1 Duck Leg with Monkey Head Mushrooms
[Main Ingredients]
250g soaked monkey head mushrooms
10g green onions
10 duck legs
10g ginger
10g roasted sesame seeds
250g chicken broth
15g salt
500g rendered pork fat
3g MSG
20g roasted chicken oil
15g Shaoxing wine
[Cooking Method]
- Rinse the monkey head mushrooms thoroughly, squeeze out excess water, and slice thinly. Arrange in a large bowl with the cap side down. Add salt, MSG, Shaoxing wine, green onions, ginger, garlic, and chicken broth. Steam until tender. Remove, drain excess broth, discard green onions and ginger, arrange in a dish with mushrooms in the center. Pour white sauce over and drizzle with roasted chicken oil.
- Wash the duck legs and place in a bowl. Season with salt, sugar, and Shaoxing wine. Heat the rendered pork fat in a wok until 70% hot. Fry the duck legs until golden brown, then transfer to a clay pot. Add chicken broth, salt, and MSG. Stew until tender. Remove, sprinkle with sesame seeds, arrange around the mushrooms.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Slice the monkey head mushrooms thinly.
- Arrange the mushrooms in a bowl in a cap-shaped manner.
- Ensure the duck legs are stewed until tender.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Monkey head mushrooms belong to the tooth fungus family and are the fruiting bodies of the Hericium erinaceus plant. According to folklore, finding one mushroom implies there is another nearby, hence they are also known as “paired face mushrooms” or “mandarin duck mushrooms.”
- Monkey head mushrooms are valued for their medicinal properties. According to “Chinese Medicinal Fungi,” they are described as “neutral in nature, sweet in taste, beneficial for the five viscera, aiding digestion, nourishing, and anti-cancer.”
- “Duck Leg with Monkey Head Mushrooms” is a specialty dish from Heilongjiang Province, featuring monkey head mushrooms and duck legs cooked using steaming, braising, and stewing techniques. The dish is characterized by the “fresh and tender monkey head mushrooms and the tender and flavorful duck legs.”
2 Crispy Fragrant Double Partridge Joyful Encounter
[Main Ingredients]
150g sand partridge meat
20g ham slices
30g pork fat
15g oyster sauce
50g large shrimp
15g sesame oil
125g quail meat
30g Shaoxing wine
100g pickled cucumber
15g salt
100g large pine nuts
15g chopped green onions
50g egg white
15g minced ginger
150g eggs
50g flour
50g bread crumbs
30g wet starch
20g cilantro leaves
10g ground pepper
12 sheets of glass paper
1000g soybean oil
4 red cherries
[Cooking Method]
- Slice the sand partridge meat thinly, remove tendons, and place in a bowl. Add Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chopped green onions, minced ginger, ground pepper, MSG, and salt. Divide into 12 portions, wrap each in glass paper to form rectangular shapes.
- Remove tendons from quail meat and pork fat, then mince together. Place in a bowl, add chopped green onions, minced ginger, a little chicken broth, egg white, wet starch, MSG, and salt. Mix well. Soak pine nuts in boiling water for 5 minutes, peel off the skins, then shape the minced mixture into 12 balls, pressing pine nuts onto them to form “pine nut towers.”
- Soak pickled cucumber in cold water to remove excess saltiness, squeeze dry, and cut into 3cm segments. Mince large shrimp with pork fat, then mix into a thick paste with pickled cucumber, salt, MSG, Shaoxing wine, and Sichuan peppercorn oil. Use eggs to create thin egg skins, then cut each in half. Roll the minced mixture into skewers, seal the edges with flour, dip in egg, and coat evenly with bread crumbs.
- Heat soybean oil in a wok until 60% hot. Fry the pickled cucumber skewers until golden brown, then remove and slice diagonally into 12 pieces, arranging them on a plate in an outer ring with corners facing outward, 3 pieces per group. Fry the prepared “pine nut towers” until golden, then remove and arrange them at intervals on the plate. Deep-fry the paper-wrapped sand partridge until cooked, then arrange in the center of the plate.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Control the oil temperature carefully when frying the paper-wrapped sand partridge.
- Press the pine nuts firmly onto the “pine nut towers” to prevent them from falling off during frying.
