"Speaking of Southern Shaanxi" (4) Health on the tip of the tongue

This is the South in the eyes of northerners, and the North in the eyes of southerners.

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It is now popular to call people who love food “foodies.” It is no longer a derogatory term in our minds, but an important part of our tasteful life. part. When it comes to food, southern Shaanxi can be regarded as a world for "foodies".

The food culture of southern Shaanxi is also unique. There is a saying that expresses the difference between the staple food of southern Shaanxi and Guanzhong and northern Shaanxi: "The Qinling Mountains are a line, eating rice in the south and noodles in the north." The reason why special food culture habits are formed is due to its history, culture and geographical environment. Because it is located in the Bashan area of ??the Qinling Mountains, with many mountainous rivers and humid air, and the influence of Bashu culture, southern Shaanxi has formed a eating habit of mainly rice, with a wide variety of food. In order to drive away moisture, southern Shaanxi has developed a spicy, spicy and sour diet. Compared with Hunan cuisine, it is not overly spicy; compared with Sichuan cuisine, it is not overly numb. Relatively speaking, the spicy taste is moderate, and there is no lack of acid. There is a saying in southern Shaanxi: "If you don't eat sour food for three days, you will walk unsteadily." This shows that people in southern Shaanxi love sour food. The author is an Ankang person, and Ankang on the Tip of the Tongue will introduce several health foods that I am most familiar with.

1

Ankang Steamed Noodles

Steamed noodles are a unique food in Ankang and the hometown taste of Ankang people. Since I went to college in other places, I rarely had the opportunity to eat steamed noodles. Every time I came back to Ankang, I would always go around to the snack street next to the high school, drink a porridge and eat a steamed noodles, which can be called our " "Life of a fairy." Before eating, you always take a few photos and post them on WeChat to show off that you are back in your hometown. This is also a dietary pattern of Ankang people.

Remember that every time you go back to school, you must bring a few steamed noodles to bring to the fellow students studying in the same city. This is the best gift, and it can be eaten by tourists who are studying hundreds of kilometers away. When it comes to steaming noodles, the taste cannot be expressed in words and cannot be forgotten. It tastes of childhood and the taste of youth. There are many people making steamed noodles on the snack street. The one I remember the most is Wengjia Steamed Noodles. There is a long queue every morning, and it is only open until 12 o'clock at noon. Ankang people usually eat steamed noodles for breakfast, which has become a local habit.

When I was a child, every neighbor’s family would make their own steamed noodles. Although the taste was not very good, everyone enjoyed eating it. Each household purchased utensils for steaming noodles, and then went to a nearby family with better skills to learn the skills for a few days, and then they "became a master." The children were even more delighted to eat their own steamed noodles.

Whenever a friend comes to Ankang, Ankang people will habitually say, "Come on, let me treat you to some steamed noodles." The phrase "eat steamed noodles" reflects the important position of steamed noodles in Ankang people's diet. , steamed noodles have also become a staple for people in the city of Ankang.

When talking about steamed noodles, we must talk about the process of making steamed noodles:

The process of making steamed noodles is actually quite artistic. A pot of boiling water was boiling, and the man in charge was seen holding a pot of thinly mixed batter. He scooped up a ladle and poured in a round steamed noodle with a shallow waist and a flat bottom, about one foot in diameter and made of white aluminum. In the iron, gently turn the iron a few times to allow the thick batter to flow into a thin round dough as the bottom plate rotates. Then put the iron into the boiling water pot and cover the pot. Continue to heat, it only takes two or three minutes. When you open the lid of the pot, you will see a steaming, white and transparent round dough. The person in charge takes out the iron from the pot and sets it aside to cool, then continues to make the next piece of dough. After the cooked dough has cooled slightly, he uses a brush dipped in sesame oil to brush the dough back and forth a few times, and then Pick it up and fold it oppositely, and use a knife to cut everything. The main ingredient of the steamed noodles is ready. But at this time, the "revolution" did not succeed, and there was still more complicated and detailed work to be done. This is the key part that determines the taste of steamed noodles - condiments: the ingredients include bean sprouts and celery cooked in boiling water, and carefully prepared aromatic spices. Vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, sesame oil, sesame paste, spicy oil, etc., take a white porcelain blue flower plate, mix the cut dough evenly with the above-mentioned various seasonings to make a plate with red and green colors, color and flavor. When the finished product is perfect, it can be called: Ankang steamed noodles.

