Fried fermented tofu

This is the unique local snacks in Jiangnan in winter.

When I was young, I ran to the street after school. Of course, this is when I have money in my pocket. Cross the alley and cross the bridge, and you can smell the fried stinky tofu. The manager who fried stinky tofu is a thin old man with white eyebrows and beard. He always carries heavy burdens. The burden is actually a box made of wood. There are stinky tofu, soy sauce, Chili sauce and a pile of small plates in front of the box, and there is a canned bottle with several pairs of chopsticks in it. There is a small coal stove and a pot in the back box.

The old man always stands on the street corner, absorbed in frying stinky tofu. I haven't heard his shouts, but there are always many diners looking for incense in front of his little bag and standing in a circle. His stinky tofu is very distinctive. At first glance, it's dark and no different from other stinky tofu, but once it's put in the pot and taken out of it, it becomes golden and delicious, coated with a layer of soy sauce or Chili sauce (his Chili sauce is homemade, bright red, spicy and comfortable), yellow and red, very beautiful. Take a careful bite (because it is very hot), the outside is yellow and the inside is white, the outside is crisp and the inside is tender, spicy and exciting. At this time, you are not eating but swallowing, and your tongue is rolling.

Old people always fry only a few slices at a time, and sell a few slices after frying, so people waiting for them are eating and others pay attention to each other. Most people who eat fried stinky tofu are women and children. It's really strange that women in Jiangnan don't eat spicy food, and when it comes to this burden, they all become "spicy girls" They have to put on a thick layer of Chili sauce, and women don't care about tenderness at this time. They ate until their lips were red, tears were mixed, and they were hot and sweaty. The old man just kept saying: it's too spicy to stick, don't eat too much. After all, he didn't stop it So the old man consumes a bottle of Chili sauce every day.

At that time, my father gave me fifty cents a month, and at least half of the money was contributed to stinky tofu. A piece of stinky tofu is worth a penny, and after eating one piece, it will be quiet in one day. Sometimes I don't plan to overspend, but I will restrain myself from running there for fear of long hooks in my eyes. However, at that time, as long as I accidentally slipped onto the old man's burden, the old man would always see everything, as if he found that I didn't have a penny in my pocket, and he would smile and fry the most crisp and tender piece for me to eat. Sorry to eat for free. Dad will send me money next month, and I will return it to him immediately. The old man also accepted it, but he must fry me an extra piece of stinky tofu.

It has been more than 20 years since I left that small town in the south of the Yangtze River, and I have never eaten such delicious fried stinky tofu (although I have eaten fried stinky tofu in other cities in the south of the Yangtze River, the taste always seems to be a little worse). It always appears in my dreams, with the thin old man with white beard and white eyebrows who doesn't even know his name.

Pork bone porridge

I've only eaten meat and bone porridge once.

It was a Sunday morning in winter in Jiangnan, and my thrifty aunt suddenly offered to take me to eat meat and bone porridge. I was flattered and followed her all the way for fear that she would suddenly change her mind.

Go along Qingshiban Road, cross the bustling food market and turn into an alley. Far away, I saw a small shop with white fog, and I heard the sound of an iron spoon knocking on the edge of the pot. My aunt led me into the shop, which was full. Everyone is sipping this meat and bone porridge, which seems really delicious.

The proprietress led us into the inner kitchen and said apologetically, "Let's eat here." The proprietress is a 40-year-old woman with ear-long hair and a black hairpin carefully pinned behind her ear. I was afraid that menstruation would get cold feet and run away, so I quickly made my own decision and said, "Yes, yes." As a result, menstruation got two dirty eyes. "Ok, a bowl of meat and bone porridge." The proprietress grabbed the big iron spoon in one hand and uncovered the big pot cover in the other. Suddenly, a heat wave swept the smell of porridge. She stirred the pot with a big iron spoon and handed me a big bowl of porridge. This bowl of porridge is gray, the rice has not been cooked to its original shape, and the porridge surface is dotted with a few pieces of meat and bones. I tasted it carefully, well, it was fragrant and sticky. You really don't have to "eat", just drink. I just stood by the big stove, holding a big bowl, hula hula drinking the meat and bone porridge for the first time in my life Finally, I bit those bones like a puppy. That bowl of porridge cost my aunt 5 cents.

