Food Writing JOU 4390

Kinds of seafood, cheap or a little expensive, you can choose by yourself or the waitress can advice you what the best food they have that day. Of course, you can decide how to cook the food and the cook will allow your method. Ju Xian restaurant is very famous in Tuo pu, the town near Shan Tou university.  

Like most restaurant in Shan Tou, it puts all the seafood and vegetables at the gate, you can see which kind of food is most fresh. Before they confirm the recipe, they will ask you how many people you have, and they will measure how many materials they will cook. So don’t be afraid of wasting food and money. 

Shark skin stew mature vinegar is a very delicious food in this restaurant, shark skin is very soft, with the full-bodied mature vinegar, the soup is very thick but without any fishy odour. And this dish is very good for women’s skin.  

You can also order some common dishes, like sleeve-fish fry vegetables, shellfish chaoshan sour vegetable soup, it is delicious but cheap, about 13 Yuan for each dishes, 2 people.  

The atmosphere is not bad, if you like, you go early, you can have a room for dinner, but the room is for free. After the dinner, they will serve you tea and fruit, also for free.  

If you love delicious food but want to save money, Ju Xian restaurant is a good choice.

Chestnut，water chestnut and chop soupThis recipe is from my boyfriend.  Before I became his girlfriend, one time I had a headache and he made this soup for me. I was very surprised that a guy could make a soup so delicious.  I appreciated him very much. He always says this soup helped him win me for his girlfriend. 

400g pork bone10g Chinese dried medlar fruit  10g Glehnia Root–a traditional medicinal herb10g Solomon’s seal 2.5 L plus 500 ml Water 200g Chestnuts Do these go in pot???150g Water chestnuts do these go in pot??1.5t   salt 1，  cut pork bone into sections 3cm long. 2，  Put the Chinese medlar, Glehnia Root and solomon’s seal into a pot. Add 2.5L water. 3，  Add 500ml water into a pan, heat until boiling, and add chop. Cook for about 6 seconds, remove and and put into pot with medlar, glehnia root and Solomon’s seal. 4，  Bring water to boil. Turn to low. Simmer for 40 minutes.5，  Add salt. Serve.

Battercake with Sesame

By Winston Chan 

     Wneg Hua Fei, who is a good friend of my teacher Guo Ze Sheng, came to our school for giving a lecture about documentary producing. It was my lucky to have a meal with him. And we chose Rong Shu Xia for supper, a restaurant of East Gate in Shantou  University.      

     When we sat down beside the first window, a fitful of aroma of sesame could be smelled promptly.  

     Then we order the dishes quickly. When the waiter came, we all asked at the same time,” What is it through this smell?”  

      The waiter said, “That called battercake. And it is made by the chef who is our shopkeeper instantly. Please have arty.”  

     Weng just nodded his head.  

      Ten minutes later, the battercake was served. It was thin and yellow. And the aroma of sesame could make you in inebriation. Because the sesame was roast, so the smell was very sweet and aromatic. And inside of the battercake were some lotus seeds. The surface of the cake was quite thin, just like a paper. And the cake taste a little salty. All in all, we all enjoy this battercake very much.  

        In addition, this battercake didn’t like other kinds of cake. When the battercake just only been put into my mouth, it dissolved quickly, like I ate ice-cream. What’s more, other kind of cake was aromatic, as the aroma of eggs. Yet the aroma was produced from the sesame. That was the different.  

      After the supper, Weng took another two battercakes with sesame back home.

 Sautéed Beef with Pepper and Onions

 By Winston Chan 

“See, I can just eat the green pepper, but not the beef.” I complain, like a kid.  

“My dear friend, come on. Have a try.” He said,” The beef is very delicious.” 

      He is my good friend, Jin Zhu Mai, who worked in the Journal of Shantou University. Since that time, I don’t afraid to eat beef as long as before. And I understand, my life is controlling by myself, but not by the beef.  

       He has graduated from the college I study in now, for one year. It is a petty that he is leaving the Journal of Shantou University that is in the campus. So he invited me to a supper last week.  

       We sat down and ordered the dishes quickly. He said that “Sautéed Beef with Pepper and Onions” was the famous dish in Lin Chun Yuan, a restaurant in East Gate of Shantou University.  

      Even though I don’t like the beef, I gave the respect to him. So I didn’t say anything. When the dish served on the table, the dish was sputtering. And I could see, beef was brown, like the color of chocolate, and the green pepper was green, like an emerald. In addition, I could smell the aroma of beef and onion. He asked me to have a try. But how I can eat it? I remember my grandma’s idea about beef. She said that if I ate the beef, I won not been lucky. Now I knew that was a fetishistic thinking. Yet at that time, I didn’t know. So I didn’t try any.  

