China Daily | Quanzhou food tour: Peanut soup, braised beef ribs and more - video Dailymotion

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Celebrate Chinese New Year with Quanzhou's unique food! From 100-year-old braised beef ribs to creamy peanut soup and crispy oyster omelette, this city is bursting with flavours.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00During Chinese New Year, there's a city full of mythical contrast, a city that's sacred

00:15and secular, of ancient rites and vibrant festivities.

00:26The swallowtail roots, the traditional flavors, the Hokkien heritage, and the breeze from

00:33the Taiwan street, all makes Quanzhou feel like home.

00:40But what leaves the deepest impression is its food and lovely people.

00:54Local locals cannot imagine a life without peanut soup.

01:02Peanut soup is usually served with an egg, rich and super creamy.

01:22Ah Liang, the stylish vendor with her New Year manicure, starts preparing at 4am every

01:27day.

01:32Along with the classic version, she's got one with taro too.

01:36In Hokkien dialect, peanut soup has a more rustic name.

01:43Ah Liang's husband, Ah Jiu, helps run their well-loved shop in Shenhu Town.

01:55Ah Liang learned to make peanut soup from her father before she got married.

02:13The peanuts simmer until the oil rests to the surface, soft but still holding their

02:19shape.

02:26One sip of this soup, and you'll forget any other kind of plonk-based milk.

02:32For Hokkien people, peanut soup can also be a dessert, and even a remedy for handovers.

02:49Quanzhou people are deeply attached to peanuts, perhaps because they reflect the humble, practical

02:54nature of Hokkien culture.

02:58Peanut flavors are everywhere.

03:00The sauce for braised noodles is peanut-based.

03:05Hokkien zong comes to life with peanut sauce.

03:12Even Quanzhou's barbecue might be the only barbecue with peanut sauce, adding a touch

03:17of southern delicacy.

03:24A room bing is a spring roll that's popular here.

03:27The first layer is peanut sugar.

03:29The rest of the fillings are up to the diner's preference.

03:37With limited farmland, Fujian relies on peanuts and sweet potatoes as key starch staples.

03:43Every local kitchen has sweet potato starch.

03:46It thickens the broth of miso soup.

03:53It also coats fried pork, a popular side to the soup.

04:06Ting Ting Miso Soup is a family-run business that opens the whole night.

04:30Every 7pm, her in-laws come to the store and prepare another snack that made the store

04:35famous.

04:37Fried oyster is a local snack that also uses sweet potato starch.

04:42Mixed with garlic chives and eggs, they are quickly fried until golden.

04:51Keeping the oysters juicy and tender, homemade pickled radish helps balance the greasiness.

04:59Fried oyster is also a beloved dish in Taiwan, a culinary link between Fujian and the region.

05:06This connection is also seen in ginger duck.

05:10Two ginger duck restaurants earned spots in the Michelin Guide this year.

05:14Zhong Ji is one of them.

05:23Aged ginger lines the bottom, followed by tender ducks.

05:31With only salt and simple spices, the duck is slow-cooked until it's soft, juicy and

05:37full of flavor.

05:48This is Mr. Huang, a beef house owner on Tumen Street, home to the Guan Di Temple, a mosque

05:56and a Confucian temple, all standing close together.

06:01This street reflects Quanzhou's history as one of the world's largest seaports during

06:06the Song and Yuan Dynasty, a melting pot of goods, people and cultures.

06:13Quanzhou's affection for beef is said to come from Muslim traders.

06:38In the late Qing Dynasty, many Fujian people of Grandpa Huang's generation went to South

06:43East Asia for work, but returned home when they earned enough money for new houses, bringing

06:49with them exotic spices for Quanzhou cuisine.

07:00Unlike Western steaks, Quanzhou's version boils the ribs first, then braises them in

07:06rich seasonings.

07:17Paired with salty rice and broth, the beef rib really captures the essence of Quanzhou's

07:22food culture.

07:31In the past, temples would offer porridge to the people during Chinese New Year.

07:37This tradition continues in Quanzhou as a warm wish for the year ahead.

07:44Lucky phrases are written on red paper, wishing for good fortune in the coming year.

07:53For Quanzhou people, New Year is more than a celebration.

07:57After the journey is far and wide, there's no greater joy than returning home to where

08:02it all began.

China Daily | Quanzhou food tour: Peanut soup, braised beef ribs and more

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