Shanxi Crispy Pork

Shanxi Crispy Pork

　　The second steamed dish of Shanxi cuisine is Shanxi Crispy Pork. This is a traditional famous dish from Shanxi, made by cutting pork ribs into chunks and cooking them through multiple processes including boiling, deep-frying, and steaming. According to *Famous Foods and Their Anecdotes*, in the second year of the Yongle era, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, appointed his third son Zhu Gaoxu as the Prince of Zhao. The palace maids, knowing that the prince had a fondness for grilled meat, selected high-quality pork, first boiled then steamed and finally deep-fried, served with scallions and soybean paste, which received great praise. Because Perilla seasoning was added, it was called “Perilla Pork.” Later, it spread among the common folk. In central Shanxi, it is referred to as “Fragrant Crispy Pork,” while in southern Shanxi’s banquet cuisine, it is often called “Crispy Pork.” Its preparation method varies slightly: sliced pork belly is marinated with starch and egg batter, then deep-fried until golden yellow, mixed with stir-fried wood ear mushrooms and magnolia slices, and finally steamed in a steamer.

　　 In Yuncheng area, crispy pork in local banquet dishes is often made with lamb. In Jincheng, a dish called “Zisu Knife Back” is made by first boiling, then steaming, and finally deep-frying fatty pork belly, known as a traditional dish of Shangdang. Meanwhile, in the folk cuisine, pork belly is first deep-fried, then boiled, and finally steamed, called “Hubu Meat,” and is an essential dish during festivals and wedding banquets. In the Changzhi area, an innovative dish called Crispy Pork Mustard Powder Skin Soup has been developed and become a local specialty. The Shanxi Guild Hall has innovatively created the “Wang Family Crispy Pork Pickled Vegetable Fish Lip Dish.” It is said that Wang Qian, the master of the Lingshi Wang family—prominent Shanxi merchants—attended the “Qiansou Banquet” held by Emperor Kangxi in the 61st year of his reign in the Qianqing Palace, where he was bestowed an imperial dragon-headed cane and a dish of fish lips. Upon returning to his hometown, Wang Qian instructed his family to cook the fish lips with Shanxi crispy pork and pickled vegetables, resulting in an exceptionally delicious dish that became the highlight of the Wang family’s banquets. When members of the Southeast Asian Wang Clan Association dined at the Shanxi Guild Hall and tasted this dish, they were full of praise and left a poem in commemoration: “Riding the spring wind by the Fen River, keeping guests in times of plenty for pure joy. Dreams of old now come true—Wang clan gathers in Taiyuan.”