By 苏剑林 | Nov 15, 2018
Steamed Chinese Cabbage in Supreme Soup (Kai Shui Bai Cai) is a very classic Sichuan masterpiece, a dish of state-banquet caliber. I previously wrote a popular science piece "Not Seeking Delicacies, Only Wishing for Boiled Cabbage" to introduce it.
There are many delicious things, but what I remember most about Kai Shui Bai Cai is its pursuit of the ultimate refinement—that kind of restrained elegance where the brilliance remains hidden.
While browsing videos just now, I discovered another similar dish: Gua Yan Sui Du (Winter Melon "Bird's Nest" and Tripe "Wheat Ears"). It is also a Sichuan dish—using pork stomach kernels cut into the shape of wheat ears and winter melon crafted into the shape of swallow's nests, paired with a top-tier clear broth identical to that of Kai Shui Bai Cai.
Screenshot of "Gua Yan Sui Du" (There are no high-definition images; I took this directly from the video below)
In fact, just like Kai Shui Bai Cai, the primary effort of this dish lies in "clearing the broth" (diào tāng). If you can clear the broth until it has the color and clarity of plain water, you have already completed more than half of the work. The difference is that after finishing the broth, Kai Shui Bai Cai is essentially done; a simple "pouring" over the vegetable is about it. However, Gua Yan Sui Du also demands exceptional knife skills, as both the winter melon and pork stomach must be processed into their respective intricate shapes. From this perspective, Gua Yan Sui Du is even more complex.
Of course, to simply say that Gua Yan Sui Du is superior to Kai Shui Bai Cai because of that would be unfair. Kai Shui Bai Cai brings a kind of plain, unadorned sense of exquisite refinement, whereas Gua Yan Sui Du is obviously not simple just by looking at it, lacking that extra layer of subtle profundity.
Finally, here is a comparison image:
Gua Yan Sui Du
Kai Shui Bai Cai
Introduction video on iQIYI:
Category: Life/Feeling | Tags: Life, Kitchen, Diet