Text by Irene Translation by Sonia Photos by Zeng Jian

Combo Pleasure

Text by Irene Translation by Sonia Photos by Zeng Jian

The coastal city of Zhuhai takes full advantage of its Cantonese culture and location by the sea. It's Hengqin oysters and Da Chi Kan open-fl ame barbecued pork (or char siu in Cantonese) are popular presentations of this unique cultural and geographical combination.

Hengqin Oysters

Liang Beiwei of Xia Village, Hengqin, in Zhuhai has grown oysters for 20 years. Everyday he takes a fi shing boat to the sea where he closely checks the oyster racks and tastes the sea water himself. As a matter of fact, the fi nal quality of the oysters is fi nely determined by the salinity of the sea water. Liang's oyster racks are located at Shilan Zhou, Hengqin, where sea water and fresh water merge. The salinity of the sea water in this area is between 8 and 15 degrees – the best fi t for oyster farming. Hengqin oysters are famous for being large, fat, tender, white, and crunchy.

The Liangs have grown oysters in Hengqin for generations and Liang Beiwei is familiar with oyster farming like the back of his hand. He said that typhoons are the oyster farmers' worst enemy. The fl ood will not only wash the oyster racks away but also change the water composition; the latter often results in the death of oysters. Therefore, when there is a typhoon approaching, Liang will hire a large fl eet of fi shing boats to urgently transport his oyster racks of 50 hectares to a safe sea area. As soon as the storm subsides, he immediately moves the oysters back to Hengqin. After all, only the water in Hengqin produces the best oysters.

Each May is oyster spawning season. Liang Beiwei nurtures oyster seeds on cement plates or clay plates at the sea fl oor. After six months, the best baby oysters are selected to be hung in the sea. Seven oreight plates will be strung together and hung on the rack for breeding in sea water. There are as many as 600,000 strings of oysters in his farm every year.

Under the joint effect of sea water, sunshine and microbes, the oysters quietly grow beneath the sea surface, being nurtured and changing gradually.

In a year and a half Ð October or November of the following year Ð the oysters reach their prime. Foodies who come to Hengqin for the oysters begin to develop an appetite. Batches of Hengqin oysters are fi shed up from the sea and delivered to the table. In Hengqin, there are more than ten ways of serving oysters: in a salad, hotpot, steamed with chopped garlic, stir-fry with green onions and ginger, etc. Those tourists who only tried grilled oysters before should try a few dishes or even have a feast of oysters prepared in different ways.

Oysters with garlic and glass noodles.蒜蓉粉丝蚝。

Lychee-wood Smoked Pork

Barbecued pork (char siu) is a common Cantonese dish. If anyone in Guangdong can claim to be the intangible cultural heritage inheritor of this dish, either they are really that good, or they are crazy.

Fatty Keong's barbecued pork and ribs restaurant is hidden in a small alley at Da Chi Kan Village, Doumen District. Despite its modest look, it attracts customers who drive hours to there. Zhao Zhiwen is the fourth

generation of the intangible cultural heritage “Fatty

Keong's Open-fl ame Barbecued Pork and Ribs”. He told us that he inherited the craftsmanship from

his great grandfather who at the age of 13 went to

work in the Southeast Asia and learned the skill of

making barbecued pork and spare ribs from the

local Cantonese.

We followed the aroma to the kitchen and the fl avor of the old times is everywhere in the house: smoke from six huge, round clay ovens swirl out of the skylights. The clay ovens are used to roast meat. But the fi rewood is not put inside the oven; instead, it is placed at the side. The fi rewood, burning with a crackling and popping sound, is lychee wood exclusively grown in the south.

“We select premium shoulder blade in the market very early in the morning and start washing and marinating,” Zhao introduced. “The selection of meat must be from the front half because the rear half is not as tender.” The pork is marinated in the sauce of family recipe for over an hour before it is hung in the oven to smoke. The aroma from the burning lychee wood permeate the char siu and ribs from the skin down as the temperature rises. The freshly made char siu and ribs are cut into pieces and served. The meat is tender and juicy, glowing with a delicious smell and refreshing taste. The ribs come with a further sweet smell of the bone, bringing a lingering taste on the tongue.