Fried stinky tofu

This is a unique local snack in Jiangnan in winter.

When I was young, I would run down the street as soon as school was over. Of course, this was when I had a few dollars in my pocket. Walking through the alley and crossing the bridge, you can smell the aroma of fried stinky tofu. The person who sells fried stinky tofu is a thin old man with completely white eyebrows and beard. He always carries a load. The load is actually a box made of wood. The box in front contains stinky tofu, soy sauce, chili sauce and a stack of small dishes. Plate, and a can with several pairs of chopsticks inserted in it. A box at the back holds a small coal stove and a pot.

The old man always stands on the corner of the street, frying stinky tofu with concentration. I have never heard his shouting, but there are always many diners who come looking for the scent and stand in a circle in front of his little load. His stinky tofu is very distinctive. At first glance, it looks black and no different from other stinky tofu. But once it is put into the pot and then taken out of the pot, it becomes golden and fragrant, and is coated with a layer of soy sauce or chili sauce ( His chili sauce is homemade, bright red, spicy and comforting), yellow and red, really beautiful. I took a bite carefully (because it was very hot). It was yellow on the outside and white on the inside, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It was spicy and stimulating. At this time, I was no longer eating but curling my tongue to swallow it.

The old man always only fried a few pieces at a time, and fried several pieces and sold them for a few pieces, so the people waiting all ate it alone, and the others received the attention of their peers. Most of the people who eat fried stinky tofu are women and children. It’s really strange. Women in Jiangnan don’t eat spicy food, but when they come to this place, they all become “hot girls” and are smeared thickly with chili sauce. There was still one more layer to apply, and the woman no longer cared about being polite. She kept eating until her lips were red, tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was sweating hotly. The old man just kept saying: It's so spicy that you can't stick to it, so don't eat too much. After all, he didn't stop him. Therefore, the old man consumes one bottle of chili sauce every day.

At that time, my father gave me 50 cents a month, at least half of which was donated to Stinky Tofu. A piece of stinky tofu costs a penny. After eating one piece, you can have a peaceful day. Sometimes I overspend without planning, so I restrain myself from running there, for fear that hooks will grow in my eyes. However, at that time, as long as I accidentally sneaked in front of the old man's burden, the old man would always see everything, as if he found out that I didn't have half a penny in my pocket, and would fry the crispest and tenderest piece for me with a smile. . I'm sorry to eat for nothing. When my father sends the money next month, I will return it to him immediately. The old man will accept it, but he will definitely fry an extra piece of stinky tofu for me.

I have never eaten such delicious fried stinky tofu since I left that Jiangnan town for more than 20 years (although I have eaten fried stinky tofu in other Jiangnan cities, but the taste always seems to be the same). It's a little worse). It always appears in my dreams, along with that thin old man with a white beard and white eyebrows whose name I don’t even know.

Meat and bone porridge

I have only eaten meat and bone porridge once.

It was a Sunday morning in the south of the Yangtze River. My always frugal aunt suddenly proposed to take me to eat meat and bone porridge. I was flattered and followed her closely, fearing that she would suddenly change her mind.

Follow the bluestone road, pass through the bustling vegetable market, and turn into an alley. I saw white mist coming from a small shop in the distance, and heard the sound of an iron spoon hitting the edge of a pot. My aunt led me into this shop, which was already packed. Everyone was drinking this thing called meat and bone porridge, as if it was really delicious.

The proprietress led us into the kitchen next to the inner room and said apologetically: "Just eat here." The proprietress is a woman in her 40s, with ear-length hair and a black hairpin that she meticulously wears. Tuck it behind your ear. I was afraid that my aunt would run away, so I quickly took matters into my own hands and said, "Okay, okay." As a result, my aunt rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's have a bowl of meat and bone porridge." The proprietress picked up the big iron spoon with one hand and opened the lid of the large pot with the other hand. Suddenly a heat wave swept over the meat and bones, and the aroma of the meat porridge hit the nostrils. She stirred the pot with a large iron spoon, filled a large bowl of porridge and handed it to me. This bowl of porridge is off-white, the rice has been cooked until it loses its original shape, and there are a few small pieces of meat and bones dotted on the surface of the porridge. I tasted it carefully, and yes, it was fragrant, glutinous, and sticky. There’s really no need to “eat”, just drink. I just stood next to the big stove, holding a big bowl, and drank the meat and bone porridge for the first time in my life. In the end, he gnawed those few meat bones clean like a puppy. That bowl of porridge cost my aunt 5 cents.