Later, my aunt told me that cooking meat and bones was very troublesome. First, the meat bones (bones connected with some meat) should be boiled for several hours, and then the new rice should be washed and put in before cooking. You can't cook the coke. The key is to master the heat and slow it down. Finally, add salt and monosodium glutamate. Therefore, it is time-consuming and laborious for ordinary families not to make meat and bone porridge and not to drink it. She also warned me not to eat more meat and bone porridge in the street, because some bosses would put the bones eaten by their guests back in the pot to save money. I don't know whether what she said is true or not. Anyway, since then, I have never eaten meat and bone porridge again, not because I was afraid of being unsanitary, but because I didn't have enough money in my pocket to distribute.

But I often go to that meat and bone porridge shop, mainly to see how they handle the finished bones. But the proprietress seems to understand my intention and always greets me with a smile: "Little girl, come and eat a bowl." Then I ran away.

Plain noodle soup

Yangchun noodles have a nice name and a noble appearance. In fact, it is the favorite pasta of Jiangnan people, which is the cheapest and therefore the most refreshing. In Morning in Shanghai, capitalist Xu Yide pretends to be poor in order to avoid public-private partnership, and asks the waiter to deliver lunch, which is Yangchun noodles. It can be seen that Yangchun noodles belong to the patent of working people. As for why you chose the name Yangchun Baixue, it may be antonym, but I am sure that the person who takes this name is by no means Xialiba.

More than twenty years ago, my uncle's family seemed to like to eat Yangchun noodles. Every Sunday, my uncle will definitely lead the whole family to the noodle restaurant in town to eat Yangchun noodles. My two cousins are in high spirits, but I don't like them very much There is nothing on Yangchun noodles except some chopped green onion. It's bare and tasteless. I don't want to eat the second bite after eating the first bite. Every time I can't finish a bowl of Yangchun noodles, I always remind my uncle by innuendo that it's better to eat wonton, at least there is meat. But my uncle resolutely refused, saying that wonton was too expensive to eat. For the same dime, Yangchun noodles are all over, and wonton can only be stuffed. Uncle's teeth are so big. I don't like eating, but I have to eat with my uncle's family every Sunday, because this is their festival, and they have been waiting for this day for six days. Everyone in that noodle restaurant in town knows my uncle. I don't have to tell him every time I come, and it will soon serve Yangchun noodles. Then, my uncle's family began to work hard and make a happy voice. Whenever this time, I look at the sunny face in front of me and pull a long face.

Lu specifically mentioned Yangchun noodles in Gourmet, saying that the first pot of Yangchun noodles was the freshest and most delicious, so many people rushed to drink soup. I don't think my uncles eat this kind of noodles. But anyway, I'm not interested in Yangchun noodles. I lost my appetite as early as twenty years ago.

A light cake

Guangbing is a snack in Fuzhou. It is said that he came in memory of Qi Jiguang. In short, he has a certain relationship with this national hero.

When I was a child, I always liked to stand in front of the tall barrel stove and watch the master make light cakes. There are chefs who make light cakes everywhere. The chopping board and stove are props. The light cake master rolled up his sleeves high, mashed the dough with alkaline water and salt water, then divided it into one dose, and slapped it left and right with his hand, and a small round cake came out. Then he poked a small hole in the middle with a bamboo stick and stuck it on the inner wall of the barrel furnace. Waiting, soon, the fragrance floated out of the furnace. It's estimated that it's almost time. The light cake master shoveled it neatly with a small shovel, and the brown light cake jumped out.

