Northern Cuisine Lore

Author: Jing Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Imperial Court Cuisine – The dish "Gaidao Rou" (Modified Knife Meat) was created by Liu Yidao, a chef in the Qing Imperial Court kitchen. Legend has it that Emperor Daoguang grew tired of the Manchu-Han banquet, a lavish imperial dish, and desired a change in taste. He instructed the imperial kitchen, where the head chef, Liu, thought of bamboo shoots being stir-fried with lean meat, believing it would be delicious. Though simple in concept, this dish is particularly in knife skills, ingredients, and heat control. It is not only visually appealing and fragrant but also has a chewy texture and a rich, savory flavor. Emperor Daoguang was highly satisfied after tasting it and personally named the dish "Gaidao Rou," making it an imperial dish of the Qing Court. Later, when Liu grew old and returned to his hometown, Chengde, he opened a restaurant with his son, naming it Wu Kuiyuan Restaurant. As a renowned imperial chef, Liu naturally attracted many customers, and his signature dish, "Gaidao Rou," became widely celebrated.
The "Full Milk Banquet" – In the Qing Dynasty, there was a category of food in the imperial court known as "Imperial Dairy Products." After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, these court foods scattered among the common people. Although there were many imperial chefs in the palace, finding them in the vast sea of the populace was like searching for a needle in a haystack. This type of food may still be remembered by some of the older generations in Beijing, while younger people are more familiar with various colorful Western dairy products.
Since 1986, the Beijing Milk Company has organized efforts to collect information on traditional and imperial dairy products. They invited experienced former apprentices and their descendants who had trained in the imperial kitchen to research the production techniques of imperial dairy dishes. Based on banquet formats, they designed the "Full Milk Banquet." Although it is no longer possible to fully restore the original version of the banquet, it has now revived dozens of varieties of dairy products, including cream-based, protein-based, imperial pastries, dairy cold drinks, and accompaniments.
The "Full Milk Banquet" caused a sensation in Beijing upon its release. Many old Beijingers traveled from far and wide just to taste the imperial dairy products, fulfilling their lifelong dreams. Scholars and artists flocked to it. The famous poet Ai Qing called it an elegant banquet, while Puyi’s younger brother, Aisin Gioro Pujie, after tasting the banquet, happily wrote: "Using the old for the new, the imperial court is reborn," becoming the chief consultant for the Full Milk Banquet. The master of crosstalk, Hou Bao Lin, also happily became the second folk consultant.
Recently, the Full Milk Banquet found its way back to the Palace of Listening to Orioles (located at the northwestern side of the Guang’an Flyover Bridge, near the San Yuan Hotel), after several twists and turns, finally returning to its rightful "home." However, it is no longer reserved exclusively for emperors. For a price, anyone can now experience the "imperial treatment" and taste in the "palace."
Milk Buns – They are milky white in color and come in various shapes depending on the filling. They have a soft, smooth texture and are sweet and delicious, rich in nutrition.
Rou Qian – They have a honey-golden luster and are irregularly shaped. They are fragrant with milk aroma, leaving a lingering aftertaste. When chewed, they taste like milk candy, with a rich, sweet, and slightly acidic flavor, making them highly nutritious.
Beijing Roast Beef and Kao Rou Wan – These dishes trace their origins to the ancient northern nomads of China, who used them as "yurt food." In the late Ming Dynasty, Mongolians would lightly boil large pieces of beef and mutton and then roast them with cow dung. Later, the meat was cut into cubes, marinated with scallions, salt, and soy sauce, and then roasted again.