1 Braised Winter Bamboo Shoots
[Ingredients]
Fresh winter bamboo shoots………500g
Soy sauce……………………………10g
Small river shrimps………………10g
Sugar…………………………………10g
Chicken broth………………………250g
Sesame oil……………………………10g
Shaoxing wine………………………10g
Peanut oil……………………………500g
Salt……………………………………1g
(approximately 75g used)
[Cooking Method]
- Cut the winter bamboo shoots lengthwise into two pieces, flatten with a knife, then slice along the length into strips about 4 cm long and 1 cm wide. Soak the shrimps in Shaoxing wine to remove any fishy odor.
- Heat peanut oil in a wok over high heat until it reaches 40% heat, then add the bamboo shoot strips. Fry over low heat for about 3 minutes until crispy, then drain the oil using a strainer.
- Leave a small amount of oil in the wok, briefly stir-fry the shrimps, then add chicken broth, salt, soy sauce, sugar, and bamboo shoot strips. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. When the sauce thickens and coats the bamboo shoots, stir briefly over high heat, add sesame oil, and transfer to a serving plate.
[Cooking Tips]
Boil vigorously, simmer gently, ensure the sauce envelops the main ingredients tightly for a rich and flavorful dish. As the saying goes in cooking: “Treasure is found in the fire.”
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Winter bamboo shoots are tender shoots that emerge from the ground in early winter. They are tightly packed with tender and crisp flesh, extremely delicious, and high in nutritional value, containing proteins, fats, sugars, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C, and 16 different amino acids. They also contain saponin, which is beneficial for health.
- According to the Qing Dynasty’s “Sui Xi Ju Diet Recipes”, bamboo shoots are known for their exquisite taste. This dish balances saltiness with sweetness, enhanced by the shrimp for freshness, presenting a dish that is both visually and gastronomically pleasing.
2 Fragrant Milk-braised Green Beans
[Ingredients]
Green beans……………………400g
Water starch……………………10g
Diced cooked ham…………10g
Salt………………………………1.5g
Diced cooked chicken breast…10g
MSG………………………………1g
Potato……………………………50g
Rice vinegar……………………1g
Chicken broth…………………100g
Rendered pork fat……………60g
Fresh milk………………………50g
[Cooking Method]
- Trim the ends and remove the fibrous strings from the green beans, then cut them into approximately 4 cm long pieces and wash thoroughly. Peel and wash the potato, then cut it into thin strips smaller than the green beans. Soak the potato strips in water to remove surface starch and prevent discoloration.
- Heat 30g of rendered pork fat in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the green beans until they are glossy and change color slightly. Add the potato strips and stir-fry together. Add rice vinegar, continue stir-frying until the green beans soften. Season with salt and chicken broth, cook until well-flavored. Add fresh milk and MSG. Bring to a boil, then thicken the sauce with water starch. Drizzle with the remaining rendered pork fat, stir well, and transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with diced cooked chicken breast and diced cooked ham.
[Cooking Tips]
Raw green beans are toxic and have a strong grassy taste, making them unpleasant to eat. Boil them in alkaline water until tender while still retaining their bright green color, enhancing their appearance, flavor, and reducing the cooking time for the final dish.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Green beans, also known as snap beans in northern China, originated in India and were introduced to China around the Han and Jin dynasties. They were first recorded in Tao Hongjing’s “Mingyi Bielu” during the Liang Dynasty, named for their broad and flat pods. In the poem “Planting Beans” by Wang Zhideng of the Ming Dynasty, it reads: “Autumn wind in the courtyard calms the grass, planting beans, green shades of shade. White flowers, green vines, high in the house, night insects cold, golden stone sound.”
- When green beans first hit the market, the beans were just swelling and the meat was thick. Shanghai residents rushed to buy them, showing great enthusiasm. Milk-braised green beans appear raw but are cooked, seemingly tough yet crispy, with a fresh green color and a refreshing taste. The addition of fresh milk makes the sauce thick, smooth, and distinctive.
3 Stir-fried Tender Pea Pods
[Ingredients]
Tender pea pods………300g
MSG………………………1g
Salt………………………1g
Rice vinegar……………0.5g
Rendered pork fat……50g
[Cooking Method]
- Tear off the fibrous strings from the fresh and tender pea pods, wash them thoroughly, and drain.
