Text/Ge Weiying
Steamed bun, this is a grand view, I had breakfast in Shaanxi. Particularly representative are all kinds of "steamed bread". Except for mutton soup, all the popular soup houses don't hang the sign of "making soup buns". But "steamed bread" can be self-contained. Steamed bread is scone. The origin of the cake is very complicated, which is an idea. "Hu cake", steamed cake, soup cake and pasta in the Tang Dynasty can all belong to the category of cake. Pancakes "plates" have been unearthed from Shaanxi to Xinjiang and the Iranian plateau in West Asia, which are similar. According to the documents of the Sui, Tang and Sixteen Countries unearthed in Turpan, the staple food around the Silk Road is pasta, not food. In the streets and alleys of Shaanxi, there are not only huge buns baked in the general kiln oven in Qinghai, Gansu, but also "thick-stick buns" steamed in a soft, white and chubby steamer. Except for the dead buns used for mutton buns, they are all "fixed buns" now.
I finally found the Chinese hamburger first, but ...
The master patted the meat case with only one hand, and the other hand tried to rotate the machete into the cake. He only heard a secret "click" and the crust was slightly broken. Then he used the tip of the knife to send the freshly cut bacon in, fat and thin. Although meat is very important, people who eat meat buns understand that "you can only wait for meat, not meat." The freshly baked steamed bread smells of new wheat flour, and the side of the steamed bread is the most beautiful. The meat in the seam of the steamed stuffed bun is only colored, while the transparent grease has seeped from the seam and gradually soaked the paper bag.
The person in line behind me greeted me. It was the taxi driver who gave me a ride just now, with two "ordinary" tickets in his hand. "There are so delicious? You came all this way? " He talked all the way about the chain store downstairs. On the way to send their son to school every morning, the father and son "squeaked" a bun first. Chinese hamburger looks very simple, calling itself "Shaanxi Hamburg", but several chains such as Fan Ji and Yuanji, which rose more than ten years ago, are still all over the streets of Shaanxi, and have been swept off the list of Chinese hamburger by gourmets.
Yang Tianyu's beef sandwich steamed buns, the old butcher shop is full of fat (photo by Zhang Lei)
I thought the highest standard of "steamed stuffed bun" was a legend, but I didn't expect to see it at first sight in Wang Kui's old Chinese hamburger shop. "My brother plays steamed buns well." Aunt Liu, the proprietress of Wang Kui's Chinese hamburger, sat in the oldest shop she created, looking critical. After I praised her for the delicious steamed stuffed bun, she corrected that she was a "golden chrysanthemum heart" and couldn't help laughing. Wang Kui's steamed stuffed bun is not thick, but the light yellow pattern is clear, with a delicate "chrysanthemum" in the middle. Baked wheat smells delicious, and the iron plate of pancakes has a layered feeling. Scoop up the baked bottom with an iron hook, and then sink the newly beaten top into the water. Bite it down until the meat bursts into juice. She disdained the buns baked by those guys and found fault with them, muttering, "Eat well, and fewer and fewer people know how to eat."
It is the simplest and most difficult to find fault with a Chinese hamburger. Chinese hamburger has many varieties of its own, which are classified on steamed bread. "Old Tongguan Chinese hamburger" means that the skin of the steamed stuffed bun should be crispy and oily, and it will fall off as soon as it is pinched. It was all the rage in Shaanxi in those days, and the authentic "Chinese hamburger" I ate in new york in recent years belongs to the "Old Tongguan" system in classification. The other is a scaled-down version of "Yi Kou Xiang", in which steamed bread is reduced to a thin and crisp Guo Kui cake, and the meat with preserved fruit is called "Guo Kui Ya Ruan Jia Mo", which was once popular in Xianyang to Xi 'an for a short time. These China steamed buns are authentic in the eyes of Shaanxi people, and even many people have their own preferences. It is also good to eat in places other than Xi 'an, including Baoji, Hanzhong and northern Shaanxi, and it is not easy to find good China steamed buns. However, if you want to be angry with a Shaanxi person, put the "green pepper" in the meat folder. There can be no side dishes, and the meat cake can't be changed. Although once simple food comes out of Xi, the requirements for it will naturally decrease.
