Ankang Shiquan, it took me a lot of courage to write the guide for this place, because this is a place you don’t want to leave after you come, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to write it well.

Ankang Shiquan

Ankang Shiquan, I mustered up a lot of courage to write the guide for this place, because this is a place you don’t want to leave when you come, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to write it well. Every spring and summer, when my friends in Xi'an ask me, "Which place is worth visiting if you go to southern Shaanxi ?", the first thing that pops up in my mind is Shiquan , because this is a place where life is comfortable and the air is fresh. Clean, a bit like a good place in a small county town in Chongqing.

The Han River passes through the county.

Shiquan is named after the spring. It borders the Qinling Mountains to the north and the Bashan Mountain to the south, so the vegetation coverage is very high. And because the Han River passes through the city, the air is relatively humid. I went there by myself. I visited Shiquan five or six times. In addition to sighing about the food here, what impressed me most was the livable environment here. I wonder if my friends who have been there have this idea. They should come here to retire!

Highway Chang'an Road TV Tower to Shiquan Stadium

Which way to go from Xi'an to Shiquan? I went several times and took three routes, each with its own pros and cons. If you go there for food, you should navigate directly to Shiquan Stadium. Why navigate here? Because parking in Shiquan is very inconvenient. Parking on the roadside is easy to get a ticket, so we navigate Stadium, park your car in its underground parking lot, and it is close to Shiquan Old Street , which is very convenient. There are two expressway routes, namely Xikang and Xihan. The Xihan Expressway has a short distance and low tolls, but you have to get off the expressway when you reach Lianghekou, and then walk dozens of kilometers at a low speed to get to Shiquan; Xikang Expressway has a long distance and high tolls, but you can get off the expressway directly at Shiquankou, which is relatively safe; If you want to enjoy the scenery along the way, you can drive at a low speed throughout the journey, enter from Fengyukou , and walk along National Highway 210, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Qinling Mountains along the way, but it will take a long time, about 5 hours. (I personally calculated the time by driving)

Shiquan Old Street in the early morning

Taoyuan Farmers Market

Taoyuan Farmers Market

My personal suggestion is to go to Shiquan after get off work on Friday and simply have a meal, arrive around 10:30 in the evening, and then check in. Why do you arrive at night? Well, the purpose is to experience the life of Shiquan people firsthand the next morning. To understand a city, you must start with its farmer's market. The Taoyuan Farmer's Market in Shiquan really surprised me. It is large in scale, rich in dishes, and most importantly, fresh and almost clean dishes . Let me take a look at the picture above.

Fresh vegetables

Freshly picked tomatoes

Houttuynia cordata

Bamboo shoots

Konjac

Pickled cowpeas

Bacon

Blood cake

How about dried potato chips

? Have these vegetables aroused your desire to buy? Those who are really good at it must go to this market in the morning and buy some dried vegetables, fresh vegetables, cured meats, etc. unique to southern Shaanxi.

Baogu paste pocket

Crystal buns

Crystal bunsBaogu paste pocket

Many people

After visiting the Taoyuan morning market before 8 o'clock, we went to Shiquan Old Street (8 minutes' walk). Why did we come here? Because it is on the old street. There are two special breakfasts.First of all, we first find the crystal buns. Why are they called crystal buns? They are thin skinned and full of fillings. They are big. The key is how to make fried buns

steamed buns

We have arrived at Shuiquan. Don’t hesitate. You must try the tofu and vermicelli stuffing. , French beans also have to get one, two are enough

It doesn’t look good haha ​​

Although the buns made by the elder sister don’t look good, the side also reflects that they are full of stuffing

Ready to put into the noodle pot

Fry in water How to make the buns

Fry until both sides are golden

This crystal bun is said to have been opened for more than ten years. It has a good reputation in the local area. The store is not big and there is a queue in the morning. I think there are two differences between homemade fried buns and Henan fried buns: first, they are much bigger; second, they have thin skin and lots of stuffing, with a crispy texture on the outside and delicious stuffing on the inside. If you want to eat it in the store, you can order it. Bowls of soy milk, I suggest you buy a few to take away. There is a snack bar not far from his home. You must try their Baogu paste pocket, which is also a specialty of Shiquan. Let me introduce

Baogu paste pocket

It is particularly sticky

Baogu Paste, what I understand is Guanzhong 's hazelnuts, just a little thicker, paired with two golden crystal buns, full of appetite

Side dishes

Dried water vegetables and radish

In fact, their corn paste The dou is also served with a plate of side dishes, mainly pickled vegetables and dried radish. The correct way to eat is to put the pickles on the surface of the dou with chopsticks, and then eat the dou with chopsticks. It is somewhat similar to the way of eating stir-fried dough in Guanzhong. Steamed buns

Shiquan Old Street

Puffed steamed buns

Puffed steamed buns are the characteristics of Shiquan. As soon as you look at the literal meaning, you will know that this steamed bun is hollow in the middle. One side is flat like a mirror and the other side is convex like a mountain. The taste is crispy and delicious. There is a shop specializing in steamed buns at the Taoyuan Farmers’ Market. You can buy them on the way, or after breakfast, go to Lao Ma’s house to buy them. His shop also has a good reputation and is very popular among locals.

