Exploring Chaozhou "Da Leng" Food at Chiuchow Darling

Chiuchow Darling is a Chinese restaurant in Shanghai that serves Chiuchow cuisine (interchangeable with Chaozhou and Teochew) with an emphasis on “cooled” dishes.

Da Leng dishes at Chaozhou restaurant Chiuchow Darling in Shanghai.

It's the latest from VOS Families (Suzie, Suzie’s Garden, ma-ia-ki, etc), and is a collaboration with Shi Tou Pai (狮头牌), a restaurant brand based in the south that specializes in Chaoshan cuisine.

Da Leng dishes at Chaozhou restaurant Chiuchow Darling in Shanghai.

What is Da Leng?

It's Chinese name, 打冷 (da leng), roughly translates to "cooled" and refers to the cooking and serving method of dishes, popularized in Chaoshan. Dishes are cooked, then cooled, and served at room temperature, or even cold from the chiller.

Da Leng dishes at Chaozhou restaurant Chiuchow Darling in Shanghai.

Its origins stem from street stalls selling ready-to-eat foods in basket carriers and from fishermen who cooked their catch of the day with seawater, sans other seasoning, to maintain freshness and to preserve the fish. Da leng also applies to marinated meats.

One would argue that it is a method that allows the product's clean, unadulterated flavors to shine.

Da Leng dishes at Chaozhou restaurant Chiuchow Darling in Shanghai.

There’s a whole menu section dedicated to da leng dishes at Chiuchow Darling. They have the braised variety, an assortment of duck neck, goose web, liver, fish cake, trotter, and offal, and cold seafood. Whole fish is lightly seasoned with salt, steamed, and then served cold, accompanied with a fermented bean sauce to dip.