Herald Junyu
Where there is taro, you can see it - buckle meat
As a seasonal ingredient, taro is outstanding in southern cuisine, especially dishes made with Guangdong Lechang taro and Guangxi Lipu taro, many of which are proud dishes of the people in the liangguang area.
Among the many dishes related to taro, the dish of "taro button meat" is very representative. So why is taro a must-have in the dish of button meat?
Both the north and the south are the meat of the taro "buckle"
"Taro button meat" is known as one of the immortal representatives of the classic dishes of the Han people, and it is almost on the table in the north and south of the river. Therefore, there are many opinions about the origin of the dish "Taro Button Meat", one is from the southern region, including Liangguang, Hunan and Jiangxi, and the other is lu cuisine from the north.
According to the analysis of relevant experts, the material (taro) of the dish "taro button meat" comes from the south, while the production method and flavor are closer to the flavor of northern cuisine, so it is likely to be derived from ancient court dishes.
Today, although the "taro button meat" in the north and south, and even in different regions, there are subtle differences in flavor (for example, the "taro button meat" in Hunan should put dried peppers, and the Hakka area in Guangdong will be paired with plum dishes), but this dish still retains the production characteristics of "taro sandwich meat" in the overall composition.
It can be seen that the recipe of taro with flower meat, after experiencing the trial and verification of generations, can still be used and recognized by people, which is enough to prove that their collocation is well-founded.
As far as the Cantonese-style "taro button meat" is concerned, we generally refer to the "southern milk taro button meat". The so-called "buckle" of this Laizhi is made by cutting the flower meat and taro that have passed through the oil, cut into rectangular pieces of similar size, put them together in a sea bowl, and then add the mixed southern milk sauce, marinate and steam thoroughly.
After this dish is ready, the meat has a distinct reddish brown betel nut pattern, and the taro powder is sticky and fragrant, which is mellow, slightly sweet, pastry and soft. When eating, taro and flower meat should be doubled, so that the way of eating is authentic and the taste is authentic. There is a taro flavor in the meat, and the aroma of the taro powder meat melts in the mouth, complementing each other perfectly.
Taro and button meat can complement each other
So the next question is, why is taro a must-have in the dish of "button meat"?
In fact, the taro and flower meat are stacked on top of each other, and the buckle is made into "taro button meat", mainly because their taste is in line with the main flavor of the "button meat", and furthermore, they can complement each other in terms of fat and taste.
First of all, the dish of "buckle meat" is very particular about one word from the traditional flavor: crisp.
According to research, during the first years of meat into a dish, people once compared it to "jade fat is as soft as flour and soft, and drinking food is far better than rotten sheep's head". It can be seen that the theme of "buckle meat" is to be crispy. Without considering the main ingredient flower meat, how to match another vegetarian dish with a crisp taste becomes the key.
Therefore, people in ancient times could pick out the following common varieties from a large number of starchy materials: taro, powder root, Huaishan, sweet potato, bean cake (potatoes are excluded, because potatoes have only been introduced to China for more than 300 years). Among them, for example, the powder lotus will have a "cool" section plus there are holes and other reasons, many ingredients are basically excluded from the scope of use of "buckle meat".
Only taro, because it can withstand frying, stable taste, tight structure and other characteristics, is considered to be the best vegetarian ingredient for "crisp but not rotten", so it is adopted and widely used in "button meat". (In fact, according to Hakka cuisine experts, in the southeast region of China, it is indeed found that the button meat made of "Huaishan" is found, but the scope of circulation is very small, which belongs to individual cases.) ）
Secondly, taro not only conforms to the theme of "button meat" in terms of texture, but also is superior to many vegetarian dishes in terms of taste regulation. Because in general, under the premise of paying attention to "crispness", "buckle meat" should be oily, mellow enough, and salty enough.
Therefore, the reason why sweet potatoes are excluded from the combination of button meat is because its taste is too sweet. The characteristic taste of taro itself is both sweet and salty. Moreover, taro can also absorb the aroma of flower meat, and at the same time emit a mellow aroma into the flower meat, so when the flower meat is matched with it, it can not only reduce the fat feeling, but also increase a mellow fragrance.
Finally, there is a small reason is that taro is a kind of "versatile" ingredients, whether it is the "buckle meat" method in the north and south, the seasoning is southern milk, pepper grains, or even honey (northern method), etc., taro can be better matched with it, and all kinds of "buckle meat" can be deduced in various styles.
Of course, in addition to taro, plum dishes are often used in Hakka areas to accompany button meat. Plum vegetables have a unique salty taste, which comes not only from salt, but as a mixture of amino acids and salts. This mixture in the cooking of meat, similar to what we usually call "marinade", can not only play the role of "water" and "acid discharge", but also make meat taste. That is to say, when the plum dish touches the meat, it can immediately play a role in marinating fresh meat, which is equivalent to the primary processing of fresh meat.
Looking at it again, we can find that the plum vegetables can release a mellow aroma after being heated through. This mellow aroma can dissolve the excess blood and water flavor and miscellaneous taste of meat, and then the sweet and salty flavors are alternately infiltrated, making the meat more salty and fragrant.
This taste can be described as loved by everyone in Guangdong!
Taro button meat technique
In the process of making button meat, it is best to fry pork belly with pork skin first piercing the eyes, and then the skin is put down into the oil, so that the flower meat can be fried more crisply. Then cut into finger-thick slices, served with Lipu taro slices, smeared with southern milk, wrapped in a plastic bag, put in the refrigerator for marinade overnight, and then steamed in a larger bowl when cooking.
Graphic | Feng Ruijun
Some of the image sources are | Integrated network
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