Cixi’s favorite food is door-nail meatloaf filled with fresh soup—a family version of a classic traditional delicacy

Overview

Mendeng meat pie is a famous traditional food in old Beijing. There are many different versions of the origin of door-nail meat pie. No matter which one is said to be related to Cixi, it seems that it is Cixi's favorite traditional snack. There is a legend that the imperial kitchen of the Qing Dynasty made a stuffed snack for Cixi. After eating it, Cixi found it very delicious and asked the chef what the name of this food was. The chef in the imperial dining room thought of the nail cap on the palace door, and casually replied that door nail meat pie, door nail meat pie symbolizes eternal good luck. Doornail meatloaf is very different from ordinary meatloaf. It is only as big as the palm of your hand, but has 2-3 layers as thick as ordinary meatloaf. Moreover, the dough is much softer than ordinary meatloaf, and there is much more soup inside. The door-nail meatloaf in old Beijing is mouth-watering and will be remembered for a long time, and the family version made by myself at home is really awesome. The freshly baked meatloaf is fragrant, both sides are golden brown, full of thick soup, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant and moist, and the fresh soup overflows when you take a bite, the taste is really unique.

Tags

• staple food
• snacks
• home cooking
• old man
• breakfast
• beijing cuisine
• cake
• beef mince
• chives
• clear water
• cooking wine
• dried sichuan peppercorns
• egg white
• flour
• ginger
• olive oil
• oyster sauce
• salt
• soy sauce

Ingredients

Steps

1. 1 Wash the beef and chop into puree.

   

2. 2 Pour in oyster sauce and soy sauce.

   

3. 3 Add salt and cooking wine.

   

4. 4 Pour in olive oil and chopped green onion and ginger. (A small part of the chopped chives is used here)

   

5. 5 Pour in the peppercorn water that has been soaked in hot water in advance, add it to the meat filling in batches, stir continuously in one direction, and finally pour in the egg white, still stirring in one direction until the meat filling is thick. (You can put it in the refrigerator to freeze slightly)

   

6. 6 Add 120 grams of water and slightly hard dough to the flour, then sip the water. The dough will be moderately soft and hard after sipping the water. Place it in a basin and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Take out the dough and shape into thick strips, then cut into evenly sized pieces.

   

7. 7 Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a round shape with a thick middle and thin sides, like a steamed bun. Place the meat filling in the middle and top with a pinch of minced chives.

   

8. 8 Make pleats like making buns, and finally close the edges. Place the pleated side down and place the patties on the panel.

   

9. 9 Heat oil in a pan and place the patties with the pleated side down. After one side is cooked, flip it over and continue frying. When the pot makes a "ZZZ" sound, add a small amount of water along the wall of the pot to cover about one-third of the bottom of the dough, then cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes before taking it out of the pan. (The authentic ones here seem to use wide oil to fry both sides until golden brown. If you don’t like it too greasy, just use a little oil and fry both sides in a pot until golden brown)