The taste of childhood

Last night, at the entrance of the vegetable market, I saw a bag of cat strips on the counter of the steamed bread processing shop. I was moved. The wife asked, "Is it old fermented?" The shopkeeper's answer made us smile. So we bought four bags and went home.

When we got home, we broke off a short piece and put it in a bowl. After playing in the microwave oven for less than two minutes, the long-lost fragrance of steamed bread floated up, and the taste of childhood came!

When I was a child, I liked to steam steamed buns at home every year. Because it was my happiest time. The smell of steamed bread means that the happy and sweet Spring Festival is coming.

The steamer belongs to the production team, and it is estimated that there are fifteen or six pieces. Every household uses it to steam next to each other, and sometimes regrets not being behind.

Every time I pass by the door of someone who steamed steamed steamed buns early, I always look at the steaming steamed buns on the drying list in front of others. It's really a bit unspeakable. When I meet my uncles and aunts, they will bring me one or two to try. Holding hot steamed bread in hand, eating it in your mouth, soft and sweet, really happy. I am looking forward to the early arrival of my happy time.

When it's her turn to steam steamed bread at home, mother will prepare noodles, radishes, cabbage and meat. Distiller's grains are often sent by people who steam steamed buns. Of course, sometimes you will pay for it; When you meet someone who doesn't want money, mom will give you something else to show her heart. Mom is such a person, she doesn't want to take advantage of others, even if she loses a little, she is willing in her heart.

When the steamer arrives at your door, you should first clean the steamer simply, especially the cloth. Finally, the house is clean, just wash it a little; If you are sloppy at home, you should have a good wash. In fact, there is nothing dirty about the steamer and the cage cloth, and they have been disinfected at high temperature again and again. I just don't like the untidiness of my last family. It's healthier to turn over a new leaf

When she wants to steam steamed bread at home, her mother will chop the radish and pickles, chop the meat, then mix it with the meat and add onions, garlic and salt. Sometimes I use chopsticks to hold some stuffing and taste the salty taste of the stuffing until it is suitable.

My father is away all the year round, and my sister and brother are young. My cousin is always invited to start fermentation at home. Later, my sister got married and the job was given to my brother-in-law. I saw them playing with dough in a clean vat. Stir the noodles and distiller's grains in a vat, and pour warm water from time to time. Until the dough and yeast are fully mixed, knead the dough to make it bright, slippery and beautiful, then cover the vat with a quilt, and there will be dry straw around the vat.

In the middle of the night, my mother would get up and look at the fermented dough in the jar. If the dough in the jar is fermented bare and high enough to touch the quilt above, everyone will get up. Boil water, boil water, and make steamed bread. The whole family moved together. My mother and sisters are very dexterous with their hands. Soon, the cage was full of meat buns, radish buns, pickles buns, sugar stuffed buns, flower rolls and long cat strips. Let's talk while we are busy. Sometimes the whole family will laugh when they meet stupid questions or stupid answers.

I am the fifth in my family, and my task is to make a fire. Sitting at the mouth of the fire pond, plus miscellaneous boards and dead branches, makes the fire burn more brightly. It was originally necessary to pull the bellows, which was very laborious. Later, it was replaced by an electric blower, which saved a lot of effort. Just add some trees to the fire hall. Sometimes when the fire is not strong, I will stir it in the fireplace with an iron fork and stir it a few times, and soon the fire will be there. Sitting in front of the hall, it is very warm, and sometimes I will hum a few lyrics. The most popular one is "Midnight ..." in shan ying Hong.

At this time, the laughter of my family, the motor sound of the blower, the crack of the fire in the fire hall, and my singing from time to time filled the kitchen hall and intoxicated everyone.

When the water in the pot boiled, I turned off the blower. Everyone will pile the cages full of steamed bread on the pot piece by piece, neatly packed, then cover the cage to see the time, then turn on the blower and add materials to make the fire in the fire hall have a delicious dream.

At that time, I remember putting some chopsticks and kitchen knives on the cage cover. I want to know why, but I'm afraid to ask, for fear of any taboo. Of course, until now, I don't know. I want to ask this question, but my mother has been away from us for almost 30 years.

Steaming steamed bread usually takes 40 minutes. The first cage takes longer. When the cage is steaming hot and the sound of the hot air swishing up in the cage becomes low, my mother often stands on the bench, lifts the lid of the cage and presses the steamed bread in the cage with chopsticks. When you see the elasticity of steamed bread, you will say, "Well, it's out, and the steamed bread is ready."

So, I turned off the blower, picked up a basin full of clean water, walked to the door and sprinkled water on the drying list. Soon, everyone took down the cage one by one, ran to the door and poured the steamed bread on the drying list. None of us are happy to see steamed buns on the drying list. By that time, I had washed it and was waiting to eat steamed bread.

I picked up the meat buns and saw that they were warm, soft and fragrant. It's warm, soft, elastic, smells good, and my mouth is swimming. Sometimes when my hands are so hot, I will hold the steamed stuffed bun in my hand, throw it into the air from time to time, keep blowing in my mouth, and keep my eyes on the thrown steamed stuffed bun. As it flies up and down, my eyes are erratic. When the steamed stuffed bun is not too hot, I open my mouth, pass my hand and bite my teeth, and half of the steamed stuffed bun is in my mouth. Fresh gravy will flow in my mouth. As my tongue moves up and down, soup seems to visit every taste bud of mine. That kind of salty but greasy but not oily, fragrant but not greasy feeling makes the hard work in the middle of the night disappear in the smell of steamed bread, which is the taste of a year. The smell of steamed bread means that a festive festival is coming.

The whole family's hard work for a year was lost in the smell of steamed bread. In the smell of steamed bread, there is a bitter but sweet happiness of the whole family for a year, and they are full of hope and sweet desire for the coming year.

Now I am eating the aged fermented steamed bread processed in a small shop. When I smell the aroma of steamed bread, I always think of the scene of steaming steamed bread in my house, the feeling that steamed bread gives me taste buds after a hard night, and the taste of childhood! Love to eat steamed bread when it smells good!