The oil in the cake pan bubbled with pleasure, and the flake knife flew up and down in the master's hand.
Raw enemas were sharply twisted into hob blades, falling into the oil, and the sound of "zi la" instantly sounded into a piece...
After a while, a plate of fried enemas that were slightly browned and emitted the unique caramel aroma of fried food was just fine. It is usually served on a small plate with the mixed garlic water and delivered to you.
Such fried enemas are usually thin and thick on both sides because of the rotary cutting technique, with one side being tender on the outside and crispy and delicious on the other.
Eat it hot with the prepared garlic water. In the mouth is a faint aroma of garlic juice and grease, and when you bite down, the shell is charred and the inside is soft.
If you don't say it, the taste is not bad.
But compared to other "Beijing flavors" that are either lively or have unique tastes, this is too common.
And as a tourist who has been looking forward to the ancient taste of "traditional Beijing" for a long time. As you chew, the doubts in your heart will grow bigger and bigger:
"Think back then, Cixi Lafayette loved to eat this?"
Harvest year enema, from slackware photo on flickr
| the former red pink is fried for a while
The fried enema of that year was naturally not as dull as it is today.
Not only are there meat and intestines in the raw materials, but even the color is the pink of the wind.
Regarding the food of "enemas", the earliest records can be traced back to the "History of the Ming Palace" written by Liu Ruoyu at the end of the Ming Dynasty, which specifically records the affairs of the palace.
In the Qing Dynasty, the "fried enema" was truly formed.
The reason is that the Manchus used to use deer tails to eat, but after entering the customs, because the ingredients were gradually scarce, the only ingredients had to be provided for the royal meal. Therefore, the major well-known restaurants at that time, in order to support the façade and keep up with the "trend" of the royal imperial cuisine, successively launched the dish of "Sai Deer Tail" (or "Fried Deer Tail").
Most things in the world develop with a certain degree of coherence and logic. Just as there is neither love nor unfounded hatred in the world.
Although until now there is no definite evidence that the preparation method of "fried deer tail" is necessarily related to the "enema" of the late Ming Dynasty. But many people are willing to believe that the "enema" of the late Ming Dynasty at least provided the idea of making new dishes for the later "fried deer tail".
Fresh deer tails are reddish in color and may be larger
The early "fried deer tail" belonged to the "smart cooking" launched by the big restaurant in order to show its cooking skills. The raw materials used by each master and the specific operation methods will naturally be different.
As a result, when the "fried deer tail" that can only be tasted by the dignitaries and nobles spread to the people and became a grounded "big enema", a unified production recipe was not formed.
For example, the filling, some use pure pork, there are also pork belly and pork liver mixed filling; the shaping steps, some first steamed and then fried, some first cooked and then fried.
But the "big enema" of this period used meat mixed with starch, spices, and red yeast rice to add color. It is then poured into the pig intestine, which has been thoroughly washed with salt, alkali and vinegar. After being steamed and set, it is "swirled" into diamond-shaped slices with a thick middle and thin sides, and finally fried in large oil.
When it's time to eat, pour a large spoonful of garlic paste. The entrance is rich and fishy, the taste is thin and crisp, the thickness is tender and soft, and it has a unique taste...
In fact, as soon as you say this, everyone understands why the legendary Cixi is willing to eat fried enemas. Because of the incense!
Even in the Republic of China period, Zhuo Ran's "Hundred Songs of Food in the Old Capital" still described fried enemas like this:
"Pork intestines are fried for a while, and spicy garlic and salty salt are delicious. It has rotted oil and smells of wax, and the slaughter door is also pitiful to chew. ”
Old Beijing also has a kind of meat stuffing, smoked "enema", Harbin's dry sausage practice is from here.
under the giant wheel of history |, stubborn "wind flow"
As for the "red pink wind" of that year, how it fell to the last seat in contemporary Beijing snacks. We have to start from the turmoil at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the continuous sinking of the market for fried enemas.
In the early years of the "big enema", because the prototype was a royal meal stream dish, even if the production process was simplified when transforming the form, it was still difficult to widely disseminate because of the high production cost and complex technology.
Therefore, the "big enema" first uses a certain proportion of tofu residue instead of the meat in the filling, and at the same time, the casing is changed from the large intestine of the pig to the small intestine of the pig. Then it was fried in a lot of lard to a slightly less lard with an iron bell.
