Because the rice partner is a Nanchang person, in recent years, I have maintained a frequency of "one period and one meeting" with Nanchang. This low-key city has been repeatedly mentioned for mixing flour and crock pot soup, but when it comes to "Nanchang cuisine", people may still feel strange.
Three years ago, I visited Nanchang for the first time and wrote about the overall impression of the so-called "Gancai". (Click to read: Gancai: I was hit by eight major cuisines) This time in Nanchang for half a month, pulling grass for a long time to collect a few "two rooms and one hall" and traditional Nanchang restaurants, finally put down some of the "salty and spicy heavy oil" stereotype, is a little experience.
Collecting eight dishes here, although it is not fully representative of Nanchang, it is indeed a dish that I have eaten, impressive, and somewhat local characteristics. Some people say that "there is no food in Nanchang", but in fact, it is also a lack of characteristics. However, after trying these dishes, how can you blame the people of Nanchang for not taking care of cooking.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > home-style stir-fry stalks </h1>
In my mind, the most representative of Jiangxi cuisine is not the famous three-cup chicken or chili fried meat, but the homely "stir-fried stems" that can no longer be ordinary.
Stir-fry stalks are not a specific dish, but a cooking idea. For dishes with very different leaves and stems, Jiangxi people are accustomed to stir-frying separately. Typical such as hollow cabbage, the leaves are fried with minced garlic, and the stems are cut into sections and stir-fried with millet spicy, tempeh and minced garlic. One sticky and light, one crisp and spicy. One dish produces two very different tastes and tastes, which is the ingenuity of Jiangxi people in eating.
▲ Stir-fried hollow cabbage stalks. There are two kinds of hollow cabbage in Nanchang, which is a relatively thin one
In addition to hollow cabbage, there are also common stir-fried green stalks (that is, small rape in the north) and fried cabbage stalks. Jiangxi people's favorite fried bacon is actually the practice of "removing leaves and leaving stems" of quinoa.
▲ Nanchang Vegetable Farm Special: Vegetable leaves and stems are selected and sold separately
Why are Jiangxi people keen to separate leaves and stems? Xianggan small stir-fry pays attention to the pot gas, and the leaves are easy to produce moisture, which affects the play of the whole dish. The fried stalks are sweet and crisp, and once you fall in love, it is difficult to "fit" them again.
Seeing that summer has arrived, the twice-a-week fried hollow cabbage stems can be eaten again.
Where to eat
There are local restaurants, and home cooking is more common
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > small stir-fried watermelon peel </h1>
In the usual impression, the stir-fried watermelon peel takes more of the bottom of the white, shredded or striped, the taste is fresh and crisp, and the domineering method of leaving most of the red dumplings, I still eat it for the first time.
Cut the melon skin into thin slices, although it is not crisp enough, but it is fresh and smooth. The heavy flavors of millet spicy and garlic, magically dissolved by fresh fruity aromas, completely open the door to a new world. Can't help but sigh, with fruit into the food, can always harvest surprises.
▲ Oil-lubricated small fried watermelon peel, leaving so many red dumplings is still the first time to eat
Jiangxi people really eat "skin": grapefruit skin, zucchini skin, lettuce skin, or pickled or fried, without giving people any room for waste. Make the best use of ingredients and materials, and perform their duties in different parts. In addition to the "stereotype" of Jiangxi cuisine heavy oil, spicy and salty, small stir-fried watermelon peel is an unforgettable little freshness.
Good Taste Workshop
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > protein roasted lotus pills </h1>
In the Poyang Lake District, the daily life of Nanchang people is inseparable from lotus. In addition to the most common rib lotus root soup, roasted lotus pills are also a home-cooked dish for Nanchang children from snacks to large ones. It's just that it's probably hard for outsiders to guess that the partner of the lotus pill is a "protein" that looks out of reach.
