Liangwang Fish

Liangwang Fish

　　“Liangwang Fish,” also called “Dominating the Toad.” Liangwang Zhu Wen, originally from Dangshan, Xuzhou, was reportedly jailed in Xuzhou before making his fortune. Upon his release, this famous dish from Pengcheng — “Liangwang Fish” —

　　was served by his sworn brother to lift his spirits. His brother, who ran a restaurant, personally prepared a braised mandarin fish head. Having suffered hunger and longing during imprisonment, Zhu Wen alone finished the entire dish. His two brothers joked, “You’ve truly dominated the toad.” Later, when Zhu Wen became the King of Liang and established his capital in Kaifeng, he revisited Xuzhou during an eastern campaign and asked his sworn brother to cook the dish again, hence naming it “Dominating the Toad.” Later on, Hu Qingchang, a renowned chef at Yan Chunyuan Restaurant in Xuzhou, refined the recipe by adding three ingredients — ham, sea cucumber, and winter bamboo shoots — and named the dish “Three Armies Dominating the Toad.” During the Anti-Japanese War, Mr. Li Zongren visited Xuzhou and praised the dish highly after tasting it.

　　This dish features a golden hue, with the trio of ham, winter bamboo shoots, and sea cucumber creating a colorful contrast. The sauce is rich and thick, and the texture is tender, succulent, and crispy. It carries auspicious symbolism.