Hangzhou Cat’s Ears

Hangzhou Cat’s Ears

　　    Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River. Once, he secretly took a small boat to enjoy the scenery of West Lake. While having great fun, it suddenly began to drizzle. Everyone quickly took shelter inside the cabin of the boat. They waited and waited, but the rain grew heavier and showed no sign of stopping. After several hours, Emperor Qianlong grew both hungry and impatient, and couldn’t help but ask an old fisherman if there was any food. The old fisherman told him that they had flour but no rolling pin and thus couldn’t make noodles. Just as everyone was worrying, the fisherman’s young granddaughter came over holding a little flower cat and said, “No rolling pin? I’ll knead the dough with my hands.” So the little girl started pinching the dough into pieces that resembled the ears of the little flower cat—small and adorable. She then boiled these oddly-shaped noodles and poured a savory fish and shrimp sauce over them before serving them to Emperor Qianlong. Amazed by the unusual and delicate appearance of the noodles, the emperor found them even more delightful after tasting them. He quickly asked the little girl what these were called, and she replied that they were “cat’s ears.” Emperor Qianlong loved this dish so much that upon returning to the capital, he summoned the little girl to make “cat’s ears” for him. Since then, “Cat’s Ears” have become a famous delicacy.

　　    .     Cat’s Ears bear a striking resemblance to a type of shell-shaped pasta from Italy. It is said that this Italian dish was inspired by Marco Polo, who learned how to pinch “Cat’s Ears” in China and replicated them back home—eventually leading to machine production.

　　Ingredients

　　　　    Flour, shrimp, ham, chicken breast, mushrooms, dried scallops, bamboo shoots, green vegetables, cooking wine, scallion segments, ginger slices, chicken broth, chicken fat

　　Method 1

　　　　    1. Mix flour with water to form dough, roll into finger-thick long strips, cut into small pieces, slightly mix in flour, then stand each piece upright and press with your thumb to push and roll forward into a cat ear shape;     2. In a bowl, place shrimp stir-fried with lard, add dried scallops, cooking wine, scallion segments, ginger slices, and water, then steam until cooked. Dice the chicken breast and ham, and slice the mushrooms;     3. Pour chicken broth into a wok, add shrimp, dried scallops, diced chicken, diced ham, mushroom slices, and bamboo shoot slices. When boiling, add the “cat’s ears.” Once they float to the surface, skim off the foam, add salt and green vegetables, drizzle with chicken fat, and serve in a bowl.

　　Method 2

　　　　    Main ingredients: Wheat flour (250g), chicken breast (100g), ham (100g), shrimp (100g), fresh mushrooms (150g)     Side ingredients: Dried scallops (25g), winter bamboo shoots (50g), peas (50g)     Seasonings: Salt (5g), MSG (4g), chicken fat (15g), lard (30g), cooking wine (15g), ginger (10g), scallions (10g)     1. Wash the shrimp, marinate with starch, egg white, cooking wine, salt, MSG, and water;     2. Pan-fry the marinated shrimp in warm oil until cooked;     3. Wash the dried scallops and place them in a small bowl with 100ml water, cooking wine, scallion segments, and ginger slices, then steam until cooked and slice into “fingernail-sized” pieces;     4. Wash the chicken breast, boil until cooked, cool, then slice into “fingernail-sized” pieces;     5. Also slice the cooked ham into “fingernail-sized” pieces;     6. Peel and wash the winter bamboo shoots, then dice them;     7. Remove the stems of the mushrooms, wash, then slice into “fingernail-sized” pieces;     8. Set aside a small amount of flour as dry powder, then mix the rest with about 100ml water, knead well, roll into long strips about 8mm in diameter, cut into 6–7mm pieces, and slightly mix with the dry powder;     9. Then press the cut side of the pieces upward with your thumb to form very small “cat’s ears.” Prepare all pieces this way;     10. Boil the prepared “cat’s ears” in hot water for about 10 seconds, remove, rinse in cold water, and drain;     11. Place the wok on medium heat, add 1500ml of chicken broth, then add the shrimp, dried scallops, chicken, ham, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, etc., and simmer together;     12. Once boiling, add the “cat’s ears,” cook until they float, then add the cooked peas, salt, and MSG. Serve in bowls, drizzle with chicken fat.

　　Flavor Profile

　　　　    The noodle petals resemble cat ears—small and delicate. The diced ham glistens like agate, the chicken dices shine like amber, and the broth is rich and flavorful.

　　Notes

　　　　    When selecting “cat’s ears,” ensure they are made small and not too large.