- Dip the pickled cucumber skewers in starch, then egg, and finally coat evenly with bread crumbs to ensure a tight seal.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- “Changbai Mountain Banquet” is a famous banquet from Jilin Province, combining the essence of Changbai Mountain’s wild delicacies and precious medicinal herbs. It typically includes a grand cold platter, 8 exquisite dishes, 8 hot dishes, 1 soup, 2 desserts, and fresh fruits. Since its debut in October 1981 during a culinary performance in Hong Kong by Jilin Province’s culinary team, the “Changbai Mountain Banquet” has gained widespread acclaim for its cultural pairing of nutrition and gastronomy, excellent culinary skills, and scientific dietary arrangements. In October 1985, the banquet was again highly regarded during a performance in Philadelphia, USA, further establishing its reputation worldwide.
- “Crispy Fragrant Double Partridge Joyful Encounter” is one of the eight hot dishes featured in this banquet. It uses specialty ingredients from Changbai Mountain such as sand partridge, quail, pickled cucumber, and large pine nuts, employing techniques like paper wrapping and deep frying. The dish is characterized by its beautiful presentation, golden color, aromatic fragrance, and crispy texture.
3 Imperial Dragon Hot Pot
[Main Ingredients]
3 dragonfish
2 eggs
25g bamboo shoots
15g salt
25g shiitake mushrooms
5g MSG
1000g premium clear broth
30g starch
[Cooking Method]
- Soak the dragonfish fillets in water for 1 to 2 hours, then slice thinly and place in a bowl. Coat with egg white and a little starch, then blanch in boiling water until just cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Slice the bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms thinly, blanch them in boiling water until tender, then remove.
- Place the blanched dragonfish slices, bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms into a hot pot. Add the premium clear broth and season with salt, MSG, and other seasonings according to taste.
- Ignite the hot pot and bring it to the table. Guests can cook and enjoy their meal by dipping the ingredients into the broth.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Slice the dragonfish thinly and evenly, ensuring uniformity and neatness.
- Blanch in boiling water briefly to keep the fish slices tender and smooth.
- Igniting the hot pot at the table creates a lively dining atmosphere.
[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish uses dragonfish as the main ingredient, with its tender and white fillets sliced and combined with various vegetables, cooked in the described method. The dish balances meat and vegetables, with a clear and rich broth that is nutritionally rich. Served in an imperial-style hot pot, it offers a refined and elegant taste experience, ideal for enjoyment during winter.
4 Spectacular Chicken Dish
[Main Ingredients]
1 young chicken, approximately 750g
10g salt
1000g flour
2g MSG
2 lotus leaves
2g Sichuan peppercorns
2 sheets of aluminum foil
15g Shaoxing wine
10g white wine
[Cooking Method]
- Split the chicken open from the belly, remove the internal organs, and clean thoroughly. Rub salt, sugar, MSG, and Sichuan peppercorns inside the chicken cavity for seasoning. Wrap the chicken with a lotus leaf followed by aluminum foil.
- Mix the flour with water to form a dough, roll it into a large circular shape. Wrap the chicken with the dough, shaping it into a chicken form. Place it in a baking pan and bake in the oven until fully cooked. Serve by cutting it open at the table.
[Cooking Key Points]
- Adjust and maintain the upper and lower temperatures of the oven evenly.
- Control the baking time carefully, around two hours, as both overbaking or underbaking will affect the quality.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- During the Zhou Dynasty, monarchs hosted feasts for ministers and guests, accompanied by music and recitals of the “Deer Cry” from the Book of Songs. This tradition inspired the creation of the “Deer Cry Banquet.” Chefs at the Luwu Chun Restaurant in Shenyang uphold this culinary heritage, innovating the unique “Deer Cry Banquet” based on the principles of adapting ancient methods to modern tastes. The banquet features delicacies such as swallow nests, shark fin, prawns, mandarin fish, abalone, squid, and crab from the sea, as well as mountain treasures like deer antler, deer tail, and monkey head mushrooms. It also includes vegetables like asparagus, tofu, mustard greens, and winter melon. The banquet is meticulously composed not only to highlight color, fragrance, and taste but also to balance nutritional values, focusing on high-quality proteins and essential nutrients for health benefits. The dishes are flavorful with a harmonious blend of freshness, saltiness, and lightness, each offering a tender and aromatic experience.
- This dish, “Spectacular Chicken Dish,” is one of the top ten hot dishes in the “Deer Cry Banquet,” featuring young chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and dough, baked to perfection. When sliced open at the table, it produces a resonant sound and fills the air with the fragrance of lotus leaves, hence the name “Spectacular Chicken Dish.” The finished dish is tender, succulent, and deliciously seasoned.
