1 Crab Nammi Boo
[Ingredients]
Small crabs …………………………………… 1000 grams
Xiang Wu (a type of herb) …………………….. 10 grams
Green chili peppers …………………………… 100 grams
Scallions …………………………………………. 50 grams
Mint …………………………………………….. 100 grams
Ginger ………………………………………….. 50 grams
Sichuan peppercorns ………………………….. 4 grams
Garlic …………………………………………… 50 grams
Mustard seeds ………………………………… 4 grams
Salt ……………………………………………… 10 grams
Coriander ……………………………………… 30 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ………………. 4 grams
[Preparation Method]
- Clean the crabs and remove the crab meat and roe.
- Chop scallions, ginger, garlic, coriander, Xiang Wu, Sichuan peppercorns, and green chili peppers finely.
- Steam the crab meat until cooked, then mix in the chopped seasonings and serve with mint.
[Key Cooking Notes]
Avoid steaming the crabs for too long to prevent the meat from becoming tough and losing its freshness.
[Flavor Characteristics]
“Nammi” is a Dai language term, meaning sauce in Chinese. In Xishuangbanna during the rainy season, vegetables are scarce. The Dai people created this dish for long-term preservation. It can be enjoyed by people of all ages and has a sour, spicy, fragrant, and sweet taste. “Nammi” is a general term; based on its ingredients, it can be divided into crab sauce, bamboo shoot sauce, etc., with similar preparation methods. For example, bamboo shoot sauce involves mixing fresh bamboo shoots with water to form a slurry, fermenting it in jars until it turns sour, cooking it into cakes, drying them, and storing. When eaten, the cakes are mashed with seasonings into a paste, known for its sticky white-yellow color and sour fragrance, and it also has cooling and detoxifying effects.
2 Chuike Guotie Rubing
[Ingredients]
Rubing (Yunnan goat milk cheese) …………… 500 grams
Salt ………………………………………………. 5 grams
Chicken breast ……………………………….. 200 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ………………. 2 grams
Pork fat ………………………………………. 100 grams
Bean powder ………………………………… 50 grams
Egg whites ……………………………………… 5
Spring onion juice ……………………………. 10 grams
Ham ………………………………………….. 100 grams
Ginger juice ………………………………….. 10 grams
Peanut oil ……………………………………. 80 grams
Chicken broth ……………………………….. 100 ml
[Preparation Method]
- Cut the rubing into pieces that are 5 cm long, 3 cm wide, and 5 cm thick. Use the back of a knife to mince the chicken breast and pork fat. Mix the minced chicken with pork fat, beat 4 egg whites until stiff, add spring onion juice, ginger juice, salt, MSG, and chicken broth (adding in two to three batches), and beat until smooth and glossy, forming a chicken paste.
- Prepare an egg white paste using 1 egg white and 20 grams of bean powder. Slice the ham into petals.
- Spread the egg white paste on the rubing pieces, top with the chicken paste, flatten it, decorate with the ham, and then brush with more egg white paste. Steam in a steamer until set.
- Heat a pan, add peanut oil, and fry the rubing until golden brown and cooked through. Serve on a plate.
[Key Cooking Notes]
- When beating the chicken paste, gradually add the chicken broth to ensure it blends well with the minced chicken. This is known as “making it strong.”
- When beating the chicken paste, apply appropriate force evenly and in one direction to achieve a smooth and glossy texture.
- Pay attention to the oil temperature to avoid burning the outside while leaving the inside undercooked.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Rubing originates from Luoshan County, Yunnan. Made from goat milk curdled with whey, it appears as white tofu-like blocks, tender and smooth, with a delicious flavor and rich nutrition, unique to the Yi ethnic group.
- Legend has it that a wealthy man nicknamed “Ke Wu” had a worker named A Zhi who often came up with ideas to deal with Ke Wu. One winter, A Zhi and other workers were grazing over 500 goats. Each day, one person was tasked with bringing back the goat milk. A Zhi passed a tofu shop and saw how tofu was made. Inspired, he used whey to make rubing. From then on, rubing became well-known in Luoshan County and became a beloved food among the Yi people.
- This dish is golden brown, crispy on the outside, tender inside, with a rich milk flavor, soft and palatable. It is not only a favorite dish among the Yi people but is also widely enjoyed in the Yunnan-Guizhou region.
3 Yangpi Zhu Rou (Boiled Meat in Sheepskin)
[Ingredients]
1 live sheep …………………………………… 7500 grams
Sichuan peppercorns ………………………….. 50 grams
Chili powder …………………………………. 100 grams
Ground Sichuan peppercorns ………………… 60 grams
Spring onions (chopped) …………………… 100 grams
Salt …………………………………………….. 80 grams
Coriander ……………………………………… 100 grams
Water …………………………………………. 800 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the sheep, remove the skin, open the abdomen, clean out the internal organs, head, and hooves. Rinse thoroughly with water and chop into pieces approximately 7 cm long and 3.5 cm wide.
