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According to the definition in the dictionary, Lu(marinate) means salt, especially referring to well salt. Marinated food, or food stewed with soy sauce and spices, means that the chef puts roughly processed materials into a master stock and heats them gently till they become tasty. However, even the simple character of Lu has many possible ways of interpretation. For example, marinated eggs are made with the most radical marinating method, which is essentially the same as the interpretation in the dictionary. Put eggs in a pot of brine water and boil the eggs till they become tasty; marinated preserved tofu and marinated chicken wings and duck legs must be covered with hot oil before being put into brine water, which makes them tasty, crispy, and palatable. Pork and beef are best when being put into cold water and being heated to medium before being marinated. Most ingredients need to be partially or fully cooked before being marinated, especially meat—the truth is that raw meat has relatively less water; once heated, the salt in the brine water will penetrate into the meat and make it salty. In addition, the blood in the raw meat will pollute the brine water. A pot of quality brine water should not have the following defects, such as making people thirsty, numb in mouth, hot and dry in mouth, bloating in intestines and stomach etc., all of which are the result of too much salt and chili.按照词典的解释，卤者盐也，特指井盐。而说到卤菜，乃是先有制备完全之卤汁，将已经粗略加工的材料置卤汁中持续以文火加热至入味而成。然而哪怕是一个简单的卤字，所表达的具体手段也不尽一样。譬如说卤蛋，是最最正本清源的卤法，与词典的解释基本一致。卤水一锅，煮蛋数只，徐徐加热，至深厚入味，即可大快朵颐；卤豆腐干、鸡翅鸭腿之流，则必须以热油炮(pao)紧表皮，再行卤制，使其型整，入味，且酥烂适口；猪肉、牛肉，最宜在冷水中焯至八分熟，再下卤锅。多数的食材须半熟或全熟后方可下卤水，尤其是肉食—-道理是这样的，生肉的含水量相对较少，一旦加热，卤水中的盐分将大量渗入其中，口味太咸，且生肉带有血污，多少会污染到这锅卤水。一锅好的卤水不应该有如下的缺陷，譬如吃完口渴、口麻、全口燥热、肠胃坠胀等等，基本上是盐酱过多、麻辣过量所致。
Although it is one of the simplest ways of cooking, the key to making marinated food is to mix a variety of flavors of brine water. Just like the old saying goes “opera actors rely on his or her voice; good chefs rely on quality soup”, the brine water is the key to making successful marinated food. The famous Chaozhou brine water is the ancestor of the marinated food of the south of China. Provinces in the south of the Yangtze River basically followed the same methods and make similar brine water. The ingredients needed to make the brine water generally include sugar, salt, soy sauce, fennel, cardamom, amomum, dried citrus peel, cinnamon, ginger, licorice and even pepper. However, for quality brine water, chefs must be very particular about how to mix the ingredients and different marinated food may need different compositions. Cheap marinated food bought on the street are mostly salty and with weak flavor, because the cook failed to pay attention to the proportion of the different ingredients.虽是最简单的烹饪方式之一，卤的关键在于调配好各种卤汁。俗所谓“唱戏的腔，厨师的汤”其实说的就是卤水上的功夫。国中著名的潮州卤水，是南派卤菜的始祖，长江以南各省市的卤法大同小异，多少都与之类同。内容不外乎是糖盐酱油，大小茴香，豆蔻砂仁，陈皮桂皮，沙姜甘草，乃至花椒胡椒，然而用法用量则极其讲究，千变万化。街边买来的便宜卤水食品，大都入口咸重，却后味浅薄，原因就是各种调料的配比来得不讲究。
