Sea Cucumber Feast

Sea Cucumber Feast

　　In 1931, Liu Zihuo opened Judecheng, the largest "Eastern School" (Beijing-Tianjin style) restaurant in Baotou. The restaurant was elegantly furnished, adorned with famous potted plants, hanging calligraphy and paintings by renowned artists. The tables and chairs were all in the color of nanmu wood, and the tableware was exquisitely crafted, all featuring fine porcelain with pine and cypress patterns. The dishes were meticulously prepared, the presentation was beautiful, and the feast could be described as excellent in aroma, color, form, taste, texture, and tableware. The most famous dishes were the Sea Cucumber Feast and the Seafood Fin Feast. The author discovered several pages from the restaurant’s account books during the Japanese puppet regime period, found among old city wallpaper materials. These pages recorded menus from multiple occasions when the puppet municipal government, the mayor, the group army headquarters, and even "Japanese soldiers" dined at Judecheng, including orders for the Sea Cucumber Feast. Even customers ordering casual meals often tried several dishes from the Sea Cucumber Feast, such as Braised Sea Cucumber and Braised Three Delicacies. The most distinctive dish was Braised Cuttlefish Roe. The cuttlefish roe came from the coastal area of Rizhao, Shandong. Huang Yongcheng, a disciple of the famed Judecheng chef Zhang Zhongsan, had a unique method for soaking and cooking the cuttlefish roe—resulting in a tender yet firm texture that lingered pleasantly on the palate, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste. In 1956, this dish ranked first in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Culinary Competition.