Chaoshan Kway Teow Juice: The smoke and fire that pervades the streets and alleys of Shantou, a hometown of overseas Chinese

Source: China News Network

Shantou, China News Service, 7 March Title: Chaoshan Rice Juice: Fireworks fill the streets and alleys of Shantou, a hometown of overseas Chinese

China News Service reporter Li Yiqing

In the Chaoshan region of Guangdong, the hometown of overseas Chinese, the traditional food kway teow is still particularly popular with locals and guests at home and abroad.

In his spare time on the weekend, the reporter strolled through the downtown area of Shantou, a hometown of overseas Chinese, and found that the large and small kway teow juice shops were full of people, customers were full of doors, and business was booming. In the small storefront, the marinade soup for the sake of the kway teow is boiling, and the rice milk pot emits a unique fragrance. The pyrotechnics emitted by the kway teow juice fill the streets and alleys, making it the most memorable hometown flavor among many Chaoshan cuisines.

"In the past, traditional Kway Teow juice was sold in mobile food stalls, and the streets and alleys could be seen everywhere." Ding Jianxin, who works hard in Foshan, said, "Kway sauce is a unique food in my hometown, when I was a child, I always walked to the alley in the morning to eat a bowl of Kway Teow juice, and the more I ate it, the more delicious it was, which was really unforgettable." ”

"Good morning, do you want to eat kon horn or kon strips today?" On the 7th, Aunt Xie, the owner of a kway sauce shop on Ping Road in Shantou Town, Guangdong Province, was warmly greeting customers. She introduced that the traditional Chaoshan Kway Teow juice is composed of the skin of the Kway Teow juice plus a variety of brine flavors, of which the Kway Teow peel is divided into Kway Horn and Kwan Strip.

The kway teows are steamed with rice milk and cut into strips, while the kon kon horns are made into thin slices in a pan under the rice syrup and then cut into diamond shapes. Due to the different production methods, the kon horn is more chewy than the koeh strip. During the conversation, Aunt Xie put the skin of the kway teow juice into boiling water and mixed it into a semi-paste with rice milk, and then added the ingredients such as brine eggs, dried brine beans, curd skin, marinated pork intestines, braised pork, sausage, bitter melon, green vegetables, black fungus, etc., sprinkled with minced green onion and garlic oil, drizzled with special marinade, and a bowl of kway teow juice was made.

Aunt Xie said that the practice of Chaoshan Kway Sauce seems simple, but it is actually very elaborate, and the key lies in the marinade. The marinade contains dozens of seasonings such as star anise, cinnamon, fennel, yamana, ginger, sand kernels, and soy sauce, and the marinades of each store are slightly different, which is also the secret recipe. After a long time of brine, the marinade will become more and more mellow and thick. In order to add to the unique aroma, the store also adds lard to the marinade pot from time to time.

"In the past, when there was a shortage of materials, the kway teow juice was only brine eggs and dried brine beans. If there is marinated pork and pork intestines, the guests will be very happy. Grandma Yu Payne, a returned overseas Chinese, told reporters that the living conditions are now better, the ingredients of the kway teow juice are much richer than before, and they can also shop online, which is too convenient.

Industry insiders said that in recent years, Chaoshan traditional kway teow has developed greatly, and some kway teow shops have developed in the direction of chain operation and implemented 24-hour business. At present, the kway teow sauce on the market ranges from 15 yuan (RMB) to 40 yuan per bowl. The innovation of traditional Kway Teow juice has also given this Chaoshan cuisine a new vitality. The emerging black rice grits skin, as well as spicy flavor, Nanyang curry flavor marinade, etc., are highly sought after by the younger generation.

At present, many merchants in Shantou have broadened their sales channels through the Internet platform and moved traditional Kway Teow juice to sell online. The reporter learned from the takeaway platform that a local veteran koeh juice store can sell more than 9,000 copies online every month.

Four-way food, but a bowl of human fireworks. The steaming traditional kway teow sauce not only shows the ordinary life atmosphere of the streets and alleys of overseas Chinese, but also contains a strong nostalgia, carrying the memories of overseas Chaoshan people for their hometown cuisine. (End)