Sweet Treats from Chaoshan

This book is a collection of food essays created by Zhong Chengquan， a leader in high-end Teochew cuisine， with 73 food anecdotes and 42 exclusive recipes， writing Uncle Zhong’s exploration of Chaoshan cuisine cooking for more than half a century.

When the thermometer dropped from 100℃ to around 95℃， deputy director Lin Changgong of the Original Dahua Restaurant exclaimed， “It’s ready to pour!” With that call， Mr. Guo Chuangmao， a master in bean products， lifted a bucket of cooked soy milk and poured it down from the edge of another bucket. The liquid cascaded down the side and swirled into another bucket， thoroughly mixing and incorporating the gypsum powder at the bottom， which instantly solidified.

This scene took place in the mid-1970s during the promotion of the Hua Luogeng selection method in the restaurant industry. The years of accumulated experience from masters are captured in a thermometer.

Why elaborate so much? Isn’t it just a bucket of tofu pudding? Yes， a bowl of smooth， sugar-dusted tofu pudding is one of the sweet treats in people’s daily lives.

The tofu pudding made by Master Guo was top-notch. After pouring， it presented a light-yellow hue with a creamy texture. When scooped with a copper tofu knife， the pudding gently swayed on the blade， full of elasticity. Sprinkled with fine powdered brown sugar， it evoked an endless sense of delight upon tasting. Silky and sweet， hot to the tongue， tofu pudding is truly a distinctive sweet treat from the Chaoshan region with heat-reducing properties.

In fact， the sweet treats within the Chaoshan cuisine system can be categorized in several different ways.

The first is focused on selling sweet soups (including tofu pudding). There are specialized sweet soup shops. Back then， restaurants in the city would set up special shops that offered a variety of sweet soup options， such as sweet lotus seeds， sweet dumplings， sweet lilies， sweet mung bean soup， sweet milk， sweet soy milk， sweet glutinous rice balls， sweet coix seed soup， and sweet water chestnut. They even made sweet soup noodles， which elevated into sesame sweet dry noodles， becoming a highlight of the time.

The second is sweet dishes paired with savory offerings in restaurants. Whether in a Chaoshan restaurant or at home for guests， dessert is always arranged at the end of the meal. Roasted sweet potatoes and taro， pumpkin taro puree， taro oil cakes， scallion pancakes， crispy pastries， water chestnut puree， duck twist， roasted ginger sweet potato， fried glutinous， and sticky rice are all regulars at Chaoshan banquets， reflecting the overall perfection of the meal， especially the sweet at both beginning and end， showcasing the banquet culture of Chaoshan cuisine.

The third mainly revolves around pastries and cakes， and also some sweet treats paired with tea. Pastry shops primarily offer baked goods and sweet tea snacks as gifts. Common varieties include Chaoshan mooncakes， fermented bean curd pastries， almond cookies， southern-style rolls， bean sticks， sugar bundles， sesame cakes， orchid roots， and egg rolls. These sweets， known for their quality and portability， make excellent gifts.

Lastly， let’s explore a recipe for sesame sweet dry noodles to complete this introduction to sweet treats.

Zhong Chengquan

Zhong Chengquan is an inheritor of Shantou Chaoshan cuisine cooking skills， a distinguished expert of Guangdong Yuedong Technician College， senior consultant of Shantou Chaoshan cuisine Think Tank， distinguished professor of Shantou Open University， and a visiting professor at Hanshan Normal University.