Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition
Shantou, Guangdong Province, has a traditional Chaoshan cuisine "Chaoyang Crab Kun" that has long been famous, not only because of its unique characteristics, but also because it contains strong nostalgia.
鲎 (Note: pronounced "hòu") is made of potato flour as the main material, shaped like a peach, and its history can be traced back to the Tang and Song dynasties, and has been more than a thousand years. According to the "Chronicle of Chaoyang County", "Chaoyi Qi Kun is a fine product of powder and is also served to guests during the Kangxi Dynasty." And pink kun is Tang Naizhi. ”
"In the old days, there was a shortage of materials, and there were not many ingredients for the koji. However, every time you eat the crispy skin and tender inside, you are very satisfied, and when you take a bite, it is fresh, fragrant, spicy and salty, which greatly satisfies the diverse feelings of the taste buds. Malaysian returnee Chen Airu mentioned Chaoyang koji and lamented that the types of koji are now much richer than before, and they can also order food online.
The author recently saw in a long-established crab kway shop in Chaoyang District, Shantou, that two clerks were busy making koji koji. They stir the potato flour and white porridge into a pulp proportionally, pour 2/3 of the powder into the peach mold, and then add quail eggs, fresh shrimp, squid, shiitake mushrooms, dried scallops, pork, etc., and then pour in the powder and steam for about 30 minutes on high heat. After steaming, the koji is also placed in a lard pot and soaked over low heat until it is thoroughly heated, and finally drizzled with soy sauce, chili sauce and shacha sauce.
Aunt Zhang, the owner of the koji koji shop, introduced that the previous koji was made of raw materials such as crab meat, horseshoe juice, white porridge, sweet potato flour, etc., so it was called koji koji. Today's koji and "horseshoe" are no longer related, and the crab meat and horseshoe sauce are replaced by other seafood. In addition to adhering to the traditional handmade practice, the store also tries to add potato flour to the ingredients to warm the stomach and make it easier to digest.
It is reported that there are nearly 100 koji kway shops in shantou Chaoyang Cotton City, and different shops have different practices and innovations for koji koji, forming various flavors. Through the inheritance and innovation of Chaoyang Crab Koji, it is deeply loved by the public. There are also merchants in the traditional Chaoyang koji kway, innovative use of teppanyaki koji, with black pepper sauce, more charred and crisp.
Local cuisine often carries the local humanistic customs and is a unique cultural symbol. Chaoyang crab is a familiar hometown taste for many hipsters at home and abroad, and it is also a nostalgia that they can never forget.
(According to China News Agency)