Wen 丨 Ge took the army
Late at night, I heard the rain of early spring sprinkling on the boundless grass island of Dongting Lake.
I like this kind of early spring night the most, listening to the small and dense rain falling on the window glass, imagining what happened on Dongting Lake not far away, imagining the spring rain and twisting and turning to break free of the dirt. It is in the spring rain from cold to warm that quinoa squeezes into the spring courtyard little by little.
Originally a wild plant that grows throughout the lake, artemisia is delicate and simple, but has a fragrance that is different from ordinary plants. It is this unique taste that makes Quinoa a nostalgic plant. Its soft root system, rooted in the depths of the wanderer's soul, cannot be removed no matter how far away.
In the Dongting Lake wetland swamp is everywhere, go out to see. In early spring, when the sun is just right and the lake is as green as blue, Jiangnan always has to eat quinoa.
Go to the old city, the streets and alleys of the old time are still there, fishing alleys, tea alleys, peach blossom wells, feel free to find a century-old street, old bluestone slabs, but also retain a little poetry. Look for a tavern, a "squeaky" wooden door, two or three dark wooden tables, a sign hanging on the side wall, and a few new words written in chalk: Fried Quinoa. The words are not neat, there are no rules for writing at all, and there is the wild atmosphere of quinoa. Quinoa, messily placed in a bamboo basket, the water vapor pouring, the fragrance of the wisps. Sitting by the window, the sun is spreading, outside the window is a lake of spring water, and the earth is warm. I felt a rush of spring water vapor.
I haven't tasted fresh quinoa in a long time. Fresh, crisp and tender, plain and fragrant. Where is this dish? It's a plate of jasper hairpins. Only then can you taste the quinoa written by the literary master Wang Zengqi: when eating, it is like sitting by the river and smelling the smell of the newly rising spring water.
Eat quinoa early, do not miss the good spring light. The Lake District has a proverb that reads, "January Quinoa, February Artemisia, March and April when firewood is burned". Bacon fried quinoa is the most rich and pure farmhouse dish, which best represents the folk customs of Dongting Lake Township. People in the lake area are very particular about making quinoa, it must be a wild young stem collected from the lake, the selected quinoa should be sweater needle thick, absolutely can not be cut with a kitchen knife, afraid of sticking to the iron fishy gas, must be folded by hand into inch-long segments. The leaves of Artemisia quinoa are not used, and it is best to leave only the tip of the stem, and the leaves should be picked along the upper part of the artemisia annua, from the tender tip to the root, carefully picked, do not hurt the tender tip. The bacon must be the farmer's own pickled local pig bacon, even if it is used as an ingredient, it must be dried by the farmer itself, so that the stir-fried dishes can be spicy in place and make people feel refreshed.
First of all, the washed quinoa is made into young stems, and then the bacon is cut into strips or slices and plated, the pot is hot, without oil, the bacon meat is fried until golden brown, the quinoa is poured into the oil pot, add red pepper, and stir-fry for a while. The dish has not yet been cooked, the house is full of fragrance, until people are salivating; they have to be brought to the table, but it is a wonderful match to see the fresh and tender quinoa, the bacon mellow and soft, yellow and green, and a touch of fragrance in the thick freshness.
In the Water Town of Dongting Lake, "Fried Bacon with Quinoa" has become the best of the best cuisine, and eating has become a feeling and a nostalgia. It is no exaggeration to say that "fried bacon with quinoa" has entered the blood of the people of Dongting Lake District as a recipe marked with a strong local imprint. In the food genealogy, discourse genealogy and emotional genealogy of Dongting Lake District, Quinoa has been closely associated with words such as spring, family affection, friendship, and nostalgia, and has been haunting the folk fireworks, true and clean.
A plate of turquoise quinoa is steaming with a scent, and the spring in Jiangnan will remain in the memory of life forever.
The spring of Dongting Lake is getting deeper and deeper and more vivid in the fragrance of quinoa.
[Editor-in-charge: Liu Hanlu]
[Source: Hunan Daily· New Hunan Client]