Such a combination of punches down, the cost of naturally dropped significantly.
The decoction of the enema at this stage still retains the special pig intestine flavor of the "big enema" and the taste of a lot of spices, and it looks very similar to the "big enema".
Later, in order to further cut costs. The casing was simply removed, leaving only starch and spices.
The enema after this stage of molding is very similar to the pink intestine, but because of the color of the red yeast, it is more pink and cute. And in order to get close to the original taste, the oil for frying enemas at this stage usually uses lard oil.
Later, even the "natural pigment" red yeast was abolished, and the shape was changed from an intestine to a large piece of powder. In this regard, the fried enema in Beijing in the past has completely changed its face.
Only the lard oil in the iron bell, or the "five-spice oil" processed from large oil, is still stubbornly remembering the fried enema, which is the wind and glory of the former Beijing cuisine.
Garlic water, no matter how suitable, is the soul of fried enemas
As for now, those pure mung bean starch "fried enemas" fried in vegetable oil are not so much Dong Shi Gong Yi. Rather, the Beijingers' dedication to delicious food has enabled them to seize the Yoshimitsu Katayu, who belonged to the old winds, in the torrent of historical turmoil.
But for foreigners who simply want to see the ancient meaning through the sense of taste, and want to taste the "ancient snacks that Cixi Lafayette likes". This kind of pure starch fried enema that many old Beijingers are accustomed to eating will only bring them disappointment and forcibly comfort themselves with a "not bad" evaluation.
In the end, fried enemas can only be reduced to one kind: even if you look at the photos, you can't recall the taste of the "tourist disposable consumer goods".
In recent years, the Forbidden City documentary led by "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City" has become very popular on the Internet. In addition to the exquisite architecture and cultural relics of the Forbidden City, the craftsmen and teachers also made a deep impression on the skillful thoughts and efforts made by the restoration of the Forbidden City.
However, whether it is the restoration of palace buildings, or the restoration of jewelry and silk, most teachers are following such a theme for the repair of cultural relics, that is, try not to destroy the original style, repair the old as old.
It is precisely by following this spirit that it is guaranteed that although today's Forbidden City has experienced a hundred years of wind and frost and old clothes and lack of decoration, it can still look forward to the brilliance and style. Make tourists nostalgic, and even let the world fall for it.
from iris0327 photo on flickr
Although "repairing the old as old", it is talking about repairing antiquities. But after hundreds of years of fried enemas, why not a "cultural relic"?
The starchy version of fried enema, which once carried the memories of generations, has now become a must-have snack item for various temple fairs and night market food stalls in Beijing. It's true to say it's a Beijing flavor. It can be hard to pull on the glorious past of the "ancestors" and say that this thing is "traditional", but it is not necessary.
After all, just like the restoration of the building of the Forbidden City, following the ancient law can ensure the original taste.
"Powdered pig intestines should be fried, shovels and chopsticks should be picked on a shoulder, special flavor children should buy, and a few strips should be passed through Xieyang Lane."
In the "Bamboo Branch Words of Beijing" at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the unique flavor described is fascinating.
I only hope that in my lifetime, I can see the "red pink fried" again and taste the unique flavor of "Sai Deer Tail" in person.
——————
Attached: After several searches, I found that the long-established brand of Heyi Zhai on Huguosi Street in Beijing seems to have sold an "old-school enema" for a period of time. But I heard from friends that the Heyi Zhai in this position has changed its font size, and most of the sales items have been retained. If you have a friend who is looking for "red pink fried", you may wish to use this reference to do another inquiry.
If you like, remember to click on the following. A variety of food strategies, stories, pay attention to the "Spring and Autumn Whispers" do not get lost.
Resources:
(1) The past and present life of the old Beijing fried enema[J].Sichuan Cuisine, 2017, (No. 12).
(2) Wang Xifu. The transformation of fried deer tail and enema[J].Chinese Cuisine, 2015, (No. 9).
(3) HE Daqi. Fried enemas. Beijing Evening News, 28th edition Of The Five Colors of Earth, Reading Serial, 2020.09.23
(4) Liu Xiao, eds. Memories of Old Beijing. Beijing: Contemporary World Press, 2017.03