Acclaimed as the king of “xiao chao”(or small stir-fry), this delicacy is a signature dish of Shundenese chefs. Almost every restaurant in Shunde has its own wok-fried dish. There is no rigid set of recipe or ingredient. Chefs use whatever seasonal foodstuff they have and cook according to their experience. The main principle is the dish has both meat and vegetables. The key is to use fresh ingredients, stir fry on high heat and balance timing and heat well. It’s all about the art of adapting and improvising.
Lin Rangming, a well-known Shundenese chef and a Top 10 Chef of Guangdong, refined the original recipe creatively and carved a pair of pandas vividly on a winter melon. The dish was presented to Norodom Sihanouk when he visited Guangzhou. It has won a gold medal at a Culinary World Cup, making it a legendary classic of Cantonese cuisine.
It’s a pastoral dish in Shunde. Wax gourd is soft and juicy, so it must be cooked with a good control of timing and heat; if overcooked, it loses its soft and crunchy texture. Peel and cut wax gourds into chunks. Scoop out the pulp and seeds, then stuff each segment with cooked ingredients, such as taro paste and Cantonese cured ham dices. Then pan fry till they turn golden. The dish is both soft and crunchy and has both warming and cooling functions. It has a great balance of colors, textures, and flavors.
Essayist Shi Pu considered Shunde cuisine as the finest homemade cuisine and this dish is a classic example. Slice bitter melon peels, poach and drain. Mash and then fry the salted egg yolk over low to medium heat until it bubbles. Press the yolk through a sieve when it cools down. Add the bitter melon peels and sieved yolk to the wok and mix them evenly.
This soup is new and trendy. Vegetables play a starring role, and salted eggs and preserved eggs are added to give savories and beautiful colors to the amaranth. This soup has delicate and bright colors and is creamy and replete with umami.
It is a traditional dish and an auspicious delicacy in Shundenese households. Mix the bland tofu or egg wash with minced fish, then steam and serve, sometimes with a scatter of fried dough strips to enrich its flavor. Boneless, easy to chew and digest, this dish is often recommended for the elderly and children, hence also named “lao shao ping an”(or peace and safety to the old and the young).
