How to make stir-fried snails: 1. Soak the purchased snails in clean water for one day to allow them to expel all the sand; 2. The next day, use tweezers to cut off the snails’ tails; 3. Place the snails in water with a little oil and soak for another 2 hours to ensure they release all the sand, then drain and set aside; 4. Heat a pan, add oil, and stir-fry...
Smoked green beans are a common homemade snack among ordinary households in the Jiangnan region, made using young soybeans (edamame). In summer, the rural fields, field ridges, and areas around houses are dotted with clusters of edamame plants, heavy with pods. Although delicious, smoked green beans are a popular food due to their humble ingredients. Smoking the beans is not a difficult process. The first step is selecting the right edamame—choose mature, plump beans, but not overly old ones. They must be green beans, as mature yellow soybeans can’t achieve the same flavor. After shelling, the beans are boiled in a pot, with careful attention paid to the water level: too much water will waste the beans’ flavor, while too little may cause them to stick to the pot. Once boiling, add salt and sugar to taste—usually leaning slightly sweet is best. Don’t overcook them; they should be cooked through but not mushy. Then, spread the beans evenly on a wire mesh sieve and place them over charcoal embers to smoke. Be careful not to let them turn yellow or burn; the goal is to dry them out. Once smoked, the beans are vibrant green, perfectly balanced in saltiness and sweetness, with an ideal firmness. Delicious, fragrant, and tender, they go well both as a snack and with congee.
Making pickled pickles involves three steps. The first is to make broad bean paste. Take five or six jin of flour to make dough, mix in more than one jin of mashed cooked broad beans, stir well, and then steam the mixture in a steamer. Next, knead the cooked dough into fine pieces, cut them into small squares, place them in a small tray, cover them with wheat straw, and let them ferment. After about half...
Qiandeng meat zongzi are exquisitely shaped, emit an enticing aroma, and have a rich yet non-greasy taste—renowned far and wide for thousands of years. Preparation method: Rinse three to four pounds of glutinous rice in a rice strainer, then cut several dozen leaves of indocalamus (or purchase them from the market), wash them thoroughly with warm water, and prepare several dozen clean rice straw stalks (or plastic packaging bands). Once these three ingredients are ready…
The main pumpkin varieties are Jinxiu and Jinhua pumpkins, which are highly nutritious, containing carotene, sugars, fats, starch, protein, vitamin C, and other substances. They have the benefits of invigorating the spleen, clearing heat, and relieving pain. They are highly adaptable and have good storage properties, making them very popular among consumers.…
Qian Deng Lamb has a long history and unique preparation techniques. It is widely renowned for its fragrant meat, rich broth, delicious taste, and high nutritional value. Made from locally raised goats, the main varieties of Qian Deng Lamb include white-boiled lamb, lamb soup, lamb jelly, and red-braised lamb. These are cooked using traditional and distinctive culinary skills. The white-boiled lamb is known for its milky-white broth, strong aroma, tender yet firm meat texture, and delicious yet non-greasy flavor that is enjoyable time and again. In recent years, special lamb-themed series such as the “Whole Lamb Banquet” have been introduced, featuring over 30 varieties categorized into cold dishes, hot stir-fries, barbecued dishes, soups, and dim sum.
The red oil fish noodles at Aozao Restaurant are known for their “three heats and two heavies.” The three heats refer to: hot bowl—bowls are soaked in boiling water and kept ready; hot fish—the fried fish is kept warm in a hot pan; hot noodles—the noodles are not rinsed in warm water after being drained. The two heavies refer to: heavy red oil, which is the oil used to fry the fish; and heavy greens, meaning plenty of chopped scallion leaves...
Chimelong Mooncakes were first made in the 24th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1898), named after the Sun Chimelong Grocery Store that operated with a storefront in front and workshop at the back. These mooncakes have the style of Suzhou-style mooncakes, but their production method is quite different — they do not use leavening agents, instead adopting a flaky pastry dough technique. The crust is flaky and crisp, with a shiny color, …
Gorgon fruit cake is said to be made from gorgon fruit, a medicinal herb beneficial to health, but the local version is soft and fragrant, with no trace of any medicinal taste. The “Forest Gorgon Fruit Cake” shop offers a wider variety, including four flavors: osmanthus, eight-treasure, sesame, and mint, as well as other snacks like walnut cake. Other small shops typically have only three flavors. …
Braised Chicken in Soy Sauce, also known as Simmered Pot Chicken, is a traditional famous dish from Suzhou. The chicken is made from plump, newly-laid “Four-Yellow” hens, carefully prepared with ingredients such as rice wine, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, sandalwood, and turmeric. It is served drizzled with a rich braising sauce and often dipped in soy sauce. …
Shipu Lamb is a specialty dish from Qiandeng Town, Kunshan City, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. With its unique flavor and high quality, Shipu Lamb from Qiandeng has earned a solid reputation in the Kunshan and Shanghai areas, attracting numerous food enthusiasts. This dish boasts a long history and is highly sought after by gourmets, ranking alongside such renowned lamb brands as Zangshu and Taicang Shuangfeng...
