Text/Photo: Li Changshun Documentarian Old Li
Mung bean elbow was once a housekeeper seasonal dish at the former Boshan century-old restaurant Jule Village Restaurant. The preparation process of this dish is very complicated and it is not easy to store for too long. In the past, due to the lack of refrigerated preservation equipment, the hotel's chefs were not happy to make this dish.
Mung bean elbow, a Boshan dish restored by the old chef of Lu Cuisine based on the memories of his early apprentices.
In the 1950s, the recipes of Boshan Jule Village Restaurant no longer existed. In the summer of 2012, Mr. Liu Shuwen, the third generation of Jule Village and a master of Chinese cuisine, re-excavated and sorted out at the International Exchange Center of Shandong University of Technology, together with Lu Cuisine Master and Hotel Chef Sun Qike, so that this famous dish with unique regional characteristics could be well inherited and restored.
Mung bean elbow this dish, Master Liu Shuwen at that time was based on the memory of his early apprenticeship in the restaurant, according to the guidance and dictation of the teacher, repeatedly tried and succeeded. This traditional Boshan dish, which has been lost for decades, is full of characteristics and connotations in terms of cooking techniques, material selection, and dish quality.
The compatibility and combination of Boshan cuisine is very timely and seasonal. This dish is seasonal, cool and fragrant, tender and beautiful, and well-layered. It fully reflects the characteristics of dishes with different seasons, different seasons and different preparation methods of Lu cuisine, which is more in line with the "Lü's Spring and Autumn. In the "Exhaustion" section, "When the food energy is enough, the body will be free of disaster".
Boshan cuisine pays attention to the seasons and also pays attention to the four seasons. In the change of the four seasons, what ingredients are used in each season and what kind of dishes are eaten by the weather. Even if it is the same ingredient, different cooking methods should be used according to the different seasons.
Mung beans belong to the legume family, named for their green color, and have been cultivated in China for more than 2,000 years, making it an ideal summer ingredient.
The work of mung beans to clear heat is in the skin, and the work of detoxification is in the meat. Traditional mung bean products include mung bean cake, mung bean wine, mung bean cake, mung bean paste, mung bean powder skin and so on. Mung bean soup is a summer family drink, which is inexpensive and appetizing, suitable for all ages.
The production of "elbows" in Boshan cuisine is very representative. From cloud elbows in spring to mung bean elbows in summer, lotus elbows, braised elbows in winter have their typical seasonal characteristics, and of course, sea cucumber elbows that are suitable for all seasons.
It can be seen that Boshan cuisine not only retains the characteristics of Lu cuisine as peaceful, pure, light, impartial, and not biased, but also conforms to the healthy cooking concept of Chinese food taste as the core and nourishment as the purpose.
Li Changshun, a master of Chinese cuisine, a master of Chinese Lu cuisine, the winner of the Golden Tripod Award, the highest award of Chinese cuisine, and the director and general manager of the International Academic Exchange Center of Shandong University of Technology, was interviewed by Xinhua News Agency during the Fifth Asian Food Forum.