Round the corner, out of sight = heavenly ribs

It's basically compulsory when traveling with me to seek out the local dish made by the local people in a tiny shop hidden out the back of a residential tower block.  Love it.  Luckily when we were in Tianjin, China recently, Banker Man was able to take us to just such a place.  He's a Kiwi who has lived in Tianjin, so knew the place well.  I promise this wasn't my idea, but it all turned out spiffingly anyway!  Twenty odd of us piled into this tiny establishment and ate whatever was placed in front of us.

The restaurant is called the Li Family Restaurant.  Here's the map so you can go there too:

 They Li family are famous amongst those who know for their pork ribs.  They are astonishing.  Ribs is probably the wrong word for Westerners as that would make us think of those spare ribs you have to gnaw at to get the meat off.  These are more like chops, cut about 2 inches (in old money) thick and meaty with it. 

The meat on these ribs was so soft that you could pull it off them with an elegant "grab and twist" chopstick movement.  The Li Family won't tell you how they make them – why would they?  But I'm guessing they're marinaded for a good day or so in a very sweet (brown sugar and molasses or treacle is my guess), lightly spiced (but not chilli or pepper, more like aniseed and coriander seeds, though it's really hard to tell!) mix. Then I'm surmising that they're cooking (with smoke?) over indirect heat in a moist environment in a barbeque equivalent for 6-12hours at a really low temperature (maybe around 100C?).  Basting every few hours.

Here's the kitchen!

No sign of the ribs here, unfortunately. 

I'm probably completely wrong about this method of this, of course.  But I'm still going to have a go at recreating it.  I've never seen anything like these ribs in NZ, but I would think that the southern Americans famous for their barbeque (Memphis, St Louis etc) might have.  I guess that the sweetness of the Li family's recipe would appeal to those Southerners – from what I've seen of their recipes with all the molasses and sugar and treacle and apple juice.  They go for moist, long, low cooking, often adjusting the temperature throughout the cooking to achieve their desired outcomes. 

Another pic, from a different angle (and a strangely romantic filter effect!):

Southern barbeque is where I'm going to start hunting for ways to replicate the dish.  I'll wait until after Pav's back, just in case I make so much I can't hide the disasters by myself!  My traveling colleague reckons they were so good he can still conjure up the taste, so he'll have to be a taste tester as well.  I'll let you know how I get on.  If it's any good. 

Photo credit: 2 photos courtesy Brett Tompkins

Banqueting in Beijing

I bet you've always wanted to know what the Mayor of Beijing serves for dinner. Well, now I am in a position to tell you! Pictures and all.

Recently, while in Beijing with the Mayor of Wellington on a Wellington business delegation, I was honoured to be invited (well, we all were, to be honest) to a banquet with the Mayor of Beijing. You might have heard of Chinese banquets, or you might not have.  Either way, they're something you should try and get in on at some point.  If only for the photo opportunities. I learned a few things:

• you can't possibly eat it all, it's just so plentiful. For those of you who eat with me, you'll know that's a hard lesson for me to learn.
• the Wellington Mayor's vegetarian bent saved us from several other possible scenarios (goose foot anyone?)
• they serve the wine in small portions so you can't get too rowdy in the short time that the event takes (they've met Kiwi business delegations before)
• when the host stands up to leave, it's all over, fetch your coat, outta there, even if you haven't finished
• “gan bei” is how you challenge someone to the bottom of the glass (apparently it translates as 'bottom's up') – and it's very polite to comply, and quite rude to refuse. Usually this is done with China's very own brand of firewater, but wine will work too.
• they sure know how to dress a table
• they actually serve Peking duck in Peking (well, Beijing actually)
• when toasting someone, which is polite to do, you should tap your glass rim below theirs to show them respect (acknowledging their higher status). This can sometimes result in 'races to the bottom' as each person tries to show more respect to the other.   Or, obviously, the opposite, as each tries to stamp their importance (more common among mates, no doubt).  Also after you have toasted, you tip your (likely empty) glass towards the other person as a full stop. 

The lovely 'top' table after the meal

Here are the photos of the courses in order. And the menu. Captions are as per the menu (with some explanations where I feel the need).

Assorted Cold Combination

Mixed Mushrooms Soup

Sauteed Prawns in Two Kinds of Style

Sauteed Asparagus

Braised Tofu in Brown Sauce

Beijing Roast Duck (after some assembly by me)

Noodles (not mentioned on menu)

Baked Cod with Cheese (a little like a fish pie, not sure if this is traditional Chinese, or a nod to our tastes)

Iced Pea Mash (you and I would probably call this soup, this was the most unfamiliar dish on this menu)

Dim Sum and Snack #1 (red bean paste and rice, sweet)

Dim Sum and Snack #2

Seasonal fruit platter (love a bit of dragon fruit, check out that colour!)

Note that each arrived within about 5 minutes of the previous one and sometimes I wasn't ready.  Too bad, the next dish just sat and waited for when I was ready.  It was magnificent.  I true sign of generous Chinese hospitality.

My grandfather was on the very first NZ trade delegation to China in 1973 or 74. He's not around any more for me to ask about the food, but I wonder if it was like this. No reason to assume it wasn't. But imagine how strange it looked to a bunch of Kiwis from 1970s NZ when there were barely restaurants, let alone 'ethnic' ones. I heard told recently that one of the others on that trip was carrying a fruit cake lovingly prepared by his wife in case he had nothing to eat in China.  Even then, no chance, I reckon.

I have more stories of Chinese food in China which I will post over the coming days/weeks. In the meantime, if the Mayor of a major Chinese city invites you to a banquet, accept!