The trend of Chinese hamburger returns to orthodoxy. Qinyu Chinese hamburger shop can also eat "iron fist". The price of Chinese hamburger with bacon sauce is between 10 yuan-12 yuan. Qin Yu was originally an old shop outside the city wall, close to the city root. Because the representative Chinese hamburger has reached the tip of the tongue, this secret old shop, which was originally kept in the hearts of Xi people, has become a must-see place for tourists to punch in. It's hard to find one from morning till night now. Qin Yu's steamed buns retain the crispy taste and the cakes are thick enough.
If the host lifts the quilt and brings you steamed bread, he will play drums in his heart; If you throw it into the electric baking pan for heating, you will know that the steamed stuffed bun has fallen by half. And those cakes are all cold, or they look like ready-made big bags of cooked cakes from the outside, and even bitten by the microwave oven, so basically you can give up any hope. In the famous Woods Road, Zhang Ji's Chinese hamburger is thin and dry, which makes people miss the crisp and fragrant taste of Qin Yu's Chinese hamburger even more.
In recent years, Chinese hamburger began to take the "light and short" route and became a hollow pocket. But Qin Yu insisted on the original hardness and thickness of Chinese hamburger. Steamed bread is solid and powerful. From the front, the meat is two centimeters thick, but it tastes crisp and fragrant. The more bacon, the better, but not less. Some smart shops offer less salty meat or more gravy. But people who are used to eating Chinese buns know that eating too much meat is not fragrant.
The steamed stuffed bun in Ma Yong La Niu mutton shop is a must, but what is more unique is the fresh and visible Qinchuan cattle hanging in the store (photo by Zhang Lei)
Aunt Liu said that the ratio of bacon, fat meat and lean meat she cooked is unchanged, and a pig can only have that whole piece of fat meat and lean meat. A pig can only give a lump of 75 Jin. The man will naturally pick out the lean meat and fat meat with skin and chop them in proportion. The tip of meat is a bit like stuffing, and the fibers of meat are intertwined from different directions. Cut is also Wang Kui's secret book. "It must be my shopkeeper." This shop has been open for nearly 30 years. Wang Kui is 70 years old, but he has only opened several direct stores for the couple's "second brother". This old shop has been handed down to his son. From the storefront to the meat and then to the steamed stuffed bun, it is Wang Kui's own business, "absolutely not joining", and the old Chinese hamburger shops all know that the chain stores are so shabby. It's not the business that collapses, but the taste.
It opens at 7 o'clock, and there are people waiting in line before it opens. It's hard to find one at noon. This meat is fat and thin, and all pigs with 75 kg of pork belly have it. The meat will be cooked at 2 pm and can't be eaten until early the next morning. Marinade is the unique skill of every kind of bacon and will not come loose. I'm curious to make that beautiful "Jin Ju" steamed stuffed bun. A dough is pressed into a cake by hand, first kneaded into strips, then spun into piles, and then pressed by hand. As long as you are serious, it is not difficult to take it out. When Aunt Liu was 43 years old, she opened it in Ankai 12. "Every store is small, but the turnover is high. At that time, our family (buddies) were very good and worked hard. Now all this is a fool! "
Aunt Liu's face is cold and her heart is hot, and her husband is in charge of meat. "That's his grandfather's prescription." Steamed bread is made by myself. Next door to her is a steamed stuffed bun shop. "It has nothing to do with my shopkeeper." Many steamed buns in Chinese hamburger shops are purchased from next door, and a steamed bun costs only 25 cents. Aunt Liu was told that she earned 80% of others' money. The skill of making steamed buns in Aunt Liu's shop has been increasingly replaced by the fast food business model.
