Approaching the New Year, the streets and alleys of the ancient town of Dahao began to emit a white mist, wafting with a strong fish fragrance.
With a "flash" roar, a sieve (tai) sieve of freshly baked fish balls was set open, waiting for the cool to be sent to the front desk of the store for sale.
Like many Dahao people, my childhood was raised by eating these white flowers and round fish balls.
Dahao is a hilly peninsula located on the coast of the South China Sea. Since the Beginning of the Song Dynasty, a large number of Central Plains immigrants settled here on Dahao Island, who lived by fishing and salt, and eventually formed an industrial pattern of "Tian Sanyu Salt Seven".
Because the sea has blessed a wealth of seafood, coupled with the infinite wisdom of fishermen, the birth of fish balls in Dahao.
"The old streets are wide and wide, and they are full of ports every festive season. Carrying a basket shoulder to pick up the road obstruction, the bridge stone through the concave ask fish balls. "An ancient poem from whom I don't know who it came from, and I don't know when it was written, singing the scene of fish balls sold in the ancient city of Dahao in the old days.
The inventor of fish balls is not clearly documented in history. One theory is that Qiu Hui, a general of the Anti-Qing Dynasty and a Majiao man, created the practice of fish balls.
Qiu Hui's old mother likes to eat fish very much, but because she is blind in both eyes, it is quite inconvenient to eat. Qiu Hui did filial piety, so he came up with a method of making balls by patting the fish flesh that had been removed from the fish bone into a paste, which solved the problem of the old mother eating fish.
Zheng Chenggong's son, Zheng Zheng, the King of Yanping, inspected Dahao, and a fish ball made him eat the high praise of "Tiannan Treasure", so he brought the production skills to Taiwan, so there are now Taiwan fish balls.
During the tongzhi period of the late Qing Dynasty, Dahao chef Liang Jinghe sorted out a complete set of fish ball production processes through integration and innovation, and "Dahao Fish Balls" has truly become a brand.
The fish balls made by Master Liang retain the original umami taste of the fish to the greatest extent, and are full of elasticity and taste. For a time, literati and inkers from all over Chaoshan flocked to taste food.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Guodong, a famous scholar in eastern Guangdong and known as "Zhang Gongye", often lingered in Liang Jinghe's small shop in his later years, and also inscribed the couplet of "taste three claps, smell the fragrance of ten steps and nine turns back".
In fact, fish balls are available in many places, such as the mackerel balls, one of the three treasures of Zhanjiang Wuchuan cuisine, and the inverted shark balls and eel balls in Fuzhou Sanfang Seven Alleys. After tasting them all, I still think that Dahao's fish balls are the most delicious, in addition to the homeland complex and childhood memories, it is more because the Dahao people have learned the ultimate about fish balls.
The raw materials for fish balls are generally selected from nagar (snake mullet), moray eel, pale shellfish (mackerel) and mackerel. The makers of Taho Fish Balls know what kind of fish to use in season.
One of the raw materials, the Nago fish, is the most common fish species in Dahao Harbor. It is said that the Dahao people who used to speak Chaoyang yin often went to Chaozhou and Jieyang to sell Nago fish, so the Chaoyang yin in the Dahao area was also called "Nago Yin".
Dahao people are veritable fish eaters, fried and steamed, all of them. Even if you encounter the fierce and prickly nago fish, the fish balls still give full play to its delicious meat.
When I was a child, I often followed my grandfather to the street market to buy fish balls, and I was very curious about the process of making fish balls, but I never had the opportunity to see them in person. It wasn't until the broadcast of "Cai Lan Ti Cai Basket" filmed by Shenzhen Television Station and Cai Lan a few years ago that I saw the production process of this hometown flavor on TV.
The first step in the production of fish balls is to start the meat, only to see the masters use a cooked and sharp knife method to remove the fish bones from the fish meat.
The second is to pat, after chopping the fish, put it into a shallow bottom wooden barrel for patting, so that the fish mushroom spits out the gum. The grasp of strength, rhythm and time is all judged by the experience accumulated by the master over the years.
When it comes to the ball making process, it is necessary to add egg whites and seasonings to the beaten fish syrup, stir well, and then squeeze the fish syrup out of the tiger's mouth with the index finger and thumb with bare hands, and quickly throw it into the cold water until it floats and sets. The prepared fish balls are spread flat on the bamboo basket, steamed in a steamer basket for a few minutes, and then removed and cooled. A crisp, smooth Dahao fish ball, it is finished here.
Compared with the complicated process of shooting fish balls, cooking fish ball soup is much simpler.
Bring half a pot of water to a boil, pour in the washed fish balls, wait until the fish balls are slightly expanded, add a little salt and chicken essence, a few drops of cooking oil. Many people like to choose artemisia and lettuce as side dishes, but I don't like to eat both of these dishes. Therefore, my practice is usually to sprinkle a pinch of green onion before the pot.
Served in a white sea bowl, the clear soup base is dotted with emerald green onions, and the fish balls wander through it, which makes people feel very appetizing. When eaten, whether it is shacha sauce or local tidal chili sauce, it is a superb accompaniment dip.
At the end of the year, the Dahao people still worship their ancestors, and fish balls have become one of the best-selling sacrifices. During the New Year, the fish market is closed, and every household must reserve several kilograms of fish balls. Visiting relatives and friends, in addition to a pair of "big luck", fish balls are also traditional gift-giving products. The family sits around the side stove, and the smooth fish balls, the large ink bucket fish balls, and the pink shrimp balls can all be blanched (cog) under the pot, which is a "feast of pills".
I remembered that I had promised many friends from out of town to take them to Hao to taste authentic fish balls, but unfortunately, due to the long years of absence, I have not made a trip so far.
For a while in Shenzhen, I was fascinated by things like pills. Especially when it is cooling down, in the freezing rain and cold wind, the cat sneaks into a small shop selling spicy and hot, and chooses a variety of cold balls in the freezer.
After the big meal, I couldn't help but ask myself what kind of things I had just eaten. At that time, I really missed this real fish ball at home.
Fortunately, with the emergence of vacuum packaging and the popularity of cold chain logistics, the ancient Dahao fish balls have followed the new era to more and farther places.
Once in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, I accidentally turned into the Watercress South Street, hungry, looked up at the sign of the street stall, read "Shantou Dahao Fish Ball Flour Noodles", I couldn't help but be moved, that moment, as if it was the feeling of first love.
A steaming bowl of fish balls and rice noodle soup makes the heart go home, which is the taste of happiness.
This article is reproduced from the public number: Xu Caizi
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