Northeastern Cuisine Delicacies（Three)

by

1 Crispy Jellyfish Salad

Ingredients:

  • 200g jellyfish (jellyfish skin)
  • 200g cucumber
  • 5g minced ginger
  • 10g minced garlic
  • 5g chopped green onions
  • 3g salt
  • 35g sugar
  • 30g vinegar
  • 20g soy sauce
  • 1g MSG (optional)
  • 25g sesame oil

Cooking Method:

  1. Roll up the jellyfish skin and cut it horizontally into 0.4cm wide strips. Blanch the strips in boiling water until they curl up. Then rinse them thoroughly under running water until they swell and become translucent like rubber bands.
  2. Wash the cucumber thoroughly, cut off both ends, slice it open, remove the seeds, and then cut it into 0.3cm thick strips. Place the cucumber strips in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and let them marinate for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess bitter liquid and set aside.
  3. Heat a pan over medium heat, add sesame oil, and heat until it is 30% hot. Add minced ginger and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, then remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Mix in sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and MSG (if using), and stir until well combined to make the sweet and sour sauce.
  4. Arrange the cucumber strips on the bottom of a serving plate. Pat dry the blanched jellyfish strips with a towel to remove excess moisture, then place them on top of the cucumber strips. Drizzle the prepared sweet and sour sauce over the jellyfish and cucumber, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and serve immediately.

Cooking Tips:

  1. When blanching the jellyfish, use plenty of water to ensure it becomes fully translucent with minimal sediment for the best results.
  2. Before plating the jellyfish, ensure to pat it dry with a towel to prevent excessive water from diluting the flavor of the sauce after dressing.

Flavor Profile:
This dish has a crystal-clear appearance with a sweet and sour taste that is rich and balanced. It offers a refreshing and crunchy texture, making it an excellent dish to pair with wine.

2 Mirror Lake Carp Threads

Ingredients:

  • 1000g mirror lake carp
  • 500g aged vinegar
  • 30g bean sprouts
  • 30g cucumber, sliced thinly
  • 20g cucumber juice
  • 10g cilantro juice
  • 20g garlic sauce
  • 10g ginger juice
  • 10g sesame oil
  • 3g salt

Cooking Method:

  1. Scale, gut, and clean the carp. Place the fish on a cutting board with the head facing forward and the belly facing left. Hold the fish steady with your left hand and carefully slide the knife along the back bone from the gills to the tail, pulling out the rib bones. Repeat on the other side. Lay the two fillets flat, skin side down, and remove any remaining bones. Slice the fish meat thinly into strips, about 3cm long.
  2. Soak the fish strips in aged vinegar until they turn pale white. Remove and place them on a serving plate.
  3. Trim the ends of the bean sprouts, wash them thoroughly, and slice the cucumber thinly.
  4. Mix cucumber juice, cilantro juice, garlic sauce, ginger juice, sesame oil together to make a dressing.
  5. Arrange bean sprouts and cucumber slices on top of the fish strips. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the dish.

Cooking Tips:

  1. Opt for mirror lake carp from Heilongjiang Province, known for its tender and delicious flesh.
  2. When deboning the fish, be careful not to break up the flesh, as it needs to be sliced into threads.
  3. Use high-quality aged vinegar for soaking the fish strips to enhance the flavor.

Flavor Profile:

  1. Mirror Lake in Heilongjiang Province is renowned for its pristine environment and abundant fish, particularly the mirror lake carp with its golden scales and tender meat, often referred to as “golden carp.” It has been a delicacy since ancient times and was even a tribute to the imperial court during the Qing Dynasty.
  2. This dish is a famous specialty from Heilongjiang Province, celebrated for its crisp, tender, and fresh flavor, making it a culinary treasure of the northern regions.

3 Shaved Fish Slices

Ingredients:

  • 1000g fresh carp
  • 500g aged vinegar
  • 10g salt
  • 20g chopped green onions
  • 20g minced garlic
  • 30g cilantro
  • 50g spinach
  • 50g bean sprouts

Cooking Method:

  1. Debone and skin the carp, preparing the clean meat (refer to the method used in Mirror Lake Carp Threads). Set aside.
  2. Slice the fish meat very thinly, resembling shaved flakes. Soak the slices in vinegar for 30 minutes until they turn pale white. Remove from vinegar.
  3. Wash the spinach thoroughly and trim the bean sprouts. Blanch the spinach and bean sprouts in boiling water, then cool them in cold water. Arrange the marinated fish slices with the cut spinach and bean sprouts on top on a plate, ready to serve.

