A festive centrepiece of Longyan banquets: pork belly, dried shrimp, shiitake mushroom and bamboo shoots are minced together, bound with duck egg and flour, shaped into thick discs, deep-fried until golden, then steamed atop crisp bean sprouts in rich pork broth. Despite its name, no fish is used — the dish celebrates prosperity through wordplay: 'yang' for jubilation, 'yu' (fish) for abundance.
Longyan Yangyu originated in the Xinluo District of Longyan City, Fujian, as a staple of Hakka banquet culture. Its punning name encodes two auspicious blessings: 'yang' (洋) echoes 'jubilation' (喜气洋洋) and 'yu' (鱼, fish) invokes the homophone for 'abundance' (余). The dish pairs with 'shijin' (什锦 mixed platter) as the ceremonial twin anchors of Hakka festive feasting, and its absence from a wedding or birthday banquet was considered a serious breach of hospitality. The Longyan Commerce Bureau officially recognised it as one of the Ten Famous Dishes of Western Fujian (闽西十大名菜).
A golden disc yields to reveal a tender, savory interior — pork fat, shrimp sweetness and mushroom earthiness unified in a single bite, with warm broth soaking through the bean sprout base beneath.
Deep-frying at 160–170°C rapidly denatures surface proteins and drives Maillard browning, creating a rigid shell that traps interior moisture. The subsequent steam (10–15 minutes) rehydrates the crust, softening it to a resilient, springy texture while the pork-shrimp mixture inside reaches full protein gelation. Glutamate from dried shrimp and 5′-inosinate from pork combine synergistically, amplifying umami roughly eightfold compared to either compound alone; Maillard products from frying contribute roasted aroma that persists through steaming.
Variations
Some Longyan families substitute half the pork with fish paste, making the name literal; inland versions replace dried shrimp with water chestnuts for crunch; a modern adaptation uses an air fryer before steaming to cut oil. Festival versions add a central whole shrimp for visual presentation.
On the Palate
Where Longyan Yangyu Meatloaf sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Finely mince pork belly and dried shrimp together into a paste; separately dice shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots into small pieces.
- 28 min
Combine the pork-shrimp paste with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, scallion whites, duck eggs, flour, salt and white pepper; stir vigorously in one direction until the mixture is cohesive and slightly sticky.
Watch outStir the paste vigorously in one direction until cohesive and slightly sticky — that binding is what holds the discs together in the oil.
- 35 min
Shape the mixture into round discs about 8 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm thick.
- 412 min
Heat oil to 160°C; deep-fry discs in batches until both sides are golden-brown, about 3–4 minutes per batch; drain on a rack.
Watch outFry the discs at 160°C until golden-brown on both sides — this crust traps the moisture that the steaming will later soften back.
- 55 min
Blanch bean sprouts briefly in salted water; arrange in the base of a large serving bowl and place the fried discs on top.
- 612 min
Ladle hot pork broth over the discs, filling the bowl about halfway; steam over high heat for 12 minutes.
Watch outSteam 12 minutes so the fried crust drinks the broth and turns resilient while the filling gels through.
- 72 min
Remove from steamer; garnish with scallion greens and white pepper and serve immediately with the broth.
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