In the private room, the group had not ordered dishes; instead, they let the local waiters carefully match so regional specialties for them.
While everyone was chatting and waiting, dish after dish was brought to the table, and the waiter, with a smile, introduced, "Honored guests, this first dish is called ’Longjing Shrimp’."
The group looked on and saw in the porcelain plate tender and translucent shrimp that were so plump they might burst, paired with the tender green Longjing tea leaves, presenting a fresh and tender appearance.
The waiter continued, "Speaking of Longjing Shrimp, I must tell the story behind this dish. It is said that Emperor Qianlong once visited Hang City in disguise and tasted a cup of freshly brewed Longjing tea at a tea farr’s house, finding it remarkably fragrant and delicious. Hence, he spent a substantial amount of money to buy so tea leaves and left. Later, Emperor Qianlong visited a restaurant and asked the waiter to brew so tea with the leaves. The waiter saw a corner of the dragon robe under Qianlong’s outer garnt, was greatly shocked, and hurriedly told the owner, who was cooking boiled shrimp. Hearing that the Emperor was eating at his restaurant, the owner was so frightened that he accidentally knocked the tea leaves from the waiter’s hand into the pot. Initially, it was a mistake, but unexpectedly, when this dish was presented to Qianlong, he was impressed by its elegant appearance and unique flavor. He nodded in approval, and since then, this dish has beco a famous dish in Hang City, passed down to this day..."
Listening to the waiter’s introduction, everyone started to pick up their chopsticks. With a bite of shrimp, everyone found the texture tender and bouncy, juicy, and simultaneously filled with the freshness of the Longjing tea, making it very unique.
Lin Yang nodded, "Indeed, it’s delicious."
Xiao Zhang said, "Hmm, the shrimp is secondary, but I think the Longjing tea in it must be of top quality."
The waiter smiled and said, "The Longjing tea we use in our restaurant is the top-quality Mingqian Longjing from Longjing Village."
Everyone nodded while indulging in the feast.
The second dish brought out was a fish with vibrant colors that whetted the appetite.
The waiter then introduced, "This dish is called ’West Lake Vinegar Fish.’ I believe everyone has heard of it, and there is also a legend associated with it. It is said that in ancient tis, there was a talented scholar who was full of knowledge but disliked fa, so he chose to live in seclusion by West Lake and made a living by fishing. At the ti, there was a bully who coveted his brother’s wife, so he oppressed and killed his brother and took his sister-in-law. To avenge his brother, the scholar filed nurous complaints, but to no avail, and was repeatedly oppressed by the authorities. Knowing the bully’s power was too great, his sister-in-law persuaded the scholar to leave Hang City and hide. The scholar realized that he couldn’t seek revenge while still in Hang City but needed to go to Beijing to find a way. So, he decided to leave, and before leaving, his sister-in-law specifically cooked a West Lake fish in sweet and sour sauce as a farewell al."
"The fish was sweet and sour, and the sister-in-law ant to encourage him with ’The bitterness and sweetness remind us of the common people’s hardships.’ Later, the scholar achieved great success and beca a high-ranking official. When he returned to Hang City, he captured the bully and avenged his brother, but his sister-in-law had already left Hang City, and her whereabouts were unknown. At a banquet, when the scholar, now a high official, suddenly tasted a fish dish with sweetness and sourness, it instantly reminded him of the fish his sister-in-law had made when he left Hang City. He found that the cook who prepared the fish was indeed his sister-in-law, so he imdiately resigned from his official position and returned to a simple life of fishing with his sister-in-law...."
This story about the brother and sister-in-law greatly fascinated everyone, and they also began tasting the West Lake Vinegar Fish.
Yue’er took a bite and couldn’t help but be surprised, "Eh, this is clearly fish, so why does it feel a bit like eating crab?"
The waiter couldn’t help but laugh as he explained, "This is because in our restaurant, we generally use fresh fish from West Lake as the raw material for making West Lake Vinegar Fish. Before cooking, we fast the fish for two days to cleanse their intestines of debris and eliminate any muddy taste. After cooking, the fish at is tender and has a crab-like flavor."
Upon hearing this, everyone found it very interesting. It’s no wonder this century-old restaurant was so particular about its ingredients.
The next dish, more famous still, was brought to the table by the waiter who said with a smile, "This dish, I only need to say the na, and I guess all the honored guests will know its story. This is Braised Pork Belly"
A bowl of fragrant and colorful pork was served.
Seeing this dish, Li Xiaopeng imdiately rushed to answer, "Braised Pork Belly, I know the story; isn’t it the pork recipe invented by Su Dongpo, hence the na ’Braised Pork Belly?’"
This story is indeed well known, and even Yue’er had heard it, but when it ca to the waiter, she could still recount so details unknown to everyone else, saying with a smile:
"Indeed, Braised Pork Belly is nad after the cooking thod invented by Mr. Su Dongpo himself. However, Mr. Su Dongpo also wrote a light verse about this pork recipe. I’m not sure if everyone has heard it. The verse goes like this: ’Huangzhou’s good pork, cheap as dirt. The rich won’t eat, the poor can’t cook it right. Slow with the fire, scant with the water, when done properly, it’s naturally beautiful. Each day rise and eat a bowl, full and content without a care.’
The intent of this verse is because at the ti, people didn’t know how to make pork delicious, leading to pork being very cheap, yet few bought it. But Mr. Su Dongpo’s invention of the Braised Pork Belly thod caused this dish to beco instantly popular, and pork subsequently graced many common people’s tables...."
It goes without saying, West Lake indeed possesses nurous ancient sites and legends, and the various famous dish recipes born here also have their storied origins.
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