Later, my aunt told me that cooking meat bones is very troublesome. First, cook the meat bones (bones with some meat attached) for a few hours, then wash out the new rice and put it in before cooking. Don't burn it, the key is to control the heat and simmer it slowly. Finally add salt and MSG. Therefore, most families do not make meat and bone porridge, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive and does not require drinking. She also warned me not to eat too much meat and bone porridge on the street, because some bosses put the bones that customers have eaten into the pot again to save money. I don’t know if what she said is true or false. Anyway, I have never eaten meat and bone porridge since then, not because I was afraid of being unhygienic, but because I didn’t have enough money in my pocket to distribute it.

However, I still often go to that meat and bone porridge shop, mainly because I want to see how they deal with the finished bones. But the lady boss seemed to understand my intention, and always greeted me with a smile: "Little girl, come and have a bowl."

"Then, I ran away.

Yangchun Noodles

Yangchun Noodles have a nice name and look very noble. In fact, they are the cheapest and most popular food among the people in Jiangnan, so they are also the most refreshing. Qian's popular pasta. In "Morning in Shanghai", the capitalist Xu Yide pretends to be poor and asks the boy to deliver lunch to him. It can be seen that Yangchun noodles are the patent of the working people. As for why he chose such a name, Yangchun Baixue. Maybe it’s an antonym, but I’m sure that the person who gave this name was definitely not from Lower Riba.

More than 20 years ago, my uncle’s family seemed to like eating Yangchun noodles. Every Sunday, my uncle would eat Yangchun noodles. I took the whole family to a noodle shop in the town to eat Yangchun noodles. My two cousins ??were very excited, but I didn’t like the Yangchun noodles. There was nothing but some chopped green onions. They were bare and tasteless. After the first bite, I didn't want to take the second bite. Every time I couldn't finish a bowl of Yangchun noodles, I always reminded my uncle that it would be better to eat wontons, which at least have some meaty taste. But my uncle refused and said. Wontons are too expensive, and they are not eaten often. For the same dime, Yangchun noodles are enough to fill the gap between my teeth. My uncle doesn’t like eating them because of the big gaps in his teeth, but he has to accompany his family every Sunday. Go eat, because this is their festival, and they have been waiting for this day for the whole six days. They all know their uncle at the noodle restaurant in town, and they will serve Yangchun noodles quickly every time they come, without any instructions. I started working hard and making happy sounds. At this time, I looked at the Yangchun noodles in front of me with a sad face.

Lu Wenfu specifically mentioned Yangchun noodles in "Gourmet". It is said that the first pot of Yangchun noodles is the most refreshing and delicious, so many people rush to eat the first soup. I think my uncles definitely don’t eat this kind of Yangchun noodles. But anyway, I am not interested in Yangchun noodles. I lost my appetite more than 20 years ago.

Guangbing

Guangbing is a snack in Fuzhou. It is said to be made in memory of Qi Jiguang. In short, it is related to this nationality. The hero has a certain relationship.

When I was young, I always liked to stand in front of the tall barrel stove and watch the master making the cake. There are chefs everywhere, and one chopping board and one stove are all. Props. The cake maker rolled up his sleeves, smashed the dough with alkaline water and salt water, divided it into pieces, and patted it left and right with his hands, and a small round cake came out. Then use a bamboo skewer to poke a small hole in the middle and stick it to the inner wall of the oven. Wait, after a while, the aroma will come out of the oven. It's probably done, so the cake maker will use a small shovel. As soon as the ground was shoveled, the browned cake jumped out.

This cake is hard and yellow, and it takes a lot of effort to bite it. You can't deal with it without good teeth and a tenacious fighting spirit. , but once it enters the mouth, it becomes chewier and more fragrant. In the end, after eating one piece, I always want to take away the second piece. The light cake is chewy and can be stored for ten and a half months without any problem. It is durable and very durable. It has a national spirit, maybe this is the relationship between it and Qi Jiguang. Guangbing is very cheap, one cent a piece. At that time, I often visited Guangbing Stove, bought one or two pieces, and chewed it all the way to school.

