China News Service Nanning, February 10 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian flavor and hometown flavor are mixed and matched with a different New Year's flavor of returned overseas Chinese in Guangxi.
Author: Wei Jiaxiu, Chen Yanyou, Lin Hao.
Lemongrass fried chicken, turmeric rice, white chopped chicken, lemon duck. On Chinese New Year's Eve, 86-year-old Indonesian returned overseas Chinese Cai Lanmei, who lives in the Guangxi-ASEAN Economic and Technological Development Zone, sat around with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, chatting with cheerful Indonesian songs while eating a Chinese New Year's Eve meal consisting of Indonesian and Chinese food.
In the 60s of the 20th century, 23-year-old Cai Lanmei returned to China from Indonesia with her family and was placed in the Guangxi state-owned Wuming Overseas Chinese Farm (hereinafter referred to as: Wuming Overseas Chinese Farm). Cai Lanmei said in a recent interview with reporters that the taste of hometown is indispensable on the New Year's table, and Indonesian food and pastries retain her childhood memories.
Walking into Cai Lanmei's home, the wedding photos taken in Indonesia, the ** discs brought back from Indonesia, and the molds for making Indonesian pastries are still there. "My mother also brought back the skills of making Indonesian food. Cai Lanmei's son Cai Zhanyi said.
As Cai Lanmei grew older, the task of preparing a family banquet during the New Year's holidays was passed to her son and daughter-in-law. Cai Zhanyi told reporters that he and his wife have been making food with their mother for more than 20 years, "Lemongrass fried chicken and white chopped chicken must be made every Chinese New Year, and my daughter grew up with these two dishes."
According to Cai Zhanyi, Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the addition of rich spices. "Lemongrass fried chicken is marinated overnight with a variety of spices such as lemongrass and shallots, and then fried out of the pan after the flavor is absorbed. He said that different from Indonesian cuisine, white chopped chicken, as a representative of hometown cuisine, pays attention to light and delicious.
On February 5, Cai Lanmei's daughter-in-law Li Yueyao (first from right) made Indonesian pastries with her family. Photo by Wei Jiaxiu.
According to reports, in 2013, Wuming Overseas Chinese Farm was upgraded to China's national economic and technological development zone, becoming a demonstration area for the transformation and restructuring of overseas Chinese farms. With the development of overseas Chinese fields getting better and better, in 2020, Cai Zhanyi, who is developing abroad, and his wife Li Yueyao will return to Cai Lanmei. He found a stable job at the property company on his doorstep, while his wife inherited her mother-in-law's culinary skills, making and selling Indonesian pre-made dishes.
According to Li Yueyao, the Indonesian pre-made dishes she makes are very popular in the local area, and are also sold in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities. "During this period of the year, orders were very intensive, and lemongrass fried chicken, satay pork skewers and chrysanthemum cakes were the most ordered by customers. ”
Li Yueyao said that sometimes her husband and daughter will also help, vacuum-packing, packing and sealing the finished Indonesian food. "After receiving it, customers can handle it a little, such as lemongrass fried chicken and other cooked products can be eaten after heating up, and satay beef skewers are a little more troublesome and need to be grilled by themselves. ”
Spring Festival is our traditional festival, and Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is the most important ritual on Chinese New Year's Eve. My mother once told me that when I was far away from home in Indonesia, I would wait for this day for a reunion dinner all year long. Cai Zhanyi said that on the Chinese New Year's Eve, he and his wife suspended orders for Indonesian pre-made dishes, and the family enjoyed the reunion moment on Chinese New Year's Eve.
According to reports, Wuming Overseas Chinese Farm was founded in 1960 and has successively settled about 1 returned overseas Chinese from 9 Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam20,000 people. Since most of the returned overseas Chinese are from ASEAN countries, the "ASEAN taste" is very strong on the table of the returned overseas Chinese and their relatives during the New Year, and the taste of their hometown together form a special New Year's flavor. (ENDS).