1 Stuffed Winter Melon

[Ingredients]
Small winter melon … 1
Diced cooked ham … 25 g
Diced cooked chicken gizzards … 25 g
Diced cooked bamboo shoots … 15 g
Dried shrimp … 2.5 g
Diced cooked chicken … 25 g
Monosodium glutamate … 0.5 g
Diced cooked chicken livers … 25 g
Cornstarch (mixed with water) … 40 g
Diced soaked bamboo shoots … 15 g
Diced lard … 25 g
Salt … 2.5 g
Chicken clear soup … 250 g
Rendered lard … 750 g

[Preparation Method]

Peel and clean the winter melon. Carve decorative patterns on one side of the melon and make a square opening about 4 cm wide on the other side. The cut-out piece will serve as the lid. Hollow out the melon, then place both the melon and lid in a pot of boiling water and parboil for about 10 minutes until partially cooked. Remove and drain.
Heat a wok over high heat and add the rendered lard until it is moderately hot. Add the winter melon and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Remove the melon, pour out the oil, return the wok to high heat, add 50 g of rendered lard, heat until hot, then add diced lard, ham, chicken, chicken gizzards, chicken livers, bamboo shoots, and soaked bamboo shoots. Stir-fry, then add 100 g of chicken clear soup, 1 g of dried shrimp, 1.5 g of salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, thicken with 15 g of cornstarch slurry, turn off the heat, and stuff the mixture into the winter melon through the opening. Cover with the melon lid, stand upright in a bowl, add 150 g of chicken clear soup, 1.5 g of dried shrimp, steam for about 1 hour.
Place the stuffed winter melon on a serving plate. Pour the liquid from the bowl into the wok, add 1 g of salt, 0.5 g of monosodium glutamate, bring to a boil, thicken with 25 g of cornstarch slurry, pour over the winter melon and serve.

[Key Techniques]

Use small winter melons weighing about 350 g each, with smooth surfaces and no bumps for best results.
Various decorative patterns can be carved on the winter melon, such as flowers, figures, or landscapes, to enhance the festive atmosphere. As the saying goes, “Good food needs good presentation.” The winter melon serves as both a container and a dish in this recipe.
The final sauce poured over the winter melon should be thin to avoid obscuring the carved patterns.

[Flavor Characteristics]

Winter melon, also known as white gourd or wax gourd, has a mild and refreshing taste, unique in its clean fragrance. According to records in the Qing Dynasty’s “Compendium of Materia Medica,” winter melon is cool and diuretic, nourishes the spleen, promotes bowel movements, reduces swelling, quenches thirst, and disperses heat and relieves pain. Regular consumption of winter melon helps in maintaining a light body.
Carving patterns on melons is a unique art in Chinese culinary culture, enticing appetites and enhancing the atmosphere of banquets. Historical records show that even during the Qing Dynasty, when Emperor Kangxi toured southern Yangzhou, local elites spared no expense in preparing exquisite and luxurious dishes.
This dish features a vibrant green stuffed winter melon with beautifully carved patterns. Filled with a variety of ingredients, it is rich in flavor and tenderly fragrant. The winter melon absorbs the essence of the fillings, resulting in a delicious and fresh broth, making it a traditional culinary craft in Shanghai.

2 Dong Dong Qing

[Ingredients]
Winter bamboo shoots… 250g
Green vegetables (heart of Chinese cabbage)… 250g
Dried winter mushrooms (soaked)… 75g
Dried shrimp… 0.5g
Salt… 2.5g
Clear chicken broth… 250g
Water starch… 15g
Rendered lard… 500g

[Method]

Cut the winter bamboo shoots into slices about 5cm long and 1cm thick. Wash the Chinese cabbage hearts, trim into olive shapes, and cut the leaves evenly. Clean and slice the soaked winter mushrooms diagonally.
Heat a wok, add the rendered lard, and heat until moderately hot. Quickly blanch the winter bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage hearts separately until tender. Remove from the wok. Pour out the excess oil from the wok, return it to heat, add the clear chicken broth and dried shrimp, bring to a boil, then add the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Add 50g of rendered lard and simmer for about 5 minutes. Finally, add the Chinese cabbage hearts, season with salt, thicken with water starch, arrange the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and Chinese cabbage hearts neatly on a plate to serve.

