65 smoked, pickled, and sauce dishes

Author: Zhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The cooking technique of sauce involves marinating the ingredients (or blanching, deep-frying), then placing them in a sauce broth containing various seasonings and spices. Boil vigorously, skim off foam, then simmer on low heat until the ingredients are tender and flavorful, allowing the sauce broth to thicken and evenly coat the surface of the ingredients (or stir-fry the sauce to a thick consistency and brush it onto the ingredients). This is a cooking method.
Characteristics and Applicability of Sauce-Cooked Dishes
The marination for sauce-cooked dishes uses fine salt and spices to enhance the dry, savory texture of pickled vegetables and change the color of meat to a reddish hue. Sauce-cooked dishes are more commonly used in northern China, with ingredients typically being domestic animals, poultry, or their internal organs and limbs. Before sauce-cooking, the ingredients are usually blanched or deep-fried to remove bloodstains and fishy odors. Additionally, "sauce broth" must be prepared. The sauce broth is primarily made with soy sauce, mixed with caramel (molasses), fine salt, scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and various spices (such as tangerine peel, licorice root, cloves, fennel seeds, cardamom, white, etc.), with water added. The quality of the sauce broth plays a decisive role in the flavor and quality of the sauce-cooked dish.
The characteristics of sauce-cooked dishes are rich color, strong flavor, tender and crispy texture, non-greasy, and a fragrant, savory aroma. The ingredients for sauce-cooked dishes are generally large or well-shaped, and after cooling, they are sliced and arranged on a plate. Examples include "Braised Beef" and "Braised Chicken." Sauce-cooking is similar to braising, but there are also differences:
1. The sauce broth used for sauce-cooked dishes is usually prepared fresh and not stored for later use, while braised dishes require aged broth, with used broth reserved for the next use. The older the broth, the richer the flavor.
2. Sauce-cooked dishes require the sauce broth to be thickened so that the sauce coats the ingredients, or the original sauce is stir-fried to a thick consistency and brushed onto the ingredients, creating a layer of thick sauce on the dish to prevent the surface from drying out. Braised dishes, after being braised, can be soaked in the broth if not immediately consumed, ready to be used as needed.
3. The seasonings used for sauce-cooking and braising are not entirely the same, resulting in distinct differences in color and flavor. Sauce-cooked dishes have a richer color and primarily enhance the original flavor of the ingredients, while braised dishes have a lighter color and are characterized by the complex flavors of spices.
Operation Procedure for Sauce-Cooking
Prepare the sauce broth — preliminary treatment of the ingredients (marinating or blanching, deep-frying) — place in the sauce broth and bring to a boil — simmer on low heat until tender — coat the ingredients with thick sauce — remove and cool, then slice and arrange on a plate.
Key Points for Sauce-Cooking
1. If deep-frying is used before sauce-cooking, the oil temperature should be higher, and the frying time should be shorter. To achieve a brighter color, a small amount of soy sauce can be brushed onto the surface of the ingredients before deep-frying, giving them a golden base that will make the dish vibrant after sauce-cooking.
2. When selecting ingredients, choose those with similar age, size, and texture to cook together in the same pot. If ingredients with different textures are cooked together, it is essential to control their maturity to ensure even color and flavor. During the thickening stage of the sauce, different pots should be used to guarantee the dish's color and taste. Ingredients should be stirred one or two times during the process to ensure even coloring.
3. Before adding the ingredients to the pot, place a bamboo steamer at the bottom to prevent sticking and burning. After adding the ingredients, first bring to a boil with high heat, then simmer on low heat until the ingredients are almost tender. Maintain a gentle boil until the ingredients are nearly cooked, then