Pounded Roast (Continued)

Thin the meat mixture out across the tube, leaving the bottom end hollow so that it may be held by hand during roasting. Roast the meat until it is nearly cooked and slightly dry to the touch, ensuring it no longer sticks to the hand. Firmly press and cover the center, then pour chicken or duck egg whites over it using the hand to guide the flow. If the coating is uneven, you may add more egg white; if it is still not level, smooth it down with a knife.

Roast it again until the egg white has dried, then apply duck egg yolk. If duck yolk is unavailable, use chicken egg yolk and add a small amount of vermilion zhu original: 朱. A red mineral pigment (cinnabar) used historically in China as a food colorant to achieve a vibrant aesthetic. to help produce a bright red-orange color. Use the wing feathers of a chicken or duck to brush the yolk onto the surface. Rotate the roast rapidly by hand; if you rotate it too slowly, the coating will be ruined.

Once it is fully cooked, slide the entire piece off the tube. Cut it into segments of six inches. If the roast is not to be used immediately, wrap it in reeds ludi original: 蘆荻. Common reeds (Phragmites australis), which provided a breathable, protective layer for food storage.. Bind both ends and leave a space of about half an inch five fen between the reeds. Prepared this way, it can be kept for three to five days; otherwise, it will spoil. If the meat is mixed with flour, the flavor may become slightly sour; if there is too much [leaven], it will be difficult for the mixture to adhere to the tube.

original: Bing Zhi. In this period, bing referred to various wheat-based foods, including noodles, dumplings, and baked or roasted cakes.