Speaking of this, my mind is filled with images of eating steamed noodles in the past.

2

Kang Kang Bun

Speaking of Kang Kang Bun, I can’t help but recall my three years in high school, when I rented a house with my friends. Outside of school, I habitually buy Kang Kang buns every morning. Kang Kang buns can be served with vegetables, so I usually buy vegetable buns or Malatang buns, and add a cup of soy milk to start a good day. When I was in my senior year of high school, I was very nervous about reviewing. The breakfast on campus was not very good, and the students who lived on campus were far away from home, so the students who rented off campus took on the task of buying breakfast. The first choice for breakfast was of course Caijiamo. There are dozens of them, forming a beautiful scenery.

Most of the people who sell vegetables and steamed buns are local Hui people. The Hui people are generally very hard-working. They will make Kang Kang buns at about six o'clock every morning and set up stalls on the street. We all queue up and rush to buy. After school, go to school, go to work, and eat on the way.

This is how Kang Kang buns are made:

Kang Kang buns are not complicated to make. The main raw materials are local specialty flour, vegetable oil, and sesame seeds.

The flour is fermented with old flour and fully kneaded; the pastry noodles are mixed with flour with vegetable oil, lard, alkali, five spices, etc.; the sesame seeds are peeled with a stone mortar and a dustpan to remove the chaff. When making, cut the dough on a chopping board, roll it into a small lump, use a wooden rolling pin to roll it into a round or square cake lump with a thin middle and slightly thicker sides. After coating with water and sesame seeds, bake it in an iron griddle with charcoal fire on the upper and lower sides. Flip once or twice until the cake surface turns yellow and the sesame seeds become crispy and fragrant.

3

Jianshui noodles

Jiangshui noodles are very unfamiliar to outsiders. In fact, they are commonly known as pickled cabbage noodles in the local area. Jianshui is pickled vegetables. A sour introduction.

The water surface and my growth go hand in hand. Speaking of this, it comes from my mother. For as long as I can remember, my mother has always loved to eat glutinous rice noodles. One of her three meals a day must include one meal of glutinous rice noodles. It seems that she never gets tired of eating it. Every neighbor's house is soaked in syrup. If there is no more syrup in that house, the adults will ask the children to go to the neighbor's house to "find syrup" and continue to pickle vegetables with the found syrup to ensure that there is syrup to eat every day. The slurry is actually like a whistle for making noodles in the north.

Generally, the slurry surface will be like this:

The slurry surface is to fry the green onion until it is slightly burnt, then pour the slurry water until it boils slightly, scoop it out, and then stir-fry it. Vegetarian leeks for a flavor-enhancing stir-fry. After the hand-made noodles are cooked, pour in the slurry water, add fried leeks, oily spicy seeds, and fine salt, and then eat. The noodles in Ankang and Hanzhong are sour, spicy, and fragrant. It is said that the name was given by Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and Xiao He, the prime minister, when they were eating noodles here. It has always been a favorite pasta among Ankang people. Mustard greens (spicy vegetables) are the best vegetables, but cabbage and celery are also acceptable. When making, wash the vegetables, blanch them in boiling water until wilted, take them out and put them in a clay pot, add noodle soup, wait for one to two days until the vegetables turn golden brown, then stir-fry them with cooking oil, refined salt, add garlic sprouts, and serve. Diced tofu mixed with garlic, minced ginger, Sichuan peppercorns and other seasonings, then stewed into stir-fried water vegetables to serve as dumplings. The slurry noodles should be rolled manually to make the leaves wide, the strips long and the slices thin. Put the cooked noodles into a bowl, add the simmered vegetables, pour the red chili oil, and serve. It looks red, white and yellow, has a spicy and sour taste, has an endless aftertaste, and has the effect of appetizing. It is a famous snack in Ankang and Hanzhong.

Steamed noodles, Kang Kang buns, and glutinous rice noodles are an indispensable part of Ankang people's diet. They show the distinctive characteristics of southern Shaanxi food culture. There are many Ankang on the tip of the tongue, which are memories. It is youth, and it is our unknown journey.