This kind of light cake is hard and yellow, and it is hard to bite. Without good teeth and tenacious fighting spirit, it can't cope, but once it reaches its mouth, it smells more and more fragrant and always wants to take the second one away. A light cake is chewy and storable. It is no problem to leave them for ten and a half months. They are tenacious and have a strong national spirit. Maybe this is their relationship with Qi Jiguang. Cake alone is cheap, a penny. At that time, I often visited the light cake stove, bought one or two pieces and chewed them all the way to school.

In winter, the light cake master is happier, keeping the stove warm, but in summer he is bitter, shirtless or sweating, and the sweat drips on the stove. I dare not buy it, because there must be the sweat of the pastry chef.

Some time ago, I mentioned the light cakes in Fujian's "hometown". They all said that they were delicious and good for teeth. Chewing regularly is definitely better than "white arrow" and "green arrow". But I don't know if there is one now. I haven't eaten for years. I hope I can see this kind of light cake oven on a street corner in Fuzhou.

Taro fruit

Taro fruit is one of the breakfasts in Fuzhou, also called triangle cake. It is said that areca taro is cooked, peeled and ground into paste, and then mixed with rice flour and kneaded. Then, cut into triangles, fry in oil pan until both sides are brown, and take out. When eating, wrap the lower end of taro fruit with a piece of paper (because it is very oily), and take a bite from a corner. It is tender outside (the inner color is gray) and has a fragrant smell of taro. Mmm, it's delicious.

Taro fried stalls can also be seen everywhere. Every morning, you can see stalls in the streets and lanes, filled with smoke and full of fragrance. People who buy taro are holding bowls or carrying small bamboo baskets, waiting for taro to come out of the pot. Often fry a pot and buy a pot. But some of them can't buy the rest. It doesn't matter for an hour or two. They still taste delicious. Unlike fried dough sticks, they soon became chewy old dough sticks after landing. Therefore, the stall owners who sell taro fruits are very complacent. Sometimes it's 90 o'clock in the morning, and they haven't closed their stalls yet, slowly guarding a few unsold taro fruits. They know that there are always hungry people who will seek incense and go away.

Fuzhou citizens usually use a bowl of pot stickers and a taro fruit to solve the breakfast problem, which is delicious and practical. After eating, they are full and go to work. This revolution is too dynamic to say.

Guobianhu

I once chatted with my office colleagues and said that the pot paste in Fuzhou was delicious. They asked in unison: What is a fried dumpling? These guys who eat invincible hands all over the world on weekdays have something they don't know. I proudly began to introduce Fuzhou snacks-fried dumpling to them.

Many places in Fuzhou and even Fujian have pot-side paste, which I have never seen elsewhere. The reason why it is not produced may be because there is no condiment called "shrimp oil" elsewhere, and the pot-side paste will not become pot-side paste without shrimp oil.

The making of pot stickers is very complicated. First, the rice should be washed and soaked for several hours, and then ground into paste for later use. Take a big pot, cook a pot of soup, add shrimp, dried bamboo shoots, mushrooms, onions, garlic and celery to the soup, and finally add a few spoonfuls of shrimp essential oil. This thick soup is ready. This is not over, the first step of the Long March. Pour out the soup and put it in another container. When the water boils to 70% heat, spread peanut oil evenly around the pot, then pour a bowl of rice paste around the pot and cover it. After three minutes, when the rice slurry at the side of the pot is rolled up, shovel it into the clear water with a spatula, then add the clear water, and repeat the above behavior. After the last watering for the fourth time, add thick soup and auxiliary seasonings such as shrimp oil as appropriate. After cooking, put it in another pot and keep it warm with a small fire to sell.

In short, this is a cyclical process, and it can't be done without patience. Therefore, ordinary families don't make pot paste, so they want to eat it and buy it on the street. Restaurants and stalls in the streets and lanes of Fuzhou are all bought and very cheap. The paste on the side of the pot has a special flavor, and the seafood flavor is very strong. Every piece of rice paste is rolled and white, like a tube of onion, which is very refreshing. With yellow shrimp, dried mushrooms, mushrooms and green onions and garlic. Bright colors, appetizing.

