客家菜：釀出的豐滿

醇香濃厚是客家菜的主要風味特色，例如梅菜扣肉、釀豆腐等，食材尋常可見，不以高價珍稀取勝，卻又常常讓人吃出了山珍海味的豐滿感。

語言對人類的影響，不言而喻是巨大深遠又細枝末節(jié)的。就以廣東為例，這里有三種主流方言，粵語、潮汕話和客家話，文化不盡相同，也直接帶來了三大差異甚大的菜系：廣府菜、潮汕菜和客家菜。

客家話最難懂，客家菜也最難讓人琢磨，未入中國八大菜系，卻還要分四派：梅州派、東江派、閩西派和贛南派，其中梅州派是客家菜的主戰(zhàn)場，也因此大多數(shù)人吃到客家菜時會自動定位到梅州。

客家人當年從中原一帶南下，把中原的語言與飲食習慣較完整地帶到了新居地，也把一路遷徙的奔波寫進了客家菜里。如今我們熟悉的客家菜中，瓦罐煨的做法就印證了那段南下路途中的智慧。

客家菜之所以醇香濃厚，還得益于一些獨特的做法，例如酒娘糟。

在梅州客家地區(qū)，客家黃酒幾乎與客家人共呼吸共生存，人們釀黃酒喝黃酒的生活方式保持了上千年，因此黃酒入饌對客家人而言是件非常自然的事情，幾乎每一道菜都可以加進酒娘糟，且毫不違和。

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見的一道大補佳肴，活血補氣，代代相傳；炒黃鱔，放入蒜頭姜片的同時加酒娘糟一同翻炒，待香氣四溢時入黃鱔爆炒，不加水，待炒干時加勺醬油燜，那撲鼻香氣遠遠地就能讓人垂涎三尺；酒娘糟燜鴨，也是一道香味霸氣的菜，一定要有那三勺酒娘糟回魂，才能將香氣徹底炒出，此時鴨肉騷味全無，香到入骨。

釀，同樣是客家菜中非常出名的烹飪手法，代表佳肴則非釀豆腐莫屬。

鮮香嫩滑的嫩豆腐，做起來不難，但極需要耐心和細心，單是豆腐切成小塊后那個開小口塞肉的小動作，就足以讓你練個大半年，稍不熟練就會把豆腐擠破。塞好肉餡后，要把肉餡一面朝下入鍋煎至金黃，然后轉(zhuǎn)入小砂鍋燉，勾芡，起鍋。一家煮十家香，為一碗豆腐忙活大半個上午，說的就是這道客家人逢年過節(jié)的保留菜式。

OTHER HAKKA DELlCAClES

其他經(jīng)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點綴，簡簡單單，只需兩種食材：菜脯和蛋。但一盤美味的菜脯蛋做法也是有講究的，首先菜脯得切成細丁過油爆炒出香，其次得敲蛋下鍋才能讓口感更加厚實，然后將菜脯壓平在蛋上，至半熟翻面煎至金黃。

和菜脯蛋最配的，是一碗白粥，滿口余香，幾乎是每個客家人對童年美味的集體回憶。

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.

咸湯圓

在客家人的家宴里，收尾的往往是一碗口感特別的咸湯圓。湯圓無餡，由糯米粉揉搓而成，特別的是湯底，有菜有肉，咸味加持，自是別處沒有的風味。

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.

鹽焗雞

客家菜里還有一道必說的菜，是鹽焗雞。據(jù)說300多年前的東江地區(qū)沿海的一些鹽場，有人把熟雞用砂紙包好放入鹽堆腌儲，意外發(fā)現(xiàn)雞肉鮮香可口別有風味，從此有了鹽焗雞這道菜。

如今地道的鹽焗雞，必然選用三黃雞為原料，用食鹽將雞反復揉搓后入鹽鍋里焗熟?？图也讼滔愕奶厣?，在這道傳統(tǒng)菜里發(fā)揮得淋漓盡致，但見鹽焗雞色澤微黃，皮爽肉滑，骨香味濃，讓人食指大動。

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

梅菜扣肉與鹽焗雞一樣，是客家菜肴的“龍頭老大”，享有極高的知名度。梅菜是梅州特產(chǎn)，香氣撲鼻，清甜爽口。把五花肉燜好后放在碗里，鋪上梅菜段，再倒入原湯，上籠蒸透。走菜時潷出原湯，把肉反轉(zhuǎn)扣在盤中，原湯燒開用水淀粉勾芡，澆在肉上。菜品鮮美軟滑，肥而不膩，色香味俱佳。