People from my hometown are fond of delicious food and want to marinate whatever they think will be tasty. My Brother-in-law is full of sense of humor, sometimes he really has the Midas touch when playing mahjong, and he will laugh at himself by saying that his hands have also been marinated. The most famous marinated food in recent years has been Wuhan’s marinated duck neck, which is synonymous with Wuhan specialty and is regarded as the perfect dish to go with wine by people around the whole country. In Wuhan, different foods, such as lotus roots, eggs, sausages, duck’s feet and cow bones, are always put into one pot of brine water. Different flavors integrate with each other and create a unique and savory flavor. While some restaurants keep a pot of brine water especially for duck neck.Many people disagree with this method because they don’t know the reason behind the recipe: lotus roots, eggs, sausages, and duck’s feet will not lose their flavor whether it is hot or cool; in fact, it is better to eat the marinated duck neck when it is cool—put the duck neck into the well mixed boiling brine water and simmer it till the whole neck becomes tasty and colored. Turn off the heat three hours later and cover the food with a lid. Wait till it is cool and the flavor of the brine water has infiltrated into each fiber of the duck neck. The marinated duck neck cooked this way is really tasty and delicious.家乡人是好吃的，什么都想卤一卤。我家姐夫生性幽默，打麻将时遇手气好，也自嘲手是“卤”过的。近些年最有名的，莫过于武汉的卤水菜鸭脖子，已经成了武汉特产的代名词，现在全国人民都视其如下酒恩物。在武汉，同一锅卤水往往同时卤着藕、鸡蛋、香肠、鸭掌、牛骨头，其味相互融合，拥趸甚多，乃是江城夜市一景；而讲究的店家，却只为鸭脖子独备一镬，专卤专用。多有不以为然者，实为未明其所以然：藕蛋肠掌者，可趁热或晾凉食用，滋味各佳，唯鸭颈一项，只宜凉吃—-卤水经配制烧滚，下整条鸭颈慢火入味上色，三小时后关火加盖，使其自然凉透，卤水的滋味渗透到鸭颈的每缕纤维之中，啃起来，那是分外地有质感哪。
Can marinated food only be created with a water based broth? Of course not, oil can also be used to cook marinated food. We call it oil brine.卤只能用水吗？当然不是，油也可以，称之为“油卤”。
Different from traditional food ingredients and cooking methods, Wuhan citizens even began to make marinated seafood. One case in example is the marinated shrimps in oil. Put all kinds of spices into the boiling oil to make an oil brine, heat the brine oil to 120 degrees and then turn the heat down, put the two-inche large shrimp into the brine oil, turn off the heat, cover it with a lid and wait till it become cool and tasty, then take the shrimp and remove the oil sludge-the shrimp meat and shell will separate easily. The meat is flexible and spicy.不同于传统的食材思路，最近武汉人把海鲜也给卤了。曰“油浸大虾”，将配方不明的香料投入热油，制成“卤油”，烧至120度大火改小火，入足两寸大海虾后，关火，加盖，待其凉透，其味也入透，捞出沥去浮油上桌—-其虾壳肉易于分离，虾肉弹性十足，鲜辣适口。 

Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce鱼香肉丝
Style of cooking: Sichuan cuisine菜系：川菜
Flavor: Flavored with fish spices口味：鱼香味
Characteristics: the major ingredient of this dish is the shredded pork with 30% fatty meat and 70% lean meat, which will make the pork have a smooth and tender texture, and the dish will have a ruddy red color. The dish is sour, sweet, spicy and rich with flavor. This dish also uses the spices that are traditionally used for fish based dishes to create a unique and delicious flavor.特色：此菜主料猪肉选用三成肥七成瘦者切丝，方能使肉丝质地滑嫩，菜呈红润色，带酸、甜、辣味，味道富有鱼香味。
Ingredients原料： 200g of pork, 15g of black jelly ear (soaked in water), 30g of water chestnuts, 50g of scallion stalks, 10g of garlic, 10g of ginger, 1 egg, 2 spoonfuls of soy sauce, 2 spoonfuls of starch, 1 spoonful of salad oil, 1/2 spoonful of MSG, 1 spoonful of vinegar, 1 spoonful of sesame oil, 2 spoonfuls of starch liquid and 1 spoonful of chili sauce.猪肉200克，黑木耳（水发）15克，荸荠30克，葱白50克，蒜头10克，姜10克，鸡蛋1个，酱油2匙，淀粉2匙，色拉油1匙，味精1/2匙，糖1匙，醋1匙，香油1匙，水淀粉2匙，辣椒酱1匙。
Cooking method制作方法： 1. Cut the pork (30% fatty meat and 70% lean meat) into 0.3x5cm of slices; put in a spoonful of soy sauce, 2 spoonfuls of starch, 1 spoonful of salad oil and the liquid egg white and mix them well by hand.1．猪肉（肥3瘦7）先切片成0．3公分薄片，再顺丝切成0．3公分粗5公分长的肉丝，加入调料酱油1匙、淀粉2匙、色拉油1匙及蛋汁抓匀上浆。
