Dishes to dream about

Braised eggplants [Photo by Fan Zhen]

Steamed assorted mushroom bun [Photo by Fan Zhen]

Sauteed luhao vegetable [Photo by Fan Zhen]

There were more than 40 dishes described in great detail in A Dream of Red Mansions. Most are classics in Huaiyang cuisine, but some are delicacies that only rich and decadent families could afford. In the world of the author Cao Xueqin, himself a Bannerman aristocrat of high social standing in his better days, these were everyday dishes for the pampered lords and ladies in his novel. Look at these examples:

SCENTED AUBERGINE STRIPS (Qie Xiang)

"Lord Buddha! That's 10 chickens gone into the making of this. No wonder it tastes so good!" Poor Granny Liu was astounded by how good the eggplants tasted when she was offered some at the Jia Family mansion.

To make it, her hostess Wang Xifeng explained, you needed to harvest the aubergines at their peak in the fifth lunar month. The vegetables are skinned and cut into strips that are steamed over a pot of chicken stock. They are dried and the whole process repeated nine times until the essence of chicken has thoroughly soaked through the vegetable. Store them in tightly sealed jars and stir-fry them with slivers of meat from chicken drumsticks.

For Wang Xifeng and the Jia Family, this was a simple recipe that was everyday fare, nothing special, but for Granny Liu, it was an epicurean eye-opener.

SHRIMP BALLS WITH CHICKEN-SKIN SLIVERS

We all know that shrimps are naturally sweet, and the best flavor in the chicken is in the skin. When you combine both elements in one dish, you may get unexpected chemistry.

This was another dish brought to Jia Baoyu, the pampered young lord of the manor. He took one look at it and turned up his nose, saying it was too greasy for his liking.