Golden Jade
Choose a fresh bass, ideally about one foot long. Slice it thinly with a fine knife, then lay the slices on paper to air-dry briefly.
Grind ginger, white plum, orange peel, chestnut, and licorice to a powder. Add short-grain rice and garlic, then pound into a paste. Loosen with vinegar and garnish with wild peach petals.
Drunken Parting
Take a fresh Ou-Yue mud crab and separate the golden roe from the pearly white meat. Layer the two alternately over a dough wrapper, then steam with Shaoxing wine. Cut the finished dish in half and arrange the two pieces at opposite ends of the plate. Finish with osmanthus from the Yuanxing hills.
Mutual Longing
Break up the damp glutinous rice flour. Arrange red beans and lotus seed hearts separately in a wooden barrel, then steam over high heat until soft and sticky. Transfer the hot rice dough to a stone mortar and pound until smooth and firm. Shape into long rectangular bars.
Traveler's Tears
A plate of Jiande pickled greens, a bowl of rice porridge, and a pot of warm wine.
Simple things, best enjoyed together, with someone beside you.
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