STINKY Chinese Food Tour in Shaoxing Water Town: Rotten Veg, Funky Tofu Rolls & Fermented Duck

STINKY Chinese Food Tour in Shaoxing Water Town: Rotten Veg, Funky Tofu Rolls & Fermented Duck

Hello everyone, I’m Alin 🤗 This food tour comes to Shaoxing – Water Town in South China Anchang Ancient Town is one of the best-preserved water towns in Shaoxing. Traditional shops sell a variety of local specialties and snacks. Along the river are old streets in the style of Ming and Qing Dynasties Shaoxing is the hometown of Chinese sauce gardens, where soy sauce brewing has a long history. Renchang Sauce Garden has a history of 100 years and still uses the ancient brewing method The raw soybeans are put into large vats and fermented in the sun for more than half a year to finally brew the fragrant soy sauce. During this period, workers must turn it over regularly, which cannot be replaced by machines. The long- standing soy sauce brewing technique has created a famous local delicacy – soy sauce duck. Soy sauce is the key to making soy sauce duck The duck is marinated with other seasonings and then dried in the sun. The old streets along the river are full of soy sauce ducks, which has become a unique landscape of the ancient town. The traditional soy sauce duck is bright red in color. After drying, the meat becomes very firm. In addition to soy sauce duck, soy sauce quail is also very common Cooking soy sauce quail requires patience and steaming time of about 50 minutes The long steaming softens the air-dried meat, making it distinct and salty. The flavor is rich in soy sauce. The “sauce” method can also be used to make fish and pig’s trotters. Many stalls in the ancient town sell the same ingredient – pickled mustard greens They are made from fresh dried mustard greens. They are a must-have in Zhejiang families. There are many ways to cook pickled mustard greens . They can be used for cooking, as meat fillings, and fried rice. The most famous dish is “steamed meat with pickled mustard greens”. Pork belly and pickled mustard greens are stacked layer by layer and steamed until the meat is soft and the vegetables are fragrant. The unique aroma of pickled mustard greens is perfectly integrated into the meat. It is fat but not greasy and very delicious . As a tourist, I only know that pickled mustard greens taste good but I can’t tell its quality 😋 Dried bamboo shoots and dried radishes are also delicious. The dried mustard greens in the pot are pickled mustard greens. The meat and vegetable dumplings with pickled mustard greens as filling are a local specialty of Shaoxing. The glutinous rice has absorbed the flavor of the sauce and the fat of the pork belly. The most unique thing is that there is also the special aroma of the pickled mustard greens The taste is unique , different from the meat dumplings in other places. There is an interesting traditional wood workshop hidden in the ancient town . These are molds used to make traditional cakes and pastries . The carved patterns symbolize longevity, blessings, etc. This is a traditional snack, plum blossom cake, named because the mold is shaped like a plum blossom. The filling is red beans, and the sweet taste evokes childhood memories. These are various pickles, small pickles, sauces, etc. These pickles and sauces will As a daily dietary condiment, the bamboo shoot buns sold in this shop have been on TV shows, so they are very popular. Stir-fried bamboo shoots and diced pork are mixed into the filling, which tastes fresh and fragrant. The method of bamboo shoot buns is very unique. First steam the white steamed buns, then make holes and fill them with fried bamboo shoots Just heat them slightly, no need to steam them. In addition to steamed buns, small wontons are also worth trying There is another special snack in the ancient town, which is fermented glutinous rice steamed buns. The authentic fermented glutinous rice steamed buns are hidden in a courtyard in the ancient town. These are all steamers used to steam steamed buns. Shaoxing fermented glutinous rice steamed buns are fermented with rice wine. The taste is soft and slightly sweet, with The air in the yard is full of the aroma of fermented rice. This is a five-spice marinated hairy egg, a heavy-tasting snack. I tried it in Hangzhou before and it was a bit scary 😂 Hairy eggs are unhatched eggs and are considered to have higher nutrition. This time I decided to challenge goose eggs Some people like hairy eggs very much, while others dare not try. Shaoxing’s humid climate makes it difficult to preserve meat for a long time, so people think of pickling and air-drying. In addition to pickled duck, there are also sausages and bacon This treatment method makes meat durable and forms a unique local tradition. The classic way to eat traditional bacon is to steam it. The steaming time is 40-50 minutes. During the process, the fat seeps out and the salty flavor is amplified, and the meat becomes soft and tough. Bacon also includes cured pork belly, cured sausage, cured pig head, etc. These hams are cut into thin slices and can be eaten directly. The taste is fresh and fragrant (Shaoxing City) Fushan Street in the early morning is the most lively place in this water town People come to the morning market to purchase the freshest ingredients. The morning market is full of seasonal ingredients. The most popular among them is bamboo shoots. Not only are they loved by people, but they are also the favorite of giant pandas. Bamboo shoots are fresh and tender. Delicious, very delicious whether stir-fried or served cold. Five-spice dried tofu can be stir-fried with vegetables I like tofu products very much, so I bought a few pieces to try. The tofu has a strong flavor and a salty aroma. This is stinky tofu, and the stinky smell hits you. Stinky tofu is one of the famous “Three Stinks of Shaoxing”. The other “stinky” is stinky amaranth . The stems of amaranth are fermented to make a smell with a hint of the freshness of amaranth. The stems are generally not eaten, and only their flavor is taken. Steamed with tofu, the tofu tastes extremely tender and smooth. The stinky smell of amaranth dissipates, leaving a unique salty and fresh taste . Do you want to take a can of stinky amaranth to try? 😊Next is the last of the “Three Stinks of Shaoxing”. This is Mo Qian Zhang (bean skin roll), which is made by fermenting the water drained from making tofu. It has the strongest smell among the “Three Stinks” 😂 To eat Mo Qian Zhang, you have to find a local old restaurant The “Three Stinks” are home-cooked dishes here, which shows how much Shaoxing people love them. The general cooking method of Mo Qian Zhang is to steam the Qian Zhang tofu until it becomes very soft and breaks when touched by chopsticks. The unique “stink” blends with the pork filling and the taste is unforgettable. It is recommended to taste it 😋 (Back to the morning market) Braised pork ribs with soybeans Locals love to eat river food, especially small river shrimps Small river shrimps are small in size but delicious, so they are not cheap The most classic cooking method is “soy sauce small river shrimps” The seasoning is simple, highlighting the sweetness of the shrimp meat Shaoxing locals like to use rice wine with shrimps and crabs Yellow wine is brewed from glutinous rice and wheat, with a golden color and a strong aroma Shaoxing rice wine is one of the oldest and most famous wines in China These white balls are fish balls, with a soft and tender taste This episode is coming to an end, and the new food journey will continue Thank you for watching, see you next time 😊

