Last week's editorial department topic selection meeting, everyone discussed the problem of eating noodles, and colleagues in the north casually said: "We northerners can't look at the southern article ~"
As a loyal lover of the southern noodles, naturally can not admit defeat, after a eye contact, the editor-in-chief waved a big hand: "Then you go to pick a kind of southern authentic and delicious noodles to dig a good digging, show everyone." ”
Buy a ticket as soon as the topic is over! Target: Kunshan Aozao noodles – one of the most famous branches of Su-style red soup noodles.
Okuzao Ao stove, the mystery comes from the noodle stove
The naming history of China's local specialties is always romanticism with a bit of storytelling, and Kunshan's Aoza noodles are no exception.
There is no specific historical record, but there is a relatively widespread rumor in the folk: it is said that when Qianlong Microfu privately visited The lower Jiangnan, passed through The Yufeng Mountain in Kunshan, ate a bowl of red soup fried fish noodles, felt delicious, and asked its name, the local people replied "bad", in fact, in the local dialect is not very clean meaning, but because of the language barrier, Qianlong understood it as the meaning of "mysterious in the stove head", so it was given the name "Ao stove noodles".
Folk stories can only be used as a pastime after tea and dinner, but the word "unclean" in the dialect can really find a hint in this bowl of noodle soup.
The soul of Okuma noodles - old soup
The soup base for making Austrian stove noodles has a great origin, and the old soup that has been cooked continuously for decades is the soul of a bowl of qualified Austrian stove noodles.
However, the base of the old soup is not exquisite, fish head, pig skin, duck skeleton... All kinds of meat and aquatic products are not rejected, and scraps are also welcome to join; swimming in the water, running on land, flying in the sky, all depending on the mood of the chef.
This pot of old soup has to roll non-stop from the beginning of the store, every morning to fish out all the ingredients cooked the day before, take out half of the soup and set aside, and then add new ingredients and water to continue cooking, and so on.
Kunshan has many decades-old Ao stove noodle restaurants, perhaps each family's ingredients and hanging soup ratios are different, but the old soup of each shop is the essence of the essence that has been precipitated for decades.
The only two authentic toppings on the Okuma noodles
Adhering to the Su-style red soup noodle tradition of always being considerate of toppings, there are many types of toppings that can be selected for Aoza noodles, and if you find a noodle restaurant in Kunshan, the price tag of the toppings alone will be dazzling.
But the most authentic Kunshan Ao stove noodles, you only need to order two kinds of toppings - red soup fried fish, white soup brine duck.
After a wide range of oil and high temperature fried blue fish pieces are called popcorn; the amount of oil completely covers the fish pieces, coupled with constant stirring, the heat of each place is uniform and sufficient, the freshly fried fried fish is crispy on the outside and tender inside, bite open a bite, the hot aroma rushes out, absolutely delicious!
The marinated duck is fatty and salty, which complements the clear and white soup. If you can come across the chef cutting the marinated duck, the shiny red duck meat will make people swallow just by looking at it!
Of course, now the noodle eaters have no paranoid requirements for the toppings, delicious first!
Three hot in one, small ingredients to make soup
The soup base and toppings alone are not counted, and the "contrived" Jiangnan people prefer to cut small details in detail. The three heats are one, that is, bowl heat, soup heat, and noodle heat.
Small ingredients to make soup, it means not to use a large pot to fight soup, in the bowl directly with the need to add accessories, according to the needs of guests can be convenient to make adjustments, this step is also known as "bowling".
The bowls that had been steamed beforehand were neatly arranged on the table, sprinkled with small ingredients, a spoonful of old soup that had been hung into the bowl, the turquoise leek leaves (used from June to September were chopped onions) tumbled and danced in the bowl; the skilled master picked up a chopsticks of freshly cooked noodles, covered the aroma and put it into the soup, and a bowl of Austrian stove noodles became.
It is difficult to detect the heat of the Ao stove noodles that have just been served on the table, and when you pick up a chopstick noodle, there is a fog in front of your eyes in an instant; after purring and sucking in a large bowl of noodles, you find that your forehead has long been sweating, and the desire of your tongue is satisfied at the same time, it is even more cheerful!
