A Taste of Home

By Zhao Chang

If the Chinese New Year is a special occasion that draws every Chinese people closer to their sweet home， then the eagerly awaited reunion dinner on the eve， the most significant meal during a year， is definitely something they do not want to miss.

Although the food prepared for the reunion dinner has witnessed some changes recently — thanks to Reform and Opening-up and economic development， traditional dishes always rule the dinner table. For my family， that irreplaceable dish is my mum’s Chinese cabbage. I can still remember clearly how my mother left in the middle of every reunion dinner to cook her specialty dish for us.

There was this one time that I stealthily followed her into the kitchen and observed her cooking from behind： first， she turned the gas stove to maximum， waited till the smoke from the heating vegetable oil cleared away and skillfully stir-fried some sliced pork and tofu for them to be slightly caramelized in the hot pan， where garlic and shredded peppers were then added moderately. Next， she put some Chinese cabbage to be sir-fired with all the ingredients for one to two minutes till the leaves turned floppy， added some water， a little salt and sugar， and put the lid back on. After 15 minutes， she opened the lid and sprinkled some chopped scallion as the final touch. There， we had a bowl of salty， sweet， spicy， refreshing deliciousness saturated in milk white soup ready to satisfy the taste buds of the whole family. In fact， the “family cook” usually needed to serve a second portion for everyone before they could be really satisfied.

This easily reminded me of a poem written by Su Shi （1037-1101）， a great poet and gourmet of the Song dynasty （960-1279）， celebrating Chinese cabbage as an equal to fancy meat dishes such as lamb and pork in terms of flavor， which is a strong proof for its popularity.

My hometown — Shangyu district， Shaoxing city， produces top-quality Chinese cabbage， partly because the Hangzhou Bay has the humid climate， abundant moisture and salty sea breeze suitable for their growth. Xie Jin （1923-2008）， who was one of the best-known movie directors in China and who also came from Shangyu， had a special craving for the Chinese cabbage as well. Every year near the Chinese New Year， we would talk on the phone， and he always told me to buy him a large amount of local Chinese cabbage before he went home for the holiday. According to a family friend of Xie’s， their reunion dinner was nothing luxurious but quite traditional in style， and the star on the table was always a bowl of fried Chinese cabbage cooked by Xie himself. Apart from Chinese cabbage， Xie would also put in some sliced dried bean curd and dried red chili peppers to create an unforgettably taste， which combined the local style with a bit of Shanghai flavor.

The reason why Chinese cabbage is so popular is not only because of its crystal white color and beautiful shape， but also because of its crisp， fresh， fragrant and delicious taste. In addition， it is such a versatile vegetable that can be fried， braised， boiled， stewed， simmered independently， and also goes perfectly well with other ingredients to elevate the taste of the whole dish.

For ordinary people， Chinese cabbage is clearly a homely dish. Wang Zengqi， a famous writer （1920-1997）， said in his book Jiachang Jiucai （literally “homely wines and dishes） that “home cooking ought to be novel， economical and simple”， which brilliantly points out the essence of home-cooked food. When we look back at the 1970s， it was Chinese cabbage that had supported us through the hard time of food scarcity.

Because my parents were teachers， my family lived inside a high school back then. In the winter， what we prepared for ourselves for every lunch was a pot of Chinese cabbage. Whoever of us four sisters came home from school first， she would cook — or rather stew — some Chinese cabbage in an electric cooker with some vermicelli， sliced oil tofu， soy bean sprouts and occasionally pork ribs. When it was almost done， the cook would put in a little salt， soy sauce and a spoonful of white lard， and the whole dining room would then be turned into a world of mixed fragrance. Thinking about the old days when the four of us were gobbling up the Chinese cabbage， I can still feel the crispy texture and the beautiful aroma of the dish dancing in my taste bud.

Chinese cabbage， because of its juicy taste， also makes a good dumpling filling. My eldest brother-in-law， who is from northern China， is a master at making dumplings with shredded Chinese cabbage， Chinese sauerkraut and minced meat. Under his influence， my eldest sister and their daughter also learned to make Chinese cabbage dumplings. Having tried the Chinese cabbage dumplings for just a few times， we have been already hooked to the point of preferring them to meat dishes. And it has now become an indispensable snack during the Chinese New Year since the beginning of the 21st century.

To this day， Chinese cabbage is still the same inexpensive vegetable， but that does not change people’s love for it. During the season for the vegetable， local folks always put some in their basket when going grocery shopping. In my family， at my mother’s suggestion， my father also began to grow Chinese cabbage in front of our house. At the beginning of every autumn， my father goes to the nearby street to buy Chinese cabbage seeds. As the seeds sprout and leaves grow， he will then cut a busy figure in the field： applying fertilizers， watering， seedlings， weeding， catching insects … every day he seems to have endless work.

Looking at the vegetable turning mature day by day， my father simply could not stop smiling. Chinese cabbage tends to become much more mellow， sweet， and crispy in texture after a frost. In order to make these vegetables last a little longer in the field， my father encourages the whole family to join him in laying some straws under them and raise the height of the walls of his yard with wooden boards. In this way， the harvesting time can be effectively extended， and home-grown Chinese cabbages could be brought freshly to the table for the reunion dinner.