Zhu Yuanzhang was the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Because of his grassroots background, he hates corrupt officials very much. Therefore, during his administration, corruption and bribery in officialdom were all carried out in hell. As the saying goes, "companions are like tigers." Zhu Yuanzhang's methods are also notoriously fierce. The ministers around him often don't say a word right, which will lead to great disaster. Therefore, talking with the emperor has gradually become an art. How to answer the emperor's questions without conflict with the emperor requires wisdom.
At the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, there was a wealthy businessman named Shen Wansan in Jiangsu. Shen Wansan's prosperous history can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty, when the government opened its borders to the outside world. Therefore, Korean, Japanese and Southeast Asian businessmen came to China to do business. Shen Wansan took this opportunity to succeed.
When Zhu Yuanzhang seized the world, he confronted Zhang Shicheng in Suzhou. Shen Wansan is one of the consortia supporting Zhang Shicheng. In other words, Shen Wansan is the former enemy of Zhu Yuanzhang! Later, Zhu Yuanzhang made Nanjing his capital, and Shen Wansan let Zhu Yuanzhang enjoy the army himself. The army is the emperor's army. As a businessman, you should reward the army, even if you have any wild desires! In this way, Shen Wansan deeply offended Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang took Shen Wansan to heart, hoping to solve him one day. Here comes the opportunity. At the banquet, Shen Wansan was also invited. This time, Zhu Yuanzhang had to look for opportunities.
At the beginning of the banquet, Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to a plate of pig's trotters and asked Shen Wansan, "Shen, what do you think this is?" Shen Wansan Touweng, knowing that Zhu Yuanzhang was finding fault with himself, couldn't answer, so he left his head here. If you directly answer "pig's foot", Zhu Yuanzhang's "Zhu" and "pig" are homophonic, which will affect the emperor, but you can't help but answer and don't want to live.
Shen Wansan immediately stood up at the thought of this and bowed respectfully to Zhu Yuanzhang. "This is thirteen thousand hooves." Zhu Yuanzhang listened and said nothing. Even the emperor can't kill people casually, so he has to spare Shen Wansan and Shen Wansan's witty answers and save his own life.
Extended reading
Wansanti is one of the traditional famous dishes in Jiangsu, which originated from Shen Wansan's family in Ming Dynasty. It is a necessary dish for entertaining distinguished guests, and its production materials are pork elbow with skin, soy sauce, onion and so on. It belongs to Jiangsu cuisine, fresh and delicious, salty and sweet, fat but not greasy.
The local name is ten thousand three cubits and ten thousand three hooves, especially "ten thousand three hooves". Chaenomeles have become the main course of festivals and wedding banquets in Zhouzhuang, meaning reunion, while tourists are carrying fresh Chaenomeles packed in vacuum.
In the early Ming Dynasty, it was said that Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor at that time, so the whole country avoided talking about pigs (Zhu). There is a rich man named Shen Wansan. Because Shen Wansan was extremely rich, Zhu Yuanzhang was jealous and went to Shen Wansan's house. Shen Wansan entertained Zhu Yuanzhang with pig's trotters. When Zhu Yuanzhang saw it, he deliberately embarrassed Shen Wansan and asked him how to eat it. He didn't cut it because it was a whole hoof. If Shen Wansan used a knife, Zhu Yuanzhang could cure him (in ancient times, weapons could not be used in front of the emperor), but Shen Wansan had a brainwave and pulled out a thin piece from his hoof. Another traditional way to eat is three thousand hooves. Zhu Yuanzhang thought it was delicious and asked Shen Wansan what the name of this dish was. Shen Wansan thought, can't call pig's hoof, patting his thigh and saying it's three thousand hooves, hence the name.
Cooking method
1. Boil the pig's elbow in a water pot until it is medium-cooked, then take it out, dry the water on the skin, coat it with sugar while it is hot, cool it a little, fry it in 80% to 90% hot oil until it turns reddish, take out the clean oil, and wedge it into a walnut-shaped block (deep to the skin) on the meat surface with a knife.
2. Heat the pot with base oil, add white sugar, stir-fry until dark red, add clear soup, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, refined salt, onion ginger, pork elbow, pepper, aniseed, cinnamon, Amomum villosum, cardamom, clove, Amomum tsao-ko and fennel, make a medicine bag, put it in the pot, stew it with slow fire until it is 80% mature, and take out the pork elbow with the skin facing down.
3. Put the original soup into a spoon and add monosodium glutamate to boil, hook it with wet starch, pour pepper oil and pour it on the pork elbow. When eating, use thin bones in hooves instead of knives.