Hearing this, my colleagues' throats moved. Then discuss, when you can go to Fujian on business, you must try this fried dumpling. I would like to add that in Fujian, pot stickers are used as snacks for breakfast and after meals, not as meals. Maybe it's because it's not full. When we think of those local snacks that are sweet, everyone says: The people in Fujian are really happy.

Yes, the people in Fujian are really happy.

wonton

I don't think there are any snacks so popular and varied as wonton. Wonton is called flat meat in Fujian; In Sichuan, it is called wonton soup; It is called wonton in Guangxi, Yunnan; Only in Jiangnan is it called wonton.

The content is similar, but the form is somewhat different. Fujian wonton pays attention to freshness, and adding shrimp oil is a major feature. When I was a child, I was always paid for wonton by my mother who liked wonton. What you buy is experience. I know the wonton in the street is too thick, and I have to fill it with boiling water after eating it. The wonton at the end of the street tastes good, but the skin is not meat; The best one is a "wild" shop a few blocks away. It is called wild because it won't open if it is opened, as if it is entirely up to the owner's interest. The wonton in this house is the most authentic. Every wonton is white and transparent, with a little red meat filling looming in the middle and a few chopped green onion, just like a pool of white lotus in autumn water. Wonton in Fujian is generally frugal. A stick is inserted into minced meat and turned over on the skin of wonton, and a wonton is ready. Often a plate of minced meat can fix the wonton that you want to sell in a day. People who eat wonton are usually girls. They can slowly tilt their orchid fingers, carefully scoop up wonton with a small spoon and send it to the small mouth of cherry, regardless of gains and losses. Therefore, compared with other snacks, Fujian wonton is more feminine.

Sichuan wonton is different and full of masculinity. First of all, there is no soup, and second, it is too spicy to forget. That year, I went to Chengdu for investigation and paid a special visit to "Chaoshou". Who knows, a few dry jiaozi-shaped wonton were served with a layer of red pepper oil on them. With my spicy knowledge, I swallowed this bowl of "fried hands" with difficulty. As a result, I can't remember whether it tastes other than spicy.

Wonton is the most common snack in Jiangnan area. There are two kinds of wonton here: big wonton and small wonton. There are many fillings in big wonton, including fresh meat and vegetables, but it is not as thick as jiaozi in the north. Jiangnan people always refuse to do jiaozi style like northerners, and always want to keep the tradition of wonton, no matter how big it is, the true colors of Xiaojiabiyu will not change. Jiangnan Big Wonton is an enlarged small Wonton, which looks like a nun's hat. The soup is full, and most people will feel full after eating a bowl.

Authentic Jiangnan wonton is the most Jiangnan cultural flavor. The skin is so delicate that you can see the pattern in the bowl when you stick it on it. Really as thin as cicada. The meat should be lean, carefully processed and without residue. After the wonton is cooked, the skin is glittering and translucent, "white inside and red inside, different from each other", like a beautiful white butterfly. At this time, the attention will not be eating. But now there are not many such small wonton, and people who cook and eat seem to have lost this delicate mood. Instead, the streets are full of all kinds of popular wonton. Simply wrap it, don't even roll the skin after eating, buy ready-made ones.

When I was studying in the north, I missed wonton (from Jiangnan, Fujian) and gnashed my teeth. The students in the north disagreed and said, what's delicious about that? Clear soup and thin water are not as good as our northern jiaozi.

Yes, be realistic and eat northern jiaozi; If you want to be slim, eat Jiangnan wonton.

Lamb Kebabs

It's strange that I never eat mutton, but I always accept mutton skewers.

The first time I ate mutton kebabs was in Beijing. I came out of Beijing Library that day and went to the vicinity of Baishiqiao, where there was a restaurant and a food stall. First, I bought imitation food Wowotou and ate sour water. After complaining about the appetite of Empress Dowager Cixi, I stood in front of the kebab booth. I didn't want to eat it at first, but I was really attracted by the delicious taste.

