I am used to eating local mutton, and I am also used to eating the rotten soup 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 ordinary-looking mutton noodle soup has completely subverted all my previous cognition of mutton and all the memories of mutton stored by taste buds.
So mutton can still make this taste? Please forgive me for standing by.
The hospitable host served two large pots of SAO Zi, one of which contained a lot of Chili oil. There are diced potatoes, diced carrots and diced mutton in the pickle, and a few slices of coriander are sprinkled on the surface. The soup in that basin of mutton is not very clear, but slightly turbid. However, the flaws are not hidden, and the delicious fragrance 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 want to understand until I finished this meal.
The honest master kept rubbing his hands, and it seemed that he was not used to having so many people at home at one time. He greeted us at a loss: we have guests here in northern Shaanxi, and we will serve them with minced meat noodles here. Give it a try, give it a try, and say it with your hands. ......
The taciturn host hinted that he treated us as distinguished guests and entertained us with the most grand meals. Let our group feel flattered.
Noodles are light yellow and cooked in a pot with warm water. Starch on the surface of noodles is soluble in water, which avoids the adhesion between noodles.
After the host explained, we knew that noodles were 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 mouthfuls of noodles and a bowl of soup will make you feel warm. Of course, this is not what the host told us, but after eating several bowls in succession, I realized it myself.
Saozi soup is moderately seasoned and delicious, so that the rice is full, we still refuse to put down the bowl and continue to drink the soup. I think the host will laugh at us after we leave. However, I didn't care about this at that time. I just ate noodles and drank soup. Everyone else took the time to eat, and no one spoke. In order to break the embarrassment without being too rude, I finally opened my mouth and praised 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. The soup is more noodles than noodles, and it looks delicious. The noodles are chewy and have the smell of buckwheat. Potatoes melt in the mouth, carrots and cloves are crisp, and diced mutton is the most amazing taste buds.
The diced mutton is also cut into small square pieces. When you pick it up and put it in your mouth, the tip of your tongue feels very slippery. Bite it down, it is elastic and chewy, just like eating beef jerky. The difference is that the water is moderate and it doesn't taste as ugly as beef jerky.
Several people in the same trade felt strange after chewing a few mouthfuls. They looked at each other 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. Reminds people of the smooth and tender color of Jinhua ham. So, I guess it was made by cutting mutton into strips and air-drying. Otherwise it wouldn't be so chewy.
I asked, and it really coincides with my inference.
Jingbian has a poor natural environment, barren land and 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 in a large area, 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 mountains where crops can't be planted are lush with vegetation, which is a natural and excellent pasture. Therefore, raising sheep according to local conditions has become the main source of income for most people.
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 the sheep they raise 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. A full sheep doesn't need to be fed at night, just need 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, without the taste of mutton.
Some people who go with us don't like mutton. Seeing that we had left, we wolfed it down, couldn't help eating it, 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? Of course this question is answered.
There are many sheep in Jingbian, so local people naturally like to eat mutton. Through the continuous research and improvement of mutton practices, a delicious food with local characteristics-mutton noodles with minced meat was formed.
In the process of making a special food, there will always be something different. The same is true of Jingbian minced meat mutton soup noodles.
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. This process of air-drying food is similar to some stages in ham making, but the time is much shorter.
When making mutton, cut the mutton, carrots and potatoes into small pieces, first boil the diced mutton, then the diced potatoes, and finally the 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 an unforgettable food for me.
Unfortunately, the food was so good that I forgot to take pictures. This is the only place where I feel deeply guilty during my trip to northern Shaanxi. ......