Every time I go home, what I look forward to most is the hometown delicacies dustpan board.

The term “dustpan board” comes from many sources. Nowadays, the dustpan board has become a standard feature for Hakka people in western Fujian to entertain guests from afar or have family dinners during holidays.

To make a dustpan board, you must first pound the sticky rice into a pulp. When I was a child, every family had a stone mill, and stone grinding was more time-consuming. Later, new processing machines were installed in the mills, which saved time and effort, and dustpan boards became a commonplace item on the Hakka dining table. Not just any rice can be used to make a dustpan board. Only dustpan boards made from sticky rice can have a smooth and elastic texture.

The dustpan board is used for stuffing. The stuffings commonly used by Hakka people in summer include minced cowpea stuffing, minced eggplant stuffing, and white radish stuffing. Sometimes they are used in winter when vegetables are not so abundant. Stuffing of cabbage, fragrant bones and meat, or dried vegetables, such as dried radish or dried cabbage. In order to increase the taste of the stuffing, various vegetable markets add chopped shiitake mushrooms, so that the stir-fried stuffing has a rich texture and a fragrant aroma. As for what kind of filling to use, it depends on the dietary preferences of each family.

One thing I have to say is the soul dipping sauce of dustpan board, scallion oil. Of course, there are many kinds of recipes, some use garlic, some use onions, and some use spring onions. The method is the same, add a tablespoon of peanut oil to the iron pan, heat the pan, add the spices, and fry until golden brown, then turn off the heat and remove from the pan.

After the rice milk, fillings and dipping sauces are all prepared, it’s time for the housewives to show off their skills.

Boil water in an iron pot on the stove, pour the rice milk into a dustpan, spread it out, then put it in the pot and cover it. Fill some firewood in the stove, and when the water in the pot boils again, it means that the dustpan board is cooked. At this time, open the pot and you can see the rice milk forming. In the boiling large pot, the dustpan board bulges out. Bubble. Quickly pick up the dustpan, cut it into pieces, add the fried fillings while it's hot, and roll it up like a burrito. Finally, apply a layer of soul dipping sauce, and that bite is satisfying.

It’s easy to get tired of dustpan boards if you eat them too much, but if you pair them with hot local green tea, the greasiness can be covered by the refreshing green tea. Take a bite of the stuffed board and then take a sip of tea. happy!

No matter how far you travel, the delicious food in your hometown will always bring you nostalgia.