Chef Kar Delight: February 2024

Qing Dynasty Imperial Kitchen Delights 1 of 2
2016/6/9

▲ Qing Dynasty Emperor Guangxu 光緒 and The Empress Dowager Cixi 慈禧

The Chinese Palace cuisines were meals which were prepared by Imperial Kitchen of the royal family. They were called imperial meals. From Ming Dynasty onward, Palace cuisines were arranged systematically.

"Imperial Kitchen" was also called "Internal Kitchen". This was the kitchen that prepared meals for the Emperor. "Ministry of Internal Affairs" would give the menu for the second day one day in advance to the Emperor to read. This menu was called "meal stall" which was kept by the "Imperial Tea and Meal Kitchen" ."Customs and defense management Internal Affairs Office" gathered all ingredients and delivered them to "Imperial Kitchen" for the "Imperial Chefs" to prepare. These "Imperial chefs" can individually cook 2 or 3 dishes only. However, the imperial chef of Emperor Qianlong 乾隆Cheung Dong Guan 張東官could prepare unexpected meals that pleased the emperor. This is only a rare legion.

Among Qing Imperial Meals, Qianlong Meals was the most representative.

Owing to accumulation of materials by Kangxi 康熙 and Yongzheng 雍正, system was improving. Until Qianlong period, organization and management system of imperial meals became perfect.

"Imperial Kitchen" was actually the abbreviated name of "Imperial Tea and Meal Kitchen" in Qing Dynasty.

"Imperial Tea and Meal Kitchen" included Imperial Tea Kitchen, Imperial Meal Kitchen, and its affiliated organizations.

Different organizations had different works. "Imperial Tea and Meal Kitchen" was responsible for daily meals and season celebrations of the Emperor.

According to records in ancient books, Imperial Meal Kitchen specialized in gourmet. selection from palace and offerings from everywhere; festive banquet, sitting with the attendant. Imperial Tea Kitchen was responsible for drinks, fruits and offerings from everywhere and sitting with the attendant.

Until Qianlong 乾隆 period, names and setup of organizations under Imperial Tea and Meal Kitchen underwent changes. It consisted of Imperial Meal Kitchen, Tea Kitchen, Meal warehouse and subsidiaries.

"Imperial Kitchen Desserts" were dim sums prepared by Imperial Kitchen. Skillful chefs were hired to prepare meals for the Emperor. Although the imperial dim sums looked complicated, the ingredients were not obtained like delicacies from mountains and seas.

That time, common people were poor and materials were in shortage, they could not obtain the relatively expensive ingredients.

Qianlong loved Jiangnan cuisine, whereas, Cixi loved sweet dim sums.

Among so many dim sums, Cixi loved the most are 12 types: Pea Yellow, Kidney Bean Rolls, Golden Cake, Chestnut Corn Bread, Dream Realized Cake, Doornail Meat Cake, Rice Rolls, Deep Fried Cake, 8 Treasure Cake, Deep Fried Triangle, Donkey Rolling, Rose Pastry. This episode has 2 parts, each part has 6 types, allowing everyone digest slowly.

Imperial Kitchen Desserts 1: Pea Yellow

Most likely many people heard of Pea Yellow and knew that it was the most delightful dim sums of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Actually, Pea Yellow was a sweet cold cake which was solidified without the need to put it in the fridge. It was like jelly which is a summer delights nowadays. Traditionally, peas were grounded to powder, and mixed with Agar Agar to solidify with soft texture. The simple Pea Yellow use mashed peas and Gelatin to solidify. However, the texture became smooth.

Imperial Kitchen Desserts 2: Kidney Bean Rolls

According to legend, the Empress Dowager Cixi overheard a hawker selling foods outside the palace. The food was brought into the palace for her to try. She felt it was very tasty. She ordered the Imperial Kitchen to make it. Hence, Kidney Bean Rolls became one of Cixi's Imperial Kitchen Desserts. Kidney Bean Rolls used mashed kidney beans for dough, wrapped with different fillings like sesame and red beans; then, were cut into logs. Kidney Bean Rolls were white, soft and smooth; fillings were fragrant, sweet and smooth.

