#我来唠家常#
Today we're going to talk about the stock market
The flavor of leeks is full of personality, so that those who love it love it to death, and those who hate it hate it to death. Think about it, if someone bites through a leek box in a confined space (such as an elevator) and the smell spreads, others will still suffer.
▲ We promise: never be the first to eat leek boxes. Figure/Network
The Chinese have eaten leeks for thousands of years. It's always been this flavor, never compromising, and has a stubbornness of "you love to eat or not". But this stubborn temper did not affect the leeks in the slightest, and gathered a large group of loyal fans.
How much do Chinese love leeks?
"Early leeks in early spring, late autumn in late autumn. Prince Wenhui of Nanqi asked Zhou Yan which dish was the best?
The matter of eating leeks in spring has long been buried in the hearts of Chinese. The weather is getting warmer, and along with everything comes people's appetites. The green and juicy spring leeks are very suitable for the vigorous feeling of spring.
▲ Yunnan people will use leeks to fry walnuts, which is an authentic spring taste. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
In China, the most sensitive to time is the dining table, and when it comes to the New Year's season, the most sensitive response is eating. Spring cakes are on the table, ready to "bite the spring", that is, the beginning of spring has arrived. There are many choices of fillings for spring cakes, such as spinach, bean sprouts, sauce elbow, pork head meat, etc., with meat and vegetables, not too much. Leeks, whether they are fried bean sprouts or scrambled eggs, will not be absent.
▲ The emerald green leeks are the main players on the Lichun table. Photo/Visual China
Lichun has been eating leeks for a long time. In the Tang Dynasty, the beginning of spring to make a spring plate, containing leeks, brassica, coriander, garlic, buckwheat, because these five kinds of vegetables have a special spicy smell, the spring plate is also called Wuxin plate. This is also an illustration of the special status of leeks. Both Buddhists and Taoists regard leeks as a genuine vegetable "meat food" because it smells and eats without "pure heart".
▲ The smell of leeks makes it not only eaten on its own, but also very suitable for dipping. On the table of Teochew people, fried Puning tofu can be dipped in leek salt water to eat. Photo/Visual China
The peculiarity of leeks also lies in the place of origin. Leeks are native to China and are authentic Chinese dishes. Leeks have been eaten by Chinese people for thousands of years, and they still frequently appear on the tables of the north and south of the country, while vegetables such as sunflower and weed have gradually been marginalized.
We are much luckier than the ancient Chinese in that we have achieved "leek time freedom" and can eat leeks all year round. The material life of the ancients was far less scarce than we imagined. Spring leeks are a rare and delicious taste for them. The eighth sergeant entertained his long-lost old friend Du Fu, in addition to cooking rice and wine, it was "night rain cutting spring leeks".
▲ Stir-fried broad beans with leeks, the plate is full of spring. Photo/Visual China
However, this does not bother the Chinese. Greenhouse technology has been invented very early, and leeks are the focus of cultivation. There is a record in "Hanshu Zhaoxinchen Biography": "Taiguan Garden planted winter onions and leeks, covered with roofs, lit a fire day and night, and waited for the warmth to be born." It can be seen that people have adopted the method of burning firewood outside the house walls without seeing open flames, maintaining the temperature in the room, and planting leeks and onions for the palace to eat. It's just that this method is expensive and laborious, and it can be enjoyed by ordinary people.
How do you eat leeks?
▲ Xiamen leek box with a unique painting style. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
As a northerner, growing up, leeks often appeared in front of my eyes as a filling. The dumplings with three fresh fillings with leek, shrimp and pork, and the box of leeks that are golden and crispy on the outside and sweet and juicy on the inside, are all home-cooked delicacies that make people appetize when they think about it. Yuan Mei, a gourmand of the Qing Dynasty, recorded in the "Suiyuan Food List" the leek production method of "mincing leeks and mixing meat, adding seasonings, wrapping the dough, boiling it in oil, and adding crispy noodles to make it better" (the original text is written as "leeks"). It can be seen that the leek box has won the favor of literati and scholars in the Qing Dynasty.
▲ Leek cake. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Leeks for stuffing are not the preserve of the Northern Food Party. Not to mention that Yuan Mei is a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, southerners will also use leeks to fill kueh. Leeks have long been used in sacrificial ceremonies, and there is a phrase "sacrificing lambs and leeks" in the Book of Songs. In Chaoshan, leek kueh is still one of the must-haves for ancestor worship during major festivals. Finely chopped leeks are wrapped in a clear kueh skin, steamed and white, covered in verdant, smooth and sweet. If you fry it in the pan again, the kueh skin will be browned and the aroma will be stronger.