The bakery chef is relatively happy in winter, guarding the stove to keep warm, but in summer it is hard, and he is still sweating profusely when he is shirtless, and the sweat drips on the stove. I didn’t dare to buy it, because there must be the hard work of the cake maker in the cake.

Some time ago, I mentioned light cakes to "fellows" in Fujian. They all said that they are delicious and good for teeth. Chewing them regularly is definitely better than "white arrows" and "green arrows". But I don’t know if it is still available now. I haven’t eaten it in many years. Hopefully, this light cake oven can still be seen on a street corner in Fuzhou.

Taro fruit

Taro fruit is one of Fuzhou’s breakfasts, also known as triangular cake. It is said to be made by boiling betel nut taro, peeling it and grinding it into a paste, then mixing it with rice flour and kneading it. Then, cut it into triangular shapes, put it in a frying pan and fry until both sides are browned, then remove from the pan. When eating, wrap the lower end of the taro fruit with a piece of paper (because it is very oily), use one corner as a breakthrough point, and take a bite. It will be charred on the outside and tender on the inside (grayish white on the inside), and there will be a fragrance of taro. Well, it tastes good. Awesome.

Fried taro fruit stalls are also everywhere. Early every morning, you can see stalls set up in the streets and alleys. The smoke is filled and the aroma is overflowing. People buying taro fruit are holding bowls or Carrying a small bamboo basket, waiting for the taro fruits to come out of the pot. Often one pot is bought as soon as one pot is fried. But there are also some leftovers that you can't finish buying. It doesn't matter if you leave them for an hour or two. They still taste very fragrant. They are not like fried dough sticks. They become old fried dough sticks that cannot be chewed soon after landing. Therefore, the taro fruit stall owners are very proud. Sometimes it is ninety o'clock in the morning and they are still not closing the stall, and they are slowly guarding the few pieces of taro fruit that have not been sold. They know that there will always be people who are prone to hunger and will leave in search of the fragrance.

Fuzhou citizens usually have breakfast with a bowl of hot pot paste and a taro fruit. It is both delicious and practical. After eating, they go to work feeling full, which shows that they are full of revolutionary energy. There is no way to tell.

Guobianbao

Once when I was discussing food with my colleagues in the office, I said that in terms of food, the Guobianbao in Fuzhou is the most delicious. They asked in unison: What is pot edge paste? These guys who are usually the most invincible in the world actually have something they don't know about. I proudly began to introduce them to Fuzhou snacks - pot edge paste.

Pot side paste is available in many places in Fuzhou and even Fujian, but I have never seen it in other places. The reason why it is not produced may be that there is no condiment called "shrimp oil" in other places. If you don't add shrimp oil to the pan side paste, it won't be the pan side paste.

The preparation of pot-side paste is very complicated. You need to wash the rice and soak it for several hours, and then grind it into a paste for later use. Set up a large pot, boil a pot of soup, add dried shrimps, dried razor clams, mushrooms, onions, garlic, celery, and finally a few spoons of essential shrimp oil to make a thick soup. This is not over yet, it is the first step in the long march. Pour out the soup and put it into another dish. Add some water and heat it until it is 70% hot. Spread peanut oil evenly around the pot, then scoop a bowl of rice paste and pour it around the pot and cover it. After three minutes, when you see the rice milk curling up at the edge of the pot, use a spatula to shovel it into the clean water, add more clean water, and repeat the above behavior. When the last, fourth time of pouring is finished, add a portion of thick soup and add shrimp oil and other auxiliary seasonings as appropriate. After cooking, put it in another pot, keep it warm over low heat, and prepare it for sale.

In short, this is an iterative process, and it cannot be done without patience. Therefore, most families don’t make hot pot paste, and if they want to eat it, they go to the street to buy it. You can buy it in restaurants and stalls in the streets and alleys of Fuzhou, and it's very cheap. The rice paste on the side of the pot has a special taste, with a strong seafood flavor. Each piece of rice paste is rolled up and white, like a tube of green onions. It is very refreshing. It is also paired with yellow shrimps, dried razor clams, black mushrooms, and green green onions. Garlic is bright in color and appetizing.

