Lately I’ve been writing about some great meals I've eaten during my life, and my
biggest and saddest realization has been that so many of the almost iconic and classical dishes of China's greatest food cultures have completely disappeared. And I cannot for the life
of me figure out why.
When I worked at the history museum and other
cultural institutions in the early eighties, part of my job included
interpreting at the various mainland-style restaurants the directors took
foreign visitors to for lunch or dinner.
One of the favorites was Peng’s Agora Garden (Péng yuán 彭園), a wonderful Hunan restaurant that gloried in the classics of this south-central province.
One of the favorites was Peng’s Agora Garden (Péng yuán 彭園), a wonderful Hunan restaurant that gloried in the classics of this south-central province.
These banquets were nuanced balancing acts between
the rich and subdued, the sweet and savory. One dish that knocked me for a loop
was a plate of seasoned meatballs steamed in small honeydews called xiāngguā 香瓜 (“fragrant melons”) that
were inevitably translated as “mushmelons.”
Be that as it may, the crisp rinds
acted as firm bowls, while the juices of their gentle jade flesh wove between the
pork and aromatics into an exciting broth that turned preconceptions
upside-down. Was this a fruit dish? Yes, but.
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| Caramelization at work |
And that got me to thinking about why we never see
these amazing foods anymore, even in China. It’s all about street snacks and simple
restaurant cooking nowadays, or chile peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, all of which
I love… don’t get me wrong.
And yet, all of us – Chinese people included – are missing out on so much by concentrating on the dishes that are easy and accessible and overly seasoned.
And yet, all of us – Chinese people included – are missing out on so much by concentrating on the dishes that are easy and accessible and overly seasoned.
Take today’s recipe, for example. This blows
peoples’ minds whenever I serve it.
Thin slices of lovely cured pork are steamed with slab sugar and lotus seeds, and then served as little sammies with the caramelized sauce. It’s the perfect finale for a meal. And it’s ridiculously easy: assemble and steam. Perfection achieved.
Thin slices of lovely cured pork are steamed with slab sugar and lotus seeds, and then served as little sammies with the caramelized sauce. It’s the perfect finale for a meal. And it’s ridiculously easy: assemble and steam. Perfection achieved.
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| Secret weapon revealed |
I’ve tried the gamut – prosciutto and Smithfield ham were obvious subs – but in the end I returned to Hunan and its long-term love affair with charcuterie for the perfect meat.
Smoked Hunan-style cured pork (Húnán làròu 湖南臘肉) works like a dream here. Unlike prosciutto or
Smithfield ham, it is not too salty, and the flavor is subtle enough to offer
the requisite balance of savory and the sweet in this dish.
Two wonderful things about this cured pork is that a) it’s made in the U.S., and b) it’s available all year around in Chinese markets, where it is vacuum-packed in plastic. You don’t even need to refrigerate it until it’s opened, and so I tend to stock up on this whenever I find a great batch.
Two wonderful things about this cured pork is that a) it’s made in the U.S., and b) it’s available all year around in Chinese markets, where it is vacuum-packed in plastic. You don’t even need to refrigerate it until it’s opened, and so I tend to stock up on this whenever I find a great batch.
What do you look for? Glad you asked. The
commercial offerings of this type of charcuterie are generally taken from what
appears to be the lower part of the ham, so that you get is basically lean meat
with a nice fat layer under the skin.
However, the meat often becomes chopped up in order to meet the package’s stated weight of 14 to 16 ounces, so you need to paw around to find one that fits the bill.
However, the meat often becomes chopped up in order to meet the package’s stated weight of 14 to 16 ounces, so you need to paw around to find one that fits the bill.
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| You want lean AND fat |
I try to find whole pieces that are at least 3
inches (7.5 cm) wide and an inch (2.5 cm) thick. Make sure that they have a
wide ribbon of fat on one end that is topped by the skin. You won’t be able to
eat that skin, but it will contain lots of flavor, so don’t toss it out. The
same goes for the fat: it will help to make this dish divine.
Lotus seeds are the traditional accompaniment to
the ham, as is the rock sugar. But I have messed around with this a whole lot
during the ensuing decades, trying to achieve some of that intense flavor and,
yes, even sensuousness of the original dish.
And I think I’ve succeeded here. You find a whole range of flavors popping up, other than the usual sweet and salty: Shaoxing rice wine, the gentle heat of ginger juice, and the caramel edge of the slab sugar combine to make this dish truly magical.
And I think I’ve succeeded here. You find a whole range of flavors popping up, other than the usual sweet and salty: Shaoxing rice wine, the gentle heat of ginger juice, and the caramel edge of the slab sugar combine to make this dish truly magical.
Sandwich the meat inside some lotus leaf buns,
drizzle on some of the sauce, and settle in for a luxurious meal.
By the way, if you have a copy of All Under Heaven lying around the house, you already possess a recipe for honey ham. However, I’ve tweaked it a bit (I really can’t stop doing that – occupational hazard, I guess) so that it comes out even more luscious. Let me know if you agree!
By the way, if you have a copy of All Under Heaven lying around the house, you already possess a recipe for honey ham. However, I’ve tweaked it a bit (I really can’t stop doing that – occupational hazard, I guess) so that it comes out even more luscious. Let me know if you agree!
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| A meaty flower |
Honey ham
Mìzhī huŏtuĭ
蜜汁火腿
Hunan
Serves 6 to 8
6 tablespoons dried lotus seeds
Boiling water, as needed
Around 1 pound Hunan-style cured pork
(see headnotes)
2 whole pieces Chinese brown slab sugar,
or 2 walnut-sized pieces of rock sugar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
2 tablespoons ginger juice
20 lotus leaf buns,
steamed and kept hot
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| Slab sugar and skin |
2. Soak the lotus seeds in boiling water and then clean.
3. Remove the skin from the smoked pork and
set it aside for later on in the recipe. Slice the meat against the grain into
thin pieces, keeping as much fat on as possible, but removing any tough
membranes.
4. Arrange the meat slices in an overlapping pattern in the center of a 4-cup (500 ml) heatproof bowl so they look like flower petals. Keep arranging the slices in the bowl in a flower pattern, and tossing any irregular scraps in the center, where they will be nicely hidden. Pile the cleaned lotus seeds on top. Arrange the 2 pieces of slab sugar on top of the ham, as well as the pork skin, and then pour the rice wine and ginger juice over everything.
4. Arrange the meat slices in an overlapping pattern in the center of a 4-cup (500 ml) heatproof bowl so they look like flower petals. Keep arranging the slices in the bowl in a flower pattern, and tossing any irregular scraps in the center, where they will be nicely hidden. Pile the cleaned lotus seeds on top. Arrange the 2 pieces of slab sugar on top of the ham, as well as the pork skin, and then pour the rice wine and ginger juice over everything.
5. Prepare a steamer and bring the water in it to a full boil. Place
the plate in the steamer and steam for about 1 hour, until the meat is very
tender and the lotus seeds are soft. Taste a lotus seed to ensure that it is
cooked through.
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| A thing of beauty |
7. Invert the pork onto a rimmed plate, arrange the lotus seeds
around the edge, and then pour the sauce over the meat and lotus seeds. Serve
with the hot steamed lotus buns. Have each diner open up a bun and insert a
slice or two of the meat. These are to be eaten like tiny sandwiches; the lotus
seeds can be picked up with chopsticks and eaten as a garnish.
