In Yangzhou, the most famous specialty food is Yangzhou "Three Heads". There is a poem: "The wood falls in the sky and the sky is far away, and the autumn color of Guangling is drunk; the West Garden tries to strike the three-headed feast, and Fang Zhi is rare in Yangzhou."
Yangzhou "three heads" refers to grilled whole pig heads, boiled silver carp heads, and stewed crab powder lion heads.
Yangzhou"three heads" ingredients are very common, of which two of the three heads are taken from pigs. According to the general convention, the eight kinds of pigs are not qualified for the table; compared with the bream white carp season, silver carp is also not in the same category, but yangzhou chefs do the opposite, playing the unique kung fu of Huaiyang cuisine, which is good at stewing, turning mediocrity into magic, making ordinary ingredients into one of the most representative delicacies.
The first is to grill the whole pig's head. A large pig's head, first melted in the face of the pig with rosin, and then in one go, pluck the fur, cut the face, wash the nasal cavity, dig the pig brain, remove the facial bone, cut the gills, divide the palate, take the lymph, pick the eyes and tongue, smoke the pig's face, the above ten preparation processes are the most laborious, after the completion, you can blanch the water again and again, scrape and wash over and over again, wash away the fishy smell, and then start to "grill". The seasoning should be properly matched, the heat should be mastered accurately, green onions, sauce, garlic, star anise, peppercorns, sauce, rock sugar, rice wine, fennel in the slight fire, simmering into the pig's head, the aroma is fierce, around the beam does not go! Wait for the crispy plate, the tongue is on the bottom, the face is covered, and the eyes are in place. As a result, we are presented with a face of the overlord who is full of joy and laughter in front of us! The skin is red and shiny, the taste is mellow but not greasy, the meat puff pastry is sticky but not rotten, and the smell is fragrant but not fatty. How to eat is also exquisite, to "stew, to the whole, grab the basket, the meat has melted, with the basket down." So that the hospitality of pig heads has become a custom, and there is a saying of "leaving customers rotten pig heads".
The second is the stewed crab powder lion's head. The so-called "lion's head" is a meat ball made of pork, which has been said to have a history of nearly a thousand years. It is named after its full form, like the head of a lion. "Lion's Head" has been listed as one of the four famous dishes in Huaiyang since the Sui Dynasty, which was called "Sunflower Chopping Meat" at that time, and became a delicacy for guests. Premier Zhou Enlai used his hometown cuisine to entertain Chinese and foreign VIPs, and "lion's head" was a must-have dish. Many foreign leaders have tasted this famous dish, which shows its representativeness in Huaiyang cuisine. Crab powder "lion's head" material is very exquisite, the selection of medium body shape of the pig five-flower rib meat, fat and thin, fat and thin ratio is seven thin three in winter, six thin in summer, half in spring and autumn. Peel and boneless pork ribs, finely cut into pomegranate grains, put into a bowl with ginger juice, crab meat, shrimp seeds, refined salt, rice wine, dry starch and mix well to make it have a certain stickiness, and the pork ribs and cut into a fast skin into boiling water are blanched and washed. Heat the wok on the fire, put the refined oil, put in the ribs, pork skin and simmer thoroughly, then put in the sand pot, add half a pot of water, put the shrimp seeds, fine salt and boil away from the fire, divide the mixed meat into several portions, put them in the palm of your hand, and then embed the crab yellow on each meatball, flip it back and forth with both hands into smooth meatballs, discharge them in the sand pot, cover the green vegetable leaves, boil on high heat, simmer for about three hours, take the bowl cover, remove the leaves, bursts of fresh fragrance fill the table, only the meat balls are displayed in front of the eyes, such as jade inlaid coral, beautiful shape, delicious , mouth-watering. The key to the production of this dish lies in the use of fire, the mastery of the fire, the lack of fire or the slight passing of the fire will affect the shape and taste of the meat round.
In addition to the crab powder "lion head", other "lion heads" can be made according to different seasons, using different ingredients, such as river mussels "lion head" in early spring, bamboo shoot stew "lion head" before and after the Qingming Dynasty, gluten "lion head" in summer, wind chicken "lion head" in winter, and catfish "lion head" in spring and autumn, all of which have their own characteristics and are wonderful.
"Lion's head" to eat hot and tender, any method should be based on tenderness, tasting because of its fat and tender, can not use chopsticks, can only be sent to the mouth with a spoon, a light sip is already under the belly, full of fragrance, long time, teeth and cheeks flowing, endless aftertaste. The tableware used does not have to be painted with snakes, and is served in a raw sand pot, which is slightly boiling in the pot, and diners eat it while it is hot, which can stimulate the taste and make people feel appetizing.
The third end is the dismantling of the head of the braised silver carp. Silver carp is precious in the head. Silver carp is most fertile after light snowfall every year. Take more than 4000 grams of silver carp, remove the bone, cut the fish head open and connect the face, first water, put into the soup pot, cook until semi-cooked, take out the bone removal, keep the face intact and the skin is facing down, add the ingredients, add the soup of the boiled silver carp in the pot, the fish bone collagen blends in the soup, the meat is tender, the soup is fresh, and the two cheeks of the food are fragrant.
Yangzhou's "three heads" are well-known in the world, not in the use of rare treasures to make delicious dishes, but in the clumsy into treasure, flat into strange, low into high, with daily raw materials to cook extraordinary feasts, "three heads" is a successful example.