Hearing this, my colleagues’ throats moved. Then we discussed that when we can go to Fujian for a business trip, we must try this pot-side paste. I added that in Fujian, pot noodles are served as breakfast and after-dinner snacks, and are not regarded as a main meal. Maybe it is because they don’t care whether they are full or not. Thinking about the local varieties of snacks that are so sweet and cloying, everyone says: Fujian people are really happy.

Yes, the people of Fujian are so happy.

Wontons

I think there is probably no snack as popular and with as many names as wontons. Wonton is called Bianrou in Fujian, Chaoshou in Sichuan, wonton in Yunnan and Guangxi, and wonton only in Jiangnan.

The content is similar, but the form is slightly different. Fujian's wontons focus on freshness, and adding shrimp oil is a major feature of it. When I was a child, my mother, who loved wontons, would always buy wontons. She bought them again and again, and gained experience. I know that the wontons in the street restaurant are too strong, so I have to pour boiling water after eating. The wontons in the restaurant at the end of the street taste good, but only the skin is visible, but the meat is not visible. The best one is the "wild wonton restaurant" across a few streets. "The shop is said to be wild because it is sometimes open and sometimes not open, as if it all depends on the owner's interest. The wontons at this restaurant are plentiful and taste the most authentic. Each wonton is white and translucent, with a bit of red meat filling looming in the middle. Coupled with a few chopped green onions, it looks like white lotus in a pond of autumn water. Fujian wontons are generally very frugal. Use a small stick to put a little bit on the meat paste and flip it over the wonton skin, and a wonton is completed. Often a plate of meat paste can handle the wontons sold in a day. Those who eat wontons are usually girls. They can slowly raise their orchid fingers and use a small spoon to carefully scoop up the wontons and put them into the cherry mouth without worrying about gains and losses. Therefore, compared to other snacks, Fujian wontons are more feminine.

Sichuan wontons have a distinct personality and a masculine flavor. The first major feature is that there is no soup, and the second major feature is that it is so spicy that it is unforgettable. That year I went to Chengdu for research and made a special trip to visit the "Chaoshou". Unexpectedly, what was served was a few dry and firm dumpling-shaped wontons, with a layer of red chili oil poured on them. Relying on my ability to eat spicy food, I struggled to swallow this bowl of "chaoshou". As a result, besides being spicy, I can’t remember if it tastes like anything else.

In the Jiangnan area, wontons are the most common snack. The wontons here are divided into two types: large wontons and small wontons. Large wontons are filled with more fillings, including fresh meat and vegetables, but they are not as thick-skinned and filling as the dumplings in the north. People in Jiangnan are always unwilling to make dumplings in the same style as the people in the north. They always want to maintain the same style. Even if the tradition of wonton is a little bigger, the true character of Xiaojiabiyu remains unchanged. Jiangnan Big Wontons are enlarged small wontons that look like a nun's hat. They have a lot of soup and enough soup. Most people will feel seventy full after just one bowl.

Authentic Jiangnan wontons are the most culturally flavored Jiangnan. The wrappers are carefully rolled and you can see the patterns in the bowl when they are pressed against the bowl. They are as thin as a cicada. The meat should be lean and processed delicately without any residue. After the wontons are cooked, the skin will be crystal clear and stretched, "white and rosy, unique", like beautiful white butterflies. At this time, the focus will not be on eating. However, there are not many such small wontons nowadays, and the people who make them and eat them seem to have lost this exquisite mood. Instead, there are popular small wontons that can be found all over the street. They can be simply wrapped and done. You don’t even need to roll out the skin, just buy them ready-made.

When I was studying in the north, I missed wontons (from Jiangnan in Fujian) so much that I gritted my teeth. The student from the north was very disapproving and said, what’s so delicious about that? The clear soup with less water is not as solid as our northern dumplings.

Yes, if you want to be solid, eat northern dumplings; if you want to be slim, eat Jiangnan wontons.

Mutton Skewers

It’s strange, I never eat mutton, but I always like mutton skewers.

The first time I ate mutton skewers was in Beijing.

That day, I checked out information from the Beijing Library and turned to the area near Baishi Bridge, where there were restaurants and food stalls. First, I bought the imitation dietary supplement Wowotou. After eating it, I felt sour. After complaining about how the Empress Dowager Cixi had such an appetite, I stood in front of a kebab stall. I didn't want to eat it, but I was attracted by the fragrant smell.

