I thought it would be a good plan to look up Jiangnan cuisine in order to impart a little more info about this variety aside from the XO Sauce reference – if you’re interested in that, look at yesterday’s review – but I found that Shanghai is in Jiangnan and got a list of notable seafood dishes from there you might find interesting and truly wonderful from Wikipedia –
- Eel noodles – (鳗鱼面; 鰻魚麵; Mányú Miàn) – Made with sliced eels and wheat noodles.[2]
- Scallion stewed crucian carp – (葱烧鲫鱼; 蔥燒鯽魚; Cōngshāo Jìyú) – This is rather involved and complex preparation for the common crucian carp. The dish requires long hours for preparation since the fish needs to be soaked in vinegar, and then deep-fried, stewed for a long prolonged period, and cooled to make the fish tender enough to consume together with all its bones. Due to the complexity of its preparation and the difficulty in perfecting it, the dish was sometimes used by families as a test when recruiting a cook.[3]
- Shanghai hairy crab (上海毛蟹; Shànghǎi Máo Xiè) – A variety of Chinese mitten crab. The crab is usually steamed with fragrant ginger, and consumed with a dipping sauce of rice vinegar, sugar and ginger. Mixing crabmeat with lard to make Xiefen, and consuming it in xiaolongbao or with tofu is another highlight of hairy crab season.[4][5]
- Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish (松鼠桂鱼; 松鼠桂魚; Sōngshǔ Guīyú) – This dish uses fresh mandarin fish. The fish is deep-fried and has a crispy exterior and soft interior. Yellow and red in colour, it is displayed in the shape of a squirrel on the plate. Hot broth is poured over, which produces a high-pitched sound. Sour and sweet flavours are combined in this dish.[6]
Oh man, I need to visit China. I would try each and every one of these. I don’t know how soon that will happen though. I really want to visit Hong Kong as well, and that’s where these noodles today are from. Let’s check ’em out!
Sau Tao Jiangnan Style Noodle – XO Shallot Sauce – Hong Kong
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, boil noodles for 4 minutes and drain, leaving 60ml water. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
One of the two servings of noodle.
A wet sachet of sauce.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added tea egg, chashu pork, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, fried garlic, and black sesame seeds. Noodles have a nice chew to them and a slightly light gauge. The flavor is a salty and savory one – not spicy. Strong shallot flavor was enjoyable. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 087303866151.
Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China
Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!
