The technique known as kào, or braising, is a cooking thod where ingredients are first pan-fried, then simred with a small amount of broth. In Shandong cuisine, dishes such as dry-braised big shrimp and garlic-braised small yellow croaker utilize this technique.
Now, since they were preparing a scallion-braised dish, green onions were naturally indispensable.
In China, when it ca to eating green onions, everyone imdiately thought of the land of Qi and Lu. Not only were the large scallions grown there considered the best in the country, but the locals also had a voracious appetite for them; children there might even gnaw on large scallions as if they were sugarcane.
However, hundreds of kiloters away from Shandong, at the terminus of the Yangtze River, the people of Shanghai also consud green onions with gusto. Yangchun noodles, Scallion Oil Noodles, scallion oil mixed rice, scallion oil pancakes—a host of Shanghai delicacies were inseparable from the touch of green onions. Unlike Shandong, however, Shanghainese had a particular fondness for the smaller varieties of green onions.
These smaller green onions had a milder spice and a more potent fragrance; adding a touch to any dish was never a mistake.
Lin Xu selected nearly half a basket of peeled and washed small green onions from the vegetable washing area. Weighing about three to four pounds, this was typically a half-day supply for Lin Ji’s Food.
But for the dish of Grilled Pork Chops, this half-basket of green onions was only enough for a few pieces of pork. If there were a couple more pork chops, this amount might not even suffice.
This alone showed that the Shanghainese affection for green onions was no less than that of the robust n from the Qi and Lu region.
"Damn!" Wei Qian exclaid when he saw Lin Xu carry away so many green onions. He quickly instructed a kitchen helper to peel and wash more. "Is this dish about eating pork chops or green onions?"
Lin Xu explained, "The pork chops are braised with the fragrance of green onions. The more green onions, the tastier the pork chops will be."
Wei Qian listened, astonished, feeling that his hotown folks now had a serious competitor when it cos to eating green onions. However, Shanghainese tended to look down on large scallions, preferring the smaller green onions. Conversely, the n of Qi and Lu often found small green onions too delicate, taking more pleasure in gnawing on large scallions, so even taller than a man.
Lin Xu cut the small green onions in half, separating the white stalks from the green leaves and placing them in different containers.
Next, he set up the wok and began to cook.
He poured oil into the wok, a more generous amount than usual for stir-frying. Once the oil was hot, he added the marinated pork chops to pan-fry them. This step was crucial for locking in the moisture, keeping the pork chops tender and juicy. The oil temperature needed to be high during frying to quickly sear the surface of the pork chops. Once both sides were nicely seared, he used tongs to remove them from the wok and proceeded to fry the next piece.
After all the pork chops were fried, he spread the cut white stalks of the green onions evenly on the bottom of the wok and began to fry them.
The sight of half a wok of green onion whites frying in hot oil reminded him of making Scallion Oil and Seasoning Oil. Only when preparing those two types of infused oils would one use such large bundles of green onions.
The tender green onion whites quickly wilted and softened from the frying. He then added the green onion leaves, frying them briefly. Following that, he drizzled half a ladle of Dark Soy Sauce, half a ladle of Light Soy Sauce, half a ladle of Rice Wine, and a small handful of Crystal Sugar into the wok, along with a small bowl of water.
After bringing the mixture to a brief boil, he laid the fried pork chops on top of the green onion leaves, covered the wok with a lid, and let them braise over dium-low heat. dium-low heat, aning the fla was adjusted to slightly lower than dium, allowed the aroma of the green onions to thoroughly infuse the pork chops while maintaining their tenderness. If high heat were used, the pork chops would likely beco tough and chewy by the ti they were cooked.
This seasoning looks pretty simple, Zhu Yong thought. We’ll see how it tastes when it’s done. If it’s good, I’ll make it for Lu Lu too, so she can experience a bit of Shanghai sophistication.
Whenever Lin Xu prepared a new dish, Zhu Yong was always extrely attentive. He always wanted to learn how to make it for Lu Lu, and every ti he showed this eagerness, Wei Qian couldn’t resist teasing him.
But today, Wei Qian was uncharacteristically silent. Having been thoroughly outpaced by Song Tiantian during their bicycle rides for several consecutive days, he felt rather deflated and worried that any attempt to mock Zhu Yong might backfire.
Lin Xu remarked, "The hallmark of Benbang cuisine is its rich, oily, and dark reddish-brown sauces. If a dish can use Soy Sauce, salt isn’t added. If there’s too much Soy Sauce, sugar is used to balance the flavor. That’s pretty much the standard pattern."
Grilled Pork Chops were considered a common homade dish in Shanghai, with seasoning that varied from family to family. Those who preferred sweeter flavors would add more sugar, while those who didn’t would use less.
Since their guest today, Mr. Yan, was a native Shanghainese with traditional tastes, Lin Xu had intentionally added more Crystal Sugar. According to his own preference, even half this amount of sugar would be too much.
Soon, a rich fragrance began to waft from the wok, a blend of green onion and Soy Sauce aromas. Through the transparent lid, one could see that the green onion leaves and white stalks had completely softened, and the pork chops were bubbling rrily in the reddish-brown Soy Sauce broth.
After six minutes, as the sauce in the wok began to reduce, Lin Xu lifted the lid.
An incredibly enticing fragrance imdiately burst forth, a complex dley of pork, Soy Sauce, small green onions, and the caralized notes of Crystal Sugar that had lted and been kissed by the hot oil. The combined aromas were so intoxicating that a single sniff could make one swoon.
So incredibly fragrant! Lin Xu thought. No wonder this is a dish Shanghainese people cherish so much.
By now, the green onions in the wok had cooked down into a soft mass, almost seeming to lt, while the pork chops had absorbed the Dark Soy Sauce, taking on a luscious, ruddy color. Paired with the glossy, thick sauce at the bottom of the wok, the sight irresistibly brought to mind the phrase "rich oil, dark reddish-brown sauce."
Before encountering this dish, Lin Xu hadn’t fully grasped the concept of "rich oil, dark reddish-brown sauce." But now, inhaling the wonderful aroma from the wok and seeing the appealing colors within, he finally had a clear and vivid understanding of it.
Using chopsticks, he carefully lifted the pork chops from the wok and arranged them on a plate. As he did so, it was important to also scoop out the clumps of thoroughly cooked green onions along with them.
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