5 Heavenly Lake Goldfish Hotpot
[Main Ingredients]
1 flying dragonfish
1 tomato
200g sea cucumber
15g salt
200g shrimp
5g MSG
100g Yehai white mushrooms
10g Sichuan peppercorn water
100g minced pork (fat and lean)
10g chopped green onions
10 baby bok choy
10g minced ginger
150g flour
15g cilantro
2000g flying dragonfish broth
15g carrots
[Cooking Method]
- Scald the flour with boiling water to make a dough. Chop the shrimp finely and mince a small amount of sea cucumber and Yehai white mushrooms. Mix them with minced pork (fat and lean), chopped green onions, minced ginger, salt, MSG, and Sichuan peppercorn water to make a filling.
- Roll the dough into a strip and cut it into small pieces, rolling each piece into a round wrapper. Fill each wrapper with an appropriate amount of filling and shape them into goldfish. Use carrots to make eyes for the goldfish and attach them to the heads.
- Slice the flying dragonfish meat. Cut the sea cucumber in half. Clean the Yehai white mushrooms, shrimp, and baby bok choy. Brush the hotpot with flying dragonfish broth, ignite the alcohol, and bring it to a boil. Add sea cucumber, Yehai white mushrooms, shrimp, baby bok choy, salt, and MSG. When the broth boils and the “goldfish” float up, sprinkle with cilantro stems.
[Cooking Key Points]
The “goldfish” shapes must be realistic and meticulously crafted.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- “Jilin Noodle Feast” is a famous banquet in Jilin Province, consisting of a cold appetizer floral arrangement, six artistic dishes, eight main dishes, one soup dish, and two desserts. It primarily uses flour and various grains with seafood, mountain vegetables, and poultry eggs as supplementary ingredients. The production techniques combine pastry-making with cooking methods. The finished dishes are both appetizers and main courses, distinct in style and capable of catering to various tastes. This dish cleverly combines flour, grains, and precious seafood, emphasizing the harmonious blend of ingredients; it integrates steaming, frying, roasting, pan-frying, frying, boiling, steaming, and other techniques, presenting a rich variety. The shapes are meticulously crafted to be lifelike, some even reaching a degree of authenticity that enhances aesthetic enjoyment. The flavors range from mild to rich, each dish offering a unique taste experience. The texture varies from tender and succulent to crispy and crunchy, ensuring a balance of nutrition with low fat and high protein content, along with essential vitamins for health.
- “Heavenly Lake Goldfish Hotpot” is a soup dish in this banquet, using flying dragonfish broth to ensure clarity and exceptional flavor. The dish features “goldfish” created using pastry-making techniques. When the hotpot is ignited, the broth shimmers like clear waves, with the “goldfish” swimming gracefully, presenting a beautiful and captivating scene. This dish won a silver medal at the Second National Culinary Competition.
6 Feng Chicken
[Main Ingredients]
1 live chicken (about 750g)
10g salt
5g fennel
20g green onions (cut into segments)
10g ginger (sliced)
100g clear broth
[Cooking Method]
- Make an incision at the throat of the chicken to bleed it out. Hang the chicken upside down by its legs to drain off excess blood. Do not remove the feathers. Make a 6 cm straight cut under the wings or near the anus, remove all internal organs including the crop, and clean out the anus. To prevent spoilage, remove the lungs and clear the trachea thoroughly. Wipe the abdominal cavity clean, taking care not to wet or soil the feathers.
- In a dry pan, roast coarse salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel until they change color. Pour onto a board and crush when cool. While the chicken is still warm from slaughter, insert the mixture into the abdominal cavity through the incision, using fingers to spread it evenly around. Insert a little salt and pepper mixture through the neck incision. Once seasoned, tuck the chicken head under the wing incision, then tie the wings and legs tightly together with hemp rope. Hang the chicken in a cool, ventilated place to air dry. Generally, it can be taken down for consumption after about a month.
- Remove the Feng Chicken from hanging, untie the rope, pluck off the feathers, and singe any remaining fine feathers without burning the skin. Soak in warm water, then shave off any dirt and wash thoroughly. Make a cut along the back, place in a large bowl with green onions, ginger slices, and clear broth, steam until cooked. Remove, debone after cooling, cut into strips, arrange on a plate, and drizzle with sesame oil.
- Alternatively, Feng Chicken can be soaked thoroughly in cold water, placed in a pot of cold water, brought to a boil over high heat, simmered until cooked, then slowly cooled. Remove from the pot, debone, cut into strips, arrange on a plate, and drizzle with Sichuan peppercorn oil.
