Springtime flavors tempt taste buds

Flavors on move

The development of cold storage and cold-chain transportation services has not only benefited customers, it has also helped chefs bring authentic hometown flavors to other cities.

Diners in Beijing can enjoy traditional spring dishes from Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The most popular spring choice in the two provinces is seasonal bamboo shoots.

Zhu Haifeng, chef at Shanghai Cuisine in Beijing, which has held a couple of Michelin stars for two consecutive years, said that spring is the best time to dig fresh bamboo shoots.

At Tasty House, another Michelin-starred restaurant run by Zhu, a spring menu features new dishes created from traditional Shanghai flavors.

Zhu makes a cold dish by mixing shallot oil with rapidly boiled spring bamboo shoots, enabling diners to experience the latter's original flavor.

Yanduxian soup is a traditional use for bamboo shoots, which are combined with fresh, pickled streaky pork.

Zhu said the term yanduxian refers to the use of pickled meat to make soup. Some chefs use pickled fish, while in Shanghai, pickled pork is preferred. "Yanduxian gradually became the name for the dish," he added.

This spring, Zhu has come up with his own way to present yanduxian－fusing it with another signature dish from Jiangsu and Zhejiang－lion's head meatballs.

He boils the soup before mincing the ingredients for yanduxian to make the meatballs. He then immerses them in the soup and simmers it for two hours. The crunchy bamboo mixed with the juicy minced, pickled pork enhances the complex taste of the meatballs.

The key lies in making the meatballs. If the ingredients are boiled for too long, the pickled pork will make the soup too salty, the meat will lose its texture, and the soup will lack flavor, Zhu said.

"In spring, I make the soup light and clear, while in winter, I often thicken it by using more fat. A good chef knows how to cook the same ingredients in different seasons," he added.