[Key Techniques]
Blanch the winter bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage hearts until just tender. The bamboo shoots should be white and crisp, and the Chinese cabbage hearts should be bright green and tender, ensuring vibrant colors and textures.

[Flavor Characteristics]
Dong Dong Qing is a traditional Shanghai dish named for its ingredients: winter bamboo shoots, winter mushrooms, and green vegetables. Each word in the name represents one of these ingredients. The bamboo shoots are crisp and white, the mushrooms are savory and brown, and the Chinese cabbage is tender and vibrant green. This dish balances vegetarian and meaty flavors, delivering a fresh and delightful taste.

3 Double Winter Stewed Old Tofu

[Ingredients]
Tofu: 6 pieces, 750 grams
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms: 75 grams
Sliced Bamboo Shoots: 75 grams
Raw Chicken Meat: 400 grams
Cooked Ham: 200 grams
Shaoxing Wine: 15 grams
Salt: 2.5 grams
Soy Sauce: 100 grams
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): 1.5 grams
Clear Meat Broth: 500 grams
Chicken Bones and Meat Bones: 200 grams
Rendered Pork Lard: 125 grams

[Cooking Method]

Place raw chicken meat, chicken bones, and meat bones in a pot of boiling water to remove impurities. Remove and rinse clean, then place on a plate.
Place tofu in a pot of cold water, add salt (1.5 grams), bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over medium heat until tofu pores appear and it floats to the surface. Remove and soak in clean water to remove bean odor. Drain well, remove outer skin on both sides, cut into halves, then into thick slices, and arrange on a plate.
In a clay pot, layer chicken meat, cooked ham, chicken bones, and meat bones at the bottom. Arrange old tofu on top, pour in clear meat broth, add salt (1 gram), MSG, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat. Add rendered pork lard (100 grams), and simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove chicken meat, ham, and bones. Transfer tofu along with braising liquid to another clay pot, arrange bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms on top of tofu, bring to a boil over high heat, drizzle with rendered pork lard (25 grams), simmer briefly, and it’s ready to serve.

[Flavor Characteristics]
Double Winter Stewed Old Tofu is a traditional Shanghai dish. There are many ways to prepare tofu, each with its own strengths. In the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Mei detailed the process of thawing tofu in “Suiyuan Shidan”: “Freeze tofu overnight, cut into cubes, boil to remove bean flavor, stew with chicken broth, ham broth, and meat broth. When served, remove chicken, ham, leaving only fragrant mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and tofu stewed, fluffy like frozen tofu…”

In the early 1920s, chefs in some famous restaurants along the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, following Yuan Mei’s recipe, boiled tofu to a honeycomb-like texture, stewed it with bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, chicken meat, and ham, creating “Double Winter Stewed Old Tofu”. It underwent a transformation, with a golden color, resilient yet tender texture, rich tofu flavor, crisp and tender bamboo shoots and mushrooms, and a rich and aromatic braising liquid. Nowadays, with the popularity of refrigerators, using frozen tofu elevates the dish even further.

4 Amber Lotus Seeds

[Ingredients]
Dried lotus seeds: 100 grams
Crystal sugar: 250 grams
Rendered lard: 100 grams
Rock sugar: 150 grams
Scented osmanthus syrup: 3 grams
Edible alkali: 30 grams

[Cooking Method]

Boil 500 grams of water in a basin, add 15 grams of edible alkali, pour in the lotus seeds, and stir with a bamboo broom to remove the skins. Drain the alkaline water, then replace with 750 grams of boiling water and another 15 grams of edible alkali, continue stirring, remove and rinse the lotus seeds, peel off both ends, and core out the lotus seed hearts, then rinse thoroughly.
In a clay pot, add 1000 grams of water, pour in the lotus seeds, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, add the rendered lard, cover with a bowl lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the lotus seeds.
Shell and pit the crystal sugar, then use one crystal sugar to wrap around one lotus seed, place them back into the original soup pot, add rock sugar, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skim off any foam, then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender (about 1 hour). Remove from heat, remove the rendered lard, and add scented osmanthus syrup to finish.

