Beijing Roast Duck

Whenever guests come to Beijing for a visit, the hosr will arrange a "Roast Duck Feast" to treat them.There is a saying goes in Europe:" Things are discussed and fixed during meals, which dominate people's affairs." Delicious food is not favored by common people but more important to officials and merchants.It's not known when the catch phrase such as "The feeling that the visit is not complete if you don't go to the Great Wall,you will feel regret if you don't eat roast duck when coming to Beijing" is popular.

There are many famous brands of Beijing Roast Duck Restaurants,such as Quanjude, Bianyifang,Dadong and Dayali.Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant and Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant represent two different schools of roasting duck,both of which have a history of over on hundred years.

Founded in 1855,Bianyifang advocated that flames shall not go directly onto the duck which is baked by charcoal fire in the oven and hot furnace wall.Before being put into the oven,a duck is filled with specially-made soup to make it possible to roast the duck outside and boil it inside at the same time.Quanjude is better known(founded in 1864), with duck roasted over the fire,hung in the oven and roasted by the flame of the fruit-tree wood.At the same time,the duck needs constant flipping so that the whole is evenly heated.The cooking time lasts for forty minutes.

When roasted and dried,the duck will look brilliantly purplish red,with crisp skin, charred outside and juicy within.It's hard for people to resist the temptation of enjoying it.Beijing Roast Duck is not only popular with tourists at home and abroad,but admired by foreign leaders.Many forergn leaders can't wait to have a Duck Feast when coming to visit China.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe arrived in Beijing to attend the APEC informal leadership meeting on Nov. 9th,2014.They were found in Beijing DaDong Roast Duck restaurant to eat Roast Duck on that day.Not only Abe,but Michelle Obama and Bush family are all fans of Roast Duck.

As the symbol of local culture,we see from food people's wisdom created from life and essence of civilization.Beijing Roast Duck will continue to serve as the Cuisine Card bettering Beijing to become an international and innovative city.

Tratitional Beijing Noodles

In Northern China,people tend to make food by flour as the staple food,such as steamed rolls,buns,pancakes,noodles and so on.By contrast,people are more likely to eat rice in South China.Noodles imply"long life",therefore,there is a custom in Northern China that as long as someone observes his/her birthday,the family members will cook a bowl of noodles for the longevity god,wishing him/her everlasting health.There is another popular saying that"eat dumplings arriving and noodles when departing",which means that we eat dumplings to celebrate the reunion with friends or family members who come back home while we eat noodles before we see them off.Why?People tend to believe that long noodles are just like lines reminding those who prepare to leave to come back earlier.It's an aspiration to meet again as early as possible.

In daily life,Beijingers seem to be more fond of noodles.When people talk of Traditional Beijing Noodles(referred to "the Noodles"below),they say they will never get tired of eating it.In the past,only the dilapidated nobility can eat the Noodles.But nowadays, despite of social status,people can go to the restaurant to order it at any time they want,not only for the atmosphere but more for good taste.You can order some local side dishes such as friend sausage,cool cabbage with wasabi in per shape, fried creak…,then two seasonal dishes,and finally the Noodles.How indescribably comfortable.

The Noodles is of good taste and also easyto make.Perpare well all the vegetables including cucumbers,toons,bean sprouts,green beans,soybeans as the auxiliary ingredients.Put the diced meat,ginger and other food into the pan,add yellow soybean paste or sweet soybean paste to cook and then have the paste done.You can pour the vegetables and paste into the noodles directly from the bolling water or first have the noodles dipped into the cool water and then pour the vegetables and paste into the bowl according to personal preferences.

Until now,you can still see in the warren in small lanes called Hutong in Beijing inner city that neighbors in communities nearby gather together during meal time holding the Noodles bowls with one cucumber in it. Squatting down in the courtyard or door opening,they are chatting and playing chess while eating noodles and having a bite of cucumbers at times.

This is common but warm,which tells people's eating habits and also records the neighborhood life. In such a metropolitan as Beijing,what matters is not a bowl of hot noodles,but also the mutual companionship and the warm heart caring others behind.

Fried Red Berries

Fried red berries was ever one of the famous snacks during the Qing Dynasty.Red berries contain vitamins,minerals,citric,acid,hawthorn acid,malic acid and other nutrients, whose nutrients are six times higher than those of apple.Esterase solution promotes the astric secretion,accelerates the disgestion of high-calorie food,thus helping metabolism and fitness.Therefore,nearly all the Beijing taste restaurants list the snack as the appetizer on the menu.Its sweet and sour taste attract many customers.

Red berries are mainly produced in Hebei province, Shangdong province, Shanxi province and jixian country of Tianjin and Xinglong Mountainous area nearly,boasting of high quantity and good quality.When cooking the red berries,you'd better pay attention that red berries can't be fried raw.It's rational to clean the red berries first and put them in the pot with cool water in it.As the water gradually heated until the red berries are half cooked ,take them out,peel off the skin and have them stoned.Add water and boil the sugar into juice.The timing is very important.Put the red berries into the sugar juice and boil it in slow fire until it becomes semitransparent,in which process they need constant turning,otherwise they would be overcooked.

Even though it's just a snack, it's necessary to use the best ingredients, cook in the right order and finish by complete steps.Only in this way can the most delicious taste can be achieved.It's important to follow the process,but what's more important is the good spirit of providing others delicious and healthy food with vigorous efforts.With additional patience,persistence and judgment,small business can make big sucess.

