In the eyes of Shaanxi people, purple sweet potato is a unique bright color nurtured by the fertile land of Qinchuan for 800 miles. On the stoves of Fujian Hakkas, it is a warm place dancing with glutinous rice. In the morning mist of Yunnan Plateau, it turns into a purple precious treasure given by nature.
This tuber, known as the "underground ruby", is no longer limited to one corner, but has taken root and grown in the vast land of China, evolving into various styles.
It is not the superficial purple sweet potato, but a seasonal custom-related thing with a unique secret information code of the region. This is related to the wisdom contained in the food on the soil and water of different places and something that can show the beautiful taste and fashion of life.
In Jianshui, Yunnan , the locals know how to protect the original flavor of purple sweet potatoes.
The purple sweet potatoes here grow in red soil, which is located at an altitude of more than 1,800 meters. There is a temperature difference between day and night. This temperature difference promotes the full transformation of starch, thus accumulating a sweetness that is far superior to other places.
They do not overcook, but use the simplest method of steaming in a steam pot over water to preserve the rich natural anthocyanins in the purple sweet potato core.
After the Jianshui purple sweet potato is steamed, its skin is slightly cracked, revealing the dark purple flesh. It is as dense as sand when you enter it, with a mellow aroma like chestnut, and no moisture at all.
This way of eating can best bring out the glutinous and sweet original taste of plateau purple sweet potato powder, and also allows the body to easily absorb the antioxidant energy that is comparable to blueberries.
Moving eastward to the Hakka Mountains of Fujian , purple sweet potato has completed a gorgeous transformation.
The Hakka people, who are good at using ingredients, cleverly combined the locally produced glutinous rice with purple sweet potatoes to create a food called "purple sweet potato glutinous rice cake" with strong regional characteristics.
The method is very particular about manual labor. First, the purple potatoes must be cooked until they are completely cooked, and then they are ground into a sweet potato puree that is as fine as grease. Then the potato puree must be blended with the glutinous rice balls that have been beaten repeatedly in a stone mortar.
The sweetness of the mashed potatoes neutralizes the stickiness of the glutinous rice, and dyes it a natural rose purple color .
After the small balls are formed, a layer of fragrant fried soybean flour is rolled on it. It is soft, waxy and elastic in the mouth. First, the aroma of dried bean flour hits you, and then the sweetness of purple sweet potato overflows between the teeth. There is no burden of sweetness at all.
For guests coming from afar, such a tray of purple sweet potato glutinous rice cakes constitutes the most simple way to welcome guests during the specific market day period owned by the Hakka people.
However, in Lin'an, Zhejiang, purple sweet potatoes and thunder bamboo shoots from Tianmu Mountain have started a dialogue between "mountain treasures" and "earth treasures".
There will be local people who cut the purple sweet potato into pieces, and then put the cut purple sweet potato into pieces together with the dried stalagmites that are a specialty of Lin'an, and stew them to form a purple sweet potato with dried bamboo shoots.
The sweet and glutinous purple sweet potato is blended into the mellow duck soup. This fusion not only removes the greasiness of the meat, but also gives the soup a naturally formed thickness, and the dried bamboo shoots contribute a crispy texture.
The purple sweet potato has been simmered in the soup for a long time without becoming rotten. It is filled with the deliciousness of duck fat and becomes tough on the outside and soft on the inside. When you bite it, the soup splashes on the tip of your tongue. The fragrance of potato and meat are perfectly balanced. It is ultimately a tonic for nourishing yin and moisturizing dryness in the autumn of Jiangnan.
Of course, the most popular thing is the warm aroma of roasted purple sweet potatoes in the streets.
A strong wind was blowing, and the winter wind in the north was biting. There was a vendor pushing an oven, and the purple sweet potatoes were roasted on the charcoal fire. As they caramelized, the sugar fully seeped out, and the honey juice was thick and sticky.
Break open the purple sweet potato, and what you will see is that the golden candy heart is intertwined with the purple flesh. It is hot and steaming, and the aroma can spread half a street away.
Such an ultimate combination of burnt aroma and honey-sweetness is a comfort in winter that cannot be replaced by any extremely exquisite snack.
As for people's concern about "whether the purple sweet potato is genetically modified", in fact, you can rest assured.
It is a natural variety of purple-heart sweet potato. As early as in the "Compendium of Materia Medica", there is a record that "sweet potato can replenish deficiency and replenish energy and strength." The purple variety is the result of natural selection based on traditional farming wisdom.
There is no difference between it and ordinary sweet potatoes, but each has its own advantages: Purple potatoes have a very prominent anthocyanin content, which is a natural antioxidant, and this antioxidant can play an antioxidant role; sweet potatoes are rich in β-carotene, and carotene is good for vision and can play a beneficial role in vision.
Smart diners know how to rotate their food and learn from the best of others.
If you want to recreate these authentic flavors at home, start with a pot of purple sweet potato and multigrain rice .
Purple sweet potatoes from Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province are taken, the outer skin is removed and cut into cubes. Rice from Hanzhong is mixed with a small amount of purple rice and put into the pot. The rice cooked in this pot shows a pink-purple color. The aroma of the rice and the aroma of the purple sweet potatoes blend with each other. Just eating a bowl will make you feel satisfied.
In the afternoon, it took ten minutes to make a purple sweet potato yogurt cup: press the steamed purple sweet potato into mud, spread it on the bottom, then top it with old yogurt from Qinghai, and then sprinkle with chopped walnuts and raisins from Xinjiang. It has a sweet and sour taste with a soft and glutinous texture, and is rich in layers. This is a healthier low-calorie dessert than cake.
The charm of purple sweet potato is that when it is in a high-end restaurant, it can be transformed into an extremely exquisite molecular cuisine, and in the homes of ordinary people, it can be turned into a bowl of porridge full of warm friendship.
It is a gift from the earth, a concentrated expression of terroir, and it also reminds us that the most profound nourishment codes are usually hidden in the simplest ingredients.
If you come across this purple color next time in the market, you might as well buy a few more and use the unique methods of water and soil to unlock the nutrition and warmth hidden in the depths.
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