- Heat rendered pork fat in a wok over high heat until it reaches 50% heat. Add the pea pods and stir-fry continuously. Sprinkle with rice vinegar. Continue stir-frying until the pods turn from green to bright green. Add salt and MSG, stir-fry until the pea pods are tender-crisp and well-flavored, emitting a rich aroma. Remove from heat, transfer to a serving plate, and serve immediately.
[Cooking Tips]
Fresh tender pea pods are highly seasonal and become less available after three to five days on the market. If unavailable, you can substitute with snap peas, which offer a similar flavor profile.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Stir-fried tender pea pods are made from freshly fallen pods just one or two days old. At this stage, the pods are plump with immature peas, and after removing the fibrous strings, they are stir-fried to a vibrant green color and delightful crispness, offering a fresh and fragrant taste.
4 Chicken Fat Braised Rolling Dragon
(Ingredients)
Tender loofah … 1000 grams
Dried shiitake mushrooms … 15 grams
Cooked chicken breast … 25 grams
Shaoxing wine … 10 grams
Cantonese sausage … 25 grams
Salt … 2.5 grams
Chicken broth … 750 grams
Rendered lard … 25 grams
Water starch … 10 grams
Rendered chicken fat … 20 grams
(Cooking Method)
- Select tender, slender loofah approximately 2.5 centimeters in diameter. Scrape off the fuzzy outer skin, keeping the green inner layer intact. Trim off both ends, then cut into even, shallow “Orchid” knife patterns of equal depth and spacing. Cut into 5-centimeter segments. Blanch briefly in boiling water, then rinse with cold water to maintain the green color. Slice the cooked chicken breast into thin slices. Slice the sausage into rounds. Clean the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems, and shred.
- Heat a wok over high heat, add chicken broth, Shaoxing wine, and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer the loofah until flavored. Add chicken slices, sausage, and shiitake mushrooms. Thicken with water starch to a light sauce consistency, then evenly distribute the rendered lard. Once integrated, drizzle with rendered chicken fat. Serve in a large serving dish.
(Key Techniques)
Pre-blanch the loofah to remove bitterness; do not overcook during braising to maintain crisp skin and tender flesh.
(Flavor Characteristics)
This dish uses elongated, cylindrical loofahs, prepared with a rolling and slicing technique to enhance flexibility. It is visually appealing and flavorful, resembling rolling dragons, hence its name. Combining broth and ingredients, each bite offers a delightful crunch and freshness without being greasy, providing a refreshing and tender eating experience.
5 Stir-Fried Eggplant in Sauce
(Ingredients)
Eggplant … 1000 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) … 0.2 grams
Ground pork … 50 grams
Sweet bean sauce (Tianmianjiang) … 40 grams
Shaoxing wine … 30 grams
Water starch … 10 grams
Soy sauce … 30 grams
Meat broth … 100 grams
Sugar … 10 grams
Rendered lard … 1500 grams
Minced garlic … 3 grams
(Cooking Method)
- Peel the eggplant, remove the stem, and cut into strips about 8 cm long and 1 cm wide.
- Heat a wok over high heat and add rendered lard, heating until it is about 60% hot. Fry the eggplant until it is partially cooked and no longer oily. Drain the oil by transferring the eggplant to a colander.
- Leave 15 grams of oil in the wok, add ground pork, and stir-fry until crispy. Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Add sweet bean sauce and sugar, stir until loose and sandy. Then add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and meat broth, stir well. Add the fried eggplant, stir-fry to coat evenly. When the sauce thickens noticeably, add MSG. Use water starch to thicken the sauce until it tightly coats the eggplant and has a bright red color. Transfer to a serving plate.
(Key Techniques)
Lightly salt the eggplant strips for about 5 minutes, gently squeeze out excess water, then fry to enhance flavor and reduce oil absorption. Fry until the oil is clear and shiny for better reuse.
(Flavor Characteristics)
Eggplant, also known as “green vegetable,” was referred to as “Kunlun purple gourd” during the Sui Dynasty. This dish uses slender and long eggplants with few seeds and a purple hue, typically produced in the outskirts of Shanghai. Masterfully crafted by Chef Xu Zhengcai from Meilong Town Restaurant, it was once praised by Premier Zhou Enlai as a rare delicacy. The dish boasts a bright red color, rich and sweet flavor, and a delightful freshness.
