A place's water and soil nurture a person. Since ancient times, people have underestimated wealth and honor, but fell in love with the local flavor and recalled their hometown. Nostalgia is the yearning in the sense of taste.

Some people say that nostalgia is a taste. Can't let go, let alone forget. Nostalgia is not only the longing for family, but also the nostalgia for the taste of hometown.

If you carefully examine the Tujia people’s eating style, you will discover the Tujia people’s inherent strong personality. The Tujia people have lived among thousands of mountains for generations, relying on mountains to eat and water to eat. Everything is natural and they are content with whatever happens. During the New Year "carrying grid", pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and radishes are spread in the huge steamer underneath, and tamales from the newly slaughtered New Year pigs are spread on top. There is a lively banquet for the neighbors. It can be said to be the No. 1 dish of the Tujia people. Tujia people's cooking pays attention to the original flavor, which is natural and natural without too many modifications. It is like water hibiscus with the aroma of earth.

There are some kinds of meat that look greasy, but after you eat them you realize they don’t feel uncomfortable and are very easy to eat. Braised pork with salted vegetables is one of them.

Salted vegetables are a kind of vegetable made from dried mustard greens, cut into pieces and pickled. They are not pickles, sauerkraut or pickled vegetables. Braised pork is a food with a wide range of meanings, so it is called differently in many places, made differently, and tastes different. Braised pork with salted vegetables is braised pork with salted vegetables and pork belly. It is widely distributed in the southwest and is a delicacy in the eyes of the Tujia people.

Braised pork with salted vegetables is an authentic specialty well-known to the Tujia people. It is an indispensable steamed dish in New Year dishes and banquets in the mountainous areas of western Hubei. Because of its golden color, fragrant aroma, sweet and refreshing taste, neither cold nor dry, neither wet nor hot, it is known as a "righteous" dish and has long been famous. It is now named "Salt Vegetable Braised Pork". Its main raw materials are pork belly and salted vegetables. Braised pork is called differently in many places, is made differently, and tastes different. The "Salted Pork with Vegetables" cooked by people in my hometown is like the status of hairy crabs in Shanghai. The gleaming layers of pork belly are spread out on top of a bowl of hot salted vegetables, waiting for people to pick them up with the tip of their chopsticks, stand up, and eat them. Although the braised pork is beautiful, without the help of salt and vegetables, it will eventually become a pile of fat that is unbearable. Against the backdrop of the salted vegetables, the fat and fat of the pork belly is steamed by the fire and quietly seeps into the salted vegetables. The salted vegetables are removed from the blandness and become full of life. The taste is really fresh and fragrant.

Salted vegetable and pork belly is also a bowl that we Tujia people always put on the New Year’s Eve dinner. The braised pork is smooth and mellow, fat but not greasy, and the salt and vegetables are rich in flavor. One bite will leave a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth. The festive color of the braised pork also symbolizes prosperity, so it has become an indispensable classic dish on the New Year's Eve dinner table in my hometown.

Speaking of this dish of braised pork with salted vegetables, after I tasted it, I felt like I couldn’t help but feel happy. The preparation method is simple, but the ingredients are exquisite, including pork belly, Tujia salted vegetables, black soybeans, minced ginger, green onions, soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, and honey.

First, pour the pork belly through water, wash the pork belly and boil it in water for 10 minutes. After it is cooked, you just need to taste it carefully. It will be oily but not greasy, and it will leave a fragrant aroma on your lips and teeth.

For such a delicious salted vegetable braised pork, after the pork belly is soaked in water, apply honey evenly on the meat skin, and then put it into the oil pan and fry it. Fry on all sides until browned.

However, you must pay attention during the production process: when frying the meat, the fire should not be too high. To prevent oil from splashing out during frying, be sure to cover the meat with a lid after placing it in the oil pan. The fried pork belly is soaked and cut into slices;

Then put the sliced ??pork into a large bowl, add soy sauce, salt, cooking oil, minced ginger to taste, and a little sugar can also be added To enhance the freshness, if you like spicy food, you can put some chili sauce on it. After the meat slices are seasoned, place the meat skin side down in a small bowl. Place the meat skin side down on the plate.

The next step is to add the key ingredients. After the meat is ready, it’s time for the important supporting role of salted vegetables to appear. Rinse the Tujia salted vegetables several times with water, cut into pieces, soak in water for five minutes to remove excess salt, then squeeze out the water and set aside. Wash the black soybeans with clean water and set aside. Wash the salted vegetables, soak them and set aside. Squeeze out the water.

Then steam it, put the black soybeans and salted vegetables in a small bowl with the meat, and steam it in the pot. After steaming on high heat for 20 minutes, turn to low heat for another 40 minutes. If you like it to have a softer texture, you can steam it for a while longer. At this time, special attention should be paid: it must be steamed slowly over low heat. Often the taste of the first steaming is not very good. You can put it in the steamer to heat it again. The taste will be more delicious after repeated steaming. Finally, use chopsticks to gently pinch the meat into pieces. At that time, it tastes best. Place the salted vegetables and black bean sauce on top of the pork belly slices.

Finally, pour the steamed salted vegetables and pork into a plate, invert it into a plate, open the small bowl, and a plate of salted vegetables and pork is completed. La.

The meat is simmered with salted vegetables. The meat is smooth but not greasy. The aroma of the salted vegetables is completely immersed in the meat. It is an excellent side dish. The endless salt vegetables are also good for making steamed buns for breakfast. It can also be used to cook noodles without adding any seasonings. Tastes great!

"Pork with Salted Vegetables" looks like greasy fat meat, but tastes like salted vegetables, oily but not greasy. The texture of lean meat is a bit hard, especially chewy, because of the salted vegetables. The moistness of the meat absorbs the soup and blends into the meat. These layers of overlapping textures are intertwined to form a delicious symphony.

You see, these are the Tujia people who rely on the mountains to eat, the mountains and the water, and are born and raised by the water.

I have always been inseparable from the landscape of my hometown, and I have a special liking for the traditional local delicacy - "Salted Pork with Vegetables".