水作清甜

WATER, SWEET WATER

Two Carps Playing with LotusesA most popular Summer dish, in which a freshly picked lotus leaf isused to hold the jellies.雙魚戲荷鯉魚荷葉戲水是濟南常見景象，“雙魚戲荷”正是取意于此。如是荷花盛放的時節(jié)，托著雙魚的是剛摘下的鮮荷葉。

People in Jinan are bringing their most treasured spring water to the dining table. Spring water, lotus leaves, lotus flowers, cattails, mushrooms, lotus roots...everything related to spring water is used as cooking ingredients. However, unlike the usual strong-flavored Shandong food, Jinan's spring water cuisine tastes sweet and refreshing.

Text by Chen Yuqiang Translation by Wu Xiaoling Photos by ZengJian Special thanks to by Jinan Liangyou Fulin Hotel拍攝協(xié)助：濟南良友富臨大酒店

(First one on the left)Lotus Lake Shrimp Fresh shrimps from Daming Lake cuddled with egg white and milk, like a fairy meandering in the clouds.芙蓉湖蝦仁取自明湖的鮮蝦，為蛋清加牛奶所擁抱，猶如漫步云端的仙子一般。

(Second one on the left) Crispy Lotus CakeSelected ingredientsare made in the shape of lotus flowers, purewhite and crispy.荷花酥精選食材做成荷花造型，色澤潔白，口感酥脆。

The Top Soup Dish: Stewed Cattail in Milky Soup

Every year, fresh cattails grow only from May to September at Daming Lake, fed by many of the springs in the area. In the old days, cattails from Daming Lake were most cherished by the people of Jinan. As documented in “A Quick Overview of Jinan”, published in the early years of the Republic,“Cattails at Daming Lake have the shape of Zizania latifolia, and the taste of bamboo shoots. They grow everywhere at the lake, and are a valuable vegetable in several provinces in Northern China”.

A spring feast is featured with cattails cooked in creamy soup. While cattails are tender and crisp, a full spoon of deliciously light soup makes one feel as fresh and cool as being shaded by lotus leaves on a hot summer day.

The Dish for Honored Guests: Spring Fish Soup

The way to cook spring fish soup is just like the hospitality of the Jinan people: meticulous and lowkey. The fish used is the authentic Yellow River carp. To welcome guests from afar, the carp is placed in pure spring water for over seven days in order to clean up mud and sand in its body, and braised gently with soup-stock for four to five hours. The soup-stock, concocted from precious ingredients of spring water, pheasant, duck, and scallop, is elaborately boiled for three days in the Tan Family cuisine cooking method.

The moment the spring fish soup is served, the plate is wreathed in mist. Using a wooden base with the Chinese characters of the Five Dragon Lake, the chef pours lukewarm water onto the dry ice under the ceramic plate. The mist evaporating from the dry ice immediately wraps up the plate, making the Yellow River carp heave in the mist like it is alive.

愛泉如寶的濟南人，將泉水端上餐桌。泉水、荷葉、荷花、蒲菜、菇、蓮藕……一切與泉水有關的食材，都可入菜。然而，有別于魯菜固有的重口味，濟南的泉水料理卻是清甜爽口的

湯菜之冠：奶湯蒲菜

每年，只有5-9月份，大明湖才能長出新鮮的蒲菜。眾泉匯流的大明湖，舊時出產(chǎn)的蒲菜為濟南人所器重。民國初年出版的《濟南快覽》稱道：“大明湖之蒲菜，其形似茭，其味似筍，遍植湖中，為北方數(shù)省植物菜類之珍品?！?/p>

泉水宴便是以蒲菜為主料，加奶湯烹制而成。湯呈乳白色，蒲菜脆嫩鮮香，湯汁入口清淡味美，猶如炎炎夏日間尋到荷葉遮日般清爽。

貴客之肴：泉水老湯魚

泉水老湯魚的作法更能讓人感受到濟南人的好客之道，精心而不張揚。魚，是老潭水里的正宗黃河鯉魚。為了招待遠道而來的客人，濟南人將鯉魚放入濟南泉水中靜養(yǎng)七天以上，吐凈泥沙，放入老湯中以中文火慢煲四到五個小時，才是大功告成。老湯以泉水、山雞、老鴨、瑤柱等名貴材料，配以譚家菜吊湯技法，經(jīng)三天精心熬制而成。

泉水老湯魚上菜的瞬間，云霧繚亂。廚師用刻有五龍?zhí)蹲謽拥哪局仆械讚巫⊙b有黃河鯉魚的瓷盤。在瓷盤下方，上菜時放上干冰倒入溫水，一時間干冰揮發(fā)的煙霧包裹住瓷盤，黃河鯉魚在云霧中上下起伏，仿佛鮮活一般。