Leeks are fraternity-type ingredients. Meat and vegetables are suitable, and frying and frying can do everything, only used to wrap the stuffing must have buried it.
▲ Scrambled eggs with leeks. Figure/Network
The most classic is the scrambled eggs with leeks. After stir-frying the leek section in a hot pan, pour in the egg liquid to slowly solidify and wrap the leek, lock in the juice, and retain the aroma. It's spring, and the freshness of the new leeks goes well with the tenderness of the scrambled eggs.
▲ Stir-fried sea sausage with leeks. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
Leeks are great to pair with protein, and from this point of view, there is no doubt that they are really "meat dishes". Scrambled pork and scrambled eggs are not uncommon. When combined with all kinds of small seafood, it is also very sweet. The people of Beihai in Guangxi use leeks to fry sandworms, and on the coasts of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea in the north, fried sea sausages with leeks are a delicacy that is on par with them.
After the sea intestine (or sand worm) is fried over high heat, the taste is crisp and elastic, and with the crispness of the leek, there is a pleasant feeling of "squeaking" when chewing, and at the same time, the fresh and sweet juice spreads over the entire mouth, and the appetite is greatly opened, and it is impossible to stop the chopsticks.
▲ Stir-fried sea rabbit with leeks. Nudibranchs are a colloquial name for small squid in the northern coastal areas. Photo/Visual China
In addition to sea intestines and sandworms, which are considered by many people to be "dark ingredients", clams, razor clams, shrimp, sea rabbits, octopus, horse fish and other small seafood are all excellent choices for stir-frying with leeks. At this time, the special smell of leeks comes from allicin, which plays the role of removing the smell and improving the freshness, which is more endearing. In the same way, offal ingredients are a perfect match for leeks. Cantonese people love to eat geese, and they also prefer leeks and goose red. The goose blood is soft and delicate, and the slippery taste will be eclipsed if it is not garnished with leeks.
▲ Leek goose red. Photo/Visual China
The smell of leeks may be one of the reasons why it is so "down-to-earth". We rarely see leeks appear at large banquets, and it is always a faux pas to suddenly breathe out a breath of leeks when the guests and hosts are talking happily.
In the barbecue restaurants on the streets, you can always see grilled leeks on the menu. Three or five friends hook shoulders and backs, and the wine is hot, this noisy and intimate environment is the place where leeks belong.
▲ Roasted leeks. Figure/Network
How many faces do leeks have?
Leeks cut one stubble and will grow another stubble. Therefore, there is a metaphor of "cutting leeks" on the Internet. If you show mercy under the knife, let the leeks grow on their own, and when they are about to bloom in summer and autumn, you can take the young stems to eat, which is leek moss.
Although the leek moss looks much older and thicker than the leek, the flavor is not diminished at all. It is used for stuffing, or fried with meat, and the taste is as "lingering" as the tender leeks in spring.
▲ Stir-fried pork liver with leek moss. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
When the flowers are fully opened, another delicacy is ready for the show. The leek flowers are mashed and salted to make leek paste, which is a rare taste adjustment in the grassland. When the leek sauce is pickled, it is the season when the sheep paste is fat and strong, and the meat is the most delicious, and the two hit it off.
After the mutton is simply boiled in white water, it is dipped in leek sauce to remove the freshness, and the salt fully releases the taste of the mutton, and at the same time dissolves the excess fatty feeling of animal fat. After this combination was introduced to the capital from the grassland, leek flowers went hand in hand with sesame paste and tofu and became an essential seasoning for shabu mutton.
▲ Dip the lamb in leek sauce. Photo/"A Bite of China II."
If the leek becomes a "dead house" and does not see the sun all day long, its final outcome is to become a leek. The chlorophyll in leeks comes from photosynthesis, so leeks cultivated in a dark environment will have a yellowish-white color. Written in the Yuan Dynasty's Book of Agriculture, there is a record of the technology of hoarding leeks in greenhouses. The ancients also gave this leek, which had "albinism", a special name - 蓶 (pronounced wéi).
▲ Dry fried beef river, leek is one of the important ingredients. Diagram / Diagram Worm Creative
The texture and taste of leeks are almost the same, and the way to eat them is similar. In addition to stir-frying various meat and egg ingredients, it can also be fried with spring rolls. When you arrive in Guangdong, if you want to eat an authentic dry fried beef river, then you must not be without the icing on the cake of leeks. Stir-fry quickly, in the cow river full of wok, the rice noodles are smooth and elastic, the beef is firm and tender, the bean sprouts are crispy, and finally the crisp and tender leeks are added, and the peculiar fragrance of the leek family is released under the pressure of heat, which is considered complete.