Pengcheng Fish Balls

Pengcheng Fish Balls

　　Pengcheng Fish Balls, a traditional local dish from Xuzhou, were created during the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Kangxi by Li Zitang, a chef at the “Yuelai Tavern” (some say they were created by the renowned chef Zhai Shiqing). They are white in color, tender in texture, and have a calming effect on the stomach. The scholar Kang Youwei once wrote a couplet praising them: “Pengcheng Fish Balls are famed far and wide, their reputation long spread across Vietnam and the north.” Nowadays, major restaurants in Xuzhou all have master chefs preparing them, also known as Fish Pearls or Pengcheng Fish Balls.

　　1. During the Qing Dynasty under Emperor Kangxi, Li Zitang, an apprentice of the owner of the well-known Yuelai Tavern in Xuzhou, once used a single carp to prepare four dishes: Silver Pearl Fish, Sweet-and-Sour Fish Cubes, Multi-Flavored Dragon Bone, and Fish Skin Soup. Among these, “Silver Pearl Fish” was the best. The Qing Dynasty top imperial scholar Li Pan once composed a poem after tasting this dish at the tavern: “The carp sheds its form to become silver pearls, multi-flavored dragon bones encased within, floating on the sea like a prince’s robe, curved knives dancing in sweet-and-sour stir-fry, transformed into a heavenly soup offering, carrying forward the legacy of Mao Sui through the ages.” When Kang Youwei passed through Xuzhou, the renowned chef Zhai Shiqing also prepared Silver Pearl Fish for him. After tasting it, Kang inscribed a couplet: “Pengcheng Fish Balls are famed far and wide, their reputation long spread across Vietnam and the north.” Since then, Silver Pearl Fish has been renamed “Pengcheng Fish Balls.”

　　2. Authentic Pengcheng Fish Balls are white and tender in color, delicate in texture and rich in flavor. In water, they are round; on a plate, they are flat; held with chopsticks, they appear elongated. The craftsmanship is exquisite, beyond the ability of ordinary chefs.

　　Flavor: Salty and savory. The fish balls are white and tender, delicate in texture and rich in flavor.