[Key Techniques]
As the saying goes, “to achieve sweetness, add a little salt,” this dish uses a small amount of salt, usually not exceeding 2 grams, for optimal flavor.

[Flavor Characteristics]
Amber Lotus Seeds is a traditional sweet dish from Shanghai, known for its digestive and spleen-strengthening effects, as well as its ability to nourish and enhance mental clarity. The finished dish has a shiny amber color, resembling amber, hence the name. The crystal sugar is soft and smooth, the lotus seed meat is powdery and sticky, the soup is fragrant and sweet, making it an excellent choice for post-meal digestion and wine relief.

5 Crispy Kumquat Balls

[Ingredients]
Pork fat belly meat: 250 grams
Egg yolks: 6
Flour: 50 grams
Red and green threads (colored sugar strands): 5 grams
Candied kumquats: 5 grams
Granulated sugar: 200 grams
Scented osmanthus syrup: 2 grams
Rendered pork lard: 750 grams

[Cooking Method]

Finely chop candied kumquats and pork fat belly meat, place in a bowl, add egg yolks, flour, and a suitable amount of water, mix well and set aside.
Heat the rendered pork lard in a frying pan until it reaches about 60% heat. Shape the fat belly mixture into walnut-sized balls, then fry in the oil until they puff up. Remove the pan from heat, let them cook thoroughly, then return to heat and fry until golden brown. Drain in a colander to remove excess oil.
Place the pan over medium heat, add a suitable amount of water, granulated sugar, and scented osmanthus syrup. Simmer until the sugar dissolves and the syrup bubbles. Remove from heat, quickly add the fried balls, gently stir with bamboo chopsticks until evenly coated with syrup. Allow to cool until a white frost forms. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with red and green threads.

[Key Techniques]
Frosting technique: Dissolve granulated sugar in water until it bubbles, then remove from heat and quickly add the main ingredients. Gently stir with bamboo chopsticks until cooled to form white frost, typically garnished with red and green threads as a final touch for serving sweet dishes.

[Flavor Characteristics]
Crispy Kumquat Balls are a famous dish from Shanghai. Despite its popularity, it uses common ingredients. It features pork fat belly as the main ingredient, supplemented with egg yolks, chopped candied kumquats, and flour to form a paste. After shaping, deep-frying, and frosting, it becomes economically affordable with a rich local flavor. Resembling kumquats in appearance with a crisp and delightful texture, they are not overly sweet, earning their name for their resemblance to kumquats and their delightful fragrance.

6 Cherry in Sweet Rice Wine

[Ingredients]
Fresh cherries: 250 grams
Sweet rice wine: 75 grams
Fresh peas: 10 grams
Granulated sugar: 200 grams
Scented osmanthus: 0.5 grams

[Cooking Method]

Rinse the cherries, remove the stems, and carefully pit them using a toothpick while keeping them whole. Stir the sweet rice wine with chopsticks. Blanch the peas in boiling water until cooked, then cool in cold water and drain.
Place a frying pan over heat, pour in 600 grams of water, bring to a boil, stir in the sweet rice wine, add granulated sugar, cherries, peas, and scented osmanthus. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam from the surface, remove from heat, and serve in soup bowls.

[Key Techniques]

To achieve sweetness, add a little salt to enhance freshness without making it overly sweet.
Skim off any foam after boiling to ensure clear soup.

