Liao Family Cabbage Rolls

Liao Family Cabbage Rolls

　　At the foot of Gaoyan Mountain, where the former residence of Chang Hong is located, there is an open area — this is the site of the old Liao Family Market. Liao Family Market was once a necessary stop along the route from Ziyang to Zizhong, where merchants would rest and dine. It is said that in those days, when Chang Hong returned home to visit his family, he hosted a grand banquet at Liao Family Market to entertain his guests. Since Liao Family Market was a small place and lacked renowned chefs, despite the three-day banquet, the guests didn’t find any particularly delicious dishes.

Chang Hong felt quite apologetic and decided to personally prepare a dish that would leave a lasting impression on the guests. Liao Family Market was a small place with no exotic delicacies, so Chang Hong made use of local ingredients. Drawing on the culinary knowledge he had acquired from the imperial kitchen during his time as a court physician, he used locally grown Chinese cabbage, shredded chicken, ham, mushrooms, and shredded winter bamboo shoots to create a delicious and refreshing dish.

When the guests tasted it, they all said that they hadn’t enjoyed such a tasty dish in days, and that today’s special must have been made by some master chef.

When asked, they learned that it was personally made by Chang Hong. When the guests inquired about the ingredients, Chang Hong modestly smiled and said, “It’s just Liao Family Cabbage Rolls, just Liao Family Cabbage Rolls.” Later generations learned the method of making this dish from Chang Hong and officially named it “Liao Family Cabbage Rolls.”