Suiyuan Shi Dan - (Illustrated Version)

Author: Yuan Mei (Qing Dynasty) / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
It is essential to know the inherent qualities of ingredients. Every item has its own natural characteristics, just as every person has unique talents. If a person is inherently dull, even Confucius and Mencius teaching them is useless; if an ingredient is of poor quality, even Yi Ya cooking it will not make it tasty. Here are some general guidelines:
Pigs should have thin skin and no unpleasant odor; roosters should be castrated and young, not old or young; crucian carp are best when flat-bodied and white-bellied, while those with black backs are stubborn in the pot; eels are prized for swimming in lakes and streams, while those from rivers have knobbly bones; ducks fed with grain are fat and white; bamboo shoots grown in earth are tender with fewer joints and sweeter; the same ham can be vastly different in quality; the same Taiyang fish can be either excellent or terrible. Other miscellaneous items can be judged similarly. Generally, in a fine meal, the chef's contribution accounts for six parts, while the buyer's contribution accounts for four parts.
Ingredients:
A chef's ingredients are like a woman's clothes and jewelry. Even if one has natural beauty and skill in dressing, ragged clothes will make even Xi Shi unattractive. A good cook uses fermented sauce, first tasting its sweetness; uses sesame oil, checking if it is refined or raw; uses fermented wine, removing the dregs; uses rice vinegar, seeking purity. Moreover, sauce has clear and thick variations, oil has meat and vegetable differences, wine has sweet and sour distinctions, and vinegar has aged and fresh differences—none of these can be mistaken by even a tiny bit. Other ingredients like scallions, peppers, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and salt, though used in small amounts, should all be chosen as the best quality. In Suzhou, stores sell autumn oil in three grades: top, middle, and bottom. Zhenjiang vinegar has good color but is not very sour, losing the essence of vinegar. Banpu vinegar is the best, followed by Pukou vinegar.
Cleaning:
The method of cleaning involves removing hair from bird's nests, mud from sea cucumbers, sand from fish scales, and stench from deer tendons. Meats with sinews should be trimmed for tenderness; ducks with kidneys should be cleaned for purity; if fish breaks, the entire dish will be bitter; if eel secretion remains, the whole bowl will be fishy; leeks should have leaves removed but white parts kept; vegetables should be trimmed but their hearts preserved. The Inner Canon says, "Fish should be without 'Yi,' turtles without 'Chou.'" This is what is meant. The saying goes, "If you want fish to taste good, clean it until the white sinews appear." This is also what is meant.
Adjusting:
The method of adjusting depends on the ingredient. Some use both wine and water, some use only wine, some use only water; some use both salt and sauce, some use only clear sauce without salt, some use salt without sauce; some need oil to fry first if the ingredient is too greasy; some need vinegar to spray first if the ingredient is too fishy; some must use rock sugar for freshness; some prioritize dryness to let the flavor infuse inside, like stir-fried items; some prioritize broth to let the flavor overflow, like clear soups.
Pairing:
The saying goes, "A woman should be paired with a man." The Records say, "Choose people according to their roles." How is cooking different? Every dish needs companions. Clear should be paired with clear, thick with thick, soft with soft, and firm with firm, to achieve harmony. Some ingredients can be both meat and vegetable, like mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, and winter melon. Some are meat but not vegetable, like scallions, leeks, fennel, and young garlic. Some are vegetable but not meat, like celery, lily bulbs, and kidney beans. I often see people putting crab powder in bird's nests or lily bulbs in chicken or pork dishes—does this not make it awkward as if Tang Yao were sitting with Su Jun? There are also interactions where both work together, like using vegetable oil to stir-fry meat or meat oil to stir-fry vegetables.
Using Alone:
Ingredients with too strong flavors should be used alone and not paired. Like Li Zhanhuang and Zhang Jiangling, they must be used alone to fully showcase their talent. In food, eels, turtles, crabs, shad, beef, and lamb should all be eaten alone without pairing. Why? These ingredients have very strong flavors and great impact, with many side effects. Using five flavors to balance and fully control them can only take their strengths and remove their weaknesses. How can one spare the main topic to create unnecessary complications? I see Jinling people pairing sea cucumbers with soft-shell turtles and fish scales with crab powder, and I always frown. I feel the flavors of soft-shell turtles and crab powder overpower those of sea cucumbers and fish scales.