[Flavor Characteristics]

Cherries, also known as “Han peach”, come in various varieties such as red cherries and purple cherries. According to the “Jiangning County Chronicles” during the Ming Dynasty, they were described as “sweet and unique among other kinds produced in Jinling (Nanjing)”. Cherry in sweet rice wine emerged as a delicacy at upscale banquets, appreciated for its timely appearance and sobering qualities, delighting diners. The combination with fresh peas creates a harmonious blend resembling agate (cherries), jadeite (peas), and broken jade (sweet rice wine).
This dish showcases a blend of red, green, and white colors, sweet as honey, with a sticky fragrance and a hint of acidity. A Shanghai folk song sings, “Plum blossoms bloom during the New Year, cherries are enjoyed beforehand,” reflecting its seasonal popularity at the cusp of spring and summer.

7 Zu’an Fish Maw

[Ingredients]
Dried fish maw: 2000 grams
Fine salt: 8 grams
Monosodium glutamate: 2.5 grams
Dried scallops: 50 grams
Chicken thigh meat: 1500 grams
Pork elbow meat: 1000 grams
Shaoxing wine: 150 grams
Green onions (tied into knots): 50 grams
Ginger slices: 50 grams
Rendered chicken fat: 25 grams

[Cooking Method]

Clean and wash the chicken thoroughly, remove feathers, open the chest cavity, remove internal organs, and chop into large pieces. Clean the pork elbow meat and cut into chunks. Blanch both meats together in boiling water, then rinse thoroughly to remove blood foam. Bruise the green onions and ginger. Remove any tough edges from the dried scallops, wash them, then place in a bowl with green onions, ginger, Shaoxing wine, and water. Steam until ready for use.
Prepare a large earthenware bowl lined with a bamboo rack at the bottom. Place the dried fish maw, wrapped in a thin cheesecloth, inside. Use chicken broth, add Shaoxing wine, green onions, and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about half an hour. Remove the fish maw from the bowl, discard the soup, and layer pork elbow meat, green onion knots, and ginger slices on the bottom of the bowl. Replace the fish maw and chicken pieces, add the steamed scallop broth, Shaoxing wine, fine salt, and 1500 grams of water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about 4 hours until the fish maw is tender, fragrant, and soft. Remove the chicken meat, pork meat, green onions, and ginger from the bowl. Remove the fish maw from the cheesecloth and arrange it on a plate.
Heat the rendered chicken fat in a frying pan until it is 80% hot, pour in the original soup from the earthenware bowl, add monosodium glutamate, bring to a boil to create a thick sauce. Pour over the fish maw, sprinkle with pepper, and drizzle with chicken fat.

[Key Techniques]

Select high-quality dried fish maw for this dish. Trim off any edges and soak the fish maw in cold water after blanching in boiling water and allowing it to sit for several hours until the water cools. Transfer to a wooden basin, scrape off any sand and dirt with a knife, and rinse thoroughly. Line a pot with a bamboo rack, place the fish maw and add clean water, cover with an iron rack, and boil over high heat. After steaming, let it soak for several hours in the wooden basin, remove the bones and rotten meat from the fish maw, clean it thoroughly, and neatly place it on the bamboo rack in the pot. Boil it in clean water, cover it, and let it soak for several hours.
Pay attention to the cooking process, simmering for about 4 hours to allow the flavors to penetrate the main ingredients. Check for doneness by piercing the middle of the fish maw with chopsticks; if both ends hang down, it is ready.

[Flavor Characteristics]

This dish originated as a famous dish at the family banquets of Tan Yankai, the Governor of Hunan in the late Qing Dynasty. Tan Yankai, whose courtesy name was Zu’an, was a renowned gourmet. His chef, Cao Jingchen, who had followed him for many years, mastered Tan’s culinary preferences and often innovated with new techniques. He adapted the traditional red-braised fish maw method by adding chicken meat and pork belly to stew with fish maw, creating a dish with a unique flavor that was highly praised by Tan Yankai. Zu’an insisted on preparing this dish whenever he hosted or was invited to dine, earning it the title of “Zu’an’s Grand Dish,” renowned in the Three Provinces.
The dish features a light yellow color, clear and shiny broth, soft and smooth texture, savory and fresh taste, with a rich and pleasant aroma.

