I am used to the local mutton and the rotten soup and fishy smell of mutton, so my taste buds and sense of smell have long accepted and enjoyed this delicious food. Take it for granted that mutton everywhere should taste like this, even if it is done well, it is nothing more than that.
By chance, I tasted Jingbian mutton soup noodles in northern Shaanxi. After eating several bowls and drinking every drop of soup, I found that a bowl of mutton noodle soup, which looks ordinary, has completely subverted all my previous cognition of mutton and all the mutton memories stored by taste buds.
So can mutton still make this taste? Please forgive me for sitting in my hand and looking at the sky.
The hospitable host served two cauldrons of steamed buns, one of which contained a lot of Chili oil. There are diced potatoes, carrots and mutton in the pickle, and a few pieces of coriander are sprinkled on the surface. The soup in the mutton bowl is not very clear, but slightly turbid. However, the flaws will not be hidden, and the fragrant smell and green coriander make people's appetite open and their index fingers move.
After eating it, I realized that the slight turbidity of SAO Zi was caused by the diced potatoes inside, and some starch in the potatoes was dissolved in the soup. However, I didn't understand it until after eating this meal.
The simple and honest master kept rubbing his hands, and it seemed that he was not used to having so many people at home at once. He greeted us at a loss: we have guests here in northern Shaanxi, and we will treat them with minced meat and noodles here. Give it a try, give it a try, and say it with your hands. ......
The silent host hinted that he treated us as distinguished guests and entertained us with the most abundant meals. Let our group feel flattered.
Noodles are pale yellow and are eaten in a pot filled with warm water. Starch on the surface of noodles dissolves in water, thus avoiding adhesion between noodles.
After the explanation of the host, we know that noodles are mixed with flour and buckwheat and pressed out by machine. No wonder the color is different from what we usually see.
People in northern Shaanxi eat minced meat noodles and pay attention to soup. Even in cold weather, a few bites of noodles and a bowl of soup can keep you warm. Of course, this is not what the host told us, but after eating several bowls in a row, I realized it myself.
Saozi soup is moderately seasoned and delicious, which makes the rice full, but we still refuse to put down the bowl and continue to drink soup. I think the host will laugh at us after we leave. However, I didn't care about it at the time. I just eat noodles and soup. Everyone else took the time to eat, and no one spoke. In order to break the embarrassment without being too rude, I managed to open my mouth and praise my host: this mutton soup with minced meat is simply delicious. I have never tasted such delicious food ..... A sentence resonated, and everyone remembered to be polite, but my stomach refused. Who makes mutton soup so delicious? So, everyone just put their mouths on the edge of the bowl, looked up at me and agreed, and then continued to be busy eating and drinking.
Pick a chopstick-headed noodle and pour a few spoonfuls of minced meat into the bowl. There are more noodles in the soup, which looks delicious. Noodles are chewy in the mouth and taste like buckwheat. The potatoes melt in the mouth, the diced carrots are crisp and refreshing, and the diced mutton is the most amazing taste buds.
Diced mutton is also cut into small square pieces, picked up and put into the mouth, and the tip of the tongue feels smooth. Bite it down, it is flexible and chewy, just like eating beef jerky. The difference is that the water is moderate and the taste is not as ugly as beef jerky.
Several people in the same trade felt strange after chewing a few mouthfuls. They looked at each other with their eyes, as if to ask, "Is this mutton? No way! How can mutton be like this? "
There is no doubt that mutton is genuine, and it is 100% Jingbian mutton.
The color of diced mutton looks the same as ordinary mutton. If you chew it in your mouth, it tastes very different. It reminds people of the smooth color of Jinhua ham. So, I guess it is made of mutton cut into strips and air-dried. Otherwise it wouldn't be so chewy.
After asking, it really coincides with my inference.
The natural environment in Jingbian is poor, the land is barren and there is little rain. In addition, there are many tablelands, the yellow soil has poor water storage and serious soil erosion, so it is not suitable for planting wheat and corn on a large scale, and only some drought-tolerant miscellaneous grains, such as millet and tartary buckwheat, can be planted.
It is difficult for people here to feed their families with crops. The so-called relying on mountains to eat mountains. The mountainous area where crops can't be planted is lush with vegetation, which is a natural excellent pasture. Therefore, raising sheep has become the main source of income for most people according to local conditions.
Coal, natural gas and oil have been discovered and exploited in recent decades, but raising sheep has existed in the local area for hundreds of years.
With the development of the times, sheep farmers are more professional, and their sheep are also excellent varieties bought from Liaoning.
Sheep eat natural and pollution-free grass all day, from one small valley to another, and so on. When a full sheep comes home at night, it doesn't need to be fed, but only needs to drink a small amount of water. When it rains, it will also eat the stored hay.
High-quality pasture and constant exercise make the sheep's body catalyze a wonderful reaction, and there is no smell.
Some people who go with us don't like mutton. Seeing that we had already left, we wolfed down our food. We couldn't help eating and ate several bowls at once. While eating, I asked, "why doesn't this mutton smell at all?"
Why doesn't the mutton here stink? There is of course an answer to this question.
There are many sheep in Jingbian, and the local people naturally like to eat mutton. Through the continuous research and improvement of mutton practices, a delicious food with local characteristics-mutton minced meat soup noodles has been formed.
There is always something different in the process of making a special food. The same is true of Jingbian mutton noodle soup with minced meat.
The slaughtered sheep and mutton could not be eaten in a few days, so the clever Jingbian people cut the meat into strips and hung it outdoors, allowing it to complete its gorgeous transformation under the catalysis of nature.
After ten days and a half, 78% of the water in the mutton was lost, and the oil also penetrated into the mutton skin. The process of air-dried food is similar to some stages in ham making, but the time is much shorter.
When making mutton, first cut the mutton, carrots and potatoes into small pieces, then cook diced mutton, diced potatoes and diced carrots. Just add some salt before cooking. Isn't there that sentence? High-grade ingredients only need simple cooking. The same is true of mutton in Jingbian.
The seemingly simple processing technology has enabled mutton to complete its internal transformation and walk out of northern Shaanxi with amazing taste, enjoying a good reputation throughout the country.
Jingbian mutton in northern Shaanxi is a delicious food that I can't forget once I eat it.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures because I ate so well. This is the only place where I feel deeply guilty during my trip to northern Shaanxi. ......