Cooking Tips:

  1. Choose fresh carp with tender meat, fine fibers, recently caught and uncontaminated for the best results.
  2. When deboning the fish, be careful not to break up the meat, ensuring it can be sliced thinly.
  3. Slice the fish extremely thinly to preserve its distinctive flavor.

Flavor Profile:

  1. Shaved Fish Slices are named for the thinly sliced fish that resemble shavings.
  2. This dish is delicious, with a delicate texture and refreshing taste, free from any fishiness. It is one of the signature dishes served by the Hezhe ethnic group to honor guests in their fishing communities.

4 Clay Pot Fish Maw

Ingredients:

  • 500g soaked fish maw
  • 10g ginger, sliced
  • 30g fatty chicken meat
  • 10g salt
  • 50g dried scallops
  • 1.5g MSG
  • 50g ham
  • 1.5g white pepper powder
  • 50g soaked shiitake mushrooms
  • 500g chicken broth
  • 50g fresh bamboo shoots
  • 500g fresh soup
  • 15g Shaoxing wine
  • 30g rendered pork fat
  • 10g green onions, cut into sections

Cooking Method:

  1. Rinse the soaked fish maw thoroughly and place it in a steaming bowl. Add Shaoxing wine, ham, green onions, ginger slices, and chicken broth. Steam until tender, then remove and set aside. Blanch the fatty chicken meat in boiling water until fully cooked, then remove and rinse with cold water. Wash the dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms. Slice the ham and fresh bamboo shoots.
  2. Place the chicken meat, dried scallops, ham, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots into a clay pot. Add the fresh soup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer over low heat until fully cooked. Place the steamed fish maw on top of the chicken meat. Add rendered pork fat, white pepper powder, Shaoxing wine, salt, and more fresh soup as needed. Cover the clay pot and simmer over low heat for 2 hours. Add MSG before serving.

Cooking Tips:

  1. Choose high-quality fish maw. Common types include large meat fish maw, which has rich collagen and is of the highest quality. There’s also ‘ming chi’ (or ‘jin hua chi’), which lacks meat but has layers of membranes inside. Another type is ‘he bao chi’, known for its thin skin and tender texture.
  2. Clean the fish maw thoroughly to remove sand and any unwanted flavors. Enhance its flavor by steaming it with additional aromatic ingredients.

Flavor Profile:
Clay Pot Fish Maw is known for its warmth, richness, and savory taste, often served as a hearty appetizer.

5 Braised Sturgeon Lips

Ingredients:

  • 250g fresh sturgeon lips
  • 30g soy sauce
  • 15g dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 15g Shaoxing wine
  • 10g ham
  • 5g salt
  • 10g dried blue lotus petals
  • 1.5g MSG (optional)
  • 15g sugar
  • 10g cilantro
  • 15g vinegar
  • 10g sesame oil
  • 10g green onions
  • 250g chicken broth
  • 10g ginger
  • 1000g vegetable oil (for frying)

Cooking Method:

  1. Cut the fresh sturgeon lips into pieces resembling ribs. Stew them in Shaoxing wine for 10 minutes to remove any fishy odor. Blanch them briefly in boiling chicken broth, then remove and drain well.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a wok until it reaches 50% hot. Quickly fry the sturgeon lips until just cooked, then remove and drain excess oil.
  3. Slice the dried blue lotus petals, ham, and shiitake mushrooms. Blanch them in boiling water, then remove and drain. Slice the green onions and ginger into thin strips. Finely chop the cilantro.
  4. Heat a wok with a bit of oil until it’s 50% hot. Stir-fry the green onions and ginger until fragrant. Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, MSG, salt, and vinegar. Add the sturgeon lips and stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the sliced blue lotus petals, ham, and shiitake mushrooms, then thicken with a slurry made from wet starch. Drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Cooking Tips:

  1. Avoid deep-frying the sturgeon lips; instead, use hot oil for a quick fry to preserve their texture.
  2. Keep the stewing time moderate to maintain a tender and smooth mouthfeel of the sturgeon lips.

Flavor Profile:
Sturgeon, mainly found in the waters of Heilongjiang, is known for its large size and carnivorous diet. The flesh is thick, boneless, and prized for its exquisite taste. “Braised Sturgeon Lips” is a renowned dish from Heilongjiang Province, using the braising technique to create tender, flavorful lips that are a highlight at upscale banquets.

