A bowl of oil noodles for a small month

I can't remember when the first bowl of "Danzai noodles" in this life was eaten, a small bowl of noodles, although it is not enough to eat, but the fragrant marinade gravy, the tooth-flavored brine egg, the garlic-flavored lice fish balls, the shrimp head boiled broth and the oil noodles of the Q bomb, the aftertaste of this bowl is always unforgettable.

Born in Tainan, Taiwan, Danzai noodles can be said to be the most Taiwanese flavor snack. When I was a child, the elders of the family said that Danzai noodles had already appeared during the Qing Dynasty, and initially it was just a small stall on the edge of the Shuixian Palace in Tainan, hanging a sign of "Degree Xiaoyue", and nothing else. At that time, I didn't ask much, why was the name of the shop Du Xiaoyue, and why was it called "Danzai Noodles"?

Later, I learned that the name "Du Xiaoyue" not only has meaning, but also represents a folk custom: tainan, which was originally near the sea, was not only the capital of Taiwan and an important commercial town during the Qing Dynasty, but also had many "sea people" (fishermen who fished for a living) nearby. Although Taiwan has four seasons like spring, but there are many typhoons in the summer, there is no way to go out to sea to fish, fishermen are accustomed to calling the month that can go to sea "big moon", and the month that cannot go to sea is called "small month". In the first few months, the livelihood of fishermen becomes a problem, and they have to work odd jobs to make ends meet. Among them, a fisherman surnamed Hong once learned the method of cooking noodles from his fellow villagers in Zhangzhou, so every little month he would carry a burden to sell noodles next to the Tainan Shuixian Palace. Selling noodles is to spend the small month that cannot go to sea, so the name "degree of small moon" was given. So why is it called Danzai noodles? Originally, this kind of noodle did not have a name, because it was sold with a burden, so it was called "danzai noodles".

The characteristics of Danzai noodles, first of all, are exquisite small bowls, which were originally just snack snacks, not meals; the purpose is to taste its unique flavor, not to eat for the purpose of eating, so the portion is not large, and this tradition has not changed until now.

The second is its dry flesh, which is the protagonist of the flavor of Danzai noodles. The dried meat of danzai noodles is similar to the dried meat of the marinated meat rice, stir-fried with red shallots, added to the hand-cut minced meat, stir-fried and seasoned, added water, and boiled over a long low heat until the taste is completely eaten into the minced meat. However, the dry boiling time of the meat used for danzai noodles is particularly long, and it is necessary to boil until the fat is exhausted, and the color is dark and transparent, and the aroma is overflowing.

The broth of Danzai noodles is also a must, it does not use large bones, but uses sweet shrimp heads to hang soup. Not only is it not greasy, but it also carries the sweetness of seafood. Noodles are common oil noodles in southern Fujian, which is a relatively soft alkali noodle. The noodles must be cooked in advance, and the oil must be mixed to avoid stickiness, and the oil noodles have a smooth and elastic taste, which complements the fragrant dry meat.

Grab a handful of oil noodles into a bamboo fence, blanch it in hot water, buckle it upside down in a small bowl, sprinkle with bean sprouts, coriander, a little garlic paste, black vinegar, pour clear and sweet broth, pour a sprinkling of fragrant dried meat, and put shrimp and lice fish balls. A steaming bowl of steaming, specially flavored Danzai noodles, this brings you to your eyes.

First evenly pluck the dried meat, smell the aroma, then drink a mouthful of soup, then mix it up slightly and start tasting, remember to leave a mouthful of soup as the finale, to ensure that you have endless memories. But don't ask for a second bowl, and if you eat something delicious until you're full, you won't have any more thoughts. Why not stop when it is still unfinished, and leave a delicious memory forever.

As the fame of this small bowl of noodles grows, in addition to Du Xiaoyue, not only in Tainan, all over Taiwan there are people who set up stalls to sell Danzai noodles, and even large seafood restaurants are also supplied, but they are invariably called "Tainan Danzai Noodles" to show authenticity and not forget the origin. Today, even beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other big cities can also see the traces of Danzai noodles. After more than 100 years, the founding shop of Danzai Noodles, Du Xiaoyue, has been passed down to the fourth generation, not only in operation, but also from the small burdens and bamboo woven tables and chairs on the shoulders at the beginning, evolved into a fixed storefront, and developed into a chain store.

Although the environment for eating Danzai noodles is much better than before, I always feel that to eat a bowl of Danzai noodles, it is still necessary to have a low stall, a table and chairs woven with bamboo, and dim lighting to fully reflect the flavor of Danzai noodles.