Yixing landscape has been famous since ancient times, and even Su Dongpo wants to return to the field to grow old. People at home and abroad travel to Jiangnan, and they can't miss the two holes in Yixing. If the characteristics of Yixing's traditional cuisine can be restored and developed, so that guests can enjoy the scenic spots of the landscape and eat the fresh and famous dishes of Yixing, they will be more unforgettable.
Xu Zhucheng (1907-1991), a native of Yixing, was the editor-in-chief of Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po
Recall that in the past, the largest and most famous restaurant in Yixing City was called "Wang Fumao" Restaurant, and wedding, marriage, funeral, and birthday were generally arranged by it. The ordinary feast is called "whole duck seat", and the convenience seat is called "buckle duck seat". Famous rich households must at least invite "fish skin mats" of "six large and six small" or "shark fin mats" of "eight large and eight small".
Take the "whole duck table" that I often eat as an example: twelve plates are first laid out on the table, divided into three groups, one group is fruit, there are orange and yellow orange slices, piled together into a small mound; there are red diamonds, there are lotus chips and water chestnuts, and there are cut sugar cane, and also sliced into small "mounds". One group is candied fruit, usually honey plum, honey red fruit, honey yellow radish strips, and a plate of watermelon seeds. There is also a group of small dishes to serve, often bright red prawns, dark skin egg slices, green cress with a layer of yellow egg shreds, and a plate of sweet and sour "fried bones". When this style was originally designed, it was of great significance, and after the guests sat down, they first tasted some preserves, appetized, and then poured wine, accompanied by four small dishes in the middle. As for the four-colored fruit, it is left to help digest and sober up after a drunken meal.
After three rounds of wine, there are four "hot stir-fry" in succession, generally shrimp, dried scallops, rock sugar lotus seeds, and a bowl, most of which are seasonal fresh vegetables, such as spring, which is stewed peach blossom fungus, autumn is goose fungus or steamed yellow finch, and winter bamboo shoots and the like. These four small bowls of soup dishes, the good thing is that its amount is small, eat less, and feel more endless aftertaste.
After the four "hot stir-fried" were gone, the host went to each table to toast, and it turned out to be the "first dish". The first dish of the "whole duck table" is a smorgasbord of sea cucumbers, meatballs, fish balls, and syrup of shredded meat and bamboo shoots, and there is a large bowl - we call it "sea bowl", which has to be eaten after a punch and a wine. This is followed by a large flat-bottomed steamed duck, steamed in a steamer basket covered with bright red slices of ham and yellow and white bamboo shoots.
After two main courses, there is a large pot of eight treasure rice, which we call beet vegetables (sweet fruit rice), which is very heavy in oil, and although it is piping hot, there is no steaming heat. Finally, there are four potted dishes: braised blue fish, stewed hoof or bad button meat, snow vegetable meat shreds, turquoise stir-fried spinach, and a sea bowl of egg flower soup. Of course, according to the different seasons, there are a few dishes that will change, such as when the crab is on the market, a large bowl of fried crab powder will be added; when the yellow finch is listed, the bad button meat will be replaced by the roll of honey yellow finches and minced meat; when the chestnuts are listed, the rock sugar lotus seeds will be replaced by ice sugar osmanthus chestnut soup.
Recall that the teachers and masters of "Wang Fumao" at that time were indeed quite clever. They choose good ingredients, good cooking techniques, and have good color and flavor. For example, the "fried bones" they made were sweet and sour, the taste was heavy but not greasy, even the bones were fried, and the meat was still so tender. The stir-fried crab powder is mainly crab yellow, yellow and white, plus a layer of coriander minced, and then pour a spoonful of rice vinegar when eating, the taste is indeed delicious and delicious.
