If Wan Hu is the ancient rhyme town with the most scholarly flavor, then Wan Hu's oil-sprinkled noodles will add a royal flavor to this book. According to legend, Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River and came to Wan Hu Town. Tired of walking, he came to a small shop to eat oil-sprinkled noodles. After tasting, the smooth and delicate taste immediately left a deep impression on Emperor Qianlong. Subsequently, Wan Hu oil noodles were selected as court food. Because their smooth and white noodles are as thin as dragon whiskers, they are also called "dragon beard tribute noodles".
In today's Wan Hu town, there are still more than a dozen workshops doing oil noodle business. Under the leadership of the villagers, we walked into Rao Xirong's noodle restaurant at No.92 Shengli Road in the town. Taking advantage of the sunny weather, he was busy in the studio, and countless oil splashes hung straight on a special drying rack. When the wind blows, the fine oil surface swings slightly with the wind, much like the fine bead curtain of other people's homes.
Master Rao, 53, has been cooking oil-sprinkled noodles for 36 years. In his words, he has been dealing with this craft all his life, and now he still continues the traditional craft of his ancestors. It is made of high-quality flour, vegetable oil, refined potato starch, salt and other raw materials through more than ten processes, such as kneading flour, rolling strips, rolling small strips, frying potato powder, oiling, coiling strips, pulling strips, drying in the sun, taking off the shelf and packaging. After time and sunshine, a unique food with smooth, white, uniform thickness, delicate lubrication and non-stick to hands was formed. Whether it is fresh water or rich chicken soup for cooking, it intends to use shredded pork and mushrooms as "zi Qiao" Wan Hu oil surface will definitely make you unforgettable.
Master Rao said that the secret of making oil-sprinkled noodles lies in different seasonings all year round. How much salt to put and how much water to add are particular. In order to make noodles, he often gets up at 3 am and starts to be busy for more than ten hours. At the end of the day, he and his wife can make hundreds of kilograms of noodles at most. "Sometimes when you are tired, you will come to a bowl of noodles, which also has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, lowering blood pressure, expelling wind and dispelling cold." Master Rao said.
At this time, an old man who came to buy noodles told us that Xu bowl of oil noodles appeared in the market at the end of the Ming Dynasty. According to legend, water transportation was developed at that time, and people came and went at Xuwan Wharf. Busy businessmen need a kind of fast food that is delicious and can fill their stomachs, so oil-sprinkled noodles have become the best choice. The flowing Fuhe River and the superior natural conditions in Wan Hu Town also make the oil surface in Wan Hu more and more popular. Because it is tribute noodles, the packaging of Xuwan oil noodles is very particular. During the period of the Republic of China, hardcover oil spill noodles were even packed in red lacquer wooden cases, with patterns such as auspicious dragons and phoenixes, centuries-old harmony, splendid rivers and mountains carved on the outside, and with gold-painted product names and specifications, workshop font size, cooking instructions and various colorful spikes, which were very beautiful.
Nowadays, people in Wan Hu still put a bowl of oily noodles on the dining table, whether celebrating birthdays or festivals. This is not only a habit, but also a respect for this special food that has accompanied them for generations and has too much emotion.
If you have a chance to go to Wan Hu, you must remember to bring the special oil noodles here and share them with more relatives and friends.
Urgent~