Laomajia

Tofu curd

Spicy steamed buns

Puffed steamed buns. The local people in Shiquan eat them with spicy steamed buns or fermented bean curd. Both spicy curd and fermented bean curd are made by local farmers and are similar to the tofu we see on the market. The milk is quite different, and it is also considered a local specialty. It goes well with rice or steamed bacon with fermented bean curd.In addition, the mutton bubbles in Shiquan also use air-inflated buns. The inflated buns taste chewy, so they won’t be chewy. Those who are interested in mutton bubbles can also try the local mutton bubbles in Shiquan. I won’t make them again. Detailed introduction

Guyan spicy chicken (Qiao daughter-in-law farmhouse)

His signature spicy chicken

When going to Shiquan to eat delicious food, I think there are two hard dishes that you must try, one is spicy chicken, the other is stone pot fish (and Grilled fish ), at noon I recommend Qiaozhenwu Farmhouse next to the 210 National Highway in the county. Not only can you eat authentic Shiquan cuisine, but the most important thing is that you can eat his signature dish - Guyan spicy chicken. , Shiquan’s spicy chicken is really different from other places.

Dried potato slices are put in it

Vermicelli spicy chicken

Potato crispy rice with rice

Are you drooling when you see the picture? The authentic Shiquan spicy chicken must use free-range chicken. Use an earthen stove and firewood iron pot to stir-fry, so that the dried meat is fragrant and firm. The side dishes inside are also classic. Use dry vegetables from southern Shaanxi, such as dried potato slices, dried cowpeas, etc. You can also put konjac, vermicelli, etc. inside. , served with potato crispy rice, this taste is really enjoyable. It is really pale to describe it in words. You should try it yourself. The food is recommended in the chronological order of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Shiquan stone pot fish and Shiquan grilled fish should be introduced at the top, which shows the status of fish in Shiquan cuisine. After eating farmhouse spicy chicken at noon, we returned to the county town. We first went to the hotel for a lunch break, and then went for a walk along the Han River to breathe in the fresh air. In the evening, we walked around the old streets to see the night view and eat fish. Let’s talk about stone pot fish first. There are many shops selling stone pot fish on the old street, but the first one that is famous and tastes better is this one at the entrance of the old street. It used to be called Bashu stone pot fish, and later it was called the birthplace stone pot fish. , many locals in Shiquan also eat here, the environment is average and the place is not big.

Pickled in advance

Yellow spicy diced

Tender meat

Spicy stone pot fish

In fact, many of Shiquan’s eating habits are similar to those in Sichuan, so I wonder if this stone pot fish was spread from Sichuan and Chongqing. Their stone pot fish is freshly killed, the soup base is spicy and fragrant, and the chopped chili pepper they match is amazing. The locals actually like to eat Hualien. The disadvantage is that there are many thorns, but to be honest, I don’t like black fish and Jiang Tuan. , one meat is tight and the other is fat. If you don’t like Hualien, you can try yellow spicy diced rice. It is common to queue for an hour for meals. Arrange your time.

Jiawazi Grilled Fish and Fried Duck Feet

To be honest, compared to I prefer Shiquan's grilled fish for stone pot fish. There are two Jiawazi grilled fish shops on the old street, one is a big shop and the other is a small shop. I don't know the relationship between the two, but I have eaten both, and they taste the same. The house-grilled fish is first grilled to get the flavor, then put on a plate, pour in the secret red oil spicy soup, put some side dishes in it, and serve. There is an induction cooker on the table to keep reheating. The longer you stay, the more delicious it becomes, especially the The grilled fish skin tastes spicy and delicious, and the fish meat is also very tasty.

The fried duck feet

Another must-order dish in their restaurant is the fried duck feet. This is my first time to go to Shiquan, and a local friend recommended it to me. , and he told me several times to order this dish, it was really amazing. The duck feet should be braised in advance, and then stir-fried with green and red chili peppers. The duck feet will be deboned in the mouth and the lips and teeth will be fragrant. The more you eat, the more addictive it becomes. If you see someone selling malatang on the old street, you can pack a portion and bring it here to taste.

In fact, the food in Shiquan is much more than what I mentioned, but for outsiders, it is not a worthwhile trip to Shiquan to taste all of them. If you feel that you have gained something from reading this food guide, I sincerely hope that you can like and leave a message of support so that more friends can read this article.