Spring harbor, backed by mountains and facing the sea, the terrain is diverse. Tracing back to the changes of history, this is a magical land that integrates the original culture, Minyue culture, farming culture and marine culture, and is rich in various agricultural and sideline products, aquatic products and forestry products. For thousands of years, the local people of Quangang have been industrious and capable, using wisdom and cleverly using local ingredients to cook a series of classic snacks with local characteristics, attracting countless tourists to taste and experience. The Quangang Snack Column leads readers to taste local traditional snacks together, while digging into the cultural and historical stories behind this delicious dish...
Floating kun
▲ Unlike many young people, Zhuang Peibin is not afraid of suffering, has feelings in his heart, and chooses to inherit his mother Meilan's floating kway teow snack craft.
As soon as you mention the floating kun, you seem to be able to faintly smell the ocean on the south shore of Meizhou Bay. The Quangang floating kun, which has just been fished out of the oil pot, has an expanded round shape, the color is attractive golden yellow, and it is gently bitten, crispy and delicious, and the teeth and cheeks are fragrant, which not only contains the marine habits of the Quangang people, but also has a strong local flavor.
Nowadays, walking in the streets of Quangang, you can see fried floating shops almost everywhere. According to records, quangang floating kun has a history of nearly 200 years, and the earliest fried floating kun dates back to 1888. The floating kway shop opened by Master Shishui of the mountainside township chief Fangzhuang also began at that time. Zhuang Shishui's family relies on the sea to make salt, and there are many sea oyster beaches, and in the beginning, the fried floating kway teow was to serve as a snack for salt workers passing by to go to the mountainside salt works. Later, due to the good reputation of fried floating kun among salt workers, Master Zhuang Shishui specially opened a floating kunfang. Gradually, this technique of frying floating rice was widely spread in the market and became popular with the locals. The reporter found the heir of Master Zhuang Shishui's craft, Guo Meilan, and her two sons, Zhuang Peibin and Zhuang Xiaobin. It is understood that Zhuang Peibin and Zhuang Xiaobin are the grandsons of Zhuang Shishui. The craft of frying floating kun has been passed down from their grandfather to their generation, and it is the fifth generation.
"First, mix the sweet potato flour with chopped shallots, salt, spices and other condiments, add water and stir into a paste to set aside. Then pour the peanut oil into the pot and heat it to 80%, put the slurry into the mold, then mix the pumpkin shredded, oyster sauce and meat in the slurry, and then put it in the hot pan and fry it, and turn it with bamboo chopsticks while frying until the floating kway teow is golden brown on both sides..." Zhuang Peibin introduced it while showing reporters the process of frying floating rice.
Of course, in addition to the traditional and authentic old-flavor fried floating kun, there are also shops in Quangang that adopt modern catering concepts and creatively rename the floating kun as "Fu Kueh", which contains auspicious meanings and adopts a series of improved and cultural and creative packaging forms, which are deeply loved by young people.
Egg buns
▲ The egg bun with golden color and attractive aroma reflects the wisdom of the women of Quangang.
When you hear the name "egg bun", do you already feel the rich farmhouse style of this dish? From the appearance, the "egg bun" is a bit similar to the poached egg after being folded, but after taking a bite, you will find that the taste is completely different! In addition to the rich egg flavor of the outer skin, the egg bun also contains a lot of seafood, vegetables and other ingredients.
According to Guo Meilan, in the early years, the people's living materials were relatively scarce, there were many children in the family, but the eggs were not enough. The clever housewives came up with a way to add some ingredients to the eggs and make egg buns so that everyone had a chance to eat the eggs.
The egg bun recipe is not complicated. First, break up the yolks and egg whites to make the egg mixture. Subsequently, use a spatula to spread the egg liquid into a round shape, and after the egg liquid is heated and gradually solidified into the egg skin, then add fried bean sprouts, cabbage and other vegetables and sea oysters, clams, three layers of meat and other ingredients, and then fold the egg skin into a half crescent shape. Finally, turn on both sides with a spatula until it finally takes on a golden sheen. After making the "egg bun", the outside is crispy and tender, and the egg aroma is tempting and addictive.
Bean pressed kway teow
▲The huge bean pressed kway teow has become a unique landscape on the Spring Harbor table.
When the bean press was brought to the table, the reporter once felt that this was an "enlarged version" of the "rice dumpling", which was not the case. There are many differences in the production method between the two. It is understood that the sticky rice is steamed and then beaten into a viscous consistency, but the bean pressed rice is directly made of glutinous rice flour.
Why make the bean pressed koeh half a fist in size? In fact, there is a mystery. "During tanabata, every household in Quangang will make bean pressed kway. Traditionally, the bean pressed kon should be about the same size as the tangyuan. But many housewives are busy taking care of their children, so they simply pinch it a little bigger in order to improve efficiency..." Zhuang Xiaobin told reporters. The change in the size of the bean pressed koway actually reflects the industrious, intelligent and capable characteristics of the women of Quangang.
The process of making bean pressed kway is not simple. First of all, the glutinous rice is washed and washed, then crushed into a powder, then used with water and into balls, and finally, it is kneaded into a ball piece by small piece and boiled in boiling water. Of course, when eating bean pressed kway, don't forget to dip it in the peanut candy and put it in your mouth. The moment you enter your mouth, you'll be struck by the sweet, crispy, smooth taste!
Source: Southeast Morning Post