My classmate is also from the south and doesn’t eat mutton, but I admire his courage to think and do things. He first bought three skewers, and then said with a look of death, "I'll eat and see first." He took a bite carefully, rolled his eyes, and then increased the frequency. I stared at his big mouth that was moving up and down, and asked directly: "Hey, don't worry about eating, is it delicious or not?" He finished three skewers in one go with "Hmm," and then he touched his belly and said with satisfaction. : "It would be silly not to eat it." He quickly took out his money, grabbed a handful with each hand, and took a bite of this skewer and a bite of that skewer. It was really delicious, fat but not greasy, full of caramel aroma, and there was also a unique one that said no There was a strange smell coming out (later I heard from my classmates in Xinjiang that it smelled like cumin). We just walked and ate like this, and when we were finished, we bought some more on the spot. Anyway, there are mutton skewers stalls everywhere. We ate until we were full and the food smelled like mutton. We couldn't eat anymore. If we continued to eat, we would have to become grassland herdsmen.

I thought mutton skewers were so delicious, but my classmates from Xinjiang said: What kind of mutton skewers are they? What is really delicious is the mutton skewers from Xinjiang, which is the hometown of mutton skewers. For the first time, I envied the people of Xinjiang so much and truly felt that Xinjiang is a good place.

We don’t have the chance to go to Xinjiang, so let’s just treat Beijing’s mutton skewers as Xinjiang’s.

After returning to the south, I also saw mutton skewers, but not only did they look stingy, but the taste was completely different. If the mutton skewers in Beijing are imitations of famous brands, then the mutton skewers in the south are fake. . There are exceptions. Once on a business trip to Nanjing, I found long-lost mutton skewers in Xinjiekou. The taste and appearance were the same as those in Beijing. Once again, I stood on the streets of Nanjing and started chewing without regard for politeness. Whenever I go to Nanjing from now on, I will try my best to sneak away to Xinjiekou for fun.

But I am always unwilling to give in. No matter what happens, I will always encourage the leader: "Let's go to Urumqi to hold a readers and writers association?"

Mutton steamed buns

< p>With mutton skewers at the bottom, I felt bold when I went to Xi'an to eat mutton steamed buns.

I saw the majestic Terracotta Warriors and Horses, touched Concubine Yang’s bathing pool, escaped the pursuit of small businessmen and hawkers, ate freshly picked strawberries in the fields, and of course climbed the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the ancient bell tower. , then it’s time to taste Xi’an snacks.

The most representative snacks in Xi’an are Roujiamo and mutton steamed buns. However, I didn't even look at the Roujiamo. It was a big fat piece of meat stuffed into a big pancake, and the fat was coming out. Even though the owner of the Roujiamo said it was delicious, I just couldn't eat it. It’s not that I’m afraid of getting fat, it’s that I haven’t eaten fat since I was a child. I gave up the Roujiamo, but I must eat the mutton steamed bun.

So I went to find it. I walked around the ancient building and when I got tired, I sat down at a small stall. After sitting down, I realized that an old man opposite was concentrating on his work: breaking a hard piece of steamed bun into particles. He broke it off with concentration and leisurely, and put the fallen powder into his mouth with his little finger. What is he doing? Do you have bad teeth? Just as I was thinking about it, I saw the old man pouring the broken products into a big bowl filled with thick soup. The bowl of thick soup suddenly turned into a bowl of paste. The old man drank the bowl of paste with great gusto, stood up, wiped the residue on his beard, took a loud smack, and his face was full of happiness. Suddenly I seemed to understand something, so I quickly called the waiter and asked: "What is that?" "Mutton steamed buns." God, is this stupid thing the famous mutton steamed buns? When I was little, I hated putting steamed buns in soup. They were too soft, had no texture or taste, and no matter how delicious the steamed buns were, the soup would be muddied.

So, unfortunately, the biggest gain in Xi'an was to buy a bunch of folk handicrafts, but when it came to food, there was nothing.

After reading Jia Pingwa’s article about Shaanxi snacks, he spent a lot of words describing the wonderfulness of mutton steamed buns, but I still wasn’t incited by him to the point where my mouth watered. This is rare in my history of reading books about eating.

