Boiling and Poaching · FFET10336
Hui (quick-simmer in broth, thickened)
Hui is a method in which precooked food is brought briefly to a boil in broth and finished with a starch thickener.
Cooking ingredients in water or stock until done, covering boiling, poaching, scalding and blanching.
Hui is a cooking method in which food is precooked, then brought briefly to a boil in broth and seasonings and finished with a starch thickener. Descriptions of precooking vary, including stir-frying first or briefly cooking in hot water; cooking instruction in Guiyang uses stir-frying, passing through oil or blanching. Hui as a method differs from hui cai, the mixed stews of several ingredients found in the Northeast and Shaanxi. Available material gives no date for the method.
What
Hui is a cooking method: the food is precooked, brought briefly to a boil in broth and seasonings, and finished with a starch thickener, giving a dish with a thickened sauce.1,2,3
When
Available material gives no date for hui, and no dated historical text describing it was found.1,2,3
Where
Available material does not tie hui to one place. Cooking instruction in Guiyang distinguishes hui as a method from hui cai in the Northeast and Shaanxi, which are mixed stews of several ingredients.1,2,3
How
In cooking instruction in Guiyang, food is precooked by stir-frying, passing through oil or blanching. It then goes into the wok with broth and seasonings, boils briefly over high heat, and is finished with a starch slurry. A similar version starts with stir-frying, then adds broth and thickens just before serving.1,3
Why
Available material describes the method without explaining why it is done this way, so no conclusion is drawn.1,2,3
Impact and influence
The character hui also appears in hui cai, a family of stews in the Northeast and Shaanxi. Cooking instruction in Guiyang treats these dishes separately from hui as a method.3
No tale about this food has been found.