[Cooking Key Points]
- When making Feng Chicken, do not feed the chicken for 12-24 hours before slaughter, only provide clean water. This ensures the chicken bleeds out cleanly and the meat remains tender.
- It’s preferable to use young chickens, especially capons, for making Feng Chicken.
- During air drying, hang the chicken in a cool, well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight. Ensure the incision is facing upwards to prevent leaking of brine, which can cause the chicken to spoil.
- Feng Chicken can also be stewed with meat, enhancing its rich and pure flavor.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Feng Chicken, also known as air-dried chicken, is made by seasoning a slaughtered chicken and air drying it for about half a month before consumption.
It is typically prepared around the beginning of Minor Snow to the end of spring festival. There’s a saying: “Feng Chicken doesn’t need a lamp.” This means that after the 15th day of the first lunar month, as the weather warms, Feng Chicken is prone to spoilage and should be consumed before this time.
When properly made, Feng Chicken has tender and delicious meat, making it a distinctive winter delicacy in the northeastern region of China.
7 Fried Iron Sparrow Heads
[Main Ingredients]
250g iron sparrow heads
75g starch
2g salt
10g ginger juice
10g cooking wine
1000g oil
20g Sichuan peppercorn salt
[Cooking Method]
- Chop off the beaks and separate the heads from the iron sparrows. Wash them thoroughly and pat dry. Place them in a small bowl, add salt, cooking wine, and ginger juice. Marinate for 15 minutes, then coat with beaten egg and starch mixture.
- Heat oil in a wok until it reaches about 60-70% hot. Carefully drop the coated sparrow heads into the oil using a slotted spoon. Use chopsticks to separate any clumps and flip them continuously. Maintain a moderate heat to fry the sparrow heads until they turn crispy and golden brown. Remove and drain the excess oil. Arrange them neatly on a serving plate and sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn salt.
[Cooking Key Points]
Pay attention to the heat; if the oil temperature is too high, the coating will brown too quickly while the inside remains undercooked.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Fried Iron Sparrow Heads are made from the heads of iron sparrows, a nourishing winter delicacy. The heads are particularly prized for their calcium and phosphorus content. They are believed to be effective in preventing and treating conditions like senile dementia, osteoporosis, and nervous disorders. Sparrow brains are also considered beneficial for kidney health and male vitality, treating conditions like impotence, premature ejaculation, and nocturnal emissions.
- These fried sparrow heads are golden brown, crispy with a distinct crunch when freshly cooked, hence the name “Fried Iron Sparrow Heads”. When slightly cooled, they are crunchy and flavorful, especially when eaten with Sichuan peppercorn salt, which adds a savory and spicy kick. This dish is typically prepared in large quantities for banquets rather than sold individually. Each serving requires more than 40 iron sparrow heads, making it a unique and special accompaniment for festive meals.
8 Sparrow Shreds
[Main Ingredients]
1000g iron sparrow meat
500g heart of Chinese cabbage
200g white part of green onions
10g minced ginger
10g minced garlic
80g cooking wine
30g ginger juice
50g soy sauce
30g vinegar
5g salt
5g MSG
80g wet starch
50g dry starch
1500g oil
50g concentrated Sichuan peppercorn oil
[Cooking Method]
- Clean and process the iron sparrow meat, split it into halves, flatten with a knife, make small incisions, and chop into pieces the size of soybeans. Place in a bowl, add cooking wine, ginger juice, 2g salt, stir well, add a little water, and mix with wet starch.
- Cut the Chinese cabbage hearts into slices about 0.5cm in size, and cut the white part of green onions into fine shreds.
- Heat oil in a wok until it reaches about 50-60% hot. Quickly blanch the Chinese cabbage hearts in the hot oil, then remove and drain excess oil. Raise the oil temperature to about 60% hot, and fry the prepared sparrow shreds until they are cooked through and slightly crispy. Remove and drain excess oil.
- In the same wok, leave a bit of oil, add minced ginger and garlic, stir-fry briefly, then add cooking wine and half a spoonful of water. Once boiling, thicken with starch, then add Chinese cabbage, green onion shreds, and sparrow shreds. Drizzle with Sichuan peppercorn oil and transfer to a large serving dish.
[Cooking Key Points]
Sparrow shreds can be served both cold and hot. They can be used as a premium banquet dish, as part of a mid-range assorted dish, or even as a common appetizer with drinks.
[Flavor Characteristics]
Using iron sparrow meat throughout enhances the dish’s richness. The sauce is light on oil, with a salty and fresh taste, slightly sweet and sour, and the texture is crispy on the outside and tender inside.
