Inadvertently, the picture of a bowl of bean blossoms flashed in my mind, instantly evoking some of my memories, and I was still unfinished, so I simply shared it.
Say something off-topic, these days browsing posts, see someone wrote a self-driving budget tour, do not enter the scenic spot, do not live in the hotel, do not enter the restaurant, such a game personally do not understand, is it specifically to experience the fun of driving? The real trip should be like this, while appreciating the magic of nature, it is also necessary to deeply experience the local customs and customs, breathe with the local, and gently touch its pulse, which is still a bit interesting, isn't it?
The first encounter with Douhua was many years ago in a small street in Chengdu. On the way to Manjushri Square at noon, I came across a small shop with steaming bean blossoms in the cauldron in front of the door, which was very tempting. What I prefer is the "simplicity" of small shops, that is, the kind of small shops that do neighborhood business in residential areas, without the slightest "snobbery" near the scenic spots, which makes people feel down-to-earth.
I went into the small shop and sat down, ordered a bowl of bean blossoms and a bowl of rice, but did not dare to put down chopsticks. To explain, I am from the northern ice city of Harbin, no matter where I go, most of the travel cost is the air ticket money, who let us be in the "remote"? But it is also so, after leaving the house, it is easier to marvel at the huge difference between the north and the south, which may be the charm of travel. Then he said that after the uncle at the next table saw my dilemma, he enthusiastically taught me to eat bean blossoms, and he could use a spoon to scoop a spoonful of bean blossoms, add some spicy dipping sauce, and send it to my mouth.
At that time, I saw this dipping water in the bean flower rice for the first time, full of curiosity, which contained oil peppers, ginger and green onions, soy sauce, tempeh, etc., as well as a little minced pork, the taste is extremely delicious, and the entrance is unforgettable. To my surprise, many office workers will visit here, and the special snack I see as "bean flower rice" is a perfect lunch for them.
The second encounter with Douhua was during a trip to Zunyi, Guizhou. Travel from Chishui City to Bing'an Ancient Town. Since ancient times, Bing'an Ancient Town has been a famous post station for Sichuan salt into Qian, where the Red Second Division of the First Front of the Red Army's Long March crossed the Chishui River in the north, thus opening the prelude to the Battle of Sidu Chishui.
After staying at this stilt house inn called "The Ancient Town on the Cliff", I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a big gathering once every three days in the town. The town rushes to the market feels like a trilogy, "catch the market, drink tea, eat pac-flower". The small shop opposite the bus station specializes in bean blossom rice, how can you not try it?
The hostess is busy making the dipping water of the bean flower rice, there is red oil, pepper oil, meat foam hot sauce, green onions, etc., yes, the least that can be done in Guizhou is the folded ear root, which is the houttuynia that impressed me.
This is a relatively standard set menu in the town's big market, a bean flower rice, but also add a roasted white, or steamed pork ribs to enjoy, there will be an old man who will enjoy it will also drink a cup of beauty. These small shops in the ancient town are only open when there is a market, and I am blessed.
The way to eat bean blossom rice here is also very fun, and the hostess took the initiative to teach me. Scoop the bean blossoms into a spoon or rice bowl, then use chopsticks to dip a little water on the bean blossoms, then mix the bean blossoms with rice and swallow them, and then drink a sip of cellar water. I quickly tried it, and it was delicious.
Let's talk about the rice here, which is in this big wooden barrel. This one used to steam rice is called Koshiki in the local area, the outside is slightly like a wooden barrel, the upper part is slightly larger and the lower part is slightly smaller, and the bottom is a circular bottom made of breathable wooden planks or bamboo grates, and the water vapor can steam the rice through the gap. Rice steamed with koshiki does not stick, and the taste is better than rice steamed in a rice cooker.
Speaking of my third experience of eating douhua, it was even more fun. In Zunyi, Guizhou, along the Ziyin Road in front of the Zunyi Conference Memorial Hall, I saw this small pavilion - Chen Jihun Berry Bean Flower Noodles. After eating bean blossom rice a few times, it turns out that there are bean blossom noodles! Certainly not to be missed.
There is only 9 yuan a set of bean blossom noodles in the small shop to sell. Zunyi bean flower noodles are soft and smooth, with strong spicy flavor and special flavor, which is an originality of Zunyi people. The noodles are covered with a ball of snow-white bean blossoms, and the noodles are soaked in soy milk.
I tasted the noodles first, which is really different from the usual noodles, and the bean blossoms inside have a full bean aroma in the mouth. According to the practice of eating brine noodles in our northeast, the dipping sauce in the small dish was poured into the noodle bowl one by one, and it was very refreshing to eat it! The next thing was a little awkward, and the diners next to me looked at me and smiled. Originally, bean blossom noodles are not the way to eat "brine noodles", but the bean blossoms and noodles are picked into the pepper dish to eat, this Zunyi special bean blossom noodles, raw let me eat into "mud noodles".
The above is so lively, in fact, there is a brother of "Bean Flower" around me, which is the tofu brain that we northerners are familiar with. When making tofu, the first thing that comes out is soy milk, then tofu brain, followed by bean blossoms, and finally tofu, tofu brains and bean blossoms are considered brothers. In Harbin, a steaming bowl of tender tofu brain and newly baked cakes are the favorite breakfast of many people. The most nostalgic thing is the roasted cake tofu brain that I ate at the Songbin Hotel in Daoli District, Harbin when I was a child, the baked cake is the kind of hanging oven cake that is baked golden and crispy, and the brine of the tofu brain has wood ear fungus, yellow cauliflower, and chicken shreds, which are full of sincerity and unforgettable.
This morning in Xiangshun Street, Xiangfang District, and ate the heart of the tofu brain, this baked cake tofu brain is more famous, oil and salt baked cake is good, the tofu brain brine has a strong soy sauce taste and pepper spicy, and we have some gaps in the tofu brain in our childhood memory.
In the past, tofu brain was put in a delicate bowl, and now it is placed in a plastic basin with a plastic bag, using a disposable small plastic spoon; the "content" in the tofu brain brine is also much less, and you can faintly see a little chopped black fungus, if you can eat a fine yellow cauliflower, even if you win the lottery, it is really difficult to say a word. What are your experiences of tasting specialty snacks during your trip?