Snail noodles are eaten in the north and rice noodles in the south.
Speaking of Guangxi’s rice noodles, there are Guilin rice noodles in northern Guangxi, Nanning’s old friend noodles in southern Guangxi, and wouldn’t it be a great sadness if Liuzhou, located in the middle of Guangxi, does not have its own signature rice noodles?
Thanks to the presence of snail noodles, Liuzhou people are confident when talking about their hometown’s delicacies.
It is no exaggeration to say that snail noodles have undoubtedly become a label in Liuzhou. Liuzhou people or people who have lived in Liuzhou have a strong attachment to snail noodles.
Liuzhou has a humid climate, a vast territory, many rivers, and many products related to water.
Snails live in paddy fields or beside streams and mountains. Their meat is extremely delicious when fried, and the soup they make is even more delicious. It is said that "one snail makes three bowls of soup".
There are many ways to eat snails, but Liuzhou people’s favorite is snail noodles.
The most valuable part of the method of making noodles is the soup. Real snail noodles do not have snail meat, and their true flavor lies in the soup made from the snails.
There is nothing special about this soup on the surface, but as the saying goes, the elephant is invisible. It is made from shelled snails, 13 natural spices such as ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and peppers, and pork bones, stewed over a slow fire.
, and there are strict proportions in how much of these 13 spices are added.
The soup is bright red in color because eating snails pays attention to the word "spicy". The spiciness is not ordinary chili powder, but chili powder and oil stir-fried. After the aroma comes out, only the oil is taken and added to the soup.
The first step for Liuzhou people to test snail soup is to see whether the soup is red, oily and bright enough.
It’s often when you eat in the winter that your forehead sweats, and in the summer when you eat it and you’re dripping with sweat, it’s really enjoyable.
As for why there is no meat, there was once a popular explanation in the Liuzhou market: When a foreigner was eating snail noodles, he shouted angrily to the boss: "Why is there no snail meat in this snail noodles? Is it bullying foreigners?" The boss said calmly.
Said: "Who said there must be snail meat in snail noodles? Have you ever seen a wife in it when you eat wife cake?" The outsider was speechless: "..." Haha!
You can eat snail noodles at a small stall, but the one in a big hotel looks grand but tastes not authentic.
Every night, there will be many stalls on the street, a few small tables, a few rows of low stools, and a large pot tumbling with bright red and shiny snail soup. The aroma is overflowing, which is definitely a great treat for the taste buds.
of excitement and temptation.
People in Liuzhou like to "take advantage of the fun" (join in the fun). Fashionably dressed men and women sit directly on the low stools at the stalls with the most people, and shout: "Madam boss, come to a bowl of snail noodles! Want it to be spicy!" The neatly dressed boss lady is tall.
He replied in a loud voice: "Okay!" While grabbing a ball of thin, long and round rice noodles and putting it into a small pot of boiling water, he asked: "What kind of vegetables does Amei (Adi) want?" Usually every day
Each stall will stock several different types of vegetables depending on the season.
After getting the answer, the proprietress grabbed the washed vegetables and put them into another small boiling pot. After the rice noodles and vegetables were cooked, they picked them up, put them in a bowl, drained the water, and quickly added the garnishes.
Authentic snail noodles are very particular about side dishes, including fried sour bamboo shoots (often with fungus and day lily), dried radish (sometimes with sour beans), fried yuba, peanuts, etc.
Liuzhou people also have a hobby of eating snail noodles. They like to put eggs and duck feet into the soup and boil them together.
The eggs are first boiled, shelled and put into the soup. The longer they are simmered, the more flavorful they will be. The duck feet are also marinated first. The longer they are simmered, the better they can absorb the freshness of the snails, giving it a unique flavor.
These two items are not included in the side dishes and will cost extra.
If you want something spicy, the snail soup the lady boss will pour for you will have a lot of chili oil and the color will be particularly bright red. If you don’t want spicy food, the lady boss will use a spoon to break up the oil and pour a large spoonful of chili oil on you.
Snail soup.
After taking this bowl of snail noodles, I saw the snow-white rice noodles lined with green vegetables, bright yellow sour bamboo shoots, golden yuba, and brown peanuts, soaked in the bright red and oily snail soup, and the aroma was fragrant.
, it is like an authentic work of art with complete color, aroma and taste, which makes people really reluctant to eat it.
Don't rush to eat the rice noodles. Let them soak in the soup until the soup penetrates every vermicelli. Then take a bite and the soft and refreshing rice noodles will go down your throat with the fragrance of the snails.
Eat a few more bites of the store's secret side dishes, the sour bamboo shoots, the sweetness of the dried radish, the crispness of the yuba, the crispness of the peanuts, plus the unique rich aroma of the snail soup, the freshness and spiciness.
It's enough to make all language pale.
As a result, you can often see a unique scenery on the streets of Liuzhou: handsome men and beautiful women each grab a duck paw and eat it with great joy. They are also busy eating noodles, vegetables and soup, completely losing their original gentle demeanor.
After eating all the soup and water, he exclaimed: "Enjoyed, enjoyable!" There is a saying: If you have not eaten Liuzhou's snail noodles, you have not been to Liuzhou. Those who don't like to eat snail noodles are not considered true Liuzhou people.
In the words of Liuzhou people themselves, snail noodles are "a classic in the classic food culture that all Liuzhou people will never forget or dislike."
Indeed, when I was in Liuzhou, I never got tired of eating it, but once I was in a foreign land, all kinds of homesickness would often materialize into a bowl of snail noodles, and I would spend many sleepless nights swallowing my longing saliva while staring at the starry sky.
The first thing I did when I returned to Liuzhou was to run to the stall with my friends in the evening when the lanterns came on. In the familiar sour and spicy aroma of snail noodles, and in the same long-lost local accent, I felt a long-lost heart.
The heart will gradually become moist with this dense water vapor.