"He said that 20% people understand, then I will only do business with 20% people." Aunt Liu is 66 years old and her wife Wang Kui is 70 years old. She has been selling China steamed buns for more than 30 years. This shop is very strange. Although the boys can't get the good looks of the proprietress, they respect her very much. She doesn't like their steamed buns at all. Because Wang Kui's bacon is so fragrant, the store specializes in minced meat noodles and minced meat noodles, as well as cold noodles that are more delicious than many specialty stores. In the boss's view, "now the baby doesn't look good when making buns, and the meat won't be cut." You can still have a look, but I don't like it. "
Steamed meat only, not steamed. Even the best bacon needs good steamed bread to match (photo by Zhang Lei)
The beef sandwich, the happy taste in the butcher shop.
The posture of preserved beef Chinese hamburger is completely different from that of preserved beef Chinese hamburger. Intuitively, I thought that every bacon sandwich shop I entered was a huge butcher shop. From 6: 30 in the morning, I began to line up at the cured beef and mutton butcher shop. On the first morning, I went to find the fat man's baked bread, and I was stunned by the team that bought preserved beef and China steamed buns. Unlike the scone stand, which doesn't even have a store address, the Yang family is a big family in the workshop. In the past, there were many shops that went back to Fang, including the largest horse tooth fur dealer in the northwest, and the diet was only a small part of them, but old boys's "preserved beef" had a clear historical record and won the favor of Empress Dowager Cixi. The smell of preserved beef and mutton in West Street stopped Cixi. I used to think "zhizhipo" was a place name. It was originally written by Xing Tingwei, the teacher of Zhao Fuqiao, the minister of the Ministry of War. This plaque was not burned until the 1960s, but the smell of pickled beef and mutton has been floating in the back square.
Yang Tianyu's shop is the fourth generation, and now the third sister-in-law sells meat. Sister-in-law is fierce and strong, "no interview, no interview"; Ersao is simple and honest; Sister-in-law is smart and quick to settle accounts. Sister-in-law is responsible for delivering cakes and collecting money, and letting her son put buns at the door. This machete is not big. Everything went through to the end and the meat was crushed. The price of top-grade beef and mutton in Fang Hui ranges from beef ribs to beef tendon, and each catty of 64 yuan has its own flavor. A cake with 122 pieces of meat, 15 yuan, has to be weighed for you. Most of the steamed bread flour used by Muslims comes from the old-fashioned "Volkswagen Flour Factory" in Xi 'an, and the three huge cakes can't keep up with the speed of selling preserved beef and steamed bread.
Mayong preserved beef and mutton, an old shop opened in Bianjia Village for nearly 30 years, is bright and modern. On the beam of the house hung four cows and two sheep killed by the imam in the early morning, all of which were fresh. That good beef has no taste, no drop of blood, and hangs clean in the house. Besides preserved beef and mutton, such good raw meat is also the favorite of old diners. After buying a Chinese hamburger, they will bring some beef and mutton. The middle-aged couple who want to fry steak think the beef is too fine, but the old man knows the goods. "I want to wrap jiaozi and give me a piece of fat." The old woman carrying leeks came to buy meat. She went back to chop stuffing to make beef and leeks. jiaozi, Xi 'an and jiaozi were authentic. His wife asked for a steamed bun and chewed it in the street.
