China Daily | Chrysanthemum hotpot: Long-lost Beijing imperial delicacy restored - video Dailymotion

The Star

Lost for a century and taking 120 hours to prepare, this hotpot was loved by Empress Dowager Cixi, and it is now available to everyone.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 This hot pot was lost for almost a century.

00:04 Loved by Empress Dowager Cixi,

00:09 it is now restored for everyone.

00:11 This is perhaps the best potball you've ever had.

00:23 It needs over 100 hours to prepare.

00:25 (speaking in foreign language)

00:29 This man lives near the famous Houhai Lake

00:40 in downtown Beijing.

00:41 He is a Beijinger, a jeep driver,

00:47 and as you see, a cat lover.

00:48 He rarely argues except when it comes to one thing.

00:53 (speaking in foreign language)

00:57 Yes, he can say that.

01:05 Because he is the reason the dish still lives on today.

01:09 (gentle music)

01:14 (knocking)

01:16 (speaking in foreign language)

01:27 Pork belly has long been loved by Chinese cooks

01:30 all over the country.

01:31 Chop it into chunks.

01:35 Pierce with needles so that it can absorb seasonings

01:41 like a sponge.

01:43 (water splashing)

01:44 Rub with salt and Chinese cooking wine.

01:47 The meat gradually becomes tender and soft.

01:51 It is the chef's magic.

01:52 Then leave the meat at a low temperature.

02:00 Color with soy sauce.

02:03 And then comes a critical step.

02:06 Air dry for two days.

02:11 This is the key to the crispy skin.

02:13 Tap the pork.

02:15 Will you hear a sound like this?

02:17 It means it's ready for the oven.

02:20 The roast duck oven is probably the greatest invention

02:27 by Beijingers because it not only roasts

02:30 the world famous Peking duck,

02:32 but in the past, it also cooked Beijing's

02:35 long lost delicacies, oven meat.

02:40 Roasting brings out the extra fat

02:42 and leaves the skin extremely crispy.

02:45 Steam to soften its textures.

02:51 The pork belly becomes tender and full of flavor.

02:54 From the first chop to the last,

02:59 it takes 120 hours.

03:02 Glass noodles and Chinese sauerkraut at the bottom.

03:05 Then the sliced oven meat.

03:08 Present the mums on top.

03:10 Finish with broth.

03:12 Hot pot has long been loved by Chinese in winter.

03:20 As the broth boils, the aroma of chrysanthemums

03:25 becomes even more refreshing.

03:28 The pork tastes so tender that it seems

03:31 to melt in your mouth.

03:32 And the fluffy skin can absorb the broth

03:37 like Yorkshire pudding.

03:38 This is the special feature of braised pork.

03:40 The skin is also tender and delicious.

03:42 It melts in your mouth.

03:43 The chrysanthemums are clear and refreshing.

03:46 So it goes well with the sauerkraut.

03:48 It's very special in this season.

03:52 Beijing once had a splendid culture of food

03:59 in its early years.

04:02 But just as London during World War II,

04:05 decades of war struck a huge blow

04:06 to Beijing's culinary culture.

04:09 The first thing people do in life is to eat.

04:11 When you're rich, you want to eat.

04:13 When your life quality improves,

04:14 you have to find these things to pass on.

04:16 We left these excellent food to our ancestors.

04:20 He has restored hundreds of traditional Beijing dishes

04:23 with his mentor.

04:24 In the past 20 years,

04:26 I have taught more than 900 dishes.

04:30 And it is not easy when people are trying

04:33 to make quick money by following trends.

04:35 But when you have a good harvest,

04:37 you can make a good living.

04:40 When you have a good harvest,

04:41 you can make a good living.

04:43 When you have a good harvest,

04:44 you can make a good living.

04:45 When you have a good harvest,

04:47 you can make a good living.

04:48 Why don't we pass on these good food?

04:51 He said, it's not about the food.

04:54 It is about his dignity.

04:56 [Music]

05:00 [Music]

China Daily | Chrysanthemum hotpot: Long-lost Beijing imperial delicacy restored

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