▲ Protein roasted lotus pills, the taste of "one old and one tender" is very complementary
The boiled egg is peeled off the egg white, broken into small pieces, and braised with lotus balls, heavy oil and heavy flavor, and the rice is undoubtedly a good dish. The lotus balls mixed with meat fillings have a solid texture, which contrasts with the egg white "one old and one tender". I thought that the people of Hubei had exhausted the tricks of eating lotus, and they could not imagine that the neighboring province of Jiangxi could still "borrow the question to play" and hand over a surprising answer sheet.
In addition, when I ate here, I suddenly found: vegetable stems, watermelon peels, egg whites... Jiangxi people seem to be born masters of deconstruction.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Braised frog </h1>
Don't get excited, the dozen or so one-pound frogs sold in the market are farmed, not wild. I thought that frogs belonged to a niche dish, but I didn't expect that it was quite common in Nanchang's local restaurants, which satisfied the curiosity of me, a northerner who had never eaten frogs.
I like bullfrogs very much, but people who have eaten frogs have said: these two cannot be compared, the frogs are tender, the bullfrogs are old, and the flesh lacks soul. However, as far as I am concerned, I don't think there is a difference between the two. The frog selected by this family is small, chops a piece of red boiling, and in one bite, eats more peppers than meat in its mouth... I can't help but miss the dry pot bullfrog's invigorating meat in its big mouth. The seasoning is very Nanchang, it is quietly salty and spicy, but the overall is still outstanding, whether it is accompanied by rice or wine.
▲ Braised little frog, good seasoning, only sigh frog meat is too little
Mao Mao is a famous local two-bedroom and one-room living room, located in the new district, where the fireworks of the city well and the polished and empty asphalt road of the new district are put together, which has a sense of contrast with the magical reality. Looking at this difficult posture, you will understand that Nanchang people have multiple tastes.
What is "two bedrooms and one living room"? Poke here
▲ The Maomao Hotel, hidden in the new district, is the typical Nanchang people's favorite "two bedrooms and one living room"
Mao Mao Hotel (this restaurant is a typical Nanchang taste, heavy salty and spicy)
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > pickled pepper loin tablets </h1>
This dish, along with braised frogs, is also eaten at the Mao Mao Restaurant. There are two reasons for the impression: First, although Nanchang is spicy, the taste type is relatively single, and it is more common to see fresh millet spicy. Pingxiang and other places at the junction of Xianggan and Gansu also use dried chili powder, similar to Changsha. There are not too many opportunities to eat the fermented spicy pepper; another reason is that the waist slice is rarely cut so thinly, and it is salty and delicious without a flower knife, tender and full of anger. It's definitely an encouragement for people like me who don't like to eat loins.
▲ Thin and tender pickled pepper loin slices, the cooking method is very unique
In Nanchang, which is famous for its spicy and spicy, it is also a pleasant spice to eat the long and creamy spicy pepper. Braised frogs I'm still interested in trying them out in another place, but this is the only one that pickled pepper loin slices.
Mao Mao Hotel
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > burnt miscellaneous </h1>
Grilled miscellaneous vegetables is a very representative New Year dish in Nanchang, and like the "pot dishes" in Guangdong and the "family portraits" and "reunions" in some parts of the south, they are all "smorgasbords". This stew has a distinct northern brand (personally feels a lot like Boshan stew), and it is placed on a group of Nanchang tables that are mainly fried and fried, which is quite outstanding.
▲ The traditional version of Jintai Restaurant is a traditional version of the roasted miscellaneous vegetarians, which is very imprinted with northern cuisine
Nanchang's traditional roasted miscellaneous vegetables are not spicy, indispensable cabbage (locally known as yellow bud white), water hair pork skin, pork belly, quail eggs, meatballs, fungus, shiitake mushrooms and so on. Later, spicy food became popular, and millet pepper also appeared in the roasted miscellaneous vegetables, which was completely labeled as a local style.
▲ This style of burnt miscellaneous hormone is more common on the market
I like the version of Jintai Restaurant very much about this dish. According to local friends, Jintai's cooking still retains the shadow of some old Gancai, not too salty and spicy oil. After eating four or five restaurants in Nanchang, this one's cooking style is indeed unique.
