I am a person who is good at pleasing myself, and there are many ways to please myself. For example, in the hot weather of midsummer, cook yourself a plate of bitter gourd and sauerkraut.
Cut the bitter melon into thin slices, do not use salt water to kill the bitterness, just make it more bitter. Grab a handful of sauerkraut from the jar and chop up the local Hunan chilies that are in season in summer. Then all the ingredients are ready.
When frying, heat the iron pan and add oil. First add the bitter melon and stir-fry for a while, then add the minced chili pepper. When the bitter melon is half-cooked, sprinkle in the sauerkraut and continue to stir-fry. Add salt, sprinkle a small amount of water, continue to stir-fry a few times and take it out of the pot.
Omit the simmering pot with onion, ginger and garlic and all other red tape of cooking. Just add the ingredients one by one to the oil pan and stir-fry. There is no need to pay attention to the skill of the knife, the heat, or the color, aroma, or the appearance of the food you cook for yourself.
When the sauerkraut was finally poured into the pot, the hot air was instantly filled with the strange aroma of sauerkraut and the pungent spiciness. It was so enjoyable!
Although the frying process is simple and crude and requires no rules, the ingredients used are very particular. Although bitter gourd and pepper are common, sauerkraut is not available in the market. It is different from the sauerkraut in the Northeast, nor the pickles or other pickles found in supermarkets. It is only hidden deep in a clay jar in a corner of the kitchen in rural Hunan, and is dried from the leaves of pickled mustard or bangbangcai that sprouted in the first month. system.
Sun-dried sauerkraut is the warmest memory of childhood. In the first month, the cold winter leaves and the sun becomes warm. The mustard leaves in the field also began to grow wildly, and the large leaves were almost as tall as a child. The vegetable field became green and lush. At this time, all the adults and children in the village will come out, and every household will start drying pickled vegetables.
The day of drying sauerkraut is as lively as a holiday. In the morning, people first go to the vegetable field to peel vegetable leaves, and then gather in the pond in front of the door to wash them. The water in the pool is clear, the vegetable leaves are green, the sky is blue, and the sunshine is just right. When washing vegetables, each family occupies a stone pier, and adults and children take turns washing the green leaves with dewdrops one by one. People were chatting and laughing together enthusiastically, and children were playing and playing on the open space and rocks by the pond.
The washed leaves must be cut into thin strips bit by bit with a guillotine, then placed in a large wooden basin and minced with a special knife. Then sprinkle the chopped vegetable leaves on a bamboo drying mat and let it dry for a day. Chopping vegetables is a hard job. One has to stand up, hold a long chopping knife, and keep moving it up and down in the wooden basin to chop the vegetable leaves bit by bit. When every household starts chopping vegetables, the sound of chopping vegetables on the drying ground is accompanied by people's laughter. The ups and downs of the sound are always filled with the rich fragrance of mustard leaves.
After the vegetable leaves have been sun-dried for a day, most of the water has evaporated. When there is no water seeping out when you pinch it with your hands, it is ready. Then collect the end of the vegetable leaves and put them into an earthen pottery jar, press them tightly with your hands, and add water to the edge of the jar to seal it. In this way, the jar of sauerkraut is ready, and the next thing to do is to wait.
Time is really a strange thing. It will make this humble vegetable leaf undergo strange changes, gradually fading away from the green and turning into a deep dark brown. It is no longer a tasteless green vegetable leaf, it will become sour and fragrant little by little. It will be ready to eat after ten days and a half. Take out a handful, add fresh chili peppers, and stir-fry a plate of chili sauerkraut. It is the most appetizing dish to go with the meal.
The sauerkraut is paired with bitter melon and the extreme spiciness of Hunan pepper. All the bad and exciting flavors in the world are collected into one dish, which is really strong. After one sip, various flavors of sour, spicy, and bitter take turns in the mouth, running rampant, and each one's personality explodes. However, the combination of these three flavors does not feel abrupt at all. The sour and bitter combination is just right, just like a couple with completely different personalities but complementary and harmonious. In the eyes of Hunan people, spicy food is a must.
This taste experience is really amazing. I don’t think there is anything richer, more commanding, and more personal than a dish like this in the world. Therefore, this is not a dish that can be enjoyed by outsiders, only to please yourself. You can't order it in any restaurants or restaurants. It is truly a private dish made only for yourself.
I always think that eating bitter melon requires experience. Children generally believe that bitter melon is the devil, and it is their nature to like sweetness and hate bitterness. When your experience increases and you see all the ups and downs in the world, you will no longer think that life is only about joy and sweetness.
On the contrary, it is those difficult and difficult times that make us successful. When we realize that life is really hard, we can slowly appreciate the bitterness of bitter gourd.