Lychee meat is a traditional dish in Fuzhou, which has been around since the early Qing Dynasty. It has a history of 200 to 300 years. Lychee flesh is red in color, shaped like lychee, the texture is crisp and tender, the sour flavor is good, and the sweet and sour is delicious. It is named because the color, shape and taste are similar to lychees.
Lychee meat is a traditional feature of Fujian cuisine, which is widely spread, not only attractive but also delicious, with the temptation of sight, taste and smell. Authentic lychee meat is a pork knife, fried in the pan, naturally turned into a "lychee".
As one of Fuzhou's business cards, "lychee meat", do you know its origin?
According to legend, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Cai Jing, the Xianyou Fengting, was an official in the dynasty and once offered the Puxian folk snack "Lychee meat" to Sima Guang to taste, which was deeply appreciated.
Cai Jingxining was a jinshi in the third year, first as a magistrate and then as a Zhongshu Sheren. At that time, it was Wang Anshi who implemented the change of law, and Cai Jing vigorously advocated the new law, which was very appreciated by Wang Anshi. However, later Wang Anshi lost power, Sima Guang's old party came to power, and Cai Jing immediately saw the wind and made the rudder cater to the current situation. Although Cai Jing, who had been Wang Anshi's confidant for many years, fully supported Sima Guang's repeal of Wang Anshi's new law, it was difficult to dispel Sima Guang's concerns about Cai Jing's brother marrying Wang Anshi's daughter, and he always believed that this person could not be reused.
Cai Jing, who could turn his hand into a cloud in the court and cover his hand for more than ten years, even if he could not take Sima Guang politically, he could start from other aspects.
Su Wen Sima Guang is delicious, but the food of Cai Jing's hometown is deaf, Cai Jing in order to be able to win Sima Guang in one fell swoop, stayed in the library for five days, good to remember that his grandfather Cai Xiang once wrote a "Litchi Spectrum" may be able to find a magic recipe in it.
When I was flipping through the pages, a sentence suddenly flashed in my mind, "Liyin Mountains and Seas are infinite, and it is difficult to look like a noble god." Suddenly, Cai Jing's eyes shone brightly--thinking: If Sima Guang's favorite fresh pork tenderloin was processed and fried into a lychee form, wouldn't I be able to express my heartfelt intentions and loyal and courageous heart! Thinking of this, he couldn't help but pat his thigh, and immediately ordered the chef at home to make this "lychee meat" and then offer it to Sima Guang to taste, and it was not surprising that he was praised. It is this small dish that does not seem to be amazing, but it has its own ingenuity, and then Cai Jing left the "lychee meat" method to the Cai family, creating today's Famous Dishes in Fuzhou.
The method of lychee meat is: first cut the lean pork into about three inches long, one inch wide and six minutes wide, and four points thick slices of meat, make a diagonal cross flower knife with a width and three minutes deep on each piece of meat, and then cut the meat slices marked with knife flowers into eight points, five points wide, and four points thick oblique pieces, grasp it with red yeast powder, wet starch, and fry it in a high fire, and when the meat slices appear to resemble the shape of a lychee, pour it into a colander and drain the oil. Leave the remaining oil in the wok, add the garlic rice and then the shallots, sugar, mellow, soy sauce, wet starch to dilute the mustard, stir-fry a few times. Paired with peeled water chestnut, the fruity aroma neutralizes the sweetness and sourness of lychee meat, allowing taste buds to experience the pleasure of vegetarianism while enjoying meat.
I remember when I was a child, every New Year's Festival, there would be this dish on the table at home. At that time, I often circled around my mother, watching them fall into the oil pot one by one, and when the surface changed color, I would fish it out to cool. At this time, I always can't wait to send it to my mouth. When I was a child, there was a shortage of supplies, and this lychee meat was a rare and delicious dish.
Nowadays, there must be this lychee meat at the banquet in Fuzhou, and whenever I eat sweet and sour lychee meat, I always feel trance, like going back to the time when I ate the banquet when I was a child and had to pack it with plastic bags. The smell there is always unforgettable.