"Good beef is crimson", and Ma Yong doesn't like the concept of "snow beef" and other western mythical beef. "We have preserved beef and mutton in Shaanxi, and we can only use Qinchuan cattle. The frost flowers in the oil distribution of Kobe cattle are too greasy for us, while the fat of Qinchuan cattle is clear and definite. Generally speaking, we must remove all the oil. Where should the fat of each cow grow? When we come in, we should cut it into four pieces according to the texture, remove the bones and cut the fat. We have our own habits. "
"Want to be fat or thin?" The first thing you say when you receive a guest is. The price is the same, regardless of quality and price, depending on the preferences of the guests. Fat beef is tender and lean beef has texture. I have been to Ma Yong's house, and they are all regular customers. Hui students and teachers from Xigong University, Northwest University, xidian university and nearby research institutes manage the business of Ma Yong and his son. "I used to go to school here and eat for a few years. This is a business trip back to Xi 'an. "I saw a young man come here to buy some preserved beef buns." 10 yuan, cheaper than anywhere else. "
Most old people love to be thin when they come, not because they don't want to be thin, but for one every day. This heat should be controlled in the morning. The production of preserved beef is very complicated. The size of a piece of preserved beef is cut according to the texture, but guests often only buy a catty, and there are a few ounces left. This kind of meat is best served with steamed bread. Although it is pickled with salt and aniseed, there is no soy sauce and no old bittern. "Bacon beef, soup for a change. It won't be used in two days. "
Therefore, I saw the beef tendon meat Malik Yongjia, which was specially crushed and used to sandwich cakes. I always feel much more luxurious than beef burgers. Beef does not need adhesion such as egg white starch, and there is almost no soup, but it should be mixed in cooked meat, which has the texture of gravy itself. Every time a pile of meat boxes is used up, they will be cleaned up with a small scraper, leaving no trace of pork. Therefore, we can't temporarily cut a corner from the pot, minced meat or steamed stuffed bun. Generally, the big names can afford the business of preserved beef and mutton. In fact, the stores of preserved beef and mutton are very big, but without tables, it is even more impossible to greet guests.
"100 yuan of meat, the fattest." An aunt and two old sisters came together after morning exercise. "My son wants to eat." Three people still have silk fans in their pockets, and the small bags are full of hundred-dollar bills, scrambling to pay the bill. However, the second sister-in-law asked for "ten steamed buns" and said, "Go and buy them. There is no more here. " "Then why did I buy meat?" "Oh, there are two dollars ahead." Several people muttered and left, but the diners knew that they had to make a cake to set off the beef. The preserved beef in Yang Tianyu is soft and rotten, especially the steamed buns in the deep pot, which are piled as high as a mountain on the chopping board. Soon it was sold out, and the second pot of meat was sold out in five minutes.
A lot of trembling soft meat is discharged in a big iron box. Ma Yong cut the beef into pieces along the fascia line, just like a skilled person. He bought the ribs and tendons of the whole beef, and then asked the man to cut them, usually just into small pieces. The texture of the bite is different. Beef in Yang Tianyu is more moist and juicy, and steamed buns are all made fresh. Someone came to buy steamed bread, and when they saw that there was no steamed bread, they shouted with disappointment. Yisow hurriedly agreed and opened the small quilt in front of them. In order to make the steamed stuffed bun hot, the steamed stuffed bun is warm and fragrant. The last key heating will release the delicious gravy again, so many people don't want kraft paper bags, but wrap them in white paper to eat them so that they can bite on all sides.
Hu spicy soup is the most typical soup in Ann, and many people miss this fresh and spicy taste (photo by Zhang Lei).
Soup restaurant: hot soup, steamed bread partner
In the process of looking for preserved beef steamed stuffed bun, I gradually explored the law. Shaanxi people are not greedy for soup, and even with all kinds of steamed buns, they prefer thick soup with texture. In the breakfast combination with baked buns and meat as the staple food, Tang Yuan was originally a supporting role. Gourmets all know that buying steamed stuffed buns in a steamed stuffed bun shop and then going to a local specialty store to drink Hu spicy soup rarely make do with the meager soup in the steamed stuffed bun shop. Hu spicy soup is a spicy and refreshing vegetable soup, and the competition is fierce in Ann. The meatball hot soup originally only appeared as a supporting role of preserved beef and steamed buns, but the specialty store was so delicious. Henan diced pork hot soup also competed with Muslim meatball hot soup, which contributed more choices for breakfast stalls, which led to the independent maturity of hot soup from steamed bread as a staple food and gradually upgraded to one of the protagonists of breakfast.