- Use four wooden stakes to nail into a square shape. Apply a special mud paste on the wool side of the sheepskin to make it thick. Tie tightly with hemp rope and hang on the wooden stakes, forming a nest shape. Add water and the sheep meat. Use firewood to boil until it boils, skim off the foam, add 50 grams of salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and cook until tender. Serve the meat and soup together in a basin. Prepare a dipping sauce with chili powder, ground Sichuan peppercorns, 30 grams of salt, chopped spring onions, coriander, and the broth from the meat. Serve with the dipping sauce.
[Key Cooking Notes]
The key to this dish lies in using a special mud paste for the sheepskin, which can be made from yellow clay or the best option, jar mud. When applying the paste on the sheepskin, it must be thick; if it’s too thin, the burning firewood will scorch the sheepskin, losing the unique flavor imparted by using sheepskin as a cooking vessel.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- This dish is a traditional cuisine with a long history among the Yi ethnic people. It is fresh, fragrant, tender, and spicy, offering a delightful and refreshing taste.
- According to tradition, during the “Torch Festival” of the Yi people, which lasts around 7 days, there are activities such as dragon lanterns, firecrackers, lion dances, playing the sanxian (a three-stringed instrument), singing, and dancing, making it very lively. People use sheepskin as a cooking vessel to boil sheep meat, which is delicious and convenient, thus passing down the tradition through generations.
4 Salt-Braised Jar Dog
[Ingredients]
1 live dog ……………………………………….. 8000 grams
Ginger …………………………………………… 30 grams
Chinese cured pork belly (lap yuk) ……….. 1000 grams
Cooking wine …………………………………… 30 grams
Fructus amomi (Chinese black cardamom) . 10 grams
Salt ……………………………………………… 2000 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the dog, scald to remove hair, wash thoroughly, and cut into pieces. Rinse the pieces with warm water and slice.
- Use a clay jar suitable for pickling (choose size according to capacity) to layer the dog meat, cured pork belly, 2000 grams of salt, fructus amomi, ginger, and cooking wine.
- Place a large iron pot over high heat, add the remaining salt, and heat until the salt changes color. Place the clay jar on top, place a bowl filled with cold water at the mouth of the jar, seal the junction with thin wheat paste, and stew for 10 minutes over high heat. Reduce to low heat and continue stewing. Throughout the process, continually add boiling water to the bowl. Stew for about five to six hours until done and ready to serve.
[Key Cooking Notes]
It’s crucial to seal the junction of the jar tightly during the cooking process to prevent air from entering.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish is unique in its cooking method using a clay jar. Particularly distinctive is the use of salt instead of water throughout the cooking process. It is a delicacy unique to the Bai ethnic group in Heqing, Yunnan. The finished dish is fragrant, flavorful, and nourishing, making it an excellent choice for winter nourishment.
5 Willow Steamed Pig’s Head
[Ingredients]
1 fresh pig’s head ………………………………. 5000 grams
Coriander ……………………………………… 200 grams
Ground Fructus amomi (Chinese black cardamom) . 10 grams
Salt ………………………………………………. 100 grams
Soy sauce ……………………………………… 500 grams
10 sweet and fresh willow branches ………… 500 grams
Granulated sugar …………………………….. 100 grams
Brown sugar ………………………………….. 10 grams
Star anise powder ……………………………. 10 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ……………… 10 grams
Sichuan peppercorn oil ………………………. 10 grams
Vinegar …………………………………………. 200 grams
Cinnamon powder ……………………………. 10 grams
Minced garlic …………………………………. 50 grams
Chili oil ……………………………………….. 50 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Singe the pig’s head to remove hair, soak in hot water, scrape clean, halve it, remove the brain, and wash off any blood stains.
- Cut the pig’s head into pieces resembling eyeballs.
- Remove the roots and peel the willow branches.
- Fill an iron pot with water, place a cross-shaped steaming rack inside, and arrange the willow branches (slightly shallower than the rack). Place the pig’s head, bone side down, on top of the willow branches. Cover tightly and steam over medium heat for 30 minutes. Mix 400 grams of soy sauce, brown sugar, star anise powder, cinnamon powder, ground Fructus amomi, salt, and 0 grams of MSG to make a sauce. Apply this sauce over the pig’s head where it has begun to split after each 30-minute interval of steaming, until all the sauce is used.
- When the pig’s head meat is tender and falls off the bone, remove it and let it cool. Debone and arrange on a serving dish. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce made from 100 grams of soy sauce, vinegar, coriander, minced garlic, Sichuan peppercorn oil, chili oil, granulated sugar, and 0 grams of MSG.