      Seeing I didn’t like the beef at all, Mai said, “How come you don’t like it? Beef contain abundant in iron that is propitious to making blood.”  

      So I told him the story about the fetishistic idea. He surprised, and quickly helped me to change this terrible thinking.  

      Eventually, he did a good persuasion. I changed my mind. At the same time, I knew the way to cook “Sautéed Beef with Pepper and Onions”. He always ate this dish, so he could taught me.  

       Since that moment, I felt that beef was delicious. It smelled sweet and the aroma of it would make the people in inebriation. The beef was tender and fresh, but not because the peanut oil.  

       At last, I took back my complaint.

Steamed Rice Sheet RollSteamed rice sheet roll is a popular dish in
Shantou. I went to eat it at a restaurant that hides in a small, old street near
Shantou newspaper office. It has no sign. If you don’t pay attention, you can miss it easily. Like most small restaurants in
Shantou, the owners, Mrs Zheng and Mr zheng, are also the cooks. She and her husband cook, along with her mother and a woman who cleans the tables and does other small jobs. 

The steamed rice sheet roll is the most popular food here. Every day, especially in the morning, the owners work very busily. Many customers stand around waiting for the steamed rolls.  

They cook them quickly. Pouring oil into a pan, pouring the rice mixture into the pan, them  steaming it for about 20 seconds. Then an egg, pork, oyster, bean sprouts and green onion are added. The woman cooks very fast, about a minute for one dish. 

“The rice flour mixture and the steaming time are the most important,” the cook told me. How much water adding to the rice flour determines the taste of the roll. If not water is used, the roll will taste coarse. If too much water, it won’t achieve the right shape. She adds a little special powder into the rice dough because it can make the rolls more pliable. The steaming time should be short, and the heat high.  

This restaurant has been open for 15 years and the taste of the rolls has never changed. Originally, the woman’s uncle opened it. Four years ago, her uncle taught her to cook.  

“We’ve never changed anything. The only difference is we add bean sprout, different from other restaurant, because my customers has been used to that for many years,” the cook said.

Goose intestine and soy sauceGoose intestine and soy sauce is a famous local dish in the Chaoshan area. Many restaurants serve this dish. It seems simple to cook, but to cook it well, you need to pay attention to a lot details. It’s harder than it looks. 

Ruiji Restaurant, located on

, near the north entrance to Wal-Mart Super Market, served different kinds of Chaoshan food. Goose intestine and soy sauce, pork feet and rice are its famous foods. 

Ruiji restaurant, like most restaurant in Shan Tou, put all the seafood and vegetables in the front. You can see which food is freshest. A server sits besides the table at the gate and  helps customers make the perfect order. Before you confirm the dish, he will ask you how many people you have, and they will measure how many materials they will cook. 

The kitchen is near the dining room, separated by glass, so customers can see their food being prepared. If you like, you can go right into the kitchen.The cook boiled some water in a wok. When the water boiled, he quickly put in the cleaned goose intestine for about only two seconds, and then took it out. It became a little curled up which meant the goose intestine was half-cooked. If the goose intestine had been cooked all the way, it would become all curled up. The cook then poured out the water and turned the heat to high, put oil in the wok, add garlic, chili, green onion, a little water and some soy sauce which made the oil catch fire! The cook quickly put the goose intestine into the wok, tossing all the ingrtedients as they cooked, then served the dish. 

“It is very import to measure the time for cooking. If it’s too long, it will overcook the goose intestine and then it will taste rough,” the cook said. Also, the soy sauce was another factor. The restaurant uses a special soy sauce to cook with which makes the goose intestine taste good. 

In Ruiji Restaurant, this goose intestine was 18 Yuan, enough for 3 to 4 people. It also serves different kinds of sea food.

    It is raining again and today we have a heavy rain . I planned to go out to buy some materials for my soup , but , now it is a bit difficult to go out , however , I still have to go . bad weather and bad luck .

    I must prepare for my last food beat . the rainy day was not the only problem . I could not cook , my roommates could not cook either . Luckily , my formal roommate had the ability to cook . So , I could ask him for help .And he told me their way to make soup .

    Why do I say “ their way ” ? After I came toShanTou , I found soup here was different from that in my hometown . people here like to eat soup . If they had a party , they would not forget soup . Do in Rome asRome do , even my townee had change their habits . But in my hometown , soup is made for lunch and supper . We eat it because we need water during the meal but drinking water directly is not good to health . And we can make it in a very short time . Some kinds of soup can be made in less than 5 minutes . Here , it will take them more than an hour . A very long time .

