#精品长文创作季#
There's nothing that can't be cured by a single taro
If you have one, eat another one
A cold snap swept by, and snow drifted everywhere in the traditionally warm south. The colder it gets, the more you can feel the happiness that food brings.
For Fujianese, happiness is always associated with taro. Although there was a fine frost on the ground under his feet, and a sharp chill in the breeze blowing on his face, if there was a bowl of taro puree—soft, glutinous, sweet, fragrant, with a rich aroma of lard, it slid hot from the tip of the tongue into the stomach, and suddenly felt comfortable from head to toe, as if wrapped in a quilt and collapsed on his own soft chair.
What's more healing than hot taro puree when it's cold?
Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
In recent years, it has been sought after because of its soft and glutinous but not overly sweet taste, full of satiety but not too high energy, and it has become popular all over the country. There are always people who misunderstand that taro puree, like milk tea, is an improvement of imported food from Taiwan, and some people simply think that taro also comes from overseas like sweet potatoes. Actually-
Taro is the native crop of the mainland, and taro paste is also the authentic local hometown taste that Fujian people have eaten for hundreds of years. There are many places where taro is planted in the mainland, but it is still the Fujian people who love taro the most, taro cake, taro bun, taro noodles, eat from morning to night, from spring to New Year. The taro paste, which is often used as a supporting dessert elsewhere, is even more delicious and extravagant here, and has become a very grand "tail sweet" at the New Year's banquet.
In Fujian, taro is a big dish!
Photo/Visual China
Hundreds of years have been accompanied day and night, brewing countless taro deliciousness. Fujian, Fujian, it's not an exaggeration to say that you are a taro paradise, right?
Give me a taro and give you a table of desserts
Many people have eaten taro, but not everyone has seen taro. Even if you've seen it, when you see a whole Fujian "betel nut taro" for the first time, you may have to exclaim, "Wow! What a big taro!"
It's really a big taro.
Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Isn't it big? It's half a meter long, and it can weigh a few pounds, and it looks like a stocky small cannonball. Botanically speaking, this kind of taro is called "kui taro", which is characterized by its large size and high starch content, and is cultivated in Fujian, Guangxi, Guangdong and other places. However, the taro grown in Fujian, especially in the Fuding area, is particularly good.
The Fuding area is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on the other, and the marine monsoon and the long summer days jointly moisten the characteristics of taro's "love of humidity and heat", and the highly drainable and nutrient-rich soil is spoiled by the taro's "fear of drought and flood" temper. The Fuding taro, which was pampered and grown, has fat leaves, strong taro, and a purple-red betel nut-like texture on the cut surface, with a starch content of up to 26%.
The delicate texture of sand sand pine is a characteristic of betel nut taro.
Picture/Huitu.com Photography/Wenyi Shushen
How to eat such an excellent taro? The answer of the people of Fuzhou is: Mash taro into dessert.
Fuzhou's long history of sugar production has cultivated a good taste for desserts, and it is natural to find the most suitable way to cook betel nut and taro. Because of the high starch content, the "meat" of betel nut taro is rustling, crushed and extremely light and soft in the hand, and the fine sand is as smooth and delicate as fine. With such a gentle texture, it is perfect for taro puree.
Yuan Mei said that "meat oil must be used to fry green vegetables", and the people of Fuzhou are well versed in the philosophy and use lard to prepare taro paste. The betel nut taro that has been in the cage drawer is steamed thoroughly and easily crushed into a puree with a knife plate. When the freshly refined lard is still hot, it is added to the taro paste, and the master repeatedly grinds it, patiently blends it, and then generously adds sugar until the soft texture is moistened. As the saying goes, "there is no effort to make taro paste, sugar and oil are masters", the sugar and fat are sufficient, and the harmony is blended into a restrained sweetness, a ball of taro paste looks smooth and shiny, not hot, calm on the outside, and hot on the inside.
Bagua taro puree, the mixed taste is more chic.
Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Although the most traditional Fuzhou taro paste is only sprinkled with a pinch of sesame seeds for decoration, for Fuzhou people who love to eat feasts, more ornate decorations are worthy of the status of the finale "tail sweet" dessert. The "double spelling" of taro paste and bean paste outlines a gossip map, which is a dessert full of Chinese philosophy "Bagua taro paste", with a strong sense of decoration. Sprinkle with crushed red dates, melon seeds, winter melon sugar, and plum tongue to make "eight-treasure taro paste", which is the style of the gathering of heroes. On the flowing water mat of the big stove, big pot and big steamer, a large "pot" of eight-treasure taro paste is very capable of calming the field.
The Fujian people pureed the betel nut taro and shaped the original dessert making rules, while the Xiamen people used deep frying to bring a new taste experience to the taro paste, making it soft and crispy, and instantly doubling the lethality - the crispy duck with taro paste is the crystallization of the wisdom of this food city.
Can anyone really say no to taro duck?
Photo/Feeding of oranges
There is taro in northern Fujian and muscovy duck in southern Fujian, and the two flavors meet in this delicacy. Deep-frying opens up the fusion space of taro paste and duck meat, and makes the golden and slender p前景 full of endless surprises. When you open the puff pastry, you first see the bulging taro paste, which absorbs the fat of the duck, and then you cut it, and it is the fragrant duck. The duck meat is moist, the taro paste is sweet, the fat blurs the boundary between the two, and the fried slightly crispy adds to the pleasure of chewing, giving people a taste experience that is both stimulating and integrated. If you soak the crispy duck in taro paste and eat it in sand tea noodles, the taro paste will be stained with sand tea sauce, and the taste level will be +1, and the soul pleasure will be +100.
Xiamen people have a foundation for the development of taro paste. Old Xiamen people should be familiar with "taro bun", which is a snack full of New Year's flavor, and it is also common on ordinary days. Although it is called "bao", the skin is not ordinary flour, but 100% taro puree, a spoonful of digging down, it will reveal rich fillings such as tofu, dried bamboo shoots, shrimp, etc., and some people add pieces of abalone, fine dried scallops, add some barbecued pork, white mushrooms, and dip some spiritual sweet and spicy sauce, which is so rich that people are afraid.
The warm and inclusive taste of taro paste creates a surprise in taro buns.
Picture/two more videos
Is this kind of taro paste sweet or salty, spicy or sour? Xiamen people will quietly let you understand that the task of taro paste as a crust is to resolve the conflict of the five flavors with a soft taste. Reconciling the "mean" is the king.
The love for taro paste, Quanzhou people are also a lot, they use small taro cakes to practice the spirit of "love to win". Grandma in Quanzhou, with a small cart, a foam box, a piece of taro cake can create a piece of heaven, don't believe it, every day less than four o'clock, where is not a long queue to buy taro cakes? The thin crispy and fragrant crust is wrapped in dense taro paste, and there will be a grain of taro in the mouth. Grandma, who has a flexible mind, also made taro cakes with salted egg yolk and taro paste, which has nothing else to do except that she is too full.
On the fried food stalls in southern Fujian, taro cakes are never absent.
Picture/Huitu.com Photography/Good Bird Yu Yuan
Deep-fried taro can also be tried. The vegetable fried food shop is like a Fujian food laboratory, vinegar meat is also fried, fish is also fried, sweet potatoes are also fried, and taro is one of the star items that can be beaten. The fried betel nut taro is wrapped in oil aroma to avoid the dry and loose taste, and there is a solid feeling of flour and glutinous glutinous in the mouth. There is also a kind of fried shredded taro, which looks a little close to French fries. You can also find taro dates at the fried food shop. Pick up a small ball of taro paste, wrap it with the filling, roll it into the oil pan, and take out the mini oval taro dates. It is an addictive snack. One bite at a time, the fragrance is soft and soft, and you can also eat crushed peanuts and sugar.