My classmate is also a southerner and doesn't eat mutton, but I admire his spirit of daring to think and do. He bought three strings first, and then said, "I'll eat first." He took a careful bite, rolled his eyes, and then accelerated the frequency. I stared at his upturned mouth and asked, "Hey, don't worry, is it delicious?" He ate three strings in one breath, then touched his stomach and said with satisfaction, "It's silly not to eat." Take out your money quickly and grab one in each hand. Bite this string down, bite that string down, it is really delicious, fat but not greasy, full of burnt fragrance, and there is a unique, unspeakable strange smell (later I heard from my classmates in Xinjiang that it is the smell of cumin). We just eat while walking, eat and buy on the spot. There are mutton kebabs everywhere anyway. Even if we are full, we will smell like sheep. We can't eat any more. If you eat again, you will become a grassland herder.

Originally, I thought mutton kebabs were so delicious, but my classmates in Xinjiang said: What kind of mutton kebabs is that? What is really delicious is the mutton skewers in Xinjiang, which is the hometown of mutton skewers. It's the first time I envy Xinjiang people so much, and I really think Xinjiang is a good place.

We have no chance to go to Xinjiang, so let's treat Beijing kebabs as Xinjiang's.

After returning to the south, I have seen mutton kebabs, but they are not only small in appearance, but also completely different in taste. If the kebabs in Beijing are imitation famous brands, then the kebabs in the south are fake and shoddy. There are exceptions. On a business trip to Nanjing, I found a long-lost mutton string in Xinjiekou. The taste and appearance are the same as those in Beijing. Once again, I stood on the street in Nanjing, chewing rudely. As long as you go to Nanjing in the future, you must try your best to sneak into Xinjiekou to play.

But I am always unwilling. I always encourage my boss when I have nothing to do: "Let's go to Urumqi to open a reader and author association, too?"

Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup

With the bottom of mutton kebabs, it seems that you have the courage to go to Xi 'an to eat mutton buns.

I have seen the heroic terracotta warriors and horses, touched Yang Guifei's bath, evaded the pursuit of small traders, eaten strawberries just picked from the fields, and of course climbed the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the ancient bell tower. Next, it's time to taste Xi snacks.

The most representative snacks in Xi are Chinese hamburger and mutton bread in soup. However, I didn't even look at the meat pie. The big cake was stuffed with a large piece of fat, and the fat was dripping. Although the owner of the meat loaf said it was delicious, I just couldn't eat it. I am not afraid of being fat, but I have never eaten fat since I was a child. Chinese hamburger has been given up, but mutton bread in soup must be eaten.

So I went to look for it. Tired of visiting the Drum Tower, I sat down at a stall. After sitting down, I found an old man across the street absorbed in his work: breaking a hard steamed bread into particles. He broke off slowly and intently, and the falling powder was stuck in his mouth with his little finger. What is he doing? Is it bad mouth? Just thinking about it, I saw the old man pour the broken products into a sea bowl full of thick soup, and the bowl of thick soup suddenly turned into a bowl of paste. The old man finished the bowl of paste with relish, stood up, wiped the residue on his beard, and had a big meal loudly, his face brimming with happiness. Suddenly I seemed to understand something, so I quickly found a buddy and asked, "What is that?" "Mutton paomo." God, this muddleheaded thing is the famous mutton bread in soup? When I was young, I hated putting steamed bread in soup. It's too soft to reach and tastes tasteless. No matter how delicious steamed bread is, no matter how delicious soup is, it's all mud.

So unfortunately, the biggest gain in Xi 'an was to buy a bunch of folk handicrafts, but it was blank when I ate them.

After reading "Shaanxi Snacks" written by Jia Pingwa, I spent a lot of pen and ink to describe the wonderful mutton buns, but I was still not provoked by him. This is rare in the history of reading books about eating.

North Korea cold noodles with sesame sauce

When I first arrived in the northeast, I was surprised to see authentic Koreans and Korean characters for the first time. It's not surprising that I watched too much later. Then I began to wonder how to learn more about Korean national culture, such as their food culture, and more specifically, how to eat all the Korean snack bars around the school.