⭐⭐⭐ English subtitles are always available, just click the “CC” on the screen

Hello, I’m Alin 🤗
This culinary journey takes us to Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, a water town in the south of China.
With its long rivers, ancient bridges, and houses built along the rivers, Shaoxing is full of poetry and flavor.
Shaoxing is not only the hometown of Lu Xun, a famous Chinese writer, but is also famous for its yellow wine, sauces, and traditional cuisine!

In the ancient water town of Anchang, there is a century-old soy sauce garden that wafts out the flavor of traditional sauces, where soy sauce and sauces are the soul of Shaoxing cuisine
The resulting sauced ducks and quails are firm and richly sauced!
Roasted pork with dried plums and plum cakes are classic delicacies of Jiangnan.
The TV-recorded bamboo shoot buns are filled with tender fillings and carry the fresh aroma of the mountains and fields.
Don’t miss the fluffy steamed buns stuffed with wine in the old town, which are lightly scented with wine.

Go to the local morning market in Shaoxing, feel the most traditional flavor of Shaoxing!
Shaoxing’s three stinky flavors, do you dare to try them? They are stinky tofu, stinky amaranth stalks, and moldy thousand sheets, and their unique flavors are unforgettable!
A cup of mellow Shaoxing yellow wine with a long aftertaste…

00:00 Intro
02:45 Traditional Shaoxing Soy Sauce Factory
04:51 Soy Sauce-Cured Dried Duck
08:58 Dried Mustard Greens
13:05 Plum Blossom Cake
15:01 Bamboo Shoot Stuffed Bun
16:46 Fermented Steamed Bun
18:04 Maodan (Goose Egg)
21:35 Shaoxing Water Town
23:04 Local Morning Market
25:06 Shaoxing’s ‘Three Stinkies
29:27 Local Yellow Wine

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