I needed to get over my case of gastronomic boredom syndrome brought on by too much of the same dishes again and again. For the past few weeks, it had been too much mala and suanla, and I wanted something simple with a more delicate and subtle flavor. I then remembered hearing about Shaguo Ju, a restaurant established in 1741, which served a simple Manchu favorite—bairou, or white meat (pork). “What could possibly be exciting about boiled pork,” my family sneered at the suggestion. I have to admit, I myself was initially not very impressed with the name of the dish. But after I went to try it, I vowed to never let an unpretentious name deceive me. Shaguo Ju came about as a result of the many ceremonies that were held by imperial officials and wealthy Manchus in the Qing dynasty that included sacrificial offerings of whole pigs. The meat offerings were later given away to the night watch guards, who shared the “gifts” with friends and relatives. Such gatherings gradually turned into a small business, and serving white meat and became very popular. The first two pages of the menu at Shaguo Ju lists all the dishes cooked in the shaguo, or “sand pot,”the Chinese word for a casserole pot. This type of clay pot is known for its ability to retain the original flavor of the ingredients. The rest of the menu was a long list of dishes that you can find at any of the many Sichuan restaurants around town. This multi-culinary trend is a disappointing phenomenon that is taking place in many restaurants—as if it was a disservice to focus on one particular cuisine and do it well. By all means, skip the rest but focus on their ‘white meat’. I am confidant the gongbao jiding served at the Sichuan provincial restaurant will be authentic, don’t let it deter your mission. We, consumers should be content with the type of cuisine the restaurant good at. Our mission was: to sample shaguo bairou, the restaurant’s speciality, which made a hit as early as 300 years ago. A waitress in a bright red qipao (her thick winter underwear peeking from under her dress) carried out a hot casserole, put it on our table and then removed the lid. Inside, steam rose from the neat rows of lean/fatty strips of boiled pork, which concealed the other veggies and cellophane noodles below. The pot was accompanied by pinkish dipping sauce made of fermented beancurd, rice wine, chilli oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Zhima shaobing, roasted buns covered with sesame seeds, was the obvious choice as the main staple. My husband and daughters began poking gingerly around the pot as if there was something dangerous inside that might bite them. They ate small pieces slowly, and were soon banging chopsticks as they jostled for the tasty pieces of pork. My daughters didn’t like the fermented beancurd dipping sauce, but that was ok. The broth was slightly sour because of the pickled cabbage, but it was delicious, an honest pork flavor with no need of other flavor enhancers. We tend to forget that a wonderful dish can be prepared using the most basic ingredients, providing it’s fresh, seasonal and of good quality. There are no fancy or exotic ingredients in shaguo bairou; just pork, pickled napa cabbage and cellophane noodles. The broth was made from a real bone--you would never want to have canned soup again after having a real bone stock. The broth was absolutely delicious. I then recalled our initial lack of excitement about trying Shaguo Ju and began to think about how we are often limited by the tastes we have grown up with. Unknown flavors or textures can be a challenge, but a true gourmand should be willing to experience new tastes, flavors and textures. We ended our dinner with sanbu zhan, or three don’t sticks, a an old Beijing dessert (actually created by a Shandong chef who worked in a Beijing restaurant in the early 1800s) made with egg yolks, mung bean flour, granulated sugar and oil. This dish was the only disappointment. The strong taste of the oil overpowered this delicate sweet custard dish. The restaurant was very clean and bright, and the service was excellent. The waitress came to our table several times during our meal to fill our teapot, and even added broth to our casserole pot. A series of other shaguo dishes offered at Shaguo Ju, include pots with innards, lion’s head (meatballs), turtle, innards and pork and tofu and cellophane noodles.
Add : 0 Xisi Nan Dajie, Xicheng District.
Tel: 6602 1126
Hours: 11am-10pm
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