Dali Green Plums

Dali Green Plums

　　Dali's Eryuan is truly the land of plums, covered in vast plum orchards. "The flowers have faded, leaving only faint red traces; the green apricots are still small." Though green plums are sour, the "Golden Flowers" of Dali know how to tame them. Simply making them into candied fruit would be too ordinary. The Golden Flowers of Dali craft the plums into "carved plums." Green plums are very juicy, so they must first be soaked in lime water, then dried. Once dried, the plum flesh becomes less crisp, making it possible to carve continuous, winding patterns into the flesh with a knife. The pit is then squeezed out through the gaps, leaving the plum hollow like a lacework. It is gently flattened, transforming into an openwork chrysanthemum. Once the carving is done, the plums are pickled. A small amount of salt is used first to reduce the sourness, followed by premium brown sugar and honey, which are used to marinate the plums in a sealed jar for several months. When the plum cakes turn golden-red, they can be taken out and eaten.

　　The finished carved plums can be described as "a perfect blend of beauty and craftsmanship"—they are both exquisitely pretty and delightfully sweet and sour, making your mouth water. More importantly, traditional Bai girls offer their handcrafted carved plums as the first gift to their future mothers-in-law. The family of the groom then tastes the plums to judge whether the bride is skillful and clever. So every time I see Bai girls shyly and happily carving the plums, their skillful hands shaping them into delicate plum flowers, I can sense that underlying mix of nervous anticipation and irrepressible sweetness.

　　Carved plums can also be used in cooking. There used to be a well-known old restaurant in Dali Ancient Town called "Plum Well," where there was an ancient well in the courtyard with particularly sweet and cool water. The owner used it to brew green plum wine, which had an elegant and exquisite flavor—almost otherworldly. If you visited at the right time, you could also try the "Plum Carving Braised Pork." It was made with a base of sour pickled vegetable cubes made from Yunnan’s signature bitter greens, topped with glistening carved plums, and then layered with slices of "three-layered pork," all steamed together. The people of Dali don’t like pork that is too lean because it tends to be dry. The ideal cut is the three-layered pork—when sliced, it shows a layer of lean meat, a layer of fat, and then another layer of lean meat, hence the name "three-layered pork." The Plum Carving Braised Pork is fragrant and inviting. The plums have turned a tea-like translucent crystal, the pork slices are tender and smooth, and most importantly, each slice is infused with the unique sweet aroma of the plums. Paired with the tangy scent of the pickled vegetables, it’s not greasy at all, leaves a lingering fragrance in the mouth, and you just can’t get enough. Unfortunately, on my last visit, although the well water remains the same, the quality has changed—the Plum Carving Braised Pork is now worlds apart. Of course, the portion sizes and quality have gone down, while the price has skyrocketed.

　　Besides the plums, which often appear in stories, bananas—which frequently show up in poetry—are also a delicacy in Yunnan. In the past, the famous Buddhist master Milarepa once broke his pure water bowl while meditating. He immediately sang a song about the broken bowl because this act of shattering reminded him once again that nothing in this world is permanent, except for emptiness. So I’m not at all surprised by Yunnan’s rather drastic approach to bananas—it’s like "burning a qin zither to cook a crane." But when I listen to the piece "Rain Beating on Banana Leaves," I can’t help but feel a touch of "melancholy."

　　In Yunnan, one commonly eaten dish is minced pork stir-fried with banana blossoms. It’s actually very simple: first heat oil in a pan, sauté ginger slices until fragrant, then quickly stir-fry minced pork. Before the pork is fully cooked, add washed and shredded banana blossoms and stir-fry until done. The banana blossoms absorb the oil, making the whole dish very refreshing. If you prefer to stir-fry it without meat, you’ll need to add more fermented black beans and green chili peppers; otherwise, it might turn out too bland.