[Key Cooking Notes]
- It’s essential to use sweet and fresh willow branches for this dish; bitter willow should not be used.
- When cutting the pig’s head, ensure the cuts are deep enough to the bone to facilitate even cooking.
- Apply the seasoning sauce in moderate amounts each time to avoid overflowing in the pot.
- The pig’s head must be thoroughly steamed until tender before serving.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Willow branches vary between sweet and bitter. Sweet willow branches have green bark, are easy to peel, and have a tender, fragrant, sweet core without toxicity. Bitter willow branches have red bark and are toxic; according to legend, cooking them together with chicken can be fatal.
- Willow Steamed Pig’s Head originated in Heqing, Yunnan. During the late Qing Dynasty, Mr. Yang, who passed the imperial examination, celebrated with friends at Huanglongtan for a picnic. The scenic beauty of Huanglongtan, surrounded by lush willows, inspired them to create this dish. As the chef forgot the steaming rack, a servant improvised by using peeled willow branches, leading to a uniquely fragrant and delicious dish. Since then, Willow Steamed Pig’s Head has been a favored traditional dish among the Bai people in Heqing for festive gatherings, appreciated for its unique flavors and skilled preparation.
- This dish has a golden color, tender meat, rich flavor, and a refreshing taste, making it uniquely delightful.
6 Boiled Snake Meatballs
[Ingredients]
1 snake (species: Bungarus multicinctus) …………… 1000 grams
Ground Fructus amomi (Chinese black cardamom) … 3 grams
Salt ……………………………………………………… 10 grams
3 eggs ………………………………………………………. 150 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) ……………………….. 3 grams
Ground black pepper ………………………………….. 5 grams
Pork fat ………………………………………………… 1000 grams
Spring onion (white part) ……………………………. 20 grams
Chicken broth ……………………………………….. 500 milliliters
Ginger slices ………………………………………….. 10 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Slaughter the snake, remove the skin and internal organs, debone and pound the meat into a paste.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat them, then add the snake meat, 0 grams of salt, black pepper, MSG (0 grams), and ground Fructus amomi. Mix well.
- Heat the pork fat in a wok until it reaches 80% hot. Add spring onion and ginger to stir-fry briefly. Shape the snake meat mixture into balls and fry in the hot oil until golden brown. Remove and drain.
- Heat a pot, pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add the snake meatballs and cook until fully cooked. Season with 0 grams of salt and MSG (0 grams). Serve in bowls.
[Key Cooking Notes]
- After skinning the snake, avoid washing it with water as the meat texture becomes tight and elastic. Washing would compromise the quality of the pounded meat paste.
- Adding salt later in the process helps maintain a tender texture of the meatballs.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Eating snake meat is a tradition originating from and popular in southern China. According to ancient Chinese texts like the “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” snakes were believed to benefit health, promoting strength and alleviating ailments. Beyond its unique and fresh taste, snake meat is valued for its medicinal properties in treating rheumatism and arthritis.
- Bungarus multicinctus, commonly known as many-banded krait, inhabits sunny slopes with ant colonies. They hibernate in ant nests during winter and emerge in late winter or early spring. It is easy to catch and known for its short, thick tail, tender meat, and venomous nature. When cooked into meatballs with chicken broth, the dish boasts a sweet and savory flavor, visually appealing with its golden-brown accents, and stimulates appetite without evoking negative connotations associated with snake consumption.
- This dish features a milky-white broth, tender and smooth meatballs, and a savory taste with a hint of wild game flavor.
7 Deep-Fried Sand Worms
[Ingredients]
30 fresh sand worms …………………………………… 500 grams
Salt ……………………………………………………….. 30 grams
Pork fat …………………………………………………. 1000 grams
12 stems of Chinese flowering cabbage (Youcai heart) .. 200 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Rinse the sand worms thoroughly with cold water and drain well.
- Heat a pot of water over high heat, add 10 grams of salt. When the water boils, quickly blanch the sand worms to firm up the proteins. Remove and drain excess water.
- Heat pork fat in a wok until it reaches 40% hot. Add the Chinese flowering cabbage and stir-fry quickly. Remove and drain excess oil. Sprinkle with 20 grams of salt.
- When the oil temperature reaches 60% hot, deep-fry the sand worms until they turn golden brown. Arrange two pieces of Chinese flowering cabbage around the edge of a plate and place the remaining sand worms in the center.
[Cooking Key Points]
- “Blanching” (referred to as “mao” in culinary terms) involves quickly immersing the ingredients in boiling water to remove blood stains from meat and reduce bitterness from vegetables. It also enhances the color and texture.
- Adding salt to the hot water during blanching not only helps coagulate the proteins but also enhances the underlying flavors.
