客家菜：酿出的丰满

醇香浓厚是客家菜的主要风味特色，例如梅菜扣肉、酿豆腐等，食材寻常可见，不以高价珍稀取胜，却又常常让人吃出了山珍海味的丰满感。

语言对人类的影响，不言而喻是巨大深远又细枝末节的。就以广东为例，这里有三种主流方言，粤语、潮汕话和客家话，文化不尽相同，也直接带来了三大差异甚大的菜系：广府菜、潮汕菜和客家菜。

客家话最难懂，客家菜也最难让人琢磨，未入中国八大菜系，却还要分四派：梅州派、东江派、闽西派和赣南派，其中梅州派是客家菜的主战场，也因此大多数人吃到客家菜时会自动定位到梅州。

客家人当年从中原一带南下，把中原的语言与饮食习惯较完整地带到了新居地，也把一路迁徙的奔波写进了客家菜里。如今我们熟悉的客家菜中，瓦罐煨的做法就印证了那段南下路途中的智慧。

客家菜之所以醇香浓厚，还得益于一些独特的做法，例如酒娘糟。

在梅州客家地区，客家黄酒几乎与客家人共呼吸共生存，人们酿黄酒喝黄酒的生活方式保持了上千年，因此黄酒入馔对客家人而言是件非常自然的事情，几乎每一道菜都可以加进酒娘糟，且毫不违和。

家常煎荷包蛋，蛋煎好后加入酒娘糟煮透，是客家女人月子里常见的一道大补佳肴，活血补气，代代相传；炒黄鳝，放入蒜头姜片的同时加酒娘糟一同翻炒，待香气四溢时入黄鳝爆炒，不加水，待炒干时加勺酱油焖，那扑鼻香气远远地就能让人垂涎三尺；酒娘糟焖鸭，也是一道香味霸气的菜，一定要有那三勺酒娘糟回魂，才能将香气彻底炒出，此时鸭肉骚味全无，香到入骨。

酿，同样是客家菜中非常出名的烹饪手法，代表佳肴则非酿豆腐莫属。

鲜香嫩滑的嫩豆腐，做起来不难，但极需要耐心和细心，单是豆腐切成小块后那个开小口塞肉的小动作，就足以让你练个大半年，稍不熟练就会把豆腐挤破。塞好肉馅后，要把肉馅一面朝下入锅煎至金黄，然后转入小砂锅炖，勾芡，起锅。一家煮十家香，为一碗豆腐忙活大半个上午，说的就是这道客家人逢年过节的保留菜式。

OTHER HAKKA DELlCAClES

其他经典菜式

Omelette with Salted and Dried Radish

Omelette with salted and dried radish is an essential part of the Hakka people's daily life. lt is simple and takes only two ingredients: salted, dried radish and eggs. There is a strict procedure to the making of this delicious omelette: fi rstly, the radish must be diced and stir-fried till the aroma is released; secondly, the eggs are put into the wok to make the texture solid; and lastly, the radish is pressed on the eggs and cooked till medium done, and the omelette is fl ipped and fried till brown. This omelette with salted and dried radish goes best with a bowl of plain rice porridge, allowing the wonderful fl avour and the collective memories of childhood to linger in the mouth of Hakka people when enjoying these delicacies.

菜脯蛋

菜脯蛋是客家人日常的生活点缀，简简单单，只需两种食材：菜脯和蛋。但一盘美味的菜脯蛋做法也是有讲究的，首先菜脯得切成细丁过油爆炒出香，其次得敲蛋下锅才能让口感更加厚实，然后将菜脯压平在蛋上，至半熟翻面煎至金黄。

和菜脯蛋最配的，是一碗白粥，满口余香，几乎是每个客家人对童年美味的集体回忆。

Salted Rice Balls

No Hakka family dinner is complete without a bowl of salted rice balls. There is no fi lling in the rice balls made with sticky rice powder. What makes the dish special is the soup: made with vegetables and meat, the salty fl avour cannot be found in other cuisines.

咸汤圆

在客家人的家宴里，收尾的往往是一碗口感特别的咸汤圆。汤圆无馅，由糯米粉揉搓而成，特别的是汤底，有菜有肉，咸味加持，自是别处没有的风味。

Salt-baked Chicken

Salt-baked chicken is another essential dish in Hakka cuisine. lts origin is said to go back to some salt pans on the coastal area of Dongjiang over 300 years ago. Someone preserved a cooked chicken wrapped in sandpaper in a pile of salt and unexpectedly found the chicken exquisitely tasty and savoury. The dish salt-baked chicken was then created.

Today, authentic salt-baked chicken must be done with yellow feathered chickens, which have been repeatedly rubbed with salt before being cooked in the wok with even more salt. The salty fl avours used in Hakka cuisine are fully demonstrated in this traditional dish, as the chicken exudes a golden glow, crunchy skin, tender meat and a strong taste. All in all, it is very appetizing.

盐焗鸡

客家菜里还有一道必说的菜，是盐焗鸡。据说300多年前的东江地区沿海的一些盐场，有人把熟鸡用砂纸包好放入盐堆腌储，意外发现鸡肉鲜香可口别有风味，从此有了盐焗鸡这道菜。

如今地道的盐焗鸡，必然选用三黄鸡为原料，用食盐将鸡反复揉搓后入盐锅里焗熟。客家菜咸香的特色，在这道传统菜里发挥得淋漓尽致，但见盐焗鸡色泽微黄，皮爽肉滑，骨香味浓，让人食指大动。

Pork with Meicai

Pork with Meicai is another well-known Hakka dish. Meicai is a speciality of Meizhou, known for its fragrant, sweet and refreshing qualities. Put the stewed streaky pork in a bowl, cover it with Meicai, then pour in the original soup, and fi nally cage steam. Flip over the meat and put it on the plate, while boiling the original soup and adding starch and water, which you will pour on the meat when fi nished. The dish will turn out soft, smooth and fatty, but not greasy.

梅菜扣肉

梅菜扣肉与盐焗鸡一样，是客家菜肴的“龙头老大”，享有极高的知名度。梅菜是梅州特产，香气扑鼻，清甜爽口。把五花肉焖好后放在碗里，铺上梅菜段，再倒入原汤，上笼蒸透。走菜时滗出原汤，把肉反转扣在盘中，原汤烧开用水淀粉勾芡，浇在肉上。菜品鲜美软滑，肥而不腻，色香味俱佳。