Imperial Kitchen Desserts 3: Golden Cake

Golden Cake was also called Capital Cake, original name was Hawthorn Cake. It was a cake of the Han people. Its main ingredient was dried Hawthorn fruit, mixed with sugar and Osmanthus Fragrans to form a steamed cake. It could be served with sugar or slices of pears. It was sweet, sour, soft and smooth, very yummy. It melted in the mouth.

According to legend, one day Cixi wanted to eat Hawthorn cake. The people of the palace found the best and well known Hawthorn cake maker Chang cashier rushed to make this cake overnight. Due to selection of the best ingredients and skillful technique, the Hawthorn cake produced was red with golden colour. Cixi loved it so much because of the smoothness and softness, delicious taste of sweet and sour; especially the golden colour for the royal family. Hence, she named it under her command "Golden Cake" .

Imperial Kitchen Desserts 4: Chestnut Corn Bread

Chestnut Corn Bread was a staple for common people. It was prepared by mixing corn flour, chopped corn leaves and corn cob; and steam. The cake body was relatively rough. Fillings were mainly mashed chestnut, paired with mashed red beans and purple yam.

Corn Bread was related to Cixi. She ate it while she was fasting.

According to legend, in 1900, eight countries united army attacked Beijing, Cixi hurriedly escaped to Xi An. In middle of the journey, Cixi felt hungry. Her servant found a big corn bread for her. She swallow it in a few bites and said it was so delicious. When she returned to Beijing from Xi An, she recalled the corn bread. The Imperial Kitchen chef sieved the corn flour and added sugar to make the size of a chestnut.

Imperial Kitchen Desserts 5: Dream Realized Cake

Fillings consisted of beef cubes, water chestnut, peas, carrots, cilantro, green onion, shallots, onions.

"Dream Realized Cake" sounds beautiful. According to legend, the Empress Dowager Cixi had a dream one night. In her dream, she ate a sandwiched bread with meat fillings. Very yummy. She did not mention her dream to anyone. By coincidence, she ate this cake at dinner. Cixi was happy because this cake made her dream come true. Therefore, it was passed down by calling it "Dream Realized Cake". It symbolized dream come true. It also blessed those who ate it healthy and long life, promotion to higher rank and wealth. "Dream Realized Cake" is the predecessor of hamburger. But the latter was not crispy, soft and smooth, and bigger in size, not so refined.

Imperial Kitchen Desserts 6: Doornail Meat Cake

Doornail Meat Cake was traditional Islamic dessert of old Beijing. Its shape looked like doornail of city gate in ancient time. According to legend, the Imperial Kitchen prepared a dim sum with fillings for Cixi. She was delighted with the dim sum. She asked the name of this dim sum. The imperial chef suddenly recalled the doornail of the Palace door and answered to Cixi "Doornail Meat Cake".

Fillings: steak, kidney bean, sesame, carrots, cabbage, broccoli stems, cilantro, green onion, onion, garlic and ginger

Doornails of Imperial Palace, The Forbidden City

Next, Qing Dynasty Imperial Kitchen Delights 2 of 2

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

Year of the Dragon Delights 2024 Part 2 of 2

2024/2/10 Saturday

New Year Feast 2024 By Chef Kar
Venue: Home of Johnny and Michelle
Time: Sunday 2024/01/21 ; Sunday 2024/01/28
Photographer: Johnny

This year Lunar New Year is Year of the Dragon and falls on Saturday February 10, 2024. I , Johnny and Michelle celebrated Lunar New Year in advance. We are looking forward to the new prospect. I prepared 10 lucky dishes to share with them. 10 dishes are 100% perfect! There will be 2 parts. Let everyone slowly digest, obtaining endless delight.

First part 1-5 New Year dishes were published. Now second part 6-7 New Year dishes are now published. Please browse them slowly.