8 Clear Soup with Fish Maw

[Ingredients]
Oil-soaked fish maw: 150 grams
Monosodium glutamate: 2 grams
Shiitake mushrooms: 10 grams
Cooked ham: 50 grams
Cooked chicken meat: 100 grams
Flour: 25 grams
Cooking wine: 25 grams
Salt: 10 grams
White pepper: 2 grams
Plain broth: 250 grams
Chicken broth: 1000 grams
Green onions: 10 grams
Chicken oil: 10 grams

[Cooking Method]

Soak the oil-soaked fish maw in boiling water with a heavy object pressing on top to ensure it is fully submerged. Once it starts to soften, remove it from the water and slice it into pieces about 3 cm long and 2.4 cm wide. Lightly coat the pieces with flour, gently wash to remove excess oil, rinse thoroughly with warm water, then blanch in a pot of cold water until it floats. Remove and rinse with cold water.
Soak the shiitake mushrooms in boiling water until fully tender. Clean off any dirt from the stems with salt, rubbing gently until they turn white. Slice into pieces and soak in clean water.
Slice the chicken meat thinly, and the ham into thin slices. Place them in individual bowls with broth, steam for 10 minutes, then remove from steamer. Cut the green onions into sections.
In a pot, combine plain broth, cooking wine, and salt. Bring to a boil and blanch the fish maw briefly. Drain well in a colander, then place in soup bowls. Sprinkle with white pepper and green onions, and add chicken oil. In another pot, combine chicken broth, chicken meat slices, salt, monosodium glutamate, bring to a boil, skim off any foam, adjust seasoning, then pour into soup bowls with fish maw.

[Key Techniques]
Successful preparation depends on properly soaking the fish maw, cleaning the shiitake mushrooms thoroughly, and using clear chicken broth.

[Flavor Characteristics]
This dish is a traditional high-end banquet soup from Hunan, known for its clear broth, tender fish maw, and delicious flavor.

9 Hunan-style Mixed Sea Cucumber

[Ingredients]
Water-soaked sea cucumber… 500g
Shaoxing wine… 25g
Pork… 200g
Salt… 10g
Eggs… 3
Monosodium glutamate… 1.5g
Cooked chicken… 50g
Mixed bone broth… 250g
Ham… 50g
Chicken broth… 750g
Water-soaked mushrooms… 50g
Clean bamboo shoots… 50g
Baby bok choy… 16 pieces
Pepper powder… 1g
Spring onions… 10g
Chicken fat… 10g
Wet cornstarch… 40g
Rendered lard… 50g

[Cooking Method]

Remove the membrane from the sea cucumber, slice diagonally into thin pieces (4 cm long, 3 cm wide), blanch in boiling water, remove and soak in hot water. Slice chicken, ham, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots thinly, place in a bowl with 100g of chicken broth, steam in a steamer for 10 minutes. Blanch baby bok choy until tender, then cool in cold water. Cut spring onions into 2 cm segments.
Remove skin and sinew from pork, finely chop, mix with 3g of salt, 1 egg, and 30g of wet cornstarch to form a filling. Beat 2 eggs, add 1g of salt and wet cornstarch, wrap the meat filling in small round dumpling skins, use chopsticks to form them into shumai shapes. Place in an oiled plate, then shape the remaining meat filling into 2 cm meatballs, steam together with the shumai until cooked.
In a frying pan, add mixed bone broth, Shaoxing wine, and 3g of salt, bring to a boil, blanch the sea cucumber, drain, then place in a soup bowl with the steamed shumai and meatballs. Sprinkle with pepper powder and spring onion segments.
In a separate pot, bring 650g of chicken broth, baby bok choy, 3g of salt, monosodium glutamate to a boil, skim off any foam, pour into the soup bowl with the sea cucumber, drizzle with chicken fat, and serve.