Zhoushi Braised Duck is a local specialty of Zhoushi Town, Kunshan City, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Known as Zhoushi Braised Sauce Duck for short, it is one of the famous specialties of Kunshan, celebrated for its excellent color, aroma, and taste. It enjoys a reputation for being so fragrant that “when one household cooks it, the whole street is filled with the aroma.” The origins of Zhoushi Braised Duck go back a long way—since ancient times, Zhoushi has been crisscrossed with rivers and lakes, dotted with reed marshes and wastelands…
Jinxi Water Red Water Chestnuts are a specialty of Jinxi Town, Kunshan City, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Jinxi Water Red Water Chestnuts are an annual floating-leaved aquatic herbaceous plant and one of the premium varieties of water chestnuts. They are named "Water Red" due to their bright red outer shells. These water chestnuts are known for being tender, having thin shells, and thick, juicy flesh. Jinxi is bordered by Dianshan Lake to the east and Chenghu Lake to the west. Within its territory, only the small, leftover plots along the lakeshores are used to cultivate large patches of these water red water chestnuts.
When people mention Zhouzhuang, known as “China’s No. 1 Water Town,” besides being enchanted by its picturesque water scenery and rich, rustic folk culture, they are most likely to be impressed by the “Wan San Ti.” In Zhouzhuang, shops specializing in selling “ti” (pig trotters) are everywhere, and it has become an essential main dish in all hotels and restaurants. Speaking of the “...”
“They may boast of jade trees in heaven, but none compare to a single tree peony in a fairy hall.” Revered as one of Kunshan’s “Three Treasures of Yufeng,” the tree peony is an ancient and rare flower in China. Kunshan’s Tinglin Park, with a history of over a hundred years, is home to more than 500 tree peony trees, forming two peony groves. Among them is a particularly magnificent specimen — six to seven meters tall, with a trunk as thick as a person can hug, which quickly branches upward into dense, arm-thick boughs numbering twenty to thirty, and a crown wider than a room. This venerable tree is nearly 350 years old and is currently considered the oldest living tree peony in China.
Sesame Oil Eel Paste is a famous specialty dish from Suzhou. It is made by stir-frying shredded eel and combining it with ham strips, chicken shreds, and shrimp. It is lightly seasoned with ginger shreds, clarified butter, and mashed garlic, then topped with hot meat oil poured over noodles. When served, it is lightly sprinkled with pepper, giving off an enticing aroma and offering a delicious taste upon first bite.…
Tongli Zhuangyuan Pig Trotter is a signature dish of Tongli in Suzhou. The Zhuangyuan Pig Trotter can be considered the “flagship” among Wujiang’s specialties. Strolling through this world-renowned ancient water town in the Jiangnan region, amidst the alleyways fluttering with the apricot-yellow flags of the “Ming-Qing Street,” as we fully appreciate the vibrant red hues of the Zhuangyuan Pig Trotter, we find ourselves unconsciously immersed in its...
Founded in the 38th year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1773), it takes its name from “Daoxiangcun” (Peach Blossom Village) in the Grand View Garden in Cao Xueqin’s classic novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*. It is one of the oldest and most renowned specialty shops in Suzhou for producing and selling Suzhou-style pastries. Address: No. 72 Guanqian Street Phone: 672…
Min Bing was originally an ordinary homemade snack from rural households in the Jiangnan region, with a history of at least 500 years. Tongli Min Bing is unique in its ingredients and preparation method. It has a dark bluish-green color, a glossy and delicate texture, a fragrant taste, and is sweet without being greasy when chewed. Its flavor remains unchanged even after more than half a month. The making process starts with soaking Min grass (scientific name: Boehmeria nivea, also known as...)
Select a five- to six-pound black carp or grass carp, take the middle section of the female side, remove the belly while keeping the skin, roll in shredded ham, shredded chicken, and shredded mushrooms. Add seasonings such as yellow wine and scallions, then steam until cooked. The fish is tender, fragrant, delicious, and has a unique flavor. …