🏮 The taste of the summer solstice in the streets of the ancient city: a bowl of Qinzhen cold vermicelli with distinct roots
When talking about the place called Qindu Ancient Town in Huyi District, Shaanxi Province, the first thing most people think of is the shiny bowl of food called Mipi.
However, when the land of Guanzhong is in the midsummer evening, what really makes the souls of local food lovers linger on is often just such a dish. This dish may seem inconspicuous at first glance, but in fact it is a food called "Qinzhen Cold Vermicelli" that carries refreshing memories of the land of Sanqin.
This landmark side dish is hidden deep in the streets. It is not as bold as rice noodles, but with its unique crispness and refreshingness, it can relieve the heat of Guanzhong people for three thousand years.
To create an authentic Qinzhen flavor, the first step is to select materials.
Different from the ordinary starch vermicelli on the market, the old workshops in the ancient town still strictly follow the rules passed down from their ancestors, that is, they must use the kind of vermicelli made from pure mung bean starch.
This kind of high-quality mung beans originating from northern Shaanxi or Ningxia is refined and precipitated to extract starch, which is used to make vermicelli with "bones and bones."
On the old street in Qin Town, Master Li, who has been making cold vermicelli all his life, said that mung bean vermicelli will not become bad when it touches water. If you pick it up with chopsticks and shake it, every strand will not break. This is the kind of "sharp mouth" that we Guanzhong people pay attention to.
The technique of handling fans is the touchstone to distinguish whether it is authentic or not.
Here, there is no such thing as impatiently brewing with boiling water directly. Instead, it is done according to the "cold bath method" passed down from our ancestors.
In Huyi District, dry vermicelli is put into cold water from a deep well and left for half an hour in a cool place in summer, allowing the water to slowly penetrate into the innermost layer of the vermicelli to maintain its inherent flexibility.
Then, the fire was so fierce that the pot heated up, and the water boiled as violently as spring water. I saw the skilled and experienced master using long chopsticks to pick up the vermicelli and quickly flip it up and down in the boiling water for only twenty seconds. Then he quickly poured it into the iced cold water placed next to it.
The local people commonly call it "passing three passes", which is a state of violent agitation from front to back, one hot and then cold. This state not only allows the vermicelli to be instantly set, but also completely washes away the layer of sticky substances that are easy to stick to the surface, leaving a slight elastic feeling when entering. The locals call this touch "crispy bite".
The soul of this snack is undoubtedly condensed in that spoonful of hot pepper oil .
Shaanxi people love spicy food, and they even know how to eat spicy food.
In the bowl, pile up the fine chili noodles produced by Xingping, sprinkle with a handful of white sesame seeds with very full grains, and then garnish with a few cloves of minced garlic from deep in the Qinling Mountains.
When rapeseed oil is burned in an iron pot until green smoke curls up, the generosity of Guanzhong people suddenly bursts out - with just a "sizzling" sound, the hot oil is quickly poured into the bowl, and the layers of aroma that are instantly stirred up can spread across half the street.
This fragrance is overbearing but not spicy, which is the unique fragrance of Guanzhong Plain but not strong.
Pour this spoonful of caramel-flavored red oil, together with minced garlic, into the vermicelli that has been mixed evenly with balsamic vinegar and a little soy sauce. In an instant, a mixed sour and spicy smell permeates the air.
The matching of supporting characters also implies the wisdom of Qin’s diet.
The threads formed by extremely finely cut local dry cucumbers carry the freshness from the fields. A few mung bean sprouts that have been boiled until they are broken add a layer of crispness in the mouth, and then a handful of coriander with a unique aroma is sprinkled on it, showing an intertwined appearance of emerald green and white, shrouding and setting off each other among the crystal clear vermicelli.
Diners in Qin Town all know that this dish cannot be kept for a long time and is ready to be eaten.
When the chopsticks are inserted deep into the noodles at once, the vermicelli appears smooth and non-sticky, filled with hot and sour juice. When you take a bite, you will feel the toughness unique to soy products and the freshness brought by cucumber. Finally, it ends with the crispy aroma of peanuts. In such a hot summer, you can taste the so-called Jianghu gas with refreshing characteristics.
Nowadays, this home-cooked taste is rooted in the list of Shaanxi landmark delicacies and is no longer just a private treasure of the residents of the ancient town.
It represents a simple philosophy of life. If it is in the long summer heat, it means using the most exquisite ingredients and the most precise processes in exchange for a touch of hard-to-get refreshment and tranquility on the tip of the tongue.
If you are lucky enough to pass by the ancient town of Qindu in midsummer, you might as well step into an ancient shop and order a plate of vermicelli like this, paired with freshly baked meat buns. This is the most authentic summer full of Guanzhong characteristics.
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