Classic Book Recommendations: Su Dongpo’s Biography
Article provided by Rain.
The entire macro environment is in a downward channel. Every individual is unconsciously filled with anxiety. Will things get worse in the next step?
Although extremely rare, there are always people who, no matter how harsh the environment is, always maintain an optimistic attitude. They have a good appetite and go about their business as usual.
Being demoted from Bianjing (now Kaifeng, Henan Province), the center of the empire, to the relatively remote Huangzhou (now Huanggang, Hubei Province), ordinary people would have long sighed and been deeply worried. But Su Dongpo, who is naturally optimistic, discovered a seriously underestimated delicacy in the local area: pork.
The rich are unwilling to eat it, and the poor don’t know how to cook it.
The rich and powerful think that mutton is a high-end ingredient and only this is a delicacy worthy of serving when entertaining guests. Pork is vulgar and lowly, so they won’t eat it.
For the poor, whether it’s pork or mutton, as long as there is meat to eat. But they don’t know how to cook. If they just boil it casually, it would be strange if it tastes good.
Only a big foodie like Su Dongpo, who has vision and talent, can rescue the pork in Huangzhou.
The low price of pork means it is easy to obtain. Ordinary people don’t know how to cook it. Is this a problem for foodie Su Dongpo?
After going through the baptism of smoke and fire, soup and seasonings in the kitchen:
- Wash the streaky pork and put it into cold water. Pour in cooking wine. After the water boils, skim off the foam and continue to boil for about 5 minutes.
- Cut the blanched streaky pork into 5*5 centimeter pieces and bind them crosswise with cotton thread.
- Put the meat pieces in a non-stick pan without oil. Slowly fry out the oil in the meat with low heat until all sides are slightly yellow.
- Line the bottom of the pan with scallions and ginger. This time, use a cast iron pan. You can also use a casserole to make this dish.
- Put the fried streaky pork pieces in the pan as compactly as possible with the pork skin facing up.
- Add an appropriate amount of rock sugar to 80 milliliters of clear water and slowly simmer to get an amber-colored syrup (remember not to overcook it, otherwise it will be bitter).
- Pour the cooked syrup into the pan, then pour in about 100 milliliters of huangjiu (Chinese yellow wine), 4 tablespoons of light soy sauce, and 2.5 tablespoons of dark soy sauce. Add enough clear water to cover the meat pieces (warm water is best). Cover the pan and bring it to a boil over high heat, then turn to medium-low heat and simmer for about an hour.
- Turn the meat pieces over, with the pork skin facing down, and simmer on medium-low heat for another hour. Then turn up the heat until the soup in the pan thickens. Add an appropriate amount of salt according to personal taste. I didn’t add salt as it tasted just right.
- Put the stewed meat pieces and the soup in the pan into a clean bowl and steam it for about 30 minutes through water.
The vulgar and lowly pork immediately turns into an extremely mouthwatering sight:
Take a bite. There is no greasy feeling of pork at all. Instead, it is like a fragrant piece of soft jade melting in the mouth. The taste buds can’t help but dance with joy and can’t wait for the next piece!
While enjoying the delicious food, the great poet Su even wrote a poem about the way to cook pork.
“Ode to Pork”
Wash the pan clean and add a little water.
The firewood smokes but the flame doesn’t rise high.
Let it cook on its own. Don’t rush it.
When the heat is just right, it will be delicious on its own.
This pork delicacy made according to Su Dongpo’s method is naturally named “Dongpo Pork”. There are also many delicacies named after Mr. Dongpo’s talent and open-mindedness, such as Dongpo Fish, Dongpo Tofu, Dongpo Pig Knuckle, Dongpo Thick Soup and so on.
And these delicacies all happened on his journey of being demoted. Although the places are remote, they did not affect his certainty of living in the present.
Related: Su Dongpo’s Biography – Lin Yutang (it is mobi format, after downloading, kindly use Kindle to open.)
整个大环境都处于下行的通道，每个个体都不自觉都充满了焦虑，下一步会不会更坏？
尽管是那么的极其稀少，但是总有人不管深处环境多么恶劣，却始终保持乐观的心态，吃嘛嘛香，该干嘛干嘛。
从帝国中心的汴京（今河南开封）被贬谪到相对偏僻的黄州（今湖北黄冈），换一般人早就唉声叹气，忧心忡忡了。但是天性乐观的苏大人却发现了当地一道被严重低估的美食：猪肉
富者不肯吃，贫者不解煮。
有钱人和权贵认为羊肉才是高档食材，这才是接人待物能上台面的美食。猪肉，又鄙又俗，才不吃呢。
而对于穷人来说，管它猪肉羊肉，有肉吃就行，但是不会烹饪，随便煮一煮，味道能好吃才怪了。
也必须要靠苏东坡这种有眼光有才华的大吃货才能来搭救黄州的猪肉
猪肉价格便宜就意味着易于获得，普通人不懂怎么烹饪，到了吃货苏大人这里还叫事吗？
经过一番厨房烟与火，汤与料的洗礼，
- 五花肉洗净，凉水下锅，倒入料酒，水开后撇去浮沫，继续煮 5 分钟左右。
- 焯过水的五花肉切成 5*5 公分大小的肉块，用棉线十字捆绑。
- 不粘锅不用放油，将肉块码放在锅中，用小火慢慢的将肉中的油煎出来，各个切面煎到微黄即可。
- 锅底铺上小葱，生姜。这次用铸铁锅，也可以用砂锅做这道菜。
- 把煎好的五花肉放码放在锅内，尽量码放紧凑一点，肉皮朝上。
- 用 80 毫升的清水加入适量的冰糖小火慢慢的熬出琥珀色的糖汁（切记不要熬过火了，否则会发苦）
- 将熬好的糖汁倒进锅中，再倒入 100 毫升左右的花雕酒，4 勺生抽，2.5 勺老抽，清水没过肉块（最好是温水）盖上盖子大火煮开，转中小火慢炖一个小时左右。
- 将肉块翻一个面，肉皮朝下再中小火慢炖一个小时后，再开大火，直至锅中汤汁浓稠。根据个人口味放适量的盐，感觉咸淡正好没有加盐。
- 把炖好的肉块和锅中的汤汁一并放进干净的碗中，隔水再蒸 30 分钟左右。
鄙且俗的猪肉立马变成了令人垂涎欲滴的样子：
咬上一口，丝毫没有猪肉的肥腻感，反而是一块香气扑鼻的软玉在口中融化开来的感觉，味蕾都忍不住欢欣起舞，迫不及待要来下一块！
苏大诗人享用美食之余，甚至还写了一首关于猪肉做法的诗
《猪肉颂》
净洗铛，少著水，
柴头罨烟焰不起。
待他自熟莫催他，
火候足时他自美
以苏东坡的做法做出来的这道猪肉美食，自然被冠名以“东坡肉”，同样以东坡先生的才情和豁达命名的美食还有很多，比如东坡鱼，东坡豆腐，东坡肘子，东坡羹等等
而这些美食都是发生在他一路被贬谪的路上，纵然偏远却没有影响他活在当下的那份笃定。
Related: Classic Book Recommendations: The Old Man and the Sea