6 Braised Fish Bones in White Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 200g prepared fish bones
  • 25g wet starch
  • 25g sliced dried lily buds
  • 250g fish broth
  • 25g sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 5g salt
  • 20g Chinese cabbage (pak choi), thinly sliced
  • 10g green onions, chopped
  • 50g rendered pork fat
  • 10g ginger, minced
  • 1.5g MSG (optional)
  • 10g cooking wine
  • 15g Shaoxing wine

Cooking Method:

  1. Slice the fish bones into 0.6 cm thick pieces. Cut the dried lily buds into strips measuring 3.3 cm long and 0.33 cm thick. Slice the Chinese cabbage thinly. Slice the shiitake mushrooms. Chop the green onions and mince the ginger.
  2. Blanch the fish bones briefly in boiling water, then remove and drain well.
  3. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the rendered pork fat and heat until hot. Stir-fry the green onions and ginger until fragrant. Add the fish bones and other ingredients, stir-frying briefly. Add the seasoning, cooking wine, and fish broth. Once the broth boils, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid reduces to about 100g.
  4. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Thicken the sauce with wet starch, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve.

Cooking Tips:

  1. Pay attention to the intensity of the heat: use high heat when first adding the fish bones, then reduce to low once the broth begins to boil to avoid stirring up the broth.
  2. Stir the dish intermittently while simmering to prevent sticking and maintain the dish’s pristine appearance.

Flavor Profile:
“Braised Fish Bones in White Sauce” is a traditional dish from Liaoning Province, featuring prepared soft fish bones from the Bohai Sea as the main ingredient. The dish is prepared using a braising method, resulting in a dish that is white as jade, crispy, tender, and fragrant. It is renowned as a summer seafood delicacy.

7 Mixed Sesame Sauce Abalone

Ingredients:

  • 150g fresh abalone meat
  • 5g salt
  • 50g cold boiling water
  • 50g sesame paste
  • 4 lettuce leaves

Cooking Method:

  1. Prepare a sesame sauce paste by mixing sesame paste, cold boiling water, and salt until smooth.
  2. Slice the abalone meat into round slices about 0.25 cm thick. Blanch them quickly in boiling water until cooked through, then drain well.
  3. Arrange the abalone slices on a serving plate, surround them with lettuce leaves, and pour the sesame sauce paste over them.

Cooking Tips:

  1. Ensure the abalone slices are evenly thick.
  2. Keep the blanching time short to avoid overcooking and maintain the tender texture.

Flavor Profile:

  1. Abalone, known as “Fu” in Chinese, is a type of gastropod mollusk belonging to the Haliotidae family. Chinese people have a long history of consuming abalone, with records dating back to before the Han Dynasty. It’s said that during the Qing Dynasty, abalone was particularly cherished, and it was believed that eating abalone could lift one’s spirits.
  2. “Mixed Sesame Sauce Abalone” is a traditional dish from Liaoning Province. It uses abalone from the Bohai Sea, known for its tender texture and pale color. The abalone slices are blanched in boiling water and then mixed with sesame sauce paste, served with lettuce leaves. This dish is aromatic, light, refreshing, tender, and delicious, offering rich nutrition. It is considered a high-class delicacy for spring, perfect as a cold appetizer featuring sea treasures.

8 Assorted Hotpot

[Main Ingredients and Seasonings]

  • 100g soaked sea cucumber
  • 75g pig kidneys
  • 5g soaked dried scallops
  • 150g Chinese cabbage
  • 50g soaked fish maw
  • 75g pork meatballs
  • 50g soaked abalone
  • 15g soaked vermicelli
  • 50g cooked pork tripe
  • 15g salt
  • 50g cooked chicken meat
  • 3g MSG
  • 50g bamboo shoots
  • 1000g chicken broth

[Cooking Method]

  1. Rinse the Chinese cabbage thoroughly and cut into pieces about the size of playing cards. Use a knife to cut the soaked vermicelli into shorter lengths. Slice the soaked sea cucumber, soaked abalone, cooked chicken meat, soaked fish maw, cooked pork tripe, and bamboo shoots into thin strips. Remove the core of the pig kidneys, then cut into decorative shapes.
  2. Place the Chinese cabbage in the hotpot. Layer the soaked vermicelli on top of the cabbage, followed by placing the pork meatballs on the vermicelli. Arrange the sea cucumber neatly in the pot, then place the soaked dried scallops beside the sea cucumber. Finally, arrange the abalone, fish maw, cooked pork tripe, bamboo shoots, and pig kidneys in the hotpot.
  3. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, add salt and MSG, bring to a boil, skim off any foam, and cover tightly.
  4. Place charcoal in the stove and heat until red hot. Use tongs to place the charcoal in the burner of the hotpot. Allow the broth to boil inside the pot, and the dish is ready to serve.