This Year of the Dragon Delights Menu was designed by Michelle.

♥ Johnny and I, cheers to everyone! 《Beaming With Joy》

6.《Prosperous And Good Fortune》

Black Moss and Golden Oyster

Black Moss (髮菜) in Chinese sounds like good fortune(發財). Dried Oyster (蠔豉) in Chinese sounds like good market （好市）。

Golden oyster and dried oyster both need to be sun dried. But the time to sun dry for two are different. Golden oyster also called dried raw oyster (生曬蠔豉). Its colour is golden yellow and bright. It needs to be dried at dry, low warm temperature and natural sun light for 2 days, retaining only 30-40％water content. Only relatively top quality oysters are used. It needs to be dry, cold wind to blow and shine upon. Therefore, it is produced only in the winter. Therefore it is also called pre winter oyster. It is relatively moist. Its taste is bitter and sweet. Because it is relatively high quality and chubby, it is more expensive.
Dried oyster is relatively solid. Oyster is cooked and blow dry. It takes about 2-4 weeks, retaining only 20% water content. It is different from golden oyster is that it can be produced four seasons.

Ingredients: Black moss, golden oyster, Shiitake mushrooms, shallots, ginger, oyster sauce, soya sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, peanut oil, corn starch

Garnish：Lotus Roots, glutinous rice, Shiitake mushrooms, Lettuce Leaves, Baby carrots

The holes of lotus roots are filled with glutinous rice and steamed together with baby carrots. Put aside.

Do not rinse Golden oysters when they are frozen because the fresh taste can be lost. Just put them in plastic bag and rinse or defrost in room temperature.

Methods:

1. Rinse mushrooms with water and soak them in water until soft one day in advance. Put them aside.

2. Drain mushroom and mix well with corn starch. Put aside.

3. defrost golden oysters and pat dry with paper towel. Soak black moss in water for half an hour. Put aside.

4. Pour peanut oil in wok on high fire. Add golden oyster and fry to fragrant. Put aside.

5. Put ginger slices and shallots in wok and fry to fragrant. Add more oil if needed. Place all ingredients in a pot. Use medium fire to boil.

6. Add Shaoxing wine and mushrooms. Stir fry. Add mushroom water, continue to cook.

7. Add water to cover mushrooms; cover with a lid; turn to medium fire to boil. I the middle of cooking, uncover the pot and stir to prevent the ingredients from sticking the bottom of the pot.

8. Add oyster sauce, rock sugar, golden oyster and water to cover all ingredients. Use medium fire to braise for about 30 minutes.

9. Finally add black moss and braise 10 minutes until water is reduced.

7. 《Bullish》
Galbitang Beef Short Ribs Soup

Galbi-tang or short rib soup is a variety of guk, or Korean soup, made primarily from beef short ribs along with stewing beef, radish, onions, and other ingredients. The short ribs, or "galbi", also refers to grilled short ribs in Korean barbecue while the suffix tang is another name for guk.

Korean glass noodle dangmyeon is made of sweet potato starch, whereas, Chinese glass noodle is made of green bean and purple yam starch.

Ingredients
· 2 1/2 lb beef short ribs
· 2 cups cubed radish
· 3 oz Korean glass noodles (dangmyeon)
· 1 tbsp minced garlic
· Chopped Onions
· 1 tbsp soy sauce (gukganjang)
· 1 large piece dried sea kelp
· salt to season
· freshly cracked black pepper to taste
. green onion finely chopped

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the short ribs and boil for 10 minutes over medium-high heat. Drain and rinse the ribs with hot water. Make sure to scrape off any debris from the cut side of bones.
2. Put parboiled short ribs and all the aromatics in a pot with water. Cover with a lid and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. (You might need to add a little more water if the steam evaporates too much during simmering). Make sure to remove the sea kelp after 5 minutes of simmering.
3.Remove the aromatics and add the thin radish slices, minced garlic, and continue to cook until they are soft, about 2-3 minutes.
4.Add the slices of radish, minced garlic, and let it cook until the radish pieces are soft and tender. Meanwhile, soak Korean glass noodles in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. Add the drained noodles and simmer, about 1-2 minutes. Season with soy sauce . Add salt for more seasoning.
5.Ladle the hot soup along with short ribs, radish pieces, and some noodles into a serving bowl. Garnish with green onion, freshly cracked black pepper on top.

