In the spring of the south, the spring rains visit frequently, and the spring breeze carries the water vapor through the city and the mountains. In the dirt, some wild vegetables sprouted, bracken, bracken, wormwood, and spring shoots, all of which were on the market. In fact, most of them only "meet" people in the spring of the year.
On March 13, the first day of the second lunar month of the lunar calendar is the Yao festival "Bird Boy Festival", also known as the "Bird Catching Festival". Chen Qiujing, a villager in Youmu Village, Chaodong Town, Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, inserted the freshly made rice dumplings on the branches of the trees and then placed them in front of their homes and in their own fields for birds to peck, and folklore believes that after the birds pecked at the rice dumplings, they would no longer eat grain. After doing this, Chen Qiujing put her back on the basket and invited the female companions in the village to go to the wild to pick wormwood. They want to make wild vegetables that sprout in the spring into big belly.
Big belly is a traditional snack well known to the people of Bucheon, not only the resident snack of the night market, but also a regular visitor to the festival, people often make big belly in Lichun, Sting, Qingming, early February Bird Boy Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and other festivals. In the spring, the fresh gifts of nature make the belly more special, and the fresh and crisp pomegranate leaves, green and mugwort leaves are put into the dough, and the belly has a spring taste. First of all, to choose the most tender mugwort leaves, industrious Yao women are good at finding ingredients hidden in various weeds, and in a few moments, the basket is half full. After the women washed the returned wormwood with clean water, they could set up a pot to boil water.
The Yao compatriots in Youmu Village invited their companions to make belly dumplings.
Put the wormwood into boiling water and blanch it repeatedly, pour an appropriate amount of baking soda and other alkaline water into the water to fix the color, and the plant fragrance of wormwood is stimulated by hot water, which is the smell of spring. When the roots of wormwood are boiled soft, they can be fished out, and the boiled wormwood can be kneaded into a ball by hand, which can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time and can be used at any time within a year. The boiled wormwood is poured into a stone mortar and mashed into wormwood and then placed in the glutinous rice dough. "Boiling the mugwort leaves in boiling water can eliminate the bitter taste of the mugwort itself." Chen Qiujing said.
In the village, most people use their own glutinous rice to make big belly dumplings. People put the pre-ground fried glutinous rice flour mixed with the appropriate amount of water, began to and noodles, and noodles need to be forced evenly, too heavy or too light will affect the taste of the finished product, and then pour the mugwort mud in, after mixing, the dough will become emerald green, and after the noodles are completed, they will begin to wrap the belly.
Unlike the equally famous Jongsan belly dumplings, Bucheon's large belly dumplings are different in shape, taste, and production methods, and the large belly dumplings are also called "super large dumplings" by the People of Bucheon, so the production method is similar to that of tangyuan. Youmu Village has the custom of inviting companions, whether it is going out to play or doing farm work, people often flock to groups, and the same is true for making big bellies. Chen Qiujing and the sisters in the village sat around the dustpan skillfully wrapped their big bellies, and I don't know who started singing a Yao tea picking song, and everyone sang together. The big belly is formed one by one in the song, everyone chats about homely, seemingly absent-minded, and the shape of the big belly is surprisingly consistent, which is a tacit understanding. "I started making big belly since I was a child, learning from my grandmother and mother, and then doing it with my sisters in the village, and before I knew it, I was 60 years old." Chen Qiujing said. As the days go by, the time in the village is slow and long, and hidden in one big belly is not only delicious filling, but also mutual affection.
Big belly before getting off the pot.
In the cold season, after the Bucheon people put the prepared belly into the pot, they will put sugar flakes and ginger in the water, or directly use sweet wine to cook the belly, which not only increases the taste, but also can dispel dampness and cold. The belly is compatible with all the imagination of taste, and can be salty or sweet. This time, Chen Qiujing prepared three kinds of fillings. Salty is the spring shoots eggs scrambled minced meat, she just went to the wild to dig back the spring shoots, chopped and fried with eggs, minced together with eggs, minced meat, fresh and fragrant, is the spring can only eat the delicious; sweet are peanut candy and sesame sugar, made of their own sesame seeds and peanuts, peanut candy sweet and mellow, endless aftertaste, sesame sugar is delicate and soft, and soft dough skin complement each other.
Uncooked belly dumplings can also be made into green balls, cushioned with rice dumpling leaves, and eaten cold or hot. The big belly is integrated into the life of the people of Fuchuan all year round, Chen Qiujing herself can't remember how many big belly she has made, she only knows that time is like the Yao brocade in her hand, unconsciously weaving longer and longer, and like the rice in the field, the cycle of growth and harvest again and again.
Finished belly dumplings.
The big belly is a snack for all ages, and its round shape symbolizes reunion. When winter comes, the people of Bucheon will start to fry the kon, and when spring comes, they will pick wormwood to make a big belly, and the seemingly simple folk diet actually conforms to the change of seasons and also contains different moods.
"In the spring, we must be happy and full of vitality." Chen Qiujing smiled and took another bite of the big belly, "I still have to do it after eating!" ”
Reporter: He Shenyang, Ni Chi
Editor's Proofreader: Zou Jinshan
Review: Huang Yuexin
Director system: Mo Guozhen