Korean Cold Noodles

When I first arrived in the Northeast, I was surprised when I saw authentic Koreans and Korean characters for the first time. Later, after seeing more, I became accustomed to them. Then I began to think about how to have a deeper understanding of Korean national culture, such as their food culture, and more specifically, how to eat at the Korean snack bars around the school.

So, I first went to the Korean kimchi stall to do some reconnaissance, got close to the Korean aunt who bought the kimchi, and asked: "What does Daolaji mean?" The Korean aunt really looked like "Surprise Attack" The old lady in "" is so kind. Not only did she patiently answer my kindergarten-level questions, but she also recommended that I buy the representative Korean kimchi - Platycodon. After tasting platycodon, I gained confidence in Korean snacks.

That day, it was minus 18 degrees, and the world outside the house was already gray and white. When I came out of the bathhouse, my hair was frozen into sticks. I didn't feel cold, just thirsty. I looked around for a place with water, and later I found a sign of "Korean cold noodles" fluttering in the wind. Cold noodles? Just enough to quench your thirst.

Plunging in, there were already a lot of people inside, and everyone was holding a big bowl and filling their stomachs with cold noodles. It looked very comfortable. So I also asked for a bowl. After it was served, I felt something was wrong. There were no ripples on the bright red noodle soup, and of course the noodles were lurking at the bottom of the soup. However, the soup looked as if it had just come out of the tap. Not to mention, it also smelled of bleaching powder. Doubt is doubtful, I am really too thirsty, I don’t care, just drink before talking. As a result, my thirst was quenched, but all the remaining warmth in my body was taken away. I ran all the way back to the dormitory, holding a hot water bottle and pouring boiling water. It took a long time to melt the ice lump in my stomach.

I made a fatal mistake. Northeasterners and southerners are inherently different. They can eat frozen pears and popsicles in the ice and snow because they have strong stomachs that have been trained since childhood. So they can eat cold noodles wrapped in big cotton-padded jackets, but I can only wear short sleeves.

However, I still don’t have the courage to taste Korean cold noodles again. Even thinking of these four words makes my stomach feel cold.

I don’t blame Korean cold noodles, I can only blame myself.

Daokou Roast Chicken

I feel ashamed to say that I have been studying abroad for several years and most of my attention was spent on eating. The reasons are: first, the boring food in the school cafeteria makes me always hungry; second, it is due to nature. "Food is the first priority for people", and I am certainly no exception.

So, not long after arriving in Changchun, I found out that "Daokou Roast Chicken" was quite unique, so I hurriedly went to inspect it in person. Sure enough, the roast chicken displayed in the window was tender, golden, hot, and exuded a charming aroma. People lined up to buy the roast chicken, which further confirmed that the reputation of this roast chicken was well-deserved. In the next three years, as long as I had some money in my wallet, I would rush to deliver it to a roast chicken shop. If I couldn't afford a whole chicken, I would buy half a chicken; It tastes very good and is the most popular thing among poor students). The joy of walking with a small bag of roast chicken is indescribable. I just feel how wonderful life is at that moment. If you go to study Shuguan at this time, no matter how thick the "brick" is, you can "gnaw" it down effortlessly. This is the power of "Daokou Roast Chicken". Sometimes, people's appetite is much more important than their brains. In other words, even material can sometimes unceremoniously defeat the spirit.

Whenever the female compatriots in the dormitory celebrate their birthdays, they all have to buy "Daokou Roast Chicken" to feast on everyone. After the chicken is on the table, often before the plastic bag is opened, everyone is already eager to fuck it. The fragrant and hot roasted chicken was tender and without residue, even the bones were crispy. A piece of chicken slipped into the stomach before it could linger on the tongue. At this time, brothers and sisters often come uninvited in search of the fragrance, say "Happy Birthday", sit down and start chewing. At that time, when we asked our brothers and sisters to do something, or in turn they asked us to do something, the price was always the same: a Daokou roast chicken.

The three years in Changchun can be said to be spent with the aroma of "Daokou roast chicken". (Although we can’t eat it often, the aroma that comes from a roast chicken restaurant not far from the school every day makes our study life more interesting.)

Graduation students At that time, someone told me that there was a big cake shop specializing in meat-stuffed flatbreads, which were too delicious to mention. It's a pity that there is no chance. Otherwise, now there will be something delicious for me to savor.