8. 《Beaming With Joy》

Herb Braised Lamb Shank

Lamb Shanks are from the bottom section of the leg just below the knee. New Zealand lamb shanks are tender and smooth.

Rapini or broccoli rabe is a green cruciferous vegetable, with the leaves, buds, and stems all being edible; the buds somewhat resemble broccoli, but do not form a large head. Rapini is known for its bitter taste, and is particularly associated with Mediterranean cuisine.

Ingredients: Lamb shank, rosemary, oregano, thyme, tomato, 2 cups red wine （Cabernet Sauvignon）, bay leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, salt , black pepper, sugar, corn oil

Garnish: potatoes, carrots, tomato, rapini, Baby Shanghai Bok Choy

Instructions

1. Pat the lamb shanks dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. This will give us better browning when we sear.
2. Season the outside of the meat all over with kosher salt. I usually season by eye, but I recommend about two teaspoons if you are not sure what amount you need.
3. Heat corn oil in a braiser over medium high heat, then add the lamb shanks and sear on all sides until brown, about 10 minutes total. Remove the shanks to a plate.
4. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and potatoes straight to the pan (with the fat and drippings still there). Season with 1/2 tsp salt. Saute for about 10 minutes, until slightly softened, then add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute until the garlic smells fragrant.
5. Add the seared shanks back to the pan, then add the tomatoes, wine, beef stock, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium low.

6. Cover the pan tightly with a lid, and simmer for 2 hours.
7. Flip the lamb shanks over, then simmer for 1 hour longer, uncovered.
8. Remove the herbs. The dish is now ready to eat. Remove the meat temporarily to a plate, then boil the sauce for 10 minutes, until thickened. Add corn starch . Return the lamb shanks to the pan, toss to coat in the sauce, then serve.

9. 《Fish leaping over the dragon gate》

Sweet and Sour Talipia

Tilapia is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most important species placed in the Coptodonini and Oreochromini. Tilapia are mainly freshwater fish inhabiting shallow streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes, and less commonly found living in brackish water. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisanal fishing in Africa, and they are of increasing importance in aquaculture and aquaponics.

Tilapia can live in lake, river and pond. But some can live in sea water and meat of this type is more tender and tasty.

This mild-flavored, moderately priced whitefish can be grilled, baked, or pan-fried.

Ingredients

1 Tilapia (whole)

Corn oil for Frying
1 thumb of Ginger (sliced)
1 Carrot (julienned)
4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 Onion (sliced)
2 thumbs Ginger (julienned)
1 Bell Pepper (julienned)
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
½ cup water
1-2 tbsp All purpose flour
½ cup Tomato paste
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Remove the internal organs and scale. Wash with water. Dry with paper towel. Use salt, minced garlic, ginger, onion and black pepper to marinate for 1 hour. Bake it in the oven at 350 F degree about half an hour to golden brown.

2. Pour corn oil to a pan; add minced garlic, onion slices, ginger slices, red bell pepper slices, carrot slices; fry to fragrant; add apple cider, tomato paste, flour batter, black pepper, salt, sugar to make sweet and sour sauce.

3. Put baked tilapia on a plate, pour sweet and sour sauce on top of fish.

10.《Golden Dragon Appears Auspicious》

Golden Dragon Cookies

Golden Dragon Cookies used butter and flour. They are crispy, crumbly, crunchy , puffy and fragrant. They melt in your mouth. Yummy! Golden Dragons look alive. Pairing with tangerine means luck and fortune.
Ingredients: Flour, unsalted butter, sugar

Garnish: Madarin/Tangerine