6 Pumpkin and Jellyfish Salad
(Ingredients)
1 pumpkin … 1000 grams
Salt … 2 grams
Jellyfish (skin) … 150 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) … 1 gram
Green onion (scallion), minced … 5 grams
Sesame oil … 10 grams
Ginger juice … 10 grams
Peanut oil … 25 grams
(Cooking Method)
- Soak the jellyfish skin in clean water for a day, remove any attached debris, and wash off any sand. Roll into a cylindrical shape and slice into strips about 0.2 centimeters wide. Wash and clean the pumpkin, halve it, and scoop out the soft pulp and seeds. Steam the pumpkin halves in a steamer for about 15 minutes until tender. Use a spoon to scrape out the pulp into fine threads.
- Place the pumpkin threads and jellyfish strips on a plate. Add salt, MSG, and ginger juice, mix well. Add minced green onion and stir-fry briefly in hot peanut oil to release its fragrance. Drizzle with sesame oil, mix well, and transfer to a serving dish.
(Key Techniques)
To prepare minced green onion: Heat peanut oil in a frying pan until hot, then add minced green onion and fry until fragrant.
(Flavor Characteristics)
Pumpkin is a specialty of Chongming Island in Shanghai. After cooking, its flesh easily separates into fine threads. With its golden color and tender texture, combined with jellyfish, this salad is refreshing, appetizing, and perfect as an appetizer with drinks in Shanghai-style cold dishes.
7 Iced Tofu with Tazai Cabbage
(Ingredients)
Tazai cabbage … 500 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) … 1 gram
Old tofu … 500 grams
Sugar … 1 gram
Clean winter bamboo shoots (bamboo shoot meat) … 25 grams
Meat broth … 200 grams
Dried shiitake mushrooms … 2 grams
Sesame oil … 15 grams
Cooked ham slices … 3 grams
Rendered lard … 500 grams
Salt … 2 grams
(Consumption: about 100 grams)
(Cooking Method)
- Slice the old tofu into thick slices about 1 centimeter thick. Spread them out in a bamboo sieve, pour boiling water over the tofu, let it cool, and then freeze it in the refrigerator to solidify the water inside the tofu into ice cubes. Thaw the frozen tofu in cold water until it forms a honeycomb-like structure. Cut it into strips about 2 centimeters wide and squeeze out excess water. Trim the root of the Tazai cabbage, remove old leaves, wash, and cut the remaining part into wedge shapes. Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms and slice thinly along with the winter bamboo shoots.
- Heat a wok over high heat and add rendered lard. Once the lard is cold, add the Tazai cabbage and slowly heat over low heat until the cabbage softens. Drain excess oil using a colander.
- Add meat broth, salt, sugar, MSG, winter bamboo shoot slices, shiitake mushroom slices, cooked ham slices, iced tofu, and Tazai cabbage to the wok. Cook until well flavored, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve in a soup bowl.
(Key Techniques)
Preheat the wok and add rendered lard until it reaches a medium temperature, then add the Tazai cabbage and cook until tender.
(Flavor Characteristics)
In the past, during the preparation of the New Year’s Eve dinner in old Shanghai, Tazai cabbage was often used to symbolize good fortune due to its phonetic similarity to “tuo ku” (literally “remove bitterness” in Shanghainese), expressing hopes for a happy life and relief from suffering. Iced tofu, achieved by freezing tofu, changes its original texture to become crisp and delicious. Combined with winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and ham, this dish enhances its freshness and flavor. The Tazai cabbage is oily and refreshing, while the iced tofu is soft and flavorful, making it an essential dish for the New Year’s meal.
8 Stir-Fried Vegetarian “Crab Meat”
[Ingredients]
Cooked potatoes………200g
Cooked bamboo shoots………30g
Carrot………100g
Rehydrated shiitake mushrooms………50g
Eggs………2
Salt………5g
Pea shoots………5g
Rice vinegar………7g
Spring onion (white part)……0.5g
MSG………1.5g
Minced ginger………1g
Peanut oil………140g
Shaoxing wine………6g
[Cooking Method]
- Peel and mash the cooked potatoes. Wash and peel the carrot, then cook until tender, chop into small pieces, and squeeze dry using a clean cloth. Clean the shiitake mushrooms, remove stems, and finely shred along with the cooked bamboo shoots and spring onion. Beat the eggs in a bowl, mix in the mashed potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spring onion, and 0.5g minced ginger.