Which of the most authentic Ao stove noodles in Kunshan?
Kunshan, which is less than 1,000 square kilometers, has more than 2,000 noodle restaurants hidden in large and small sizes, and it is not easy for non-locals to find an authentic Aozao noodle restaurant.
In order to recommend a bowl of delicious noodles to everyone, we walked through the streets and alleys of Kunshan, even the small shops on the street, and found the following 5 delicious noodle restaurants that do not step on the thunder, each with its own style.
Okuzakan
The First Stop of Our Trip is said to be the birthplace of Kunshan Aozao noodles, which has a history of 100 years. However, the "century-old shops" in each place seem to be less popular with some locals, and the Okuzakan is no exception, which has been tragically labeled as "deceiving outsiders".
From the high-speed rail station to take a taxi, 15 minutes to the main store of Tinglin Road, the antique two-storey single-family house is very stylish, quite a century-old shop style.
Our arrival time was about 11 o'clock, it was the time of the meal, the store was bustling with customers, but fortunately, the store was big enough and the cash register was fast enough, so it didn't feel noisy and crowded. Take advantage of the gap in the queue to look around and find a lot of medals.
Fried fish noodles 15 yuan
After buying the order, I will give the face ticket and the topping ticket, and I will have to go to different windows to pick up ~ we decided to order a bowl of fried fish and red soup noodles to try the water. The master noodle technology has nothing to say, the noodles produced by the sale is very good, the toppings are three large pieces of fried fish, the amount is sufficient, worthy of the price of 15 yuan a bowl.
Drink the soup first, perhaps to cater to the tastes of foreign tourists, the red soup of the Okuhokan is much lighter than we imagined, the umami taste of the fish accounts for the majority, the sweetness is moderate, but after drinking three or four sips, the taste of soy sauce becomes more and more obvious, perhaps this is one of the reasons why it is not popular with locals.
Compared with the soup base, the performance of the toppings is much better, the fried fish soaked in the soup, the skin is still crispy, the entrance is sweet and short, the meat is solid and not old; the noodles are well controlled, and the taste of the strong taste is still maintained after being randomly patted by us.
Address: No. 155 Tinglin Road
Business hours: 06:00-14:00; 16:30-20:00
Tongfeng Hotel
Tongfeng Hotel is said to be one of the most popular old Ao stove noodle restaurants in Kunshan, and I heard the name that it was the same as the Ao Stove Hall, quite large-scale and stylish decoration, and when I arrived, I found that it was actually a roadside noodle restaurant that was very grounded.
"Boss, which noodles do you sell best here?" "Come to Tongfeng to eat noodles, surely a large row of toppings!" ", the boss has not had time to answer us, the guests who are queuing up together have said first, OK ~ then order a bowl of red soup noodles!
The area of the guest sitting area is not large, the noodles are in the back kitchen, you can see the process of cooking noodles and stir-frying toppings by the chef; when we take the noodles, we are just frying a new round of large ribs, and we can eat freshly fried toppings, good luck!
Large row noodles 15 yuan
The same is the process of drinking soup first on the table ~ the red soup of Tongfeng Hotel really amazes us! The meat is fragrant, and you can drink the strong taste of the old soup in one bite, the sweetness is not very high, but the heavy oil soup base allows the sweetness and freshness to stay in the mouth for a long time.
Freshly fried steaks are a must! Take a bite, the heat is bubbling, the taste is crispy that can be heard at the same table, and the meat inside is thin and tender. However, I prefer to dip the large ribs in the soup for a while before eating, the moistened crust has a wonderful powdery texture, which is perfectly matched by the aroma of meat.
Address: No. 788 Tongfeng West Road
Opening hours: 05:00-20:00
Dragon King Noodle House
We asked the driver in the taxi to the Ryuoo Noodle Restaurant, "Master, does the Ryuoo Noodle Restaurant taste good?" "Dragon King Noodle Restaurant, people who are used to eating like it, people who can't eat it." Hey hey..." The taxi driver's sly smile made us more curious.
