Chapter 35 The Secret of Braised Elephant Trunk

My uncle, Zhang Liucheng, traveled to Guangdong Province for many years, so he tasted all the delicacies in Yangcheng. He often heard his old man talk about the fact that Minkangwufu was extremely luxurious in terms of banquets around the 20th year of the Republic of China. At that time, there were the so-called four major restaurants in Guangzhou, the most prestigious."Moshang" and "Wenyuan" in Xiguan, "Nanyuan" in Nanguan, and "Da Sanyuan" in Changdi.Each of these four major restaurants has its own signature dishes: Da San Yuan is called braised purple abalone with ribs; It's amazing; Wenyuan is famous for its four hot stir-fries. His family's stir-fry is purely made of snails, oysters, geckos, and some rare aquariums. , The brocade shop is elegant, full of flowers and clear, like a full banquet of the Manchu and Han Dynasties in those days, it was the most open venue at that time only if there was a grand hall like the Moshang, to be able to spread the banquet and turn the banquet to move forward and retreat freely.Although Moshang is famous in Guangzhou for being able to cook Manchu and Han banquets, at the same time, there is a Datong restaurant in Hong Kong’s Des Voeux Road that also claims to be proud of making Manchu and Han banquets. Although Lingnan is rich, wealthy merchants, Western gentry and compradors gather in Hong Kong, Kowloon and Guangzhou. , living a life of extravagance and extravagance, but no one would casually come to a table full of Chinese people to feast on.The result of the difference between the two restaurants is that after all, the owner of Mozhang is a master of chess, and he is unique. He took out the elephant trunk, which is one of the four treasures of the Manchu banquet, the bear paw, the hump, the elephant trunk, and the scarlet lip. For banquets above RMB 10,000, a bowl of braised elephant trunk will be presented as an extra treat. This suet dish is warm, moist and plump, but not greasy.

Mr. Liang Junmo (Han Cao) is a famous master of Cantonese cuisine. Mr. Zhang and Liang often have doubts about the quality of this dish. Elephants are not a common animal in China. It is not easy to search for them. Isn’t it scary to supply them like this? Are the ingredients running out?Moreover, the texture is smooth and fragrant, why the elephant meat is so tender, I asked the waiter many times, but I couldn't figure it out.The two veterans of Taiwan's Guangfu came to Taiwan to meet or meet, and they often talked about the braised elephant trunks they ate in Xiguan, Guangzhou. The last time the author wrote an article "Hua Yan Yu Yu" in the "Vientiane" edition, I also talked about elephant trunks, and I was informed by the reader Mr. Zhou Yiting; it is said that about 20 years ago, there was a blue sky restaurant on Pedder Street in Hong Kong. Mr. Zhou works in the restaurant.The owner of the restaurant, Zhuang Baoqing, outsourced the Chinese food part to a doctor Luo. Dr. Luo had a chef, Xie Letian, who used to work in the imperial dining room of the Qing Dynasty.Yu Zu and the others came up with a famous imperial chef's dish "Braised Elephant Trunk". In order to attract diners, those who book a banquet and each table costs more than 250 yuan will give each guest a small bowl.Because Mr. Zhou is close to the water, he often goes to the kitchen to scoop up a bowl or two to eat. The taste is indeed similar to that of braised beef.During the peak period of business, dozens of bowls were sent out every day, but the most surprising thing is that no one has ever seen an entire elephant trunk carried into the kitchen.Where did the elephant's trunk come from? The thousand people in the kitchen kept their mouths shut. Even if they asked Xie Letian who was in charge of the stove, they just laughed and didn't answer.

Until Zhuang and Luo broke up for some reason.Dr. Luo went to Hanoi Road, Kowloon to open a Jiangnan family. Of course, Master Xie followed suit. When he was about to break up, Xie Le revealed the secret.Dare to feel that the so-called elephant trunk is actually the intestine of a pig's large intestine.Cut off the thickest part of the intestines, tie them one by one with thick ropes to form the horizontal stripes of the trunk, soak them in brine for three days, the intestines have already formed, and then braise them with heavy oil and thick ingredients, the viscera will disappear completely, and you can eat them again It can't be the taste of large intestine.

After Mr. Zhou’s explanation, decades of doubts were suddenly cleared up. At the same time, Mr. Zhou’s personal experience was roughly consistent with Zhang Liang’s knowledge, because this incident proved that the so-called mountain treasures are not necessarily true. vice.The name of some dishes makes people feel that this dish is a spiritual dish. If the diorama is taken apart, it is really common, there is nothing special, and it is just a bluff.