Nowadays, the Shiqi pigeons that diners eat at Zhongshan Restaurant may be made in the same way - raw fried. This is the first production method created by Zheng Yaorong, chairman of Sanxi Restaurant Catering Service Co., Ltd.: in 1999, he won the Asian Cuisine Gold Award for his first raw fried Shiqi pigeon, and in 2002, he won the special gold medal of the 4th China Cuisine World Competition, and was known as the "Zhongshan Kitchen God" in the industry.
Raw fried Shiqi pigeon is Zheng Yaorong's proud work, and it is also one of the milestones in the innovative development of braised Shiqi pigeon, a classic dish in Zhongshan. What's the secret to its production? Nanfang + reporter walked into the back kitchen of Sanxi Restaurant, watched the "fierce brother" Zheng Yaorong personally demonstrated, and can also do it at home!
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Improvement: Raw fried Ishiki pigeon meat is more tender and smooth
At lunchtime, the Sanxi Restaurant in Sanxi Village, Zhongshan East District, is lively again, and the lobby of the restaurant is crowded, and at a glance, raw fried Shiqi pigeons, large fritters, etc. are the must-order dishes for diners. Dressed in a chef's uniform and a chef's hat, Zheng Yaorong, chairman of Sanxi Restaurant Catering Service Co., Ltd., wandered around the back kitchen to supervise the quality of the dishes. In addition to taking care of the floor of the restaurant, he also likes to cook himself.
The traditional braised Shiqi pigeon is first soaked in brine and then fried, while the raw fried pigeon does not have the link of soaking brine, but directly marinates with spiced Huai salt and then directly fried in oil.
In terms of specific production, raw fried Ishiki pigeons also have skills. The first is the selection of materials. "The pigeons I choose are 11-13 days old, weighing from three and a half to four halves, and if the pigeons are too big, the bones will be hard and the taste will not be good." In the back kitchen of Sanxi Restaurant, Zheng Yaorong personally cooked and showed reporters the process of raw fried Shiqi pigeon. Before frying in the pan, the pigeons are pickled and air-dried, which takes about two hours to dry.
In the frying process, the chef needs to prepare two pots of oil, one with a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius and the other at 180 degrees Celsius, the former using a relatively low temperature to fry the pigeons, and the latter using high temperatures to "color" the pigeons, making the pigeon skin crisp. The frying process takes about 5 minutes until the skin of the pigeons gradually turns golden in a high-temperature pan and the aroma is overflowing before serving.
"Raw fried Ishiki pigeons are less brine-soaked, and the brine method is changed to raw marinade and then fried, making the meat more tender and smooth." Holding the freshly fried Shiqi pigeon, Zheng Yaorong introduced the characteristics of the raw fried Shiqi pigeon.
Raw fried Ishiki pigeon born from the "negation" master
Zheng Yaorong inherited Guangdong's top ten famous chefs Huang Yuekun, who is one of the inheritors of the traditional braised Shiqi pigeon. "When I was an apprentice, I often 'challenged' the master, and the braised Shiqi pigeon was made using the traditional method of soaking brine, and a lot of herbs were added to the brine, and the taste was heavier. Later, we have been thinking about improving this way of making it. Zheng Yaorong laughed and said that raw fried Shiqi pigeon was born from the "negation" master and tradition, and when it was first introduced, it was a "maverick" dish, and it is now the most common Shiqi pigeon practice in Zhongshan.
After years of experience, Cheng Has risen from apprentice to chef and from industry person to master of preaching. He is a part-time teacher at The Migo Polytechnic School, and it has become part of his life and work to lecture at the school. Recently, he was also named the host of Guangdong Zheng Yaorong Cantonese Cuisine Master Studio, undertaking the mission of disseminating and promoting Zhongshan Cantonese cuisine. Recently, in the 9th National Seafood Cooking Skills Competition held in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, Zheng Yaorong, as one of the team leaders, led the Guangdong Zheng Yaorong Cantonese Cuisine Master Studio Team, and the team of the Provincial Cantonese Cuisine Master Training Base of Zhongshan Sanxiang Polytechnic School won the event 1 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze, which launched the "first shot" of the studio.
For the inheritance of Zhongshan Cantonese cuisine, Zheng Yaorong also has his own ideas. Zhongshan is the "famous city of Chinese Cantonese cuisine" and one of the birthplaces of the new Cantonese cuisine, and he believes that zhongshan Cantonese cuisine must grasp the word innovation to develop. He pinned his hopes on the innovation of Zhongshan's new Cantonese cuisine on his apprentices and encouraged his apprentices to dare to "deny" the master. He believes that innovation is inseparable from the support of talents, Zhongshan should strengthen the reserve talent reserve, attach importance to the training of culinary teachers and students in vocational colleges, and the masters of industry enterprises should enter the school to play a leading role, open up the channels of communication between industry enterprises and colleges, and realize the integration of industry and education.
[Reporter] Lei Haiquan Lang Hui
【Photo】 Lei Haiquan Lang Hui
【Video】Lu Ziheng Chen Luhan
【Author】 Lei Haiquan; Lang Hui; Lu Ziheng
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client