A little more effort is the "hanging frost taro". Although it is a small snack for Fujian children, it also needs a little level, and it is the most safe to eat at home. Put the fried taro strips into the boiled white sugar and wrap them in sugar sand, and as the sugar color forms crystals, a layer of frost is hung on the taro, which shows that the appearance of "hanging frost taro" is the first.
How many children's childhood favorites are this?
Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
In addition to mudding and frying, another big camp of taro desserts is in the sugar water shop. Of course, taro balls and taro paste are indispensable soul embellishments in various drinks and sweet soups, and in addition, taro also supports a must-have soup for Fujian people - taro and peanut soup. The taro pieces are added to the peanut soup and drunk in one go, and the soft peanut soup is added to the sweetness and softness of the taro, which makes people remember to say when they leave: "Bring a portion of the taro paste!"
Meat: The best partner for taro
How many taro hard dishes have the Fujian people invented?
Fats and starches, the most irresistible temptations of top foods in human physiology. The highly starchy betel nut taro is cooked with the meat, which can absorb the juice and release energy the most, and the deliciousness immediately undergoes a magical change of "1+1>2", which is more charming than the "potato with meat" that everyone has tasted. Fujian people who love taro, of course, will not let go of this wonderful combination. As for how to do it, whether it is steaming, boiling, or stewing, it is all magical.
Steamed pork ribs with taro, never get tired of eating.
Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Steamed pork ribs with taro, an authentic Min flavor with a high reputation. The taro is spread on the bottom in a bowl, the pork ribs are stacked on top, and the bone broth is steamed. In the graceful steam, the fat of the pork ribs seeps into the taro, and it is soft and refreshing, but the taro absorbs the juice and becomes salty, fresh and soft, and a little more fragrant than meat.
There are also various groups of taro pots, which prove that the stewing technique is always boring. For example, the Hakka taro pork knuckle pot aims at the gelatinous pork knuckle meat. The pork knuckles in the casserole are soft and rotten, and the taro is soaked in the soup stewed by the pig's feet, which can absorb the thick juice of the pig's feet and exude a heavy sauce aroma. This dish is regarded by Hokkien people as a symbol of wealth. Iron taro, flowing meat, pork knuckle replaced with pork knuckle, replaced with fat chicken, replaced with duck meat, all are a good pot.
The best duck should still be stewed in soup. Like sweet potatoes and peanuts, the "muscovy duck" in Fujian was introduced from overseas through the ports of southern Fujian. When they arrived in Fujian, this group of foreign ducks was accompanied by mountain streams and streams all day long, and they could eat for a long time, and finally became a local ingredient on the table. Muscovy duck is used to make soup, the duck skin is tight, and a thin layer of fat floats on the soup, which is extremely bright. If you add a few fried taro to this soup, the flavor that is covered with oil and soaked in soup is soft, moist and smooth, and it is really more expensive than meat.
Add a few pieces of taro to the muscovy duck soup and it will be the finishing touch in no time.
Photo/Huitu.com Photography/Gaojing Caitu Commune
Few people would have imagined that taro could also be paired with seafood. Ningde people wrote their pursuit of seafood on "taro steamed crab". The blue crab is called "cockroach" in the mouth of the locals, and it is the fattest in the golden autumn season, and after steaming, it exudes a natural delicious smell. The taro is spread on the bottom, absorbing the aggressive flavor of the seafood and making the umami warm and long. Pingtan people use seaweed to stew taro, and the same is true.
Taro is the soul of Hakka salty rice!
Picture/Zhang Xiaohey
The taro rice of the Hakka people is a dish (rice) that is a great dish. The quadruple combination of taro, rice, meat, and oil brings a four-pronged taste level. Betel nut taro and pork belly are added to the rice, and the good local chef drizzles homemade shallot oil before cooking. The betel nut taro and pork belly are stimulated by the onion oil, which is fresh and fragrant. A bowl of taro rice, the room is full of taro fragrance, and there are grains of taro lumps in the mouth. Eating a bowl of sweet taro rice during the Chinese New Year, Fang felt that the time of the year was not wasted. There is only one life to be a human being, what is more important than eating?