"Li Weiyi Beef Ball Hot Soup" is one of the old Xi population, and it can be tasted as a child. When it comes to breakfast, I was recommended many specialty shops of Hu spicy soup, including seven or eight famous shops in the main city. However, Li has only opened the store for 27 years, but the proprietress at the door is very young. I dared to ask, "Is this your father's shop?" "Ha ha ha, that's her shopkeeper." The woman who is cooking steamed buns smiled. No wonder people say that Hui women are beautiful. I can only learn by drinking Hu spicy soup. The proprietress always smiles, wears a black silk coat, a black silk scarf and black hair, and is plain and natural. "My son is 24 years old. He was really busy on weekends, so he came back to help." In 27 years, I only sold Hu spicy soup and a bowl of 6 yuan. Husband cooks inside and wife sells outside. So the shop of two people supported the family.
The biggest feeling of this Hu spicy soup is that it is too similar to vegetable thick soup. Every vegetable is fresh, sweet, tender and delicious. Cauliflower, lotus white, potatoes and beans are thick and crisp, but the food is particularly refreshing. The soup base is made of "head pepper", not pepper, but it is completely numb. It starts at 5: 30 and sells at 6: 00.
"Big bowl and small bowl?" It's what the proprietress said to the customers. "Eat less meatballs, it's too expensive." Old customers don't want the boss's wife to raise prices, which is actually what they said. The proprietress smiled at me. To what extent do guests like it? In the hot summer, when the high-temperature warning is issued continuously, eldest brother "peppers need more oil", and peppers stood by the bowl and ate a big bowl of Hu spicy soup. Old foodies don't need spoons, they suck them with chopsticks and suck them into their mouths. They can't stop, especially vegetables. They must never eat together, but put soup and vegetables in their mouths. It's like eating mutton, but it speeds up the pace. When eating, most of them have their own rhythm. Big brother said he wanted another bowl to take away before he finished eating, and he asked for Chili peppers. "Almost?" Almost.
I bought a bacon burger and went to a hot soup shop, which was unambiguous (photo by Zhang Lei)
"Almost" Chili peppers, the feeling is always unclear. But the meatballs are not big, the thumb is big and the mouth is slippery, so you can eat beef. Perfect with this refreshing soup base. Also didn't say how many meatballs, she knocked on the soup with a wooden spoon a few times, chaotic sticky soup, suddenly a little gap, meatballs from the bottom, answer out, as if to cast some kind of summoning magic. Any foreigner who walks by will ask, "What's this smell? Why is it so fragrant? " The proprietress didn't say anything, nor did the steamed stuffed bun master next door, so I had to say, "It's spicy."
The best taste of Hu spicy soup is said to be spicy. I've never understood oil pepper. Isn't it just free table service? Xi 'an Restaurant sells 60 yuan's small bowls, and they are empty until they stutter. That spoonful of oil needs to be heard. I thought it was a pungent sound. Li only told me that it was because there was vinegar at the bottom of the pepper. Every pepper looked the same, but there were sesame seeds, five-spice powder and some secret spice powder in it. So when this spoonful of rapeseed oil goes up, the color, fragrance and quality of a bowl of pepper have changed.
Friends of Hu spicy soup family have a process from never putting peppers to replaying. In particular, the pieces of pepper particles mixed in the original refreshing vegetable soup have obvious appetizing effect. All the people who came to the Li family were foodies, and the boy carried his remaining half bowl. "Give me some pepper!" This is something on the road. A middle-aged man riding a motorcycle wants to buy two large portions. "Less spicy?" "Don't let go." Add another sentence, "for the children to eat." "Are there two children?" "The big ones are in middle school, and it is summer vacation." "Go slowly!" Old guests for many years, from young people to old people, whose daughter-in-law has become a mother-in-law ... there are many guests. There is only Hu spicy soup in the shop, only making breakfast. Those high-profit sodas for tourists are gone. I bought it early in the morning. The thin rod hanging under the mirror of the motorcycle is not fastened, but the fragrance keeps floating. Cyclists always buy breakfast for their families.