Winter melon balls
Winter melon cup
Text, photo/ Guangzhou Daily all-media reporter Zeng Fanying
Summer melons and fruits are made, especially melons are the most abundant, loofah, bitter melon, cucumber, winter melon have everything. In the heat of the summer, winter melon is one of the most popular melons, which is inseparable from its summer effect. The longer the winter melon grows, the better the effect of clearing the heat and cooling the heat, and the more delicious the cooking.
Winter melon cup night flower to line the flavor
In summer, cantonese restaurants in Guangzhou will have one more dish on the menu: winter melon cup. In the old days, this was considered to be the best in the winter melon system. Nowadays, this is a sparse and ordinary soup. Each family has its own practice, and in the interpretation of the winter melon cup, it is "eight immortals crossing the sea, each showing divine powers".
According to industry insiders, the ingredients of the winter melon cup in the past were roasted duck grains, chicken grains, loofah grains, fresh lotus, fresh duck kidneys, Chen duck kidneys, and tangerine peels, and simmered for four or five hours in the winter melon that had been dug up. In the Huishijia Grand Mansion, the winter melon cup still retains the flavor of the past, and the chef Fa Ge uses old grass mushrooms, ham grains, bullfrog legs, fresh duck kidneys, pillars and broth, etc., and puts them into the winter melon cup to simmer for 3 hours, the taste is mellow and sweet, and the meat is rich. That sweetness comes from the ingredients themselves, with the effect of selecting the ingredients and patiently simmering. Fa Ge said that the unique thing is the broth, which is first stewed with bullfrogs and various meats, and then uses this soup as a "base soup" to stew for 3 hours with the new same batch of ingredients, and the meat taste is naturally double.
Winter melon and bullfrog matching, this is a combination that can be traced back to the origin - Taishi Tianji, created by the famous Jiang Taishi of that year. According to the books, this dish was not originally called this name, but later Guangzhou eaters followed this practice, diners "eat and be willing", some people asked the name of the dish, imitators responded to this name, and gradually spread. "Taishi Tian Chicken" is made with winter melon, field chicken and lean ham. In order to remove the green flavor of winter melon and increase the aroma of the soup, a little tangerine peel is usually added to the pot. The reporter believes that the combination of ingredients of Huishijia's winter melon cup is actually more like "Taishitian chicken", and this famous dish is replaced by the form of winter melon cup to interpret. However, this year, the field chicken is not allowed to eat, and the restaurant will replace the field chicken with the bullfrog that is allowed to be eaten, which can still harvest a fresh and sweet soup flavor.
When eating a winter melon cup, there are few petals of night flower, and its role is like coriander, which is used to flavor and increase fragrance. It is sprinkled on the winter melon cup when it is finished, just before it is served, and the residual temperature is used to force out its aroma. This way of eating is also retained in some restaurants, such as the Taoyuan Restaurant of the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou. Chef Wen uses an old, thick winter melon, takes out the white gourd inside the melon, and makes it into a cup shape. It is made with ingredients such as night flowers, morel mushrooms, lotus seeds, lilies, coriander, barley, and seafood, and is combined with the secret broth made by the old Xiguan family kitchen. The winter melon cup is clear and white, and it combines the fragrance of the night flowers made in the same summer as the winter melon, the melon flesh is soft, the taste is delicious, and the heat is cool.
Winter crab meat soup melon meat from the sand to eat meat
Although winter melon can now be eaten all year round, only the winter melon in this season has that rare sweetness and sand effect. Chef Biao of Guangyuxuan studied with the chef at a restaurant in Guangzhou many years ago, during which he learned a lot of retro dishes, and winter crab soup is one of them. Today, in the restaurant where he is in charge of cooking, the winter crab meat soup is "re-emerging".
He chose an old winter melon with a long growth period, which was nearly 1 meter long, and the weight was at least something that a strong man could hold. "Only such a winter melon will be sandy, more suitable for winter melon mushrooms." On this seat, one is paired with a crab. The raw crab meat is removed and served with winter melon mushrooms. He chose bread crab because it was not the season for water crabs, and there was less meat and more meat for bread crabs.
Winter melon balls, refreshing taste, difficult to distinguish the "real body"
In addition to making soup for winter melon cups, some chefs will make winter melon into a refreshing and appetizing aperitif snack. The snacks of Chef Wu of the InterContinental Chinese Restaurant Royal Mansion have a wonderful name: purple and gold grape balls. At first glance, the burgundy "pulp balls" resemble peeled and wine-stained grape beads, but when you put it in your mouth, it is not the soft taste of the grapes and the pleasure of bursting juice in the mouth. Its taste is solid, with a faint melon and fruity aroma, and a sweet and sour appetizing wine aroma. Everyone contributes a guess, but they may not be able to guess its "real body". Only wait for Master Wu to unveil the mystery - winter melon. Master Wu said that the secret is that the winter melon should not be overcooked, slightly "broken", and the crisp taste can be preserved. The melon meat is dug into balls, boiled in water and cooked until just cooked, then cooled with ice water and drained. Boil some rock sugar water, add red wine, syrup and apple cider vinegar, blackcurrant grape juice, two slices of lemon, add a little red cabbage juice to color, soak for 24 hours, and serve.