Watermelon Chicken Text/Lu Xiaolu

In the summer, fresh turquoise watermelons appear in the ink.

　　Watermelons are eaten in a variety of ways. Wang Zengqi's cool eating method is to "hang watermelon in a well with a rope, cut it in the afternoon, go down with a knife, click with sound, the cool air is overflowing, and even the eyes are cold." "When I was young, there were few wells everywhere, and my father dipped watermelons into buckets filled with tap water to cool them. Then I held half a watermelon and dug it up with a spoon to eat.

　　Watermelon is full of treasures, spit out watermelon seeds dried, can be fried with salt to eat, this is one of the best summer snacks in my childhood. Japanese chef Kitaji Lushanren said in "Taste of Japan" that on hot summer days, he would make some small dishes to satisfy his appetite, one of which was white melon peel. This side dish is a waste to treasure, and the white melon peel to be thrown away is eaten with rice bran flavor and becomes a crisp and delicious appetizer. My mother did the same. In the heat of the summer, sometimes the mother will peel the watermelon peel and peel it, cut it into strips, mix it into a small dish, and eat a refreshing body with white porridge.

　　Watermelon peels can also be used as containers for delicacies, which is what I see from Qian Zhongshu's "Siege of the City". Zhang Ailing once said, "Once upon a time, when the old lady of Xiangfu read "The History of Ru Lin Wai", she would watch and eat. "Now that I'm getting older, I feel the same way. After thousands of mountains and rivers, the good wish to know happiness finally has to fall on a "eat" word, after all, three meals a day is something that cannot be omitted every day. Revisiting "The Siege" a while ago, I found a dish in the book: watermelon chicken. Fang Hong, who returned from studying abroad, gradually returned to his hometown, and Mrs. Fang personally prepared a feast for her son, all of which were the hometown flavors that her son loved to eat: fried eel shreds, sauced chicken wings, watermelon chicken, and boiled shrimp in wine. I noticed the watermelon chicken because I hadn't heard of it before. Watermelon and chicken are two things that are so incompatible that they can mix and match a dish?

　　Not long after, in suzhou famous Lu Wenfu's "Gourmet", I actually saw the figure of watermelon chicken again. Lu Wenfu said that this is a famous dish in Suzhou, and he also wrote the recipe for this dish - watermelon chicken, also known as watermelon cup. Choose a watermelon of about four pounds, cut the lid, carve off the inner bowl, leave about half an inch of meat, and decorate the skin with a pattern, and set aside. Then take a tender chicken, steam it thoroughly in the steam pot, put it in the watermelon, close the lid, and then steam it back into the steamer basket for a while, and then you can eat it. The second time I saw the watermelon chicken, my hungry worm was completely aroused. It was learned that watermelon chicken is a summer seasonal dish, which is only served in June and July every year, and now there are only two or three Suzhou restaurants that can make this dish.

　　Choosing a day is not as good as hitting the sun, hitting the day is not as good as today, and driving to Suzhou on the weekend. I chose the Deyue Building on Guanqian Street, which is a century-old Subang restaurant. The restaurant is decorated with old-fashioned decorations, and the store is full of old films from the 1980s, "Little Moon Building". At that time, "Little Deyue Lou" was filmed here, telling the story that also happened in the Deyue Building. On the menu there is a "Moon Boy Chicken", which is the watermelon chicken that I want to eat.

　　The process of waiting was both joyful and anxious. The watermelon chicken was brought to the table, and I couldn't help but laugh. The big green-skinned melon of a football "sits" in a transparent plate with lace, and three huge words are carved on the body: watermelon chicken, imposing and powerful. Lift the lid, but it is a cute and loving little fresh look. Watermelons are dug into small balls, chickens are cut into small pieces, and ingredients such as dried bamboo shoots and ham are placed in the soup. Take a sip of chicken soup with a little watermelon sweetness and a wonderful taste, who said that fruit can only be dessert? Creative mix-and-match for an unusual taste treat. Looking closely at the watermelon chicken, the most obvious craft is the carving part. The melon is dug evenly, the wavy shape of the melon cover is cut, and the carving of the three words "watermelon chicken" is enough to show the kung fu. I just don't know if the watermelon chicken on the reception banquet prepared by Mrs. Fang for her son Hongwei is also finely carved? In any case, watermelon chicken is a tedious dish, which can be seen in the mother's deep love for her son.

　　On this trip, I also went to Gusu to eat watermelon chicken with two of my family. The family laughed at me for eating a chicken with too much passion. I echoed their "chicken soup": "Chefs cook with their hearts, diners should taste them with their hearts." Watermelon chicken is by no means a gobble-up dish, but a style dish that can quietly taste 'once upon a time'. ”