What are the recipes for Jiangsu home-cooked dishes?

The more famous cuisine in Jiangsu Province is also known as Su cuisine, which is as famous as Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Northeastern cuisine, etc. Among Su cuisine, there are many dishes with well-known names, and people love to eat them. Of course, if you want to make a more authentic Su cuisine, you still need to put in some effort, and it is definitely impossible to master the essence of it in a short period of time. So, what are the methods of Jiangsu home cooking?

Farewell My Concubine

The original name was dragon and phoenix stew. When Xiang Yu declared himself the Overlord and held a founding ceremony in his capital Pengcheng (Xuzhou), he prepared a "Dragon and Phoenix Banquet" for the grand ceremony. According to legend, it was designed by Empress Yu Ji herself. "Dragon and Phoenix Stew" is the main dish in the "Dragon and Phoenix Banquet". The ingredients used are "turtle" (turtle belongs to the aquatic family, and dragon is the leader of the aquatic family) and pheasant (pheasant belongs to the feathered family, and phoenix is ​​the leader of the feathered family), so it is named after the meeting of dragon and phoenix. Now turtles and chickens are used to replace tortoises and pheasants. This dish has been passed down from generation to generation and is a famous delicacy in Xuzhou, becoming an indispensable dish at festive banquets.

Three sets of duck

A traditional Yangzhou delicacy, the preparation method of set duck was recorded in "Diao Ding Ji" of the Qing Dynasty, which was "deboning the fat domestic duck and the pressed duck, stuffing the duck into the duck's stomach, steaming it until it is soft, and serving it whole." Later, chefs in Yangzhou combined lake ducks, wild ducks and pigeons, and stewed them in a purple clay pot produced in Yixing over low heat with a large amount of soup. The domestic duck is fat and tender, the wild duck is crispy, and the pigeon is delicate and fresh, with unique flavors.

Boiled dried shreds

It is related to Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty's visit to the south of the Yangtze River. During Emperor Qianlong's sixth trip to the south of the Yangtze River, local officials in Yangzhou hired famous chefs to prepare delicious dishes for the emperor. One of the dishes was the "Nine-Strand Soup," which was made with shredded dried tofu and shredded ham stewed in chicken broth. It was extremely delicious. In particular, the dried shredded silk is cut into fine pieces, which allows the flavor to penetrate better and absorbs all kinds of delicious flavors. It became famous all over the world, and was therefore renamed "boiled dried shredded silk". When cooked with shredded chicken and ham, it is called shredded chicken and ham. When added with dried shrimp, it is called shredded shrimp.

Lion head

According to legend, it began in the Sui Dynasty. After Emperor Yang of Sui went to Yangzhou to view the magnolia flowers, he was deeply attached to Yangzhou's four famous scenic spots: Wansong Mountain, Jinqiandun, Ivory Forest and Sunflower Hill. After returning to the palace, he ordered the imperial chef to prepare four dishes based on the above four scenes, namely, squirrel mandarin fish, golden shrimp cakes, ivory chicken strips, and sunflower meat. The emperor was very impressed and gave a banquet to all his ministers. From then on, these dishes spread all over the country. In the Tang Dynasty, the famous chefs in the mansion of Duke Xun were inspired by the "Sunflower Meat Offering" and made huge meat balls into sunflower shapes. The unique shape looks like a lion's head. It can be braised or stewed. The stewed one is more tender, and after adding crab roe, it becomes "Braised Crab Roe Lion's Head", which is popular in Zhenyang area.

Crystal pork trotter

It is also known as Zhenjiang Yaorou. According to legend, more than 300 years ago, the owner of a small hotel on Jiuhai Street in Zhenjiang bought four pig's trotters on a hot day and wanted to pickle them with salt, but he mistakenly used the saltpeter that his father-in-law used to make firecrackers. Unexpectedly, the quality of the meat did not change, but became even firmer and more fragrant, with the meat red and the hooves white. Soak in clean water, blanch it, then put it into the pot, add onion, ginger, pepper, fennel, cinnamon, and simmer with water. I wanted to use high temperature to remove the toxins, but unexpectedly I smelled a fragrant aroma. The aroma attracted the immortal Zhang Guolao, who transformed into a white-haired old man to buy the pork trotters. He ate three and a half of the four pork trotters and the owner ate the remaining half. He found it delicious and used this method to make pork trotters from then on.

Jinling Salted Duck

A famous Nanjing dish. Duck dishes are popular in the local area. There was once a saying that "Nanjing duck cuisine is the best in the world". After the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Jinling, Jinling roast duck appeared first, followed by Jinling salted duck. This dish uses the "Osmanthus Duck" from the Mid-Autumn Festival in August of that year as the raw material. After being marinated with hot salt and clear brine, it is taken out and hung in a cool place to dry. It is cooked in water when eaten. It has white skin and red meat, is fragrant, tender and delicious, and has a unique flavor. It is as famous as the "Preserved Duck" that appeared in the late Ming Dynasty and is sold well all over the country. There is also a "stewed vegetable core" which is said to be from an imperial envoy in the Qing Dynasty who lived in Wanzhu Garden in Nanjing and ate vegetables every day without getting tired of it. The stewed vegetable core is made by stewing the heart of dwarf yellow cabbage, which is delicious and tasty!