Flour Steamed Pork".

According to a local old eater, "Tingzhou Chagang near Poyang Lake is fertile and Quhui. There is a kind of rice with long and thin grains, which is fragrant and delicious. It is called 'Liuxi rice'. The 'boiled rice meat' sold in this shop is Stir-fry Liuxi rice in a pot, add the secret five spices and grind it into fine powder, then use it to steam the pork belly, steam the smoothies until fragrant, rotten but not greasy, and the rice noodles are sweet and smooth, without any impurities. Xiangyi. However, the signboard of this restaurant says 'Beggar Restaurant'. Except for the locals who are accustomed to it, outsiders always feel awkward and unwilling to patronize the restaurant when they see it. The three of you are probably driven by curiosity. It’s right.” After eating, I went out and looked up, and it was indeed the four characters of “Beggar House”.Generally speaking, the name of restaurants strives to be grand and elegant. It is unbelievable that someone named it Huaziguan. There must be a reason for it. Unfortunately, I asked several local friends, and none of them could tell the reason. Until now, this I haven't solved the mystery yet!

Da Nianbo (a native of Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province), the heir of Wenyun Pavilion, said: "There are many kinds of fish in Poyang Lake. When eating fish, we pay attention to 'spring', 'summer carp', 'autumn painting', and 'winter bream'. Take For the frisky live mandarin fish, you can’t eat fresh ones in Pingjin, Shanghai and Han. The northern restaurant is bad for fried fish slices. The authentic way should be to use mandarin fish. If you use live mandarin fish, it will definitely taste better. And we Jiangxi whitebait is also a must. Compatriots from Huangpi, Hubei say that Yunmeng red-eyed whitebait is unmatched in the world. Compatriots from Changsha, Hunan say that whitebait with a transparent body in Dongting Lake is the most delicious in the world. Compatriots from Tanggu, Hebei say that Weihe Even Emperor Qianlong praised the whitebait that is crystal clear inside and outside. The Jiangxi compatriots especially emphasized that the whitebait in Ruihong Town is the best among them. In fact, these four kinds of whitebait are cooked in different ways. , The taste is very different, and it is difficult to distinguish between them. The whitebait in Hubei, make it into fish noodles, simmer it with cabbage heart, it is clear and fragrant, and the taste of orchid is forever, it can be regarded as a must. Dongting whitebait is eaten with dried winter bamboo shoots It is more suitable for rice and wine than porridge. Weihe whitebait is more white than snow, and it is fried with noodles. It's not delicious, you have to dry the whitebait first, and then boil it with boiling water when you eat it, stir-fry it with lean meat, green chives, and go with the wine. It is said that you should eat it when the spring leeks are on the market. All lost. Wang Jinggong, the famous minister of Jiangxi Linchuan in the Song Dynasty, was the sage who didn’t pay much attention to food, but friends in Linchuan said that Wang Jinggong was fond of egg soup made of whitebait. The fish is so juicy and attractive."

The restaurants in Beida Township, Jiangxi Province all use the signs of other provinces to attract customers. For example, Puyunzhai in Nanchang boasted that its roast duck was comparable to Peking roast duck; The branch of Songhe Tower, Lu Yang boasted that the chef from Yangzhou Lu Yang Department came to Nanchang to open it. Taishan Yuan is the only Hakka dish, and Yihong Yuan is purely Lingnan taste.The hundred-poured fish head of Qunxian Restaurant in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province is actually poured with a hundred seasonings on the fish head.This method is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and it is completely necessary to properly control the heat. If you are not a cooking master, you cannot do it just right.

There are many restaurants in Taiwan now serving the dish of Three Cups of Chicken. One diner claimed to be a gourmet expert and said that Three Cups of Chicken is a Peking dish.In fact, going back to the source, Three Cup Chicken is an authentic Jiangxi dish, which was researched by a chef in Erxianju, Taihe County in the early years (Shejian also knows this dish, which was personally instructed by Wen Sanyeting).The main condition is to add enough condiments, use a ceramic bowl, seal the lid tightly, simmer slowly, not let the air out, the original flavor is natural, and the aroma is overflowing when the lid is removed.This kind of white sand and glazed pottery bowl is a special product in Jiangxi, and it is not sold in Peking at all; it is too outrageous to say that three cup chicken is a famous dish in Peking.

There is also a specialty of Poyang Lake, which I have never eaten in Jiangxi.When I was in Shanghai, Li Zufa and Tang Ying had afternoon tea at their apartment. They treated me to noodle soup, which was rich in flavor, but it was neither chicken soup nor MSG. I don’t know why it was so delicious.When the noodles were almost finished, I found a pinch of small fish that was a little longer than rice grains at the bottom of the bowl.Li and his wife said: "This kind of small fish is a special product of Poyang Lake. Fishermen dry it and sell it by the catty. Li Zufa has done Jiujiang Road in his ancestors and knows that this kind of dried fish is fresh and nourishing, so every year the dried fish is on the market. I need to buy some and save it for stewing soup; bring it down, it is more delicious than the white soup noodles in Subei."

Among the aquatic products of Poyang Lake, there are many delicious seafoods. Unfortunately, every time I go to Jiangxi, I come and go in a hurry and stay for a short time, so I can’t taste it slowly; and the locals are not good at recommending them, so there are some delicious seafood. It's a pity that all the delicacies were buried and no one knew about them. There is also a big restaurant called Bingu in Ganzhou, which is also good at making fish. The famous dishes such as butterfly fish, fried fish, braised cuttlefish, and sweet and sour fish steak are all well-known dishes.I heard that the owner and chef of this restaurant, Zeng Laosi, who is respectfully called Zeng Si Daddy, is not only a master at cooking fish, but also an expert at butchering dogs.He has a secret spice, the stewed meat is tender and rotten, even if you sip it, there is no smell.Some people have eaten his stewed dog meat, and it leaves cheeks so fragrant that it makes people reluctant to brush their teeth.It's a pity that although I am greedy, I dare not eat cat meat or dog meat. Now that it is delicious, I have to miss it.