    My materials were spareribs , radish , salt , oil condiment made of chicken and water . I had to go to the terrible vegetable market again . In the rain , the market was more ugly . I did not want to stay there any more . So I finished my shopping as soon as I could . When we got everything ready , we began to make the soup .

    Not real “ we ” , just he . All I could do was to watch him , ask him some questions and wrote down what he said and did . The pot was not a very big one , we bought one year ago . When I asked him how to make , he said I just needed to put all things in the pot together and heat . Sounds very easy . But I was dare to make it , because I did not waste food .

    He put the materials expect the condiment made of chicken into the pot , the water was full of 2/3 pot , then heat the pot for a very long time . I hated waiting , after waiting for 2 hours , he began his work again . When he opened up the lid of the pot . I smelled the scent , really good . I could not wait after smelling . “ Is that finished ? ” I asked . “ No , wait for some time .” It was really a disaster . Don’t give me the food but let me smell . It was a murder . I waited until my room was full of scent . After he tasted a piece of radish , he said OK . I could not wait to eat . Ah , it was so hot that scalded my mouse . Oh , my God !

    I thought the soup would be delicious , but the fact was that it was delicious but far from my wish . It had a special taste I did not like just as the soup he made before . Maybe people here liked the taste . I feel that I would be dizzy if I ate too much . Whatever it was delicious to eat , throw away my feeling , it was a good dish .

    I determined to learn how to cook during my summer holidays . Maybe next time for the beat , I would write as a cook not a watcher .

BY MONICA 

When I walked in to Haoshanghao, a steak house, recommend by my friend, I felt cool wind blow on my legs. Three waiters with lovely smiles welcomed us. Only three tables were placed on the first floor. On the right side of them were stairs that led to the second floor.  

When we went upstairs, I saw a salad bar with fruits, vegetables and salad dressing in different glass bowls. The second floor room was much bigger with more than 20 tables. Light music filled the air. Yellow lamps on each table gave out a mild yellow light.  

We chose a table by the window. On the table, two green napkins were folded into a triangle. A waiter brought us two glass of frothy black tea and two menus. A slogan that said the customer is always right was printed on second page of the menu.  

I ordered the set course of flame steak. The waiter said there would be an actual fire on the steak using brandy. Two cup of aperitif, which was mixed by the restaurant themselves, two corn soups and two empty plastic plates were placed on the table. Aperitif was light brown and tasted soft and sweet with the flavor of fruit. The corn soup tasted smooth and a little sweet.

 Finally the flame steak was served. When he opened the lid, the waiter pour brandy onto the steak and set it on fire.. A ball of flame rose up for two seconds and then it suddenly went out. I heard the buzzing voice of the fired steak. The fragrance of brandy floated in the air. 

The flame steak was covered with black pepper sauce, and included spaghetti and a fried egg. The steak was fried medium well. The inside was still a little red. I tasted a small piece. The sauce was a little spicy. The steak was soft and kept the meat fragrant. Waiter told me that the beef was not marinated. The meat’s fragrance reminded me of wild green grassland. What interested me most was that the fragrance of brandy had blended into the sauce, which reduced its greasiness. The fragrance made me drunk. 

RESTAURANT: HAOSHANGHO BEEFSTEAK

RESTAURANTADRESS: NO. 85 JINXIN ROAD OF SHANTOU

RECOMMEND:  FLAME STEAK 57RMB 

TEL: 8618264  

by Monica

SERVES 3 TO 5

ACTIVE TIME:15 MIN  START TO FINISH: 2.5 HOURS

This traditional soup is thought to be very nutritious. It’s a good choice for new mothers, or those recovering from an illness. Mother often cooks this for me on my birthday or when I come home on holidays.  

1 stewing chicken, approximately 1000g 5L water

50g（2×2×2cm ）ginger

3sections green onion 100g mushroom50gOil1/2 T salt Tools: a 4L rice cooker or pot and a frying-pan 1.Wash the chicken and cut into 3×3×3 cm pieces. Bring 1.5L water to boil, put the chicken in. Remove chicken from the water when it comes back to a boil.Drain off water.

by monica FRIED EGGPLANTSERVES 3 TO 4ACTIVE TIME:15 MIN  START TO FINISH: 25 MIN  

This appetizing and soft eggplant is what father always invited me to eat, when I was home from  high school.    8/9 lb. (400g) Eggplant