lives in a small county town in the 1980s. One step to the left is the county town, and one step to the right is the countryside. This feels like the connection between Laotieshan Mountain in Lushun, Liaoning Province and Hengshan Mountain in Penglaitian, Shandong Province. It forms the natural dividing line between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The lines are clearly separated, and it seems that the sky is close at hand, and indeed it is at your feet.
The life in rural areas in the 1980s was far more interesting and energetic than it is now, and the relationship between parents and fellow villagers was also more harmonious. In winter, during the off-season, various festivals will get everyone moving, making noise, and having fun. Every year, on the winter solstice, my parents would take me back to my hometown in the countryside to celebrate the festival with everyone. Although the food and drink could not be as good as now, the joy of everyone could not be as good as now.
The winter solstice is the day with the shortest day and the longest night of the year. After today, it will be the coldest "three-nine days" of the year, and the days are gradually getting longer day by day. Therefore, there is a folk saying: "A bowl of noodles during the winter solstice will make a thread grow every day." Noodles and dumplings are the most important items in the history of Chinese food culture. Wherever you eat noodles, you can eat dumplings. Eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice is very popular in the north. It is said that dumplings have the effect of dispelling cold. There is a folk saying that "If you don't serve dumpling bowls during the Winter Solstice, your ears will freeze off and no one will care."
Noodles are eaten in winter in the north, and there are a lot of soup noodles. My mother often said that eating meals with soup and water will keep you warm in winter.
A bowl of noodles in the winter solstice makes a difference every day: I had a bowl of " Sliced Noodles "
at noon. That bowl of noodles with my mother's deep affection deeply impressed my taste buds. It was different from the noodles I ate in Shanxi later, and had a much more homely taste. In the 1980s, the noodles were not as white as they are now, and the texture was slightly rougher. However, the soup, vegetables, and noodles were all in one, and each person had a bowl and chopsticks to start eating.
Winter vegetables are mainly potatoes, cabbage, dried beans, yuba, radish, pumpkin and vermicelli. Later, I built a small greenhouse at home, and only a few varieties such as fresh coriander, tomatoes, and rapeseed were available. It's too cold in winter, so eating noodles with thick soup is the best way to enjoy it. Pair it with some mature vinegar and garlic, and you'll be sweating after eating it, and you won't feel cold all afternoon.
The shaved noodles made at home are different from those in restaurants. First stir-fry the meat and vegetables, add water to boil, then dissolve the noodles into the soup, and when they are cooked, put them in a basin and serve them. Everyone takes their bowls and starts eating. The three-sided shaved noodles are full of soup and have a salty and fresh taste. The dough is soft, waxy and chewy.
On the winter solstice, the most delicious thing is dumplings. After finishing the shaved noodles at noon, I started to prepare some dumplings. Families that were not separated in the 1980s had many mouths to eat, and it was very hard for the daughters-in-law who took turns cooking.
Eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice to resist the cold: a bowl of Spanish Mackerel Dumplings for dinner Spanish Mackerel Dumplings
Eating dumplings during the Winter Solstice, the one time I remember clearly was eating dumplings stuffed with Spanish Mackerel. Dumpling wrappers can contain thousands of ingredients and flavors. Although not all ingredients are suitable for wrapping, Spanish mackerel is a fish ingredient that is suitable for making dumplings. Take fish meat as an example. For example, hairtail fish is too hard, noodle fish is too soft, Yellow River carp is suitable for braised, Jiaodong salmon is suitable for dried fish, and fish heads are best for steaming. As for Spanish mackerel, the most classic way to eat it is to wrap it in dumplings.
Bayu dumplings are a very Shandong way of eating. The Bayu meat is removed and chopped into thicker fish fillings. Fatty and bleached meat should be put in the fish filling, so that the fish filling will be whiter, with a delicate taste and a strong aroma. Just chop pig fat into stuffing, and it should account for one-third of the fish stuffing. Any more or less will affect the taste and texture of the stuffing.
When the stuffing is ready, start to adjust the stuffing. Fatty meat and fish stuffing are put into the basin together. Add egg white, ginger and scallion water, pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil and other seasonings. Stir vigorously in one direction. When the meat stuffing is full, dry the seasonings. The last one to appear is the soul of mackerel stuffing, shepherd’s purse . The green shepherd's purse makes the white meat filling more dazzling, and the fresh taste of shepherd's purse makes the meat filling more delicious.
There is no shepherd's purse. You can also add leeks, small garlic sprouts, and green onions, but the taste is a little different. The taste is stronger than that of shepherd's purse and can easily destroy the freshness of fish. The wrapped mackerel dumplings are cooked in a large pot over high heat. The crystal clear skin reveals the white and green meat fillings, just like a large fish ball wrapped in a thin dough. The fresh soup and fragrant juice are soft, glutinous and smooth. "You can swallow the taste of the sea in one bite."
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