Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

Killing the New Year pig is a job that not everyone can do. It requires five or six strong men to help, one pressing the legs and the other pressing the body, until the pig is firmly held down and unable to move. Then the butcher will take out the butcher knife that has been sharpened long ago and push it into the pig's neck. If the pig is not dead yet, he will push it in again. That's it, the pig is killed.

Well, it doesn't take such a big fuss to kill this little piglet.

Father Lin and Old Man Chu held the pig tightly, and the whole village was filled with the pig's shrill cries. Everything was ready, except that the butcher Yang Andang was still not in place.

"Boss, you haven't finished grinding it yet!" Old Master Chu urged.

"Coming soon." Yang Andang calmly poured water on the butcher knife and sharpened it slowly.

"Oh my god, I'm going to be so anxious." Old Master Chu cursed.

"Sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood!" said Lin's father with a smile.

"Hurry up, my hands are sore!" The piglet didn't feel well and struggled desperately with all its might. Old Master Chu felt that massaging the piglet was too tiring.

"Old lady, come and help me wipe the sweat off my face!" He felt that he deserved special care.

Mrs. Chu didn't have time to look at her old man! She was completely focused on Chu Chu and Ci Ci who were crying non-stop.

“Wow, wow, poor Huahua.” Ci Ci said.

"Pigs are meant to be eaten," explained Old Mrs. Chu.

"Huahua is so cute, why should we eat it?" Chuchu asked without understanding.

Chunni...

"Where did I put the rice candy I made yesterday? I can't find it! Chuchu, do you want you to help me find it?"

Chuchu's tears were still welling up in her eyes, but when she heard her mother mention rice candy, her tears immediately returned to her eyes.

"Mom, I know, I know, I'll take you to find it!" Chu Chu didn't care about the flowers anymore, her heart and eyes were filled with sweet rice candies.

"I want one too." Cici raised his hand.

"Then you all go!" Old Mrs. Chu and Chunni coaxed the two little ones back home.

When Chunni came out again, the piglets had already been killed.

Yang Andang was pouring boiling water on the piglets.

"The hair has fallen out! So quickly." Chunni leaned in and squatted to watch.

"Stay away, be careful or the boiling water will fall on you and give you blisters." Yang Bangming followed Chunni when he heard that her family was slaughtering a pig.

He won't kill, but he can help.

"How are you going to eat this pig!?" he asked.

"Roasted suckling pig." Chunni replied.

Yang Bangming had eaten roast suckling pig when he was in Guangzhou. Thinking of the tender taste, he couldn't help swallowing.

Roasted suckling pig is one of the main dishes in the Manchu-Han Banquet. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Jia Sixie had recorded roasted suckling pig as an important culinary achievement in "Qimin Yaoshu". He wrote: "It is amber in color and like real gold. It melts in your mouth. It is as strong as snow. It is moist and unique."

This dish was introduced from the Central Plains to the current Guangzhou area. The chefs there adjusted the roast suckling pig according to the local taste and created the now famous roast suckling pig. In order to make the suckling pig sweet and fragrant, they created the "three tricks" of pickling. The first is to apply spices to the cavity, that is, to apply high-quality spices to the inner cavity of the suckling pig; the second is to drizzle the body with sugar water, that is, to boil sugar water with rock sugar and drizzle it all over the suckling pig; the third is to brush the skin with thick sauce, that is, to make sauce with Cantonese sauces such as Zhuhou sauce and Nanru, and evenly apply it on the pig skin. The roasting process is also very particular. They use the "three-step roasting", first roasting the whole pig on low heat for 15 minutes, then roasting the head and arms for 10 minutes, and then roasting the pig body for 30 minutes after applying peanut oil to the pig skin. In addition to the roasting skills, the knife skills when serving the Cantonese roast suckling pig are also a unique skill. The chef cuts the whole pig horizontally on the spine below the ear and on the spine of the tail to divide it into two pieces, and then cuts each piece vertically in the middle to make four strips. He removes the skin with a knife and cuts each strip into 8 pieces, totaling 32 pieces, and serves them on a plate.

How can I describe the taste of this roast suckling pig? It melts in your mouth and leaves a lingering fragrance. Paired with the jar of fruit wine from the Lin family, the taste can only be described in one word: amazing.

When the roast suckling pig is served on the table, the first person to eat it is always Old Master Chu.

"Hot, hot, hot." Old Master Chu kept shouting that it was hot and didn't wait for a moment. He couldn't wait to put the pork into his mouth and hummed with satisfaction. "Let me taste it for you first. Hey, this meat is so smooth that it slipped into my throat in an instant. I haven't tasted it yet!" He smiled at the two tables of people watching him, "Hey, let me taste it again, just one bite."

After saying that, Old Master Chu picked up another piece of suckling pork and put it into his mouth. This time he tasted it carefully. "Mm, tender and juicy, melts in your mouth. Delicious."

Mrs. Chu was too lazy to care about her old man who was making trouble, so she called everyone. "Alright, hurry up and eat! It will get cold if you don't eat it now!"

Everyone started eating with laughter.

"Don't eat Huahua." Chuchu finally remembered her little piglet.

He Yanqing didn't know what was going on yet. He picked up a piece of pork and put it in Chuchu's bowl, and reminded her: "Be careful not to choke when eating."

Chuchu picked up the meat from the bowl and put it into her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Delicious, this meat is really delicious.

But she still didn't forget her little flower, so she asked her mother: "Where is my flower?"

"You ate it!" Chunni pointed at her little mouth with evil intentions.

Chu Chu quickly covered her mouth and started crying. "Woo, Huahua is so delicious. I'm sorry Huahua. Woo, woo, woo, woo."

Chunni...

He Yanqing picked up another piece and put it in front of Chuchu's eyes. A light flashed in the latter's eyes, and then her eyelids drooped.

Huahua is so delicious, should she eat it or not?

What should I do? I’m so confused!