- When stir-frying Chinese flowering cabbage, use high heat and stir quickly to prevent the release of too much liquid.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Sand worms, scientifically known as Perinereis aibuhitensis, inhabit river and beach sands. They resemble long tubes, similar to large earthworms but without visible segments. They are delicious whether deep-fried, stir-fried, stewed, braised, or made into soup. Sand worms are rich in protein, fat, and iron.
- This dish is crispy, fragrant, and enjoyed by the Zhuang ethnic group, combining both meaty and vegetarian elements, making it a favored delicacy.
8 Stuffed and Deep-Fried Bee Pupae
Ingredients:
- Bee pupae: 500 grams
- Onion juice: 10 grams
- Vegetable oil: 1000 grams
- Salt: 10 grams
- Lean pork: 200 grams
- MSG: 4 grams
- Sesame seeds: 30 grams
- Water starch: 20 grams
- Egg white: 1
- Soy sauce: 20 grams
- Ginger juice: 10 grams
Cooking method:
- Cook the bee pupae in water until done, cool them down, and remove the intestines.
- Chop the pork into minced meat, season with salt, MSG, egg white, soy sauce, onion juice, ginger juice, and water starch. Mix well.
- Use small wooden sticks to open a hole in each bee pupa, stuff them with the minced meat mixture, sprinkle sesame seeds on top, and press firmly to seal with the wooden sticks.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan until it reaches about 80-90% hot. Fry the stuffed bee pupae for about 2 minutes, remove the pan from heat, and let them fry for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place on a serving plate.
Cooking Tips:
Fry in moderately hot oil to achieve a golden brown color and crispy exterior with a tender filling.
Flavor Characteristics:
This dish of bee pupae is uniquely flavorful, meticulously crafted, with a rich and soft texture, making it an essential delicacy for the Mid-Autumn Festival among the Zhuang people.
9 Fire Torch Meat
Ingredients:
- Lean and fat pork: 1000 grams
- Onion juice: 60 grams
- Cooked chicken meat: 500 grams
- Ginger juice: 60 grams
- Eggs: 3
- Water starch: 50 grams
- Sichuan peppercorn salt: 6 grams
- Lard: 1500 grams
Cooking method:
- Boil the lean and fat pork in salted water until cooked, then remove and set aside.
- Slice the cooked pork into long strips and marinate with onion and ginger juice. Cut the chicken meat into pieces that are 1 cm wide, 2 cm long, and 0.5 cm thick.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, add water starch, mix well, and spread into a thin egg sheet.
- Lay the egg sheet flat on a plate, arrange the pork strips on top, roll them into thick sticks about 3 cm in diameter, seal the ends with egg batter, steam briefly in a steamer, then make a small slit on each meat roll and insert a piece of chicken meat.
- Heat lard in a pan until it reaches about 70% hot. Fry the meat rolls until the seams split open, then remove and slice into segments about 3 cm long. Sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn salt and serve.
Cooking Tips:
Maintain the right temperature when frying to avoid overcooking the chicken meat.
Flavor Characteristics:
Fire Torch Meat is inspired by the traditional festival of some ethnic minorities in Yunnan. The dish mimics the shape of a torch, with pork strips wrapped in egg sheets and filled with chicken, deep-fried to a crispy exterior while remaining tender and flavorful inside. It is popular among consumers for its unique appearance and delicious taste.
10 Ginger Son and Wild Rabbit Meat
Ingredients:
- Fresh wild rabbit meat: 600 grams
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG): 4 grams
- Ginger son (young ginger): 100 grams
- Wet starch: 30 grams
- Scallions (white part): 30 grams
- Lard: 150 grams
- Salt: 20 grams
Cooking method:
- Clean the rabbit meat, remove tendons and fascia, and slice thinly. Marinate with 10 grams of salt, MSG, and wet starch (20 grams), mix well to coat.
- Slice the ginger into small pieces and the scallions into thin slices.
- Heat the lard in a wok over high heat until it reaches about 60-70% hot. Add the rabbit meat and stir-fry until the slices turn white and are just cooked. Remove from the wok.
- Add more lard to the wok, stir-fry the scallions until aromatic, then add salt and ginger slices. Stir-fry briefly and return the rabbit meat to the wok. Thicken with wet starch (10 grams), drizzle sesame oil over the dish, and it is ready to serve.
Cooking Tips:
Stir-fry over high heat quickly to maintain freshness and tenderness.
Flavor Characteristics:
- Rabbit meat is known for its delicious taste and high nutritional value compared to other meats. According to nutritionists, rabbit meat contains all eight essential amino acids necessary for the human body. It is also considered an ideal high-protein, low-fat health food.
- This dish, using young ginger to stir-fry rabbit meat, highlights the tender texture and rich flavor of the rabbit meat, making it a festive delicacy during the Zhuang ethnic group’s Mid-Autumn Festival.