Flavour·Wuhan

Wang Xinlei, Class 703, Shucheng Road Middle School, Wuhan

? As the saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people", almost every place has its own delicious. Food is the treasure of our country and the crystallization of the wisdom of the working people.

? My hometown is Wuhan. Wuhan has a long history and is conveniently located on the thoroughfares of nine provinces, forming many unique dishes and various snacks. There are many varieties of Wuhan cuisine, which pays attention to knife skills, heat, color matching and modeling, and is especially unique in the soup simmering technology. Hubei people have always liked to simmer soup. When inviting guests to a meal, they don't say "invite rice" but "invite me to my house for soup." "It would be disrespectful to treat guests without soup, and it would be disrespectful to treat guests without soup." This is enough to prove the status of soup. When it comes to pork ribs and lotus root soup, everyone is familiar with it, and the older generation of Wuhan people even get excited. Spare ribs soup is a delicacy all year round. The warm lotus root soup shows the host's enthusiasm and respect for the guests. Hubei produces lotus root, and its subdivided varieties include pink lotus root and crispy lotus root. Crispy lotus root is crispy and delicious, with a slightly sweet taste; pink lotus root is pink and tender and melts in your mouth.

After winter, pork ribs and lotus root soup will definitely not be absent. First, soak the ribs and spine or tube bones in water to remove the blood, wash them, drain them, and chop them into pieces; then pat the ginger loose or slice it for later use. Peel and wash the lotus root, cut it into hob pieces with a knife, sprinkle with a little salt, turn it over several times to evenly coat the salt, and marinate it a little. Place the wok on a high fire, wait until the oil is hot, deep-fry the pork ribs until the water is dry and the color turns off-white, add rice wine, scallion knots, and ginger cubes, put the pan into the pot, and add enough water at one time. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn to medium heat and simmer for 1 hour, and remove the black foam. During this period, you need to pay attention to the soup and adjust the fire again and again. After turning to low heat and simmering for half an hour, add the lotus roots and simmer together. Add salt and chicken essence to taste according to the saltiness of the soup to achieve the best condition. Continue to simmer on low heat for 1 hour, then turn to medium heat and continue to simmer for half an hour. Finally, pour into a soup bowl, sprinkle with chopped green onion and pepper.

The soup is slightly brown, the lotus root is boiled to a crisp, the gravy of the ribs has melted into the soup, and the mellow and rich fragrance lingers around you, not to mention how happy it is! After running home from the howling cold wind outside, I was shivering from the cold and felt a little tired. But after taking one sip of the soup, the body and fatigue that seemed to be frozen by the cold wind disappeared. Instead, warmth surged into my heart, melting away people's negative emotions and cold temperature. The sweetness of the lotus root is intertwined with the richness of the pork ribs, which is both warm and delicious. It couldn't be better. Perhaps it is the combination of the two that makes pork ribs and lotus root soup so beneficial.

People’s reunion and warmth have been quietly hidden in the rich soup. Soup also takes on an important role. Even though people have thousands of words, they finally converge into four words - the taste of home.