2. Tenderize the black jelly ear and the water chestnuts and then dice them; clean the scallion stalks and chop them. Dice the garlic and the ginger.2．黑木耳及荸荠拍打切末，葱白洗净切成葱花，蒜头、姜切成细末。
3. Spread the salad oil on the heated wok, and then pour a spoonful of salad oil in the wok, fry the shredded pork until it is 80% cooked and put the pork in the colander to drain the oil.3．热锅先用色拉油滑过，再倒入1勺色拉油，先把肉丝拉油至8分熟，倒入漏勺滤干油分。
4. Pour a spoonful of salad oil in the wok and stir-fry the diced garlic and ginger in it. Then put the chili sauce in, and the ingredients including the 200g of pork, 15g of black jelly ear, 30g of water chestnut, 1 spoonful of soy sauce, 1/2 spoonful of MSG, 1 spoonful of sugar, 1 spoonful of vinegar, 1 spoonful of sesame oil and 2 spoonfuls of starch liquid and fry them for a moment. Put the chopped scallions in. Put the dish in a plate and serve.4．锅注入1匙色拉油，先放入蒜、姜末爆炒一下，再放入辣椒酱，然后放入材料猪肉200克、黑木耳（水发）15克、荸荠30克，加调料酱油1匙、味精1/2匙、糖1匙、醋1匙、香油1匙、水淀粉2匙翻炒两下，再放葱花即可。 

Stir Fried Prawns with Longjing Tea龙井虾仁
Style of cooking: Zhejiang cuisine菜系：浙菜
Flavor: fresh scent口味：清香味
Introduction 介绍：
Just as its name implies, stir fried prawns with Longjing tea is made by cooking peeled prawns with tender shoots of Longjing tea, which is a famous dish from Hangzhou. The peeled prawns are white like jade, fresh, and tender. The tea shoots are dark green with a fresh scent and an elegant color as well as a distinctive flavor. After eating this dish, one will feel refreshed and his appetite will be stimulated. This dish is an outstanding dish of Hangzhou cuisine.龙井虾仁，顾名思义，是配以龙井茶的嫩芽烹制而成的虾仁，是富有杭州地方特色的名菜。虾仁玉白，鲜嫩；芽叶碧绿，清香，色泽雅丽，滋味独特，食后清口开胃，回味无穷，在杭菜中堪称一绝。
Stir Fried Prawns with Longjing Tea is made from big, live river prawns and cooked with fresh Longjing tea picked around Tomb-sweeping Day. The peeled prawns are white, fresh and tender and the tea shoots are dark green with a fresh scent and an elegant color, as well as a distinctive flavor. It is a famous traditional Hangzhou dish with outstanding flavor.“龙井虾仁”选用活大河虾，配以清明节前后的龙井新茶烹制，虾仁肉白、鲜嫩，茶叶碧绿、清香，色泽雅丽，滋味独特，是一道杭州传统风味突出的名菜。
Ingredients 原料：
1000g of river prawns, 1g of fresh Longjing tea, the egg white from 1 egg, 1 spoonful of Shaoxing wine and the proper amount of starch.大河虾1000克，龙井新茶1克，鸡蛋清1只，绍酒1汤匙，生粉适量。
Cooking method 制作方法：
1. Peel the big river prawns and take out the meat. Stir and clean the peeled pawns with clean water until they are snowy white. Drain the water and put the prawns on a plate. Put the salt and the egg white liquid in, and then stir them with chopsticks until they are sticky. Put the starch and the MSG in and stir them well; pickle them for 2 hours.1．将大河虾去壳挤出虾肉，用清水反复搅洗至虾仁雪白，滤干水后，盛入碟内，放盐和蛋清，用筷子搅拌至有粘性时，加入生粉、味精拌匀腌2小时。
2. Soak 50g Longjing tea with boiling water for 1 minute and pick out 30g of tea leaves. Leave the rest of the tea water and leaves for later usage.2．将龙井新茶用滚水50克泡开约1分钟，滗出茶叶30克，乘下的茶叶和茶汁备用。
3. Heat the wok and pour the oil in. When the oil is 40% heated, put the prawns in; stir them with chopsticks rapidly. When the prawns are white like jade, put them in a colander to drain the oil. Put the scallions to simmer in the wok and then put the prawns in. Pour the tea leaves and tea water in the wok immediately and pour the Shaoxing wine in. Fry them for a moment. And the dish can be served.3．烧热锅，下油，至四成熟时，放入虾仁，并迅速用筷划散，至虾仁呈玉白色时，倒入漏勺滤去油。下葱煨锅，将虾仁倒入锅中，迅即将茶叶连汁倒入，淋入绍酒，翻炒片刻即可。