Pearl balls have stories and delicious food.

Pearl balls, commonly known as glutinous rice balls, are a special food in Jianghan Plain, Hubei Province. Fresh pork is made into meatballs, covered with a layer of white glutinous rice, and steamed in a pot.

The raw materials of pearl meatballs are pork, eggs, water chestnuts, glutinous rice, minced onion and ginger, salt and so on. This dish pays attention to the original flavor, and there are no heavy seasonings such as soy sauce and pepper in the raw materials.

Steamed dumplings, glutinous rice grains look crystal clear, like pearls. It tastes soft and waxy, and it has a crisp feeling when chewed carefully, and the taste is amazing. Its pursuit of fresh materials and crystal-clear appearance make the pearl ball look like an elegant work of art.

Large and small restaurants in Jianghan Plain generally have pearl balls. However, hardworking and thrifty housewives prefer to do it at home by themselves.

Aunt Wang, I soaked glutinous rice in water this morning, bought fat and thin pork and processed it with a meat grinder. Beat two eggs, cut water chestnut into pieces, and then knead all of them into meat and balls. Then, take out the glutinous rice and drain it, roll the balls in the glutinous rice, and wrap the balls in the glutinous rice. Then steam the balls wrapped in glutinous rice.

Aunt Wang is making pearl balls for her son. His son is in high school. He gets up early and stays up late every day. It is difficult to review his lessons. Recently, he stayed up too much and ate less. Aunt thought, pearl balls are nutritious and delicious, which can supplement her son's body.

If you are not from Hubei, if you have seen pearl meatballs, you will also like the appearance of this dish and can't help but want to try it. As long as you have eaten pearl balls, you will be full of praise and even want to eat them.

Lao Zhang, a native of Shandong, accidentally ate pearl meatballs at a party and liked its taste very much. Later, he often went to Hubei restaurants to eat them. During the COVID-19 outbreak, local restaurants in Hubei were affected. He hasn't eaten for almost a year, so he couldn't help looking online and ordered take-away pearl balls.

Why do pearl balls come from Jianghan Plain?

This is related to the unique geographical environment. Jianghan Plain has been a land of plenty since ancient times. People here usually eat fresh meat and fish, producing not only rice but also glutinous rice. Pearl meatballs are rich in fresh ingredients.

Although Jianghan Plain once had the habit of eating pickled fish, it was only the need of storing food in the past. Most of them pursue the freshness and original flavor of materials.

In addition to the right time and place, there is also a story about the fame of Pearl Maruko.

Chen Youliang was born in Mianyang, Jianghan Plain. In the peasant uprising at the end of Yuan Dynasty, the Red Scarf Army led by Chen Youliang made immortal contributions in the anti-Yuan struggle.

Chen Youliang was born in a fisherman's family in Mianyang. At the beginning of his enlistment, many children in his hometown actively joined the army. On the day of Chen Youliang's swearing-in, his wife, Pan Shi, went into the kitchen herself, carefully selected meat and fish and steamed them into delicious food. One of the dishes is pearl meatballs, which are sent to the military camp to share with the soldiers. All the soldiers felt the virtue of their wives, fought bravely in the future battles, went forward bravely and won one victory after another.

Chen Youliang, based in Mianyang, once extended its influence to the vast areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. ...

Although Chen Youliang failed in the end, the delicious pearl balls made by his wife were shared with the soldiers, which were remembered by later generations and spread.

Pearl meatballs are delicious, which means beauty. I hope the whole family will be round and round, and be lucky.

Wu Jie school