▲ Baked brain flower with tin foil, the ultimate meaning of brain flower.摄影/西馥馥图/图虫·创意
-风物君语-
肉类的香气
豆腐的质感
四川的省花
舌尖的天堂
这世界上只有两种人：爱吃脑花的， And those who haven't dared to eat brain flowers.
▲ Baked brain flower with tin foil. Photography/Xianrenbanban, Picture/Picture Worm·Creative
About the charm of brain flowers, Guo Haizao in the TV series " dwelling " is accurate - "It has both the smoothness of tofu and the meatiness of it. "Scent" , the little girl enjoyed eating with chopsticks and chopsticks. Seeing Song Siming frowning and calling cruel, she questioned:
"Then why don't you put tofu directly?"
"Then People who like to smoke, why don't you just go to the chimney and smell it?"
This time, Secretary Song was puzzled.
▲ Brain flower, the lover is addicted to it, and the hater is afraid of it. Photography / Yihong Yihan Photo / Huitu
Brain Flower is an admission ticket for foodies to gourmets.
Looking at the whole country, there is no one who understands the style of the brain the most, Sichuan people , which are the most popular and know to eat.Sichuan is the "big pig-eating province" of China's pork consumption. The finale of hot pot , is the masterpiece of maocai , is the uncrowned king of barbecue , is the soulmate of noodles , is a luxurious upgrade of Mapo tofu ; it can be boiled, fried, fried , Baked and eaten with tinfoil, grilled with tofu, eaten at night, and eaten with various meat dishes... everywhere, omnipotent.
▲ Brain flower noodles are often installed in an enamel jar, and the brain flowers are used as scumbags. Figure/Internet
The brain flower blooms in the deepest and softest place in the heart of Sichuan people.
"Six points full, the brain is spent!"
I learned an idiom when I was a child, called " fat brain fills ", unfortunately, I read "full brain fat intestine" for ten years —— Every time I think about it, a hot pot is boiling in my memory, and the table is full of brain flowers and fat intestines flying up and down. Just talking about it makes my saliva drool and my eyes glow.
Like me, most people's impression of brain flower comes from Sichuan hot pot with red oil tumbling.
▲ Brain flower can only be placed in red soup in Sichuan. Figure / Chengdu City Association
Sichuan people cook brain flowers, which is a very ceremonial process.
A pot of red soup tumbles, and everyone sits around the pot. When is full of , looks around and confirms that they are all like-minded people , so the brain flower shines, and the most experienced veteran is in charge Cooking the pot - The reason for choosing the delicate time node of "six points full" is mainly because most of the diners have "stocks in their stomachs" at this time, and they can chat and drink to pass the long time spent cooking their brains.
is different from of “seven ups and eights”, and of “micro-rolled and ready-to-eat” duck intestines Cooked thoroughly, the numbness and spiciness can fully soak into every texture. Therefore, brain flower always appears as a "finale dish". Sichuan people eat brain flower, not for food, but for greed.
▲ Chongqing 's Jiugongge hot pot, brain flower is also one of the must-choice dishes. Photography/Maduo Tutu/Graphworm Creative
Diners who are six full should not be in a hurry to get oil and water in the pot, which will naturally ensure the integrity of the brain flower. In Sichuan, whenever someone is about to cook the brain flower, they always say with a bit of domineering:
"The brain flower is in the pot! The brain flower is in the pot! Don't mess with the chopsticks! , search) "
▲ In order to protect the brain flower, Sichuan people even specially invented a colander for cooking brain flower.Photo/Chengdu City Meeting
And all the tedious and long waiting anxiety will be relieved when you eat the first bite of the brain flower - The taste is as smooth as tofu, accompanied by the unique meat flavor of the brain flower , At the same time conquered the taste buds and nasal cavity, wrapped in all kinds of spices boiled in the red soup, garlic, coriander and sea peppers in the flavor plate, rushed to the forehead for a long distance, and the taste went straight to the sky. At the moment of
, I only felt that was weightless, and I forgot . When I came back to my senses, the bowls in the pots were already empty. Everyone, you and I have smashed your brains with chopsticks, drank the last sip of wine, or turned around or said goodbye, and went away smartly.
▲ Sichuan's brain flower, a person's brain flower carnival. Photography / Ye Yinxiao
If you want to enjoy a brain flower, in the Chuanchuan store is definitely the best choice.
is different from hot pot boiled brain flower with great fanfare and mobilization. Sichuan brain flower is often put in a small bowl, and the white and tender body is covered with tempeh, coriander, celery, rutabaga, plus a bowl A little bit of red and bright millet spicy enhances the flavor, a chopstick at the bottom of the bowl is crispy bean sprouts relieves tiredness, and the brain flowers lie quietly in the fragrant soup base, like the stars holding the moon, and their status is lofty.
▲ Spoon a spoonful of brain flower into the rice and enjoy it. Photography/neverww pics/huitu.com
A brain flower that is exclusively for one person, naturally you can eat whatever you want.
Some people like to use chopsticks to divide the brain flower into several pieces, eat wrapped with bean sprouts as side dish, bite down, the crispy bean sprouts and the soft and glutinous brain flower echo each other, and the layered feeling is full; Add a little vinegar to it, in addition to getting rid of greasy, it can also make the texture of the brain flower smoother; some people will order a bowl of white rice, and then stir the brain flower to cover it, a homemade brain Flower bowl freshly released.
Each "flower" is in each eye, and only oneself knows the taste of it. The seventy-two variations of
Brain Flower
Brain Flower first appeared with the prosperity of Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot.