[Cooking Tips]

  1. Avoid making the broth too salty, as it can overpower the natural flavors of the ingredients.
  2. Using chicken broth or high-quality broth is essential for the best flavor.

[Flavor Profile]
“Assorted Hotpot” is a traditional dish from Jilin Province. It features sea cucumber, dried scallops, abalone, pig kidneys, and cooked pork tripe as the main ingredients, combined with other accompanying ingredients, using a simmering technique. The dish includes both meat and vegetable ingredients, with a balanced and harmonious flavor profile. It’s rich in variety and nutrients, suitable for warming up in winter and cooling down in summer, making it a high-end seafood delicacy.

9 Deep-Fried Distilled Crab Legs

[Ingredients]
Fresh crab (head crab) legs, 20 grams
Granulated sugar, 15 grams
Sesame oil, 10 grams
Egg, 50 grams
Chicken broth, 100 grams
Soybean oil, 1000 grams
Starch, 30 grams
Salt, 10 grams
Scallion, 10 grams
Monosodium glutamate (MSG), 1.5 grams
Ginger, 10 grams
Vinegar, 10 grams
Garlic, 10 grams
Shaoxing wine, 15 grams

[Cooking Method]

  1. Prepare the crab legs, then mix egg, starch, and water in a medium bowl to form a batter. Dip the crab legs into the batter. In another bowl, mix salt, MSG, Shaoxing wine, sugar, vinegar, chicken broth, and a suitable amount of starch to make the sauce. Chop scallions and ginger finely, and slice the garlic.
  2. Heat a wok with soybean oil to 60% hot, then fry the battered crab legs until crispy and golden brown. Leave a little oil in the wok, heat it, stir-fry scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then add the fried crab legs, stir briefly, pour in the prepared sauce, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve.

[Cooking Tips]

  1. When preparing the crab legs, gently hammer them to keep them intact.
  2. Ensure the oil temperature and cooking heat are appropriate to maintain the tenderness of the dish.

[Flavor Characteristics]
“Deep-Fried Distilled Crab Legs” is a traditional delicacy from Liaoning Province. Made with fresh sea crab using deep-frying and braising techniques, the meat is tender and delicious, showcasing a delicate blend of flavors, making it a prized dish for upscale banquets.

10 Three Delicacies Stuffed Crab

[Ingredients]
10 live crabs
10 grams salt
200 grams soaked sea cucumber
3 grams ground pepper
200 grams cooked chicken meat
1.5 grams MSG
200 grams pork tenderloin
10 grams vinegar
200 grams pork fat
30 grams starch
15 grams cilantro
100 grams chicken broth
75 grams egg whites
10 grams scallions
10 grams sesame oil
10 grams ginger

[Cooking Method]

  1. Clean the crabs thoroughly, steam them until cooked, remove the claws and legs, detach the crab apron, open the crab shell, remove the crab roe, clean out the crab juice, and extract the crab meat with a bamboo skewer, squeezing out the leg meat with a wooden roller.
  2. Cut the sea cucumber into 1 cm dice. Dice the chicken meat into 0.5 cm pieces. Stir-fry the chicken meat with crab meat in a wok, add minced scallions, ginger, Shaoxing wine, salt, vinegar, MSG, sesame oil, and chopped cilantro. Divide and place the mixture into the crab shells.
  3. Mince the pork tenderloin and pork fat together, add Shaoxing wine, salt, MSG, minced scallions and ginger, chicken broth, egg whites, and starch. Mix well with the three delicacies filling, shape into round patties, decorate with cilantro leaves, arrange on a plate, and steam until cooked through.
  4. Heat a wok, add chicken broth, salt, MSG, a little ground pepper, thicken the sauce with starch, and pour over the stuffed crabs.

[Cooking Tips]

  1. Use fresh live swimming crabs to ensure the quality of the dish.
  2. Clean the crab shells thoroughly to meet hygiene standards.
  3. Pay attention to fine craftsmanship for an attractive appearance.

[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish is a traditional delicacy from Liaoning Province. It uses fresh live crabs and other complementary ingredients, steamed to perfection. Served in the original shells, it is fragrant, delicious, beautifully presented, nutritious, and distinctive in style.