500g. leg of pork
6 water chestnuts
1 slice carrot
1 sm. bunch golden mushrooms (chin-ku, enokidake)
6 green peppers
1 scallion
2 slices ginger
2 t salt
2 T rice wine
1 T soy sauce
1 T corn starch
1 bowl oil
Preparation:
1. Clean the pork, remove the skin and tendons, and cut fine (fat must be chopped even finer). Peel off the skin of the water chestnuts, wash, and cut fine. Mix with the meat and chop. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon each of wine, soy sauce, and corn starch, and mix. Knead the meat into five balls.
2. Throw away the older part of the golden mushrooms, rinse the rest lightly, and separate.
3. Cut the carrot slice into the shape of a plum blossom.
4. Wash the green pepper, remove the stalk, cut in two, and scrape out the seeds.
Cooking:
Pour some water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Put in the golden mushrooms and remove them as soon as they are heated thoroughly. Add a small cup of oil to a wok and boil, then lower the heat and spread the green peppers in the oil with the part cut by the knife facing downward. Sprinkle on a little salt, flip over, fry a little (they must remain green), and remove them.
Pour out the oil and clean the wok. Then add some fresh oil and bring it to a boil. First fry the ginger slices. Then spread the meatballs in the wok and cook over a medium fire. When they are yellow, turn them over and fry again, adding a little soy sauce and a tablespoon of water. Cover and simmer. When the water and sauce are nearly dried up take out the meatballs and arrange them on a plate in the shape of a plum blossom. Then arrange the 12 pieces of green pepper around the outside. Pick out five rather large golden mushrooms and place then in the spaces between the meatballs, placing the carrot in the middle. The effect will be that of a plum blossom.
In the West rabbits symbolize fertility; in China expectant mothers must never eat rabbit meat.
This imposing "rabbit general" comes from the San ts'ai t'u huei, a Ming Dynasty collection of drawings. （courtesy of Chuang Po-ho）
In recent years the rabbit has acquired a newer symbolic meaning.
Lin Yuan, who is completely illiterate, was taught the characters for his name by his grandson because "you've got to put your name on your work, don't you?".
What to carve? That wasn't a problem. Figures from history and legend, like the King of Chu, Kuan Yin, the Monkey King. . . monkeys, dinosaurs, sheep, and lions. . . anything goes, was his attitude; it was purely for fun. His neighbors thought he was a little nuts at first, until people from the city began dropping in to buy them. Then they thought there must be something to it.
What to carve? That wasn't a problem. Figures from history and legend, like the King of Chu, Kuan Yin, the Monkey King. . . monkeys, dinosaurs, sheep, and lions. . . anything goes, was his attitude; it was purely for fun. His neighbors thought he was a little nuts at first, until people from the city began dropping in to buy them. Then they thought there must be something to it.
What to carve? That wasn't a problem. Figures from history and legend, like the King of Chu, Kuan Yin, the Monkey King. . . monkeys, dinosaurs, sheep, and lions. . . anything goes, was his attitude; it was purely for fun. His neighbors thought he was a little nuts at first, until people from the city began dropping in to buy them. Then they thought there must be something to it.
What to carve? That wasn't a problem. Figures from history and legend, like the King of Chu, Kuan Yin, the Monkey King. . . monkeys, dinosaurs, sheep, and lions. . . anything goes, was his attitude; it was purely for fun. His neighbors thought he was a little nuts at first, until people from the city began dropping in to buy them. Then they thought there must be something to it.
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