A makeover of betel nut taro
Arch out of the Fujian version of the staple food universe
Fujian people know that betel nut taro can save lives. This seemingly soft and waxy tuber plant is actually very strong, can take root in very poor soil, and is highly productive and shelf-stable, no matter how difficult the years, with taro there is a steady stream of carbohydrate energy. It is the so-called "taro half-year grain".
Times have changed, and today's diet is abundant. However, taro still plays the role of "source of starch", which has been transformed in various ways and integrated into Fujian's rich staple food system.
Taro kueh, fried is even more delicious!
图/汇图网 摄影/STMEI
The people of Fuzhou combined taro and rice to make taro kueh. "Kueh" means rice food, which is a food that Fujian people respect and love. The pulp made of rice is fully fused with the taro meat and turned into a paste, which is made into taro cake, that is, taro cake. Taro kueh can be steamed and eaten, but it is even more exquisite after the oil (pù): the outer layer of puff pastry, the inner layer is smooth and tender, and the taste is the salty aroma of oil stains. This is the noble food used by Fuzhou people to worship their ancestors, and it is also a snack that appears on the breakfast table of grandparents and grandparents every day.
The taro is crushed into a puree, added with tapioca flour, and kneaded by hand to form a taro dough. This kind of dough is of course very different from that made of wheat, but it can also play a similar role in the diet, which simply breaks people's perception of "pasta".
A taro bag of Q bombs.
Photo by Cao Shuangshuang
For example, taro dough can be used to wrap buns, and the most famous is the "taro bun" in Yongding, western Fujian. It is different from the taro bun in Xiamen that is directly made of taro paste, the skin is Q elastic and smooth, wrapped with grainy shiitake mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots, and poured into duck soup, which is a very classic Hakka flavor.
With buns made of taro, it is not so strange that dumplings made of taro appear. Taro dumplings are very popular in the Changting area, taro dumpling skin is different from ordinary dumpling skin, after cooking, it is very translucent, wrapped in pickled bamboo shoots, leeks and meat, it tastes very homely. Ordinary dumpling buns already have a quick-frozen version in the supermarket, while most of the taro dumplings in western Fujian can only be made by a family getting together. For the children in the mountains, this is a family reunion building that is never tired. The formation of a dough is also the process of connecting people together.
The taro dumplings in Shaxian County are crystal clear!
Photo/Visual China
When you arrive in Ningde, a coastal city in eastern Fujian, taro dough is kneaded into small round strips and boiled with loaches, clams, and oysters to become a bowl of seafood noodles with taro fragrance, which is also called "taro egg noodles" by Ningde people. The seafood soup has become extremely delicious, and because of the addition of red wine lees, it looks like it is booming, so it is not surprising that it has the nickname "Joy Noodles". Quanzhou Yongchun combines the famous noodle with the best betel nut taro, so that the fried taro is matched with the handmade noodle, and also incorporates daylily, shredded mushrooms, dried shrimp, dried oysters and other ingredients, which is full of mountain and wild atmosphere.
The simplest red taro noodles are also very tempting.
Photo/"A Bite of China 3"
How many forms does a taro have? There are thousands of solutions to this problem in Fujian.
Steam, mash, fry, or simply steam one and eat it hot. Taro has been meticulously accompanied by Fujian people for hundreds of years, and after such an intimate relationship, no matter how to eat, it is the most familiar and reassuring taste. Even in the cold and severe winter, a bite of taro with full flour and graininess makes people feel cute in winter.
Fujian people who believe that "young people have no hard work, and old people have no reputation" are always on the road of running around and working hard, but no matter what, they will calm down and enjoy such a winter night overflowing with the fragrance of taro. The hard work day and night is not just in exchange for the ordinary winter nights year after year, as well as the gentle reunion of the family sitting around a table.
Isn't it time for the whole family to make taro dumplings together?