However, in today's Sichuan, hot pot has long been unable to accommodate the free play of . From the hot pot restaurant, it dominates the barbecue stalls, the Xiaoao Sichuan restaurant, whether it is a luwei shop or a street noodle restaurant, almost all places with Sichuan flavor are accompanied by brain flowers.
▲ Sichuan's brain flower noodles. Photography/Aoki
If you want to compare the various methods of brain flower, I think Sichuan and Chongqing's tin foil roast brain flower is more attractive than cooking brain flower and taking it There are bowls and bowls of small brain flowers on the iron plate, grilled by charcoal fire, smoke is lingering, and the oil droplets emerging from the tinfoil roll happily in the tin foil bowl, in the taste of tofu and the aroma of meat In addition, a layer of coke flavor is also cast on the surface of the brain flower.A spoonful of minced garlic, a handful of chopped green onion, a little spicy millet, a spoonful of secret seasoning, and a bowl of roasted brain flower hooked the souls of passersby.
▲ "Brain tin foil hot, red oil waves." Photography / Menglin Clown, Figure / Figure Worm·Creative
According to a friend who "does sci-fi ", every time a group of sci-fi writers meet at Chengdu , even if it is a hotel dinner, they have to order dozens of Roasted brain flower is probably helpful to "broaden your brain". Especially after the advent of " three-body " , some people gave Roasted Brain Flower an appalling nickname - "Roasted Cloud Tianming" .
and the roasted brain flower in the Sichuan-Chongqing area also has factions. The tin foil roasted brain flower is the representative work of Chongqing style . The charcoal fire pushes the spicy, salty and fresh into the brain flower, which is very enjoyable. Generally brush oil on charcoal stove and bake. chili noodles , pepper noodles, chopped green onion, folded ears leave traces on the brain flower, the skin is roasted dry and fragrant, and it tastes another flavor.
▲"Roasting Yun Tianming", in the novel, Yun Tianming is only sent to the three-body planet in the form of a brain. Photography / Xianren Banban, Figure / Figure Worm Creative
Speaking of dry skin, Dry Fried Brain Flower has achieved the ultimate.
After washing the brain flower and removing the tendons, add various spices and cook for ten minutes, let it cool and cut into hob pieces, hang the egg batter, put it in a frying pan, and fry until golden on both sides. It tastes crispy on the outside and soft and smooth on the inside. The taste is similar to the " fried ice cream " in the early years. Some restaurants will end with a spoonful of fish sauce or sweet and sour sauce, and some will be accompanied by a small plate of chili noodles.
▲ "New Sichuan Cuisine" - Brain Flower Tofu. Figure / Chengdu City Club
The more common Sichuan restaurant is Brain Flower Tofu .
This "new Sichuan cuisine" born out of Mapo tofu directly burns tender tofu and soft and glutinous brain flowers together. I am fortunate to meet a master with superb craftsmanship. Maybe only when a chopstick is added to my mouth will I exclaim:
"Oh, so this is a brain flower!" Photography / yyg981 Photo / Huitu
Compared with the original Mapo tofu, the joining of Brain Flower is like a stroke of magic. It directly improves the umami of this dish without destroying the overall smooth taste and red and white tones. One step, the faint smell of meat and oil exudes, and it relieves the cravings in the stomach outside of the meal.
Sichuan people's research on brain flower is far more than that - such as halogen brain flower , Sichuan people are fond of brine, brain flower just absorbs the taste, soaking brain flower with common Sichuan brine, the mellow taste invades every "brain circuit" ”, take a bite of the juice to fill the whole mouth; The brain flower noodles is the most attractive in Leshan, often a large mouthful of enamel jars are used to hold the noodles, poured a layer of dried brain flower noodles, smashed and swallowed. The sesame sauce is thicker and more fragrant than beef diced!
▲ Brain Flower: "Broad world, great achievements". Photography/Aoki
The fat intestines soothe the stomach, and the brain flowers put the soul
If you talk about the research on "eating pigs", Sichuan people rank second, and no one dares to say the first . As a "pig-eating province" that leads the country in pork consumption every year, Sichuan people can eat pigs from the beginning to the end -
Dare to try Brain Flower , it is only a first glimpse in the food industry in Sichuan; Only when a foodie asks in a hot pot restaurant, "Is there any food," can only be said to be a little successful if you tell me how to eat Luo Gerou, pork chop, flower sausage, eyebrow meat, and cover meat Pig heaven" , this is the entrance to the house.
▲ In the Jiugongge, the hotpot group gathers together. Photography / Li Yishuang
Every part of a pig can provide rich ingredients for Sichuan cuisine. Hot Double Crispy , Stir-fried Fat Sausage , Garlic Loin Slices, Naohua Tofu, Gold and Silver Pig Liver, Liver Loin Combined Fried , Husband and Wife Lung Pieces ... Basically, pig offal you want. Appeared on the table of Sichuan people.
And open the menu in any hot pot restaurant in Sichuan, and know the internal organs of pigs well. Pig yellow throat, Xianjun liver, big knife waist slices, and brain flower are all frequent customers of hot pot restaurants. Chili is the most enjoyable to eat, County liver is always cooked but has to be ordered every time, fat intestines is full of meat and pot bottom fragrance, one bite and the juice splashes, it is very satisfying...
▲ The real "brain powder" can find the location of the brain flower at a glance. Photography/Li Yishuang
Life is only a hundred years old, most Sichuan people choose to be diligent in "eating", use fat intestines to soothe their stomachs, and use brain flowers to soothe their souls. The seemingly "heavy taste" brain flower is like a microcosm of Sichuan cuisine. represents Sichuan people's curiosity about food and tolerance, and the tireless pursuit of taste .
- END -
text丨Wang Yi
editor | September
picture editor | Zhu Mengfei
