Its name, its teeth and claws, deters foreign foodies; its appearance, its appearance, makes the first-timers frown. What exactly is it? Needless to say, as long as you look at the picture, the souls of Henan foodies begin to burn, and the taste buds are instantly injected with power, constantly secreting saliva, which is the charm of Peppery Soup.
Peppery soup is very popular in Henan, and no matter which city you go to, every morning, you don't need to work too hard to find a shop selling peppery soup. However, if you taste it carefully, you will find that the peppery soup in each city has its own flavor. Today's bowl of peppery soup comes from Zhoukou, but it is not the well-known Xiaoyaozhen Peppery Soup, but its own Tai Kang Xun Mother's Mouth Peppery Soup.
So what's the difference between it and the getaway town peppery soup? When we threw up the question, the response of the local foodies was surprisingly consistent. "Of course that's different!" "I grew up drinking this flavor since I was a child, and other flavors are not used to drinking!" What is revealed in the words is not only pride, but also confidence and attachment to the taste of this hometown.
In the early morning, the street of Sunmukou Town is as lively as ever. On this very ordinary township street, there is a breakfast restaurant with the most people. People who come here for breakfast are not only nearby villagers, but also diners who drive from Fugou and Anyang. They said that it is common to come here with peppery soup, and after drinking peppery soup, go around the neighborhood, and it is all a tourist.
Sister Wang told us that her lover Ma Yixing's family has been doing this line since her ancestors. To trace the source, it was still the grandfather of Brother Ma who fled to Taikang with his family at that time, relying on this craft of making peppery soup to make life have a head start. Now this craft has been passed down to them for thirty or forty years, and now it has been passed on to their sons.
"There are a lot of people who come to dinner every day, just like rushing to the market. Especially on holidays, the people around the soup pot are even more crowded! "While skillfully holding the soup, Sister Wang told us about the efforts and gains of herself and her family over the years." I can't stand it all day, this is not, now my lover and I are in the second line, usually too busy to come over to my son and daughter-in-law! ”
Sister Wang is responsible for serving soup in the front, and her son and daughter-in-law are responsible for cooking soup in the back kitchen. Unlike the spicy soup based on beef bone broth that is often drunk, the hot soup of Sunmukou is made with lamb bone. The little two don't talk much, how much material to add, how long to stay up, and the know-how is all hidden in the years of hard work.
In addition to working hard to make the peppery soup, the accompanying gluten is also hand-washed. The washed gluten is kneaded into a small dough by hand, put in water and slowly cooked, and finally chopped and added to the peppery soup. In the words of a foodie, this gluten tastes solid and delicious, even if it is not boiled in the peppery soup, directly go home and fry it is very fragrant.
In one bite, the tip of the tongue is first a smell of meat, and then the pungency of pepper slowly spreads on the tip of the tongue, but it is not exciting. Take another sip, the salty aroma is thick, and the intricate spices and rich meat aroma dance together in the mouth. Unconsciously, after a bowl of belly, it is sweating, fatigue and suddenly disappearing, and the day of life begins again.
What is endless is not only the enjoyment of the peppery soup to the taste buds of diners, but also the concept of Wang Dajie's family, day after day, year after year, always trying their best to make this bowl of peppery soup. Sister Wang said that making peppery soup is like being a person, and you must be down-to-earth. When the time came, turn around and try it!
- Two or three things about peppery soup -
Shop name: Sunmukou Ma Yixing Peppery Soup Address: Zhoukou City Taikang County Sunmukou Town Cross Street northwest corner (click to navigate) Consumption: 6 yuan per person Business hours: 05:00-13:30