🍜Jiangnan Yiyi·Vegetarian Duck | Nostalgia on the tongue of Nanjing people
As long as we mention the examples of "meat dishes" among vegetarian dishes, in the ancient city of Jinling, there is a very original dish that has been around for nearly a hundred years, and it is - vegetarian duck. This vegetarian dish, which originated from Nanjing Confucius Temple, is not duck meat. It involves soaking tofu skins in a marinade made with soy sauce, sugar, and spices, rolling up the tofu skins in layers, steaming them first, and then frying them. Finally, it takes on a saucey red and shiny appearance, which looks like roast duck. At the moment of entry, the texture of the tofu skin and the sweetness of the marinade burst out between the teeth. It was actually a bit crispy and tough of roasted duck skin and chewy of the meat. Those who are old Nanjing people often say that to be called a good vegetarian duck, the marinade must be "transparent" and the bean skin must be "crispy". It will not be greasy when eaten, but the mouth will be filled with a special aroma when chewed. This is the taste memory left by several generations of the unique customs of the Jinling area.
🥢Ancient Southern Fujian·Shishi Sweet Cake | The Time Practice of a Grain of Glutinous Rice
In Shishi, Fujian, there is a snack that is extremely simple, yet carries the hardships and nostalgia of going to Nanyang. This snack is sweet cake. It only uses glutinous rice, white sugar and water as raw materials. However, in the production process, it needs to go through the step of soaking the rice, and then grinding the pulp. After grinding, the pulp must be pressed dry, then kneaded and kneaded. After being kneaded and put in a basket, it must be steamed over high heat for a whole day and night. The color of the steamed sweet cake is golden and shiny, and its texture is flexible and elastic. You can cut a piece with just a thread. Locals are happy to cut it into slices, then wrap it in egg liquid and fry it until both sides are slightly burnt. It is crispy on the outside and soft and waxy on the inside, sweet but not overly sweet. In the past, it was a dry food that could be stored for a long time when overseas Chinese traveled across the ocean; now, it is an indispensable offering for people in southern Fujian during sacrifices and festivals, and it is also the "sweet" taste that tourists want to taste when they return to their hometown.
🥘Steamed asparagus with cloud legs | The collision of fresh spirits in Xuanwei Mountains
Who said vegetarian dishes are bland and tasteless? In Xuanwei, Yunnan, the local people deeply understand the method of "borrowing flavors". Around the time of Qingming Festival, there is Wumeng Mountain asparagus, which is particularly thick and tender, with a refreshing fragrance from the soil. People living in the local area will cut several slices of Xuanwei ham that have been stored for many years into very fine shreds, sprinkle them evenly and evenly on the asparagus, without adding a drop of water at all, then place them in a pot and steam them quickly over high heat. The salty flavor and oil of the ham slowly penetrate into the texture of the asparagus during the steam, thereby stimulating the original sweet taste of the asparagus itself. When it is taken out of the plate, the asparagus is as green as jade, and the ham is as bright red as flames. Just take one bite, and the refreshing aroma of the mountains and the mellow taste accumulated over time will be perfectly integrated in your mouth.
🔥Northern Sichuan·Zitong Powder | Jade-colored cool rivers and lakes
In the unbearably hot summer season, on the streets of Zitong, Sichuan, the most popular food is not spicy hot pot, but a bowl of rice noodles that are so green that they seem to drip out of water. The green color it presents comes from pure natural leek juice. This leek juice and mung bean flour are mixed with each other and shaken in a pan to form a thin noodle skin as thin as a cicada wing. The noodle skin is then cut into wider strips. When eating, sprinkle the "strange" juice made with mustard, peppercorns, red oil, and mashed garlic. It feels smooth and tender when you enter it, and the refreshing feeling goes straight to your heart. Then, the punch of mustard, the numbness of peppercorns, and the aroma of red oil explode on the tip of the tongue. This delicacy with a history of hundreds of years is a snack called Zitong. It perfectly illustrates the Sichuan people’s food philosophy of “pure for freshness and bland for taste”. It can be called a local landmark delicacy that must not be missed.
🍠Chaoshan · Steamed Sweet Potato Taro | Amber Sweet Memories
In the Chaoshan area, the sweetness of vegetarian dishes is obtained through the method of "cake baking". The so-called "cake baking" involves using a large amount of sugar to "honey" the ingredients over a slow fire until they are thoroughly cooked. Select local red sweet potatoes and taro, cut them into pieces, put them into the syrup, and simmer them slowly for several hours until the syrup becomes as thick as honey and completely penetrates into the center of the ingredients. The cooked sweet potato taro cake is golden and translucent in color. The taro has the characteristics of being glutinous and glutinous. The sweet potato has a sweet texture and a layer of crystal sugar coating attached to the surface. When you bite into it, you will feel the real sweetness and softness. It is the beet that is the finale of Chaozhou banquets, and it is also the taste of hometown that countless overseas fashionistas dream about. It has the meaning of sweet and prosperous life.
They are the key entities that undisputedly and unquestionably play the role of regional food icons, embedding the most authentic and authentic hometown flavor in the hearts of travelers living in foreign lands. Next time you want to make a new change on your dining table, you might as well follow the directions of this taste map to taste and try these unique flavors that come from all over the world and contain simple wisdom.
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