Beijing Roast Duck/ Peking Duck April 16, 2008

*Beijing Roast Duck / Peking Duck

 

BEIJING ROAST DUCK is a famous duck dish from Beijing. This dish has been invented since the Yuan Dynasty. Nowadays, we served this dish as one of the China’s National Foods.

 

As you can see the above picture, the duck is roasted traditionally in an oven either a closed oven or hung oven .

 

Closed oven : It is built of brick and fitted with metal griddles. The oven is preheated by burning Gaoliang wood at the base. Then the duck is placed in the oven immediately after the fire burns out. Why ? It is because it allows the meat to be slowly cooked through by convection of heat within the oven.

 

Hung oven : It is designed to roast up to 20 ducks at the same time with an open fire fuelled by hardwood from peach or pear trees. Ducks are hung on hooks above the fire and roasted at a temp. of 270°C for 30 to 40 minutes. When the ducks are cooking, the chef may use a pole to dangle each duck closer to the fire for 30 sec intervals.

 

How to serve this dish?

The cooked Beijing Roast Duck is traditionally carved in front of the diners and served in 3 stages.

1) Skin is served dipped in sugar and garlic sauce;

 

**(The chef cut the duck skin and meat into slices)

2) The meat is then served with steamed pancakes, scallions and sweet noodle sauce;

3) The meat can be served with several vegetables, typically cucumber and carrot sticks.

***

(Skin, steamed pancakes, slices of cucumber and scallion and sweet noodle sauce)

The diners spread sauce over the pancake, then the meat with the vegetables are wrapped inside the pancake, and then of course taste it with your mouth lol~ :-p

 

We have eaten the meat and the skin of the roast duck, how about the remaining fat, meat and bones? We Chinese do not waste any food as a good manner, we will use them to make a broth (that means a soup lol).

 

I have tried this dish several times, it is really delicious!!! :-p When I am writing this post, I feel hungry and really want to taste it again! :-p :-p :-p

Qingming Festival 清明節 April 5, 2008

 

 (Burning paper gifts for the departed)

Today is Ching Ming Festival which also named Qingming Festival (traditional Chinese: 清明節; simplified Chinese: 清明节; pinyin: Qīngmíngjié). It means Clear and Bright Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox), usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar (see Chinese calendar). Every leap year, Qingming is on April 4. Since this year is leap year, so today Apr 4 is Qingming.

 

Astronomically, it is also a solar term (that we called in chinese: 節氣 ). In solar terms, the Qingming festival is on the 1st day of the 5th solar term, which is also named Qingming. Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime (” Treading on the greenery” or in chinese: 踏青 ), and also to tend to the graves of departed ones (That’s why people used to go to visit graves on that day or before that date). Nowadays, it is an official public holiday in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Even now, the Mainland China government has also set today as public holiday since this year.

 

What do people bring for visiting graves?

• Mostly, people will bring a big Roasted Pig, Paper gifts (which made by paper  in different forms : mobile phone, slippers, golds, paper notes, a servant, computer……), Fruits, bomsticks, Flowers, etc.  Actually,there are many other things that people would bring to visit graves lol~

Qingming was also in literature, the most famous and well known one by poet Du Mu.

 (Du Mu ,杜牧)

The poem titled “Qingming” by Du Mu

Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	pinyin
清明時節雨紛紛	清明时节雨纷纷	qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
路上行人欲斷魂	路上行人欲断魂	lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún
借問酒家何處有	借问酒家何处有	jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu
牧童遙指杏花村	牧童遥指杏花村	mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn

*(The above chinese should read from Left to right in every row)* 

English translation

A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;
The mourner’s heart is breaking on his way.
Where can a hostel be found to drown his sadness?
A cowherd points to Xing Hua village in the distance.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ching_Ming_Festival

Mozzarella Cheese April 1, 2008

 

 Last month , I have read a news about Mozzarella Cheese. Few days ago, I read another news about it. The French government stopped and held the cargo with Mozzarella from Napoli and the Italy government announced to collect back the suspected contaminated Mozzarella Cheese.

There were 66 of buffalos had been found excess DIOXINS inside their body. That is why the Mozzarella cheese has been contaminated. The Mozzarella is made from buffalo’s milk! DIOXINS is a chemical which increases the likelihood of cancer.  It is considered as a serious threat to public health and the most dangerous toxins. The first disease associated with dioxins was the extreme skin disease chloracne. It causes acne-like pustules to form across the body and can last for several years.

Mm… It seemed the contaminated areas are widely spread in Napoli. The main cause is the rubbish crisis. I know Mozzarella Cheese is one of the ingredient added on the pizza. Though I know it is not in the main cuisine. I am wondering about how the italian to adapt not to have Mozzarella Cheese in their daily life lol???