Inheriting the tradition, the 79-year-old master has been setting up a stall for 20 years, and he just wants to make a good taste!
More than 40 years ago, Au Jiahe, who moved to Australia from Hong Kong, opened a dragon beard candy shop in Sydney's Chinatown. Without the need for complex ingredients and sophisticated equipment, the 79-year-old has already handcrafted more than 8,000 dragon's beard candies.
Every Friday night at 5pm, Olga would go to Sydney's Chinatown with her host. It seems to have emerged from the silence of the past and become more vibrant.
At this time, Master Ou's operation truck slowly drove into the stall area, and the lights of the small stalls gradually turned on, making careful preparations for the upcoming night market.
Chef Au said he has been running the Chinatown Night Market for 20 years, rain or shine every Friday.
Learning to make money with ligustrum won't work. You can only take it as a hobby and learn it slowly and patiently, little by little. "Ou Jiahe said.
Chef Ou's cart is loaded with all the equipment needed to set up a stall, the most important of which is the raw materials for making dragon beard candy.
However, the tables, chairs, lamps, shelves, etc., were all arranged by the Ou couple one by one.
Master Ou said:"We usually have to wait an hour before we can get to work.
It has been 40 years since Au moved to Australia from Hong Kong and worked several jobs before retiring, including chef and driving instructor.
Fifty years ago, he apprenticed in Hong Kong and learned the art of dragon beard candy.
8 192 Thread sugar.
Chef Au has been setting up a stall in Sydney's Chinatown for 20 years, which means he spends half of his time in Australia making dragon whisker candy.
Despite being 79 years old, he is still energetic and bakes cakes with smooth movements.
Connected the electric light, set up three long tables, spread dust cloths on three sides, and hung a red and blue sign on a white background, which reads"Dragon's beard candy"。
Finally, the power was turned on, and the night market officially opened.
Chef Ou took an ingredient from home and put it in an iron dish, on which were placed two trays of corn flour, a plate of sesame seeds, peanuts and coconut. Then, he took out a piece of solidified candy corn, drilled a hole in it with a special tool, and made a few gestures"8 "The word becomes a dragon's whisker, and then wraps it with filling, and a beautiful dragon's whisker-shaped cake is ready.
There are eight thousand, one hundred and ninety-two. "Ou Jiahe said.
The skin of the dragon beard candy is soft and melts in the mouth, and the filling inside is sweet but not greasy, which can pull out long strands of sugar.
Many Hong Kong people have a common memory of queuing in front of a trolley to buy lobster candy after school.
Nowadays, this kind of scene is rare in Hong Kong. Located in Sydney's Chinatown, Chef Au wants to bring the traditional flavours of dragon whisker candy to the world.
Chef Ou said that many Chinese came to Sydney to taste the sugar.
What is Chaparral?
Edamame, original name"Silver sugar", which is said to be more than a thousand years old. Edamame, original name"Silver sugar"It is said to be thousands of years old and is a childhood snack for many Hong Kong people.
What is the special preparation method of ligustrum?
Master Ou said frankly that it is not difficult to make dragon whisker candy, and there is no special technical content, so the difficulty lies in making delicious dragon whiskers.
He laughed and said"At that time, my teacher had taught me for less than an hour.
50 years ago, Master Au came to Hong Kong to start his own business. Recalling the process of extracting sugar, he said it took only a quarter of an hour.
He said that anyone can make lobster desserts at home as long as they have the ingredients.
Make a hole in the center of the caramel corn, make a circle with sugar, and slowly pull the sugar into it"8 "Glyph.
Repeat 12 times until 4 096 sugar tablets are removed and wrapped in peanuts, coconut, and sesame seeds.
Master Ou said that the sugar making process seems simple, but in fact there are many things to learn.
For example, pulling sugar is needed"360-degree force from east to west, north to south, top to bottom, and left to right"。Each piece of sugar is subjected to the same force, direction, and elongation to ensure that each piece is as thin as a human hair.
Ou Jiahe said. 'This technique can only be understood, not spoken, when to pull to the left, when to pull to the right, each angle is different, need to be understood'。
Which sugar qualifies?
Ou Jiahe said that qualified dragon beard candy must meet strict standards, that is, there must be 8192 sugar lines.
He explained that after 12 rounds of sugar extraction, 4,096 strands of sugar were obtained, which were then doubled and added to the filling, resulting in lobster candy consisting of 8,192 strands.
In addition, the dragon's whiskers resemble silkworm chrysalis in appearance, and the inside is as thin as silk.
Innovative snacks for tourists Nostalgic Chinese snacks.
In Sydney's Chinatown, many tourists were attracted by the dragon beard candy show and stopped by**, including Ms. Liu, a Chinese tourist from Canada.
He tasted it on the spot and exclaimed"Fresh and delicious"。
The last time he ate dragon beard candy was in the United States. He added that the last time he was in Hong Kong, he had looked for dragon beard candy, but in Hong Kong, dragon beard candy"Less and less, simply not to be found"。
I miss it so much, I haven't tasted it in many years and it's a shame I didn't get it to Canada.
Sugar is not a transaction, but a trust.
Since 1991, Oujia and his chef have been setting up stalls in Sydney's Chinatown every Friday. He is also often in charge of attending wedding receptions and preparing dragon beard snacks on the spot.
But he said he never made money from lobster candy. For him, it's a faith.
In addition to his desire to promote traditional Chinese knowledge, this position also provides him with the opportunity to reach out to the community.
He laughed and said"Even when I'm retired, I'll keep going.
It was very satisfying for him to interact with customers at the booth and gain their approval.
ojahe says:"As long as it is recognized, there will be people who are willing to do it.
Master Ou said that the production of dragon beard candy is like a performance, passers-by may only be on the spot**, and not everyone can buy it.
Learning lobotomy can be tedious, he says"But if you're interested, it's going to be fun"。
Most importantly"Authentic"。
Nowadays, there are many types of dragon beard candy on the market, but Master Ou thinks"Eating plain flavor is the first priority"。
He said"Lobster candy is like fried pho, a dish is delicious, there is no need to add other ingredients"。