Text: Wang Xinchun
Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, known as "the world's first Jiangshan", has a popular gastronomic folk song "Three Strange Ballads": "Balsamic vinegar is not bad, the meat is not a dish, and the pot is boiled in the noodle pot." "Cooking pot lid in the noodle pot" refers to the pot lid noodles that are well known to everyone in Zhenjiang and are known as the "first side of the world" in Jiangnan.
Zhenjiang pot cover noodles, formerly known as fire (gang) noodles, also known as Zhenjiang knife noodles, according to records have a history of more than 150 years. The authentic pot lid noodle soup is soft, non-sticky and non-chaotic, with fresh green heads, which is refreshing and smooth to eat, and the lips and teeth are fragrant. For Zhenjiang people, it is not only the morning light meal of ordinary people, its unique production process, chic taste and legends and stories, which have been integrated with the history, culture and natural features of Zhenjiang.
To make a bowl of authentic pot lid noodles, you must go through the four steps of "jumping, floating, boiling, and pouring".
The first step, "jumping noodles", is the key to whether the noodles of the pot lid noodles will be flexible and chewy, that is, put the kneaded dough on the board, fix one end of a bamboo bar in the iron circle of the board to press the dough, and do the dough master sits on the other end of the bamboo bar and repeatedly jumps, squeezes the dough into a thin dough skin, and then cuts it into strips with a knife.
The second step, "drifting", refers to the "cooking pot lid in the noodle pot", which will also affect the taste of the noodles. The large noodle pot is floated with a small lid, and the surrounding area is breathable but the boiling water does not overflow. The wooden pot lid presses the tumbling dough so that the position of the noodles under the lid remains unchanged, and there is no gap between the water and the lid, and there is only a tendon after cooking. At the same time, the woody aroma of the wooden pot lid can also add some chic flavor to the noodles.
The third step is "boiling" is soy sauce boiling. Select local soybean soy sauce, add more than 20 kinds of spices such as river prawns, chicken bones, wild mushrooms and earth dragons, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla, etc., boil over high heat, then simmer for several hours, and finally add salt and white pepper, and then eat after cooling.
The fourth step, "pouring", is the topping. Generally use local meat as a side dish, such as pork, pork liver, sausage, yellow eel, loin slices, beef, vegetables, etc., according to personal taste, cooked and then adjusted to the seasoning into the noodle bowl. A bowl of tender, refreshing, smooth and delicious pot-lidded noodles is finished.
There are many sources of Zhenjiang pot noodles, and one version also has a "friendship cameo" of the Qianlong Emperor. It was also during a certain southern tour that Qianlong, who was "enthusiastic" about private visits to micro-services, came to Zhenjiang and came to a noodle shop when he was hungry. Since the small shop had not yet opened on the same day, the owner and his wife hurried to boil water with noodles. At the urging of the diners, the lady boss hurriedly threw the noodles into the water, and then casually picked up a pot lid to cover the noodle pot, but accidentally mistakenly took it into a small pot lid next to it, and the pot lid floated on the surface of the boiling noodles. When she wanted to pick up the lid of the pot and the water had churned, she added another spoonful of water, put the ingredients on it, and waited until the second time the water boiled. When the Qianlong Emperor ate it, he felt that the softness and hardness were moderate, just right for his own taste, and he even praised it. Since then, the reputation of pot lid noodles has spread.
The story of the Qianlong Emperor and the pot lid noodles is only one of the many versions of the pot lid noodles, but no matter what kind of story, there are "accidents" that take the wrong pot lid, and the most popular is the folk-created version. Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a family in Zhenjiang, and the husband and wife loved and were harmonious. Because the husband's appetite is not good, he always can't eat, and the wife often makes noodles to eat. One day, after laying down the noodles, she went out to fetch water, and when she came back, the noodle soup overflowed the pot. When she was busy adding cold water, she accidentally dropped the lid of the soup pot into the pot and covered the noodles, and the result was a different taste, and her husband ate several bowls in succession. Later, with this new noodle craft, my wife opened a shop specializing in this kind of "pot lid noodles", which was loved by diners and gradually spread.