Glutinous Rice Rolls

Glutinous rice rolls with sweet bean flour ( "Glutinous rolls" used below as abbreviation) is one of the most well-known traditional snacks in Beijing.Its name is interesting and of pretty good taste. The appearance presents yellow due to its ingredient. Once you smell it, it's so fragrant that you want to swallow it immediately. Just have a bite, you will feel the glutinous and sweet taste at the tip of your tongue. You will never want to stop eating it! No wonder that so many young and senior people are fond of it.

Glutinous roll is a kind of popularized snack with more than 200 years' history.Its main ingredients are yellow rice flour,soybean,bean paste and sugar. Before making the rolls, you need to steam the yellow rice flour, which shall be made softer adding a little more water.Cook the soybean and ground it into powder. After all these ready, we can start to make the glutinous rolls. First roll the flour to make the skin,put the bean paste on the skin and then roll up.Cut the long strip into small pieces as the common ones we see in the shops. Sprinkle with sugar if you like eating sweet food more. Then the glutinous rolls are done.

In the whole process,it's the "rolling" that plays the key role.Make sure the bean paste is evenly spread layer by layer.

Pork with Bean Sauce

As the traditional well-known food, the dish pork with bean sauce stuffed in bean curd (pork with bean sauce for abbreviation) has not that long history. However, there's a touching story behind filled with emotion.

It's said that in the 1930s, there was a tenement located 2 kilometers northeast away from the Forbidden City. An old man who resided there lived a life by selling tofu. People all called him "Senior Chen". Actually, he was born in Northeast China. Forced by natural disaster and man-made misfortunes,he had to come to Beijing with his 4-year-old grandson whose name is Gouzi. Their life in Beijing was not easy at all. They depended on each other and lived a hard life just by earnings from selling tofu.

One day, Senior Chen took Gouzi to deliver tofu to one roast duck restaurant. When Gouzi saw the oil roast duck, he was deeply attracted by the fragrance and stood at the gate, not willing to leave.When it came to Spring Festival,Senior Chen bought some meat for making dumplings.However,Gouzi was still thinking of the roast duck and refused to eat dumplings. He cried out to eat roast duck for the festival. It was difficult for Senior Chen to pay for the roast duck. Sunddenly, an idea came out. He turned to Gouzi,"You stay in the room and wait for grandpa to cook roast duck for you." Gouzi stopped crying, had a smile and obediently went into the room for the dream roast duck.

Senior Chen didn't eat roast duck either but he had seen it before. Hence, he decided to imitate the appearance of roast duck by cooking pork. He picked out the lean meat and cut into strips,fried with soy sauce,which made the meat so fragrant. Then, he cut the bean curd into pieces for rolling the "duck" as stuffing. The delicious "roast duck" is done! Gouzi came out and got excited seeing the nice dish. He started to roll the "duck" and scallions with bean curd and ate one by one. The grandson and grandpa observed a happy Spring Festival.

Several years later, Gouzi was sent to school by Senior Chen and became an apprentice of Quanjude Roast Duck restaurant after graduation. Though unremitting efforts, he finally became an excellent chef. At that time, it was so easy for Gouzi to eat roast duck. However, he never tasted the good flavor of roast duck as he had eaten for the fist time with his grandpa. Therefore, Gouzi went to ask grandpa how he made the roast duck for him with so great flavor. Senior Chen told Gouzi the truth. At that moment, Gouzi realized that how much grandpa cared and loved him.

With faithful determination, Gouzi decided to pass down the dish. Based on grandpa's cooking method and with much creative innovation, Gouzi successfully made the popular dish of pork with bean sauce suitable for people of all ages and enjoyed by everyone.

Fried Ma Tofu

Fried Ma Tofu is the unique Beijing traditional cuisine,receiving people's popularity until now. It's not so complicated to make Ma Tofu. Grind the green beans with water into powder. After fermentation,filter out the upper liquid of Douzhir and leave the flocculent mung bean residue.This is the main component of the dish.

You see, Ma Tofu is placed in a small plate and looks oily. The gray Tofu residue is accompanied by several green beans. To make the dish look better, dig a little hole on the top and pour the chill oil into the residue. It may strike you as somewhat ordinary, however,the taste can't be found in other places except in Beijing.

Ma Tofu is not only popular with common people,but also favored by big names in opera performances. It's said that the famous Peking Opera Master Mr. Ma Lianliang is particularly fond of the dish.Mr.Ma,who is Hui People,is not only fond of it,but versed in cooking it . Mr.Ma has a good friend whose name is Mei LanFang,also a very well-known Peking Opera Master.Knowing that Mrs.Mei favors it too,he often cooks Ma Tofu and sends it to Mei's home.

Mr. Ma has a special way fo cooking Ma Tofu. He puts seasame oil in the pot and cooks such ingredients as green beans, pickled potherb mustard,carrots together until they are medium-well. Put them into the plate for preparation.Then, cook the Ma Tofu with seasame oil and soybean sauce until it's fragrant before putting into some auxiliary material. Stir-fry it until it's becoming sticky, pour the fiagrant chili oil. With its delicious flavor and fragrance, no wonder that Mei couple loves the dish Mr.Ma cooks so much.

In nowadays restaurants in Beijing, there provides Ma Tofu throughout the whole year. Some cook the dish by the original suet,while others change the cooking way by using the light vegetable oil. Regardless of the cooking method, Ma Tofu is still that delicious.