In the midsummer, the oak trees on the mountain have grown lush. Oak, also known as Crataegus pinnatifida, can be used to make a Manchu-style food: Crataegus pinnatifida leaf cake, which many people like to eat, but it is troublesome to make, so even in rural areas, few people make it. Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people who can put on the authentic leaf cake.
My mother grew up eating the leaf cake wiped by my grandmother, so my grandmother's specialty was passed on to her. My mother is always striving for perfection, so the cake she put on is even more perfect than grandma's.
The hillsides of my hometown are full of ferns, but it really takes some effort to select the standard leaves suitable for spreading ferns.
Every time my mother wanted to wipe the leaf cake, my father volunteered to go to the mountain to pick the leaves. Useful leaves must meet certain standards, and the leaf size should be moderate, neither too small nor too big, slightly larger than the palm of an adult, which is just right.
The tenderness of the leaves is also exquisite. The leaves are too tender and soft to shape, and the leaves are too old and lose their natural fragrance. Therefore, it is definitely a test of patience to choose the leaves. Every time my father ran to a distant hillside, the leaves he beat back were barely qualified by my mother's critical eyes.
After the leaves are returned, they should be trimmed with scissors first, and the sharp petiole part should be cut off, so that the whole leaf looks almost round, which is easy to wipe when plastering, and the appearance of the made leaves cake is also beautiful.
After the leaves are trimmed, they are cleaned and drained for later use. Before that, my mother had mixed the batter. Now, we usually mix white flour with a certain proportion of starch to mix the batter. When we were young, we usually ate sorghum rice flour or millet flour, which was more unique than white flour.
Talk about stuffing. Stuffing materials are usually made from local materials, and kidney beans in the garden are in season in summer, so it is best to use kidney bean pork stuffing, pinch kidney beans, wash them with boiling water, chop them into uniform small particles, add various seasonings together with the meat stuffing, stir them evenly like dumplings stuffing, leave them for a while to taste, and then you can wipe the leaf cake.
Why is it called "wipe" instead of "bag"? Because the reconciled noodles are very elastic, you have to wipe them hard with a knife to spread them evenly on the leaves.
The most critical link in making tobacco leaf cakes is plastering. If this link is not done well, the quality of food will be greatly reduced.
Spread the drained Toona sinensis leaves out in the left hand, and pick and cut a proper amount of sticky batter with a knife in the right hand. First, spread it in the center of Toona sinensis leaves, and then spread it around from the center. The movements of both hands should be very coordinated. The force exerted by the right hand with a knife is very important. The wiping process is the process of slowly rotating the Toona sinensis leaves in the palm of the left hand, rotating for one week and covering the face.
The surface should be properly smeared, and the center of the leaf is a little thicker, and it is thinner and thinner as it goes out, but it is even and can't be exposed. Shame on me, I still can't master this skill well. )
Generally, one person wipes the batter and one person is responsible for the package. It's relatively easy to wrap. Spread the stuffing on the leaves. Of course, there are requirements to put the stuffing. Put a little more in the middle, and it will become thinner as you go to the side. Then, hold the leaves in the middle with your palms. The palms are empty, and the force is applied to your fingers. A few fingers are gently pressed, which is a standard one.
When a pot of Toona sinensis leaves is ready and the cauldron is filled with water, when the water is hot, put a big steaming curtain into the pot, spread a layer of washed Toona sinensis leaves on the curtain, and then put the Toona sinensis leaves on it in turn with a slight inclination. Steam on high fire, and steam for 20 minutes after boiling, without waiting for lifting.
When you take the leaf cake out of the pot and cool it a little, you can put it on the table and enjoy it. Mother's rubbing of the leaf cake is perfect. After removing the leaves, it is trembling, smooth and full without revealing the stuffing, and the blue kidney bean stuffing can be seen dimly.
The edge of the cake, in particular, is a thin layer of skin, soaked with the delicate fragrance of the thick leaves. You can take a small bite, taste the special aroma of Shan Ye, and then push it forward with a big mouth. Each bite is richer and more fragrant than the stuffing you eat, so let alone the satisfaction!
I was full after eating three, but I couldn't help reaching for it again and again. As a result, every time I ate the leaf cake, I was full, but I couldn't help but send it to my mouth every time! That wonderful taste, really, is not known until you eat it!