Enter the store to order noodles, face tickets a row of yards open, especially before when I was a child by bus to buy tickets ~ the boss said that the sign in the store is a large row of noodles and large intestine noodles, the same photography brother is just a braised large intestine lover, decisively order a bowl of large intestine noodles to try.
Large intestinal noodles 14 yuan
If it is necessary to strictly judge the authenticity of a bowl of Austrian stove noodles according to the standard of "three heats", the noodles of the Dragon King Noodle Restaurant should be authentic to the point of explosion! The oily red soup does not steam, take a sip from the bowl to feel the heat, the wonderful thing is that the temperature of the soup is just slightly lower than the degree of scalding, a mouthful, smooth.
Wait for the heat to pass, the aftertaste to feel the red soup oil, salt, sweetness are more than the previous few stores, the taste is thick, the strong impact of the old soup is exhausted, and the taste of the large intestine is also very strong, even if it is a photography brother such a loyal large intestine enthusiast, but also feel a little can't hold, shouted: "The driver master sincerely does not deceive me!" ”
Address: The northwest corner of the intersection of Baita Road and Chunhui Road
Business hours: 05:00-14:00
Xiao Kunshan Noodle Restaurant
There are more than 30 small shops in Kunshan with the name of "Little Kunshan Noodle Restaurant", but some shops have more than thousands of reviews, and some shops only have dozens of them, and the water depth is so deep that people are stupid and indistinguishable. And the small Kunshan Noodle Restaurant on Bailu South Road where we went, the editor's package ticket certification, the standard is online, cost-effective, and worth eating.
When we arrived at the store, it was already about three o'clock in the afternoon, and although it was past dinner, there were still many diners in the store who were purring and concentrating on the noodles.
Big Double Hi 18 yuan
The price of the shop Rio stove noodles is the most cost-effective in several stores we have been to on this trip: the signature big double hi three toppings: large steak, popcorn and mixed stir-fried vegetarian, only 18 yuan, covered in the noodles, photography brother fiddled with half a day before taking pictures to reveal a little bit of noodles.
Similarly, the soup base of this shop is also the lightest in several stores we have been to, the soup is not thick but the umami taste is layered, the sweetness is moderate, and it is perhaps more acceptable to foreign diners.
Braised meat noodles 12 yuan
Another bowl of braised meat noodles was ordered, the lean meat part had been stewed to the point where the fibers were visible to the naked eye, the fat melted away with a gentle sip, and the sticky lips were traces of collagen!
Address: No. 1069 Bailu South Road
Tianxiang Hall
Tianxiangguan , said to be the predecessor of the Aozakan , was reopened at the end of the last century by the teacher of the Okuzakan and was the last stop of our Kunshan face-to-face trip.
Marinated duck noodles 13 yuan
After eating all the way to the red soup noodles, I decided to try a bowl of brine duck noodles with white soup! I have to say that the amount of noodles given by Tianxiangguan is really enough... Just looking at the big chopsticks of the noodle cook, it will be half full.
The white soup has a transparent base but an astonishing consistency, and when you drink it with a spoonful, you will be surprised by the light taste. The marinated duck is in place, the leg meat tastes very tight, and at the same time retains the grease of the connected part of the skin and meat, and it will be very salty to eat empty mouth, so it must be soaked in the soup for a while.
Tianxiangguan's noodles are relatively soft and rotten, plus the portion is sufficient, if you do not eat quickly, it will be mushy and lumpy, if the appetite is small, it is recommended to talk to the noodle cook in advance, the portion is a little less.
Address: No. 128 Zhongshan Road
Opening hours: 05:30-13:00
On this Kunshan noodle hunting trip, we also found a very interesting phenomenon: Kunshan people love to eat noodles, but only love to eat authentic Su-style noodles ~ we passed through some other local noodle restaurants, almost no one can be seen, but also reflects the kunshan people's confidence in local pasta from the side.
If you want to go to Kunshan to explore the charm of Ao stove noodles, quickly collect this article and take a time to walk! (Kunshan students, if you have any other noodle restaurant recommendations, welcome to leave a message to tell us!) ）
Text | Gelato
Figure | Si Yu