- Heat a wok over high heat, add 100g of peanut oil, heat until it reaches 80% of its smoking point. Stir-fry the mixed vegetarian ingredients for about 2 minutes until they clump together. Add 40g of peanut oil, salt, MSG, stir well, then add pea shoots and stir-fry briefly. Add Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, remaining 0.5g minced ginger, stir until the sauce slightly thickens.
[Key Technique]
Steam the cooked river crab, mix the crab meat and roe evenly, known in culinary terms as “crab meat,” with its beautiful yellow and white marbling resembling jade.
[Flavor Characteristics]
In vegetarian cooking, unique techniques are used with pure vegetarian ingredients and seasonings. The resulting dish resembles meat-based counterparts in color, aroma, flavor, appearance, and texture, known as “enhancing vegetables to imitate meat.” This dish uses common vegetables like potatoes and carrots, exuding a crab-like fragrance. Its appearance is akin to jade and ruby, matching the flavor, aroma, appearance, and texture of “crab meat,” almost indistinguishably so.
9 Stir-Fried “Double Puree”
[Ingredients]
Fresh peas………250g
Granulated sugar………200g
Chinese yam………250g
Rendered lard (cooked pork fat)………150g
[Cooking Method]
- Shell and cook the peas until soft. Rub off the skins using a sieve, wrap them in cloth, squeeze out excess water, and create pea puree. Strain through a sieve to remove any remaining residue.
- Heat a wok over high heat, add 25g of rendered lard, heat until half hot, then add the pea puree. Constantly stir-fry and gradually add 50g of rendered lard while frying. Once the moisture from the pea puree has reduced, add 100g of granulated sugar. Continue frying until the pea puree is firm and no longer sticks to the wok. Transfer to a plate.
- Clean the wok, heat it again over high heat, add another 25g of rendered lard, heat until half hot, then add the Chinese yam puree. Stir-fry similarly to the pea puree, reducing moisture and adding 100g of granulated sugar when nearly done. Fry until the Chinese yam puree is firm and doesn’t stick to the spoon. Transfer to the plate next to the pea puree to complete the “double puree.”
[Key Techniques]
- Both the potato puree and pea puree should be finely strained for a smooth texture and optimal mouthfeel.
- Gradually adding oil while stir-frying the puree prevents sticking and ensures a glossy appearance.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Different regional cuisines have varying terms for purees and mashes. Some differentiate based on whether ingredients are finely chopped with a knife or mashed with the back of it; others distinguish between meat-based and vegetarian mashes. In Shanghai, meat-based dishes are often referred to as “purees” (茸), while vegetarian ones are called “mashes” (泥).
- This dish, featuring peas and Chinese yam, is characterized by its glossy appearance, subtle color, and use of purely vegetarian ingredients, hence the name “double puree.”
10 Snow Vegetable with Peanuts
[Ingredients]
Pickled snow vegetable (xuelihong)……250 grams
Sesame oil………………………10 grams
Peanuts………………………200 grams
Peanut oil……………………1000 grams
Powdered sugar…………………25 grams
(Actual usage 100 grams)
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)……20 grams
[Cooking Method]
- Soak the pickled snow vegetable in clean water to reduce saltiness. Remove and squeeze out excess water. Tear the stems into evenly thick shreds and shred the leaves. Cut into segments about 4 cm long. Soak the peanuts in boiling water first, then remove the skins.
- Heat the wok over high heat and add peanut oil. Heat until it’s 80% hot, then add the peanuts and fry until golden brown. Remove the peanuts from the oil and add the snow vegetable segments. Stir constantly with chopsticks. When the snow vegetable is dried of excess moisture, drain the oil using a colander. Heat another clean wok, add the fried peanuts and snow vegetable, then add MSG and powdered sugar. Mix well with a few flips, then drizzle with sesame oil.
[Key Technique]
When frying the peanuts, use cold oil initially, remove from heat 2-3 times midway, and fry until they turn light yellow and crispy after cooling.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Snow Vegetable with Peanuts combines pickled snow vegetable with peanuts. The snow vegetable is refreshing, while the peanuts add a crispy texture. The dish is salty with a hint of sweetness, fragrant with freshness, and is a popular Shanghai home-style dish enjoyed by many people.