So, I first went to the kimchi stall for a reconnaissance, became friends with the Korean grandmother who bought kimchi, and asked, "What does Dolaji mean?" The Korean old lady is really as kind as the old lady in the surprise. She not only patiently answered my questions about kindergarten level, but also recommended me to buy the representative work of kimchi-Platycodon grandiflorum. I have tasted platycodon grandiflorum and have confidence in Korean snacks.

It was MINUS 18 that day, and it was already a gray world outside the house. When you come out of the bathhouse, your hair will soon freeze into sticks. I don't feel cold, just thirsty. I looked everywhere for water, and later found the cover of "Korean Cold Noodles" fluttering in the wind. Cold noodles? Just to quench my thirst. It's already a wedding, and everyone is holding sea bowls and filling their stomachs with cold noodles, which is very comfortable. So I ordered a bowl, too. When it was served, I felt as if something was wrong. The bright red noodle soup is very quiet. Of course, noodles lurk at the bottom of the soup, but this soup seems to have just come out of tap water and smells like bleach. Doubt turned into doubt. I am really thirsty. I will drink it whether I like it or not. As a result, my thirst was relieved, but all the residual temperature in my body was taken away. Run all the way back to the dormitory, cover the hot water bottle, pour boiling water, and it takes a long time to melt the ice in your stomach.

I made a fatal mistake. Northeasters and southerners are different from each other. They can eat frozen pears and popsicles in the ice and snow, because they have a strong stomach that has been exercised since childhood. So they can eat cold noodles wrapped in big cotton-padded jackets, and I can only wear short sleeves.

However, I still have no courage to taste Korean cold noodles anymore. Even at the thought of these four words, my stomach began to get cold.

Don't blame North Korea for being cold-faced, blame yourself.

Red-Cooked Chicken, Daokou Style

I am ashamed to say that I have been studying abroad for several years, and most of my attention is spent on eating. The reasons are as follows: First, the boring meals in the school cafeteria often make them hungry; The second is caused by nature. "Food is the most important thing for the people", and I am no exception.

So, shortly after I arrived in Changchun, I found that "Daokou Roast Chicken" was quite distinctive and was busy visiting it myself. Sure enough, the roast chicken in the window is plump and tender, Huang Cancan is warm and fragrant, and the people who buy it line up in a long line, which further confirms the roast chicken's reputation. In the next three years, as long as there is some money in my wallet, I will rush to the roast chicken shop and buy half a chicken if I can't afford a whole one. Buy chicken offal (chicken liver, eggs, etc. It's cheap and delicious, and it's the favorite thing for poor students. The joy of walking with a small bag of roast chicken is beyond words, only how wonderful it is to live at that moment. At this time, if you attack dyslexia, no matter how thick the brick is, you can "chew" it down without any difficulty. This is the power of "crossing the roast chicken" Sometimes, people's appetite is much more important than their brains. In other words, even matter can sometimes rudely overcome spirit.

Every time the female compatriots in the dormitory celebrate their birthdays, they will buy a "cross roast chicken" for everyone without exception. After the chicken is served, often before the plastic bag is opened, everyone has already picked up the guy and is eager to try. The delicious, hot roast chicken was so tender that even the bones were crisp, and a piece of chicken slipped into the stomach before it could stay on the tongue. At this time, brothers and sisters often find the fragrance and come uninvited. When they say "Happy Birthday", they will sit down and munch. At that time, brothers and sisters wanted to do things, or conversely, begged us to do things, all of which were out of the box: a roast chicken at the intersection.

Three years in Changchun can be said to be spent in the fragrance of "Daokou roast chicken". Although we can't eat it often, the fragrance wafting from the roast chicken shop not far from school every day makes our reading life interesting. )

When I was about to graduate, I was told that there was a pie shop specializing in making meat pies, which was too good to mention. Unfortunately, there is no chance. Otherwise, there will be something delicious for me to eat.