9 Crispy Fern Rolls
[Ingredients]
100g fern shoots
5g salt
20g chicken breast
2g MSG
20g shrimp
2g Sichuan peppercorn oil
20g fresh mushrooms
5g sesame oil
150g bread crumbs
3g scallions
4 eggs
3g ginger
25g wet starch
50g soybean oil
[Cooking Method]
- Soak the fern shoots to remove excess saltiness, then finely chop. Dice the chicken breast, shrimp, and fresh mushrooms into small pieces (0.3 cm cubes). Mix these ingredients in a bowl with salt, MSG, chopped scallions and ginger, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and sesame oil to make the filling.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl, add wet starch and stir to make a batter. Use a ladle to spread the batter into 15 small egg skins, reserving the remaining eggs for later.
- Cut each egg skin in half down the middle, roll each half around a portion of the filling to form rolls about 5 cm long and 2 cm thick. Coat the rolls with bread crumbs, then dip them in the reserved beaten egg batter.
- Heat soybean oil in a wok until moderately hot. Fry the rolls until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove and drain excess oil, arrange on a plate and serve.
[Cooking Tips]
- Ensure the ingredients for the filling are finely chopped to facilitate rolling.
- Roll the rolls tightly and seal the edges with the wet starch mixture.
- Maintain moderate oil temperature to prevent the rolls from falling apart during frying.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Fern shoots, also known as “dragon head vegetable,” were historically considered an auspicious wild herb. They grow in moist and fertile soil on sunny slopes in mountainous regions. The tender shoots, harvested before fully unfurling in spring, are esteemed as the “king of mountain vegetables.” Legend has it that a minister from Shexian brought dried fern shoots to the capital, impressing the court with their unique flavor. Since then, fern shoots have become renowned nationwide.
- Fern shoots are highly nutritious, containing 86g water, 1.6g protein, 1.3g fiber, 0.4g fat, 10g carbohydrates, 0.4g ash, 4mg calcium, 6.7mg iron, 1.68mg carotene, and 35mg ascorbic acid per 100g. They provide 50kcal per 100g. According to the “Compendium of Materia Medica,” fern shoots are sweet and cool, soothing, diuretic, and beneficial for various medicinal purposes such as calming the nerves, clearing heat, detoxifying, promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, and strengthening the spleen and stomach.
- These rolls have a crispy outer layer, golden color, and a fresh and savory filling, with equal thickness and length.
10 Braised Shepherd’s Purse with Three Fresh Ingredients
[Ingredients]
150g shepherd’s purse
0.5g sugar
25g fresh mushrooms
1.5g Shaoxing wine
10g cooked chicken
5g Sichuan peppercorn oil
10g dried shrimp
10g chopped scallions
5g ham
3g minced ginger
10g bamboo shoots
1.5g wet starch
10g baby bok choy
150g chicken broth
1g salt
15g soybean oil
1g MSG
10g soy sauce
[Cooking Method]
- Wash the baby bok choy thoroughly, blanch briefly in boiling water, then cool in cold water.
- Shred the ham, bamboo shoots, baby bok choy, mushrooms, and cooked chicken into thin strips.
- Heat soybean oil in a wok, stir-fry chopped scallions and minced ginger until fragrant. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, chicken broth, sugar, salt, ham, bamboo shoots, and finally the main ingredients. Stir-fry over high heat for about 5 minutes until cooked through. Add baby bok choy, MSG, and thicken with wet starch. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil, stir well, and serve.
[Cooking Tips]
- Shepherd’s purse is best harvested in April or May when the young shoots are about 5 days above ground.
- Be careful not to burn the scallions and ginger when stir-frying in warm oil.
- Ensure the sauce thickens just enough to coat the ingredients.
[Flavor Characteristics]
- Shepherd’s purse, belonging to the Brassicaceae family, is known as “Capsella bursa-pastoris” or “Thlaspi arvense.” In ancient times, it was also called “nest vegetable” and is a perennial herbaceous plant. It is considered a mountain delicacy, with the female plant being edible and the male used for propagation. Descriptions in ancient texts like the “Compendium of Materia Medica” detail its appearance and medicinal uses.
- Shepherd’s purse is rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and fats. Its roots contain about 7.78% starch and 6.12% soluble sugars. The root is known for its ability to relieve heat, promote diuresis, and alleviate abdominal pain.
- This dish is characterized by its vibrant colors, savory and fragrant taste with a light sauce, and a texture that is crisp yet tender.