Jintai Restaurant (closer to the traditional non-spicy version)
Chef Lee's hometown restaurant
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > roast duck </h1>
Like many southern cities, Nanchang people also love to eat duck. Beer duck mix, which has become popular in recent years, is a local snack that combines roast duck with rice noodles. Brine restaurants such as Huangshanghuang and Dihuang Roast Brine, the main business category is a variety of duck pieces and signature sauce plate duck. Of course, there is no roast duck in the restaurant.
▲ The iron pot roast duck in Jintai Restaurant is very restrained in soy sauce, which is really rare
The name and method of roast duck are slightly different, but the rich sauce is the original dish of Nanchang roast duck. The two ducks that impressed me more were the signature rich duck of Chunfeng Ten Mile and the iron pot roast duck of Jintai Restaurant. The former has been improved, the roast duck is sweet and not spicy, and the soft and rotten fire has won my heart; and the Jintai restaurant is more traditional, the flesh is elastic, the color is bright, and the soy sauce is used in place but never crosses the line - in the Nanchang table where soy sauce is used more and more, the taste and color are getting heavier and heavier, there are not many restaurants that can keep this bottom line, and the Jintai restaurant is particularly rare.
After eating this dish, you can more or less understand why three cups of chicken were born in Jiangxi: soy sauce, beer (or rice wine), sugar and these elements are almost in the same vein as Jiangxi's roasted meat dishes. It was the difference between it and the three cups of chicken that were later promoted by Taiwan, mainly in a handful of basil before coming out of the pot.
Spring Breeze Ten Mile Literary Restaurant
(Fusion dish, rich duck and braised flounder tail are unexpectedly good)
Jintai Restaurant
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > oil-soaked fish </h1>
Two years ago to visit Nanchang, I had heard of the name of oil-soaked fish, listened to the name and assumed that this was the pursuit of "salty, spicy, oily" heavy taste results, did not care at all, until this time after eating the oil-soaked fish in Sheep Lane, I was surprised that I was really narrow and superficial!
The birth of oil-soaked fish is not long, and it should be regarded as a simplified version of the old Gancai "white-poured bighead carp head". Replace the bighead carp of Poyang Lake with crucian carp, split in half, steamed first and then poured with juice, the method is not complicated, but the heat and seasoning are just right, which is amazing.
▲ This oil-soaked fish in Sheep Lane is the most memorable dish of the trip, and there is no one
The first thing that makes seasoning amazing is that the presence of the taste element of "acid" in Nanchang cuisine (even Jiangxi cuisine) is very weak. In the early years, small restaurants did not even have seasoned vinegar bottles but only soy sauce. The first time I saw myself adding vinegar to the fried flour, I was shocked, for example, I couldn't understand that he had to dip the buns and dumplings in soy sauce.
Therefore, when I ate a hint of sour aroma in the oil-soaked fish, I was both surprised and surprised, and I deliberately ran to ask the store and learned that this was the sour taste of the dried fermentation of pickled radish. Dried radish spreads over the entire body of the fish, and the taste has penetrated deep into the texture. It is also because of the existence of sourness that a dish that begins with the word "oil" can not fall into the "greasy" stick, both the thick oil incense base, and the jumping sour aroma attracts people to keep lifting.
Mature cuisine is never dominated by one flavor. Nanchang cuisine was once known for its "untimely spicy", and the popularity of oil-soaked fish finally gave people a glimmer of hope for change. That's probably the root cause of my surprise with this dish.
▲ Nanchang's most popular two-bedroom and one hall, I decided to eat once every time I return to Nanchang!
Although the famous two-bedroom and one-room hall in Yangzi Lane is often criticized as "not as good as before", so far, it is still the most outstanding two-bedroom and one-room hall in Nanchang in my mind.
Sheep Lane two bedrooms and one living room
Some people may ask: Why is there no "old three"? Because both queues are outside the 100th... You can only move to other homes. This was at a time when the outbreak was just easing. Nanchang people are also crazy about eating. The old three and the old Min Tian Luo Hall have been lined up by me on next year's to go list.
The next issue is ready to update several small shops that eat powder and drink soup.
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Pictures, texts | Western Xia