[Cooking Tips]
Water-soaked sea cucumber: Boil dried sea cucumber in cold water until boiling, then cover and let it sit in hot water for 2 hours. Transfer to a wooden basin filled with fresh water, scrub with bran or rice straw to remove sand and impurities, cut open at the abdomen, rinse in clean water, boil again until softened and elastic. Repeat boiling for tough ones until fully softened.

[Flavor Characteristics]
According to “Suiyuan Shidan”: “Sea cucumber, tasteless and often fishy, is the most difficult ingredient to handle, but its natural richness cannot be ignored.” This dish follows this principle, using a variety of ingredients with sea cucumber to create this famous Hunan dish. Rich in ingredients and flavors, the sea cucumber is tender and delicious after cooking, making it pleasant and appetizing.

10 Steamed Fish in Bamboo Tube

[Ingredients]
Mother fish… 1 tail
Cooked rice flour… 100g
Five-spice powder… 10g
Soy sauce… 15g
Doubanjiang (spicy bean paste)… 25g
Sweet bean sauce… 15g
White vinegar… 5g
Shaoxing wine… 5g
Monosodium glutamate… 1g
Salt… 1g
Pepper powder… 1g
Sesame oil… 30g
Chili oil… 30g
Sugar… 1.5g
Rendered lard… 40g
Green onions… 5g
Ginger… 5g

[Cooking Method]

Take a bamboo tube about 10 cm in diameter and 25 cm long, with nodes at both ends. Saw two horizontal lines about 4 cm from each end, then break it open to create a 10 cm wide opening, using the broken pieces as a cover.
Split the fish from the belly, remove the internal organs, wash and drain. Cut into rectangular pieces about 5 cm long, 3 cm wide, and 2 cm thick. Wash again with water, drain, and place in a large bowl. Add soy sauce, Doubanjiang, pepper powder, five-spice powder, sweet bean sauce, pepper powder, salt, sugar, white vinegar, Shaoxing wine, monosodium glutamate, sesame oil, chili oil, green onions, ginger. Mix well, then add rice flour and rendered lard, marinate for 5 minutes. Place the marinated fish into the bamboo tube, cover with the bamboo lid, steam for 20 minutes. Remove from steamer, serve on a tray by lifting the lid.

[Cooking Tips]

Choose fresh mother fish weighing around 2500g.
Ensure to use the upper jaw and tail simultaneously to avoid confusion for customers.
After preparing the fish, squeeze out any residual moisture, trim the fins, and cut into chunks along with the head and tail.

[Flavor Characteristics]

Mother fish, also known as “Fei Tuo Yellow Croaker” or “Fat Snake Fish,” has a grayish-yellow back with scale pieces, mainly found in the Dongting Lake area, particularly around Yueyang.
Legend has it that the mother fish was originally a divine guardian of fish tribes in heaven. Upon descending to earth, it was trapped under a boulder in the Yangtze River by the Jade Emperor. Moved by its plight, the Yellow Crane Spirit rescued it and appealed to the Jade Emperor to release the fish from its laborious duty. The culinary history of the mother fish dates back centuries, as evidenced by poems like Su Dongpo’s “Ode to Fish” and Lu You’s “Notes on Jian Nan,” reflecting its cultural significance.
This dish is rich in nutrients, containing 150g of protein, 62g of fat, 1172 kcal of energy, 612 mg of calcium, 1688 mg of phosphorus, and 18 mg of iron. It is considered beneficial for anemia, malnutrition, tuberculosis, hepatitis, osteomalacia, and elderly individuals, as well as pregnant and nursing women.
Using fresh bamboo tubes for steaming retains the traditional flavor of steamed fish while imparting a subtle fragrance from the bamboo itself. The presentation is unique, offering a lingering aftertaste.