Hot-frozen Steamed Egg

Hot-frozen Steamed Egg

　　Only know that thick soups of fish or meat will congeal when the temperature is low—where does “hot-frozen” come from?

　　It is said that when Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, he once passed through Guixi in Jiangxi. One day, while walking along a rural path, he saw undulating hills, lush green trees, blooming wildflowers, and birds and cranes calling to each other—a truly beautiful natural landscape. The emperor, upon seeing such beauty, was so captivated that he couldn’t bear to leave and simply strolled forward.

　　After noon, his stomach began to growl, prompting his attendants to look for a place to eat. Not far away, they spotted smoke rising from a chimney and were overjoyed. Upon approaching, they found it was a farmhouse, which though simple, was tidy and clean.

　　The host, seeing that the visitors were dressed richly and had an extraordinary bearing, knew they were no ordinary guests. Noticing their entourage, he was even more attentive. Learning that they only sought a simple meal, he immediately started cooking rice. But as his family was poor, he had no fine dishes to offer such esteemed guests. The only hen that laid eggs was needed for their eggs to trade for salt—how could he bear to slaughter it? In this desperate moment, the clever wife of the house took the only two duck eggs they had, shelled and beat them, added a little salt water, and steamed them until they set like jelly. She then served this dish to the honored guests. Emperor Qianlong, who was already very hungry, ate heartily with the steamed egg and praised it endlessly: “This flavor is truly heavenly!”

　　After the meal, Emperor Qianlong called the clever wife to ask about the dish. The clever wife casually replied, “This dish is called ‘hot-frozen.’” Emperor Qianlong silently memorized it.

　　Upon returning to the capital, he immediately ordered the imperial kitchen to make “hot-frozen.” But how could something “frozen” be “hot”? The head chefs were puzzled and couldn’t figure it out—none of them succeeded. Several chefs were unfortunately beaten and dismissed, yet still no one could replicate it. Finally, an apprentice chef humbly consulted some of the attendants who had accompanied the emperor on his travels, got a rough idea of what it was, and through a sudden flash of inspiration, finally managed to recreate the “hot-frozen.”