If noodles are the main theme that runs through the Shaanxi people's diet, then the water basin lamb is undoubtedly the most beautiful note flowing in this main theme.
"30 million Qin people roar in unison, and the bowl of lamb bubbles is full of joy", which is a vivid portrayal of the life of Shaanxi people. Water basin lamb originated from Dongfu, Shaanxi. In the past, the utensils used to cook mutton resembled a washbasin, as the name suggests, "water basin", but today's water basin lamb has little to do with the basin. Mutton is a warm supplement food, it is said that autumn and winter are the most suitable to enjoy, but the old Shaanxi people who are good at cooking skillfully make mutton into a delicious summer dish, not only that, but also crowned with a nice name - June fresh. Shaanxi people do not eat meat like the Mongols, but eat every three to five times, often a middle-aged man in a family with the old and the small to eat. Eat water basin lamb, pay attention to early, if you eat in Xi'an Old Sun's house, just break the steamed buns for half a day, can you not hurry up early? "Boss, come, sit inside! Eat fat skinny or lean? Often before the guests sat down, the guys in the store greeted them warmly. I found that the elderly people love to eat fat and thin, slightly heavier, but also add haggis, perhaps they have experienced famine years, the body has always been short of oil; or they may think that once they go back to lamb, the meat is not fat, the soup is not fat, it is equal to no fat. Young people are different, generally pure and thin, and the soup should be clear. Before the lamb is served, diners are busy peeling garlic, checking whether the oil is spicy enough, and whether the store can deliver small dishes. When the waiter shouted in his throat with the steaming old bowl, he could always hear the appetite-filled and loud sentence: It is me who drops! I once heard the waiter shouting, and the ghost made God answer: "Arrive!" It caused people around me to throw strange glances at me, and the waiter couldn't help but laugh. A little later, an old bowl of water basin lamb was brought to the table, and the soup was clear and rotten, and the aroma was overflowing.
The same bowl of lamb, different ways to eat everywhere. For example, in the areas of Fuping, Pucheng, Dali and Chengcheng, people eat water basin lamb, which is different from other places. Diners are not in a hurry to break the steamed buns and put them in the soup, but first take a steamed bread and eat it. The freshly baked pancake is hot to people's hands, so they have to use chopsticks to open a hole, let the heat inside dissipate, and then put some oil into the steamed bun to pour spicy seeds, the best thing is to less spicy and more oil, followed by scooping a small spoon of salt, evenly sprinkled on the spicy, and finally go to the bowl to put two pieces of lamb into the bun, pinch it with both hands, and take a big mouthful, often full of oil. Of course, you can just a few cloves of fresh garlic or sugar garlic, which is even more beautiful! In addition to the common round cakes, you will also see crescent cakes, no matter what the cake, baked brown is a good cake, generally a bowl of water basin lamb will be accompanied by two burnt cakes. One steamed bun is eaten, and the other is used to brew, which is considered to be "lamb bubble". The noodles used to burn the cake are very strong, the buns are broken and rotten, and they will not be boiled, just with the fungus, vermicelli, and the fresh and tender coriander and green onion in the bowl, eat and drink into the stomach, that is called a cool! Many people eat water basin lamb in the morning, do not have to eat all day, encounter thirst, drink more water. What do you think? Is this way of eating a fight with the scene of a good man in Liangshan eating a large piece of meat and drinking wine? Indeed, this kind of eating is inseparable from the boldness and arrogance in the bones of shaanxi people, and one side of the water and soil nurtures the other side. In other words, Tang Zeng picked up the old bowl, drank and ate, and his mouth was full of oil, which was a bad match.
When I was a child, I looked forward to meetings in the brigade all day. Especially in winter, before the meeting, the village cadres and the captains of the various teams first want to eat a beautiful meal, naturally based on water basin lamb, and occasionally there will be cakes. There are no steamed buns in the brigade, and there are no bowls, which need to be brought by themselves. Mothers can always make steamed buns the day before the meeting, and if the time is rushed, they will simply use steamed buns. In the memory, my father rode a worn-out heavy bicycle, two foreign porcelain bowls hanging on the front of the car, due to the rough road, the bowl collision made a "clucking" sound, I sat on the girder, the two faces were frozen red, the small hands did not dare to stretch out the sleeves, the mouth was white, but the heart was beautiful. By the time we arrived at the brigade headquarters, there was already a long line in the courtyard. My father handed me a porcelain bowl that had been broken and told me to be ahead of him. When it was my turn to serve soup and put meat, my father said the same thing to the master on the stove almost every time: "Give my share of meat to the baby, I will only drink soup." "At that time, I was too naïve to think that my father did not like meat. My father and I carried a porcelain bowl, squatting under the courtyard wall to eat, full, mouth wiped, I ran to the back of the kiln to play. They were meeting in the middle of the courtyard, and I saw that the leaders in front of them had stools to sit on, and the rest were sitting on the ground, or half-squatting. Standing on the top of the kiln and looking down, I realized that the whole yard was just a child of mine.
When I was in my twenties, I had a Chang'an van. Whenever the school holidays are over, I always take time out to drag the whole family to the basin of lamb. My grandfather and the boss are familiar with each other, and we have also been stained with a lot of light because of this. In the individual bowls, there are half bowls of clear soup and half bowls of meat, and my mother always laughs and says, "The amount is too large, I can't eat it." Later, the mother had experience, and before each meal, she gave us some meat, and even so, the mother could only eat one burnt cake, and the other had to be taken home. The owners are honest, their business is exceptionally good, and the shop is often full. Electric cars, three-wheelers, and cars are parked at the door. Most of the people who come to eat the water basin lamb are elderly people, but almost all of them are brought by their children or grandchildren. The old man who ate the lamb, after returning to the village, praised everyone, and I xx pulled me to eat lamb again, and they were proud of it. The old man who has not eaten lamb for a long time will also hint to his children, you see, early in the morning, xx pulled his father and mother to eat lamb, that old two Shiha (gave birth) good baby, really blessed!
In a few years, I changed into a new car, but my mother left. Reality told me that I couldn't eat the water basin lamb once more, not once. In order to get my grandfather out of the grief as soon as possible, one morning, I asked my grandfather to eat the water basin lamb. Grandpa said weakly, "Don't go to that house, change places." "I promised grandpa to change places. I think that the reason why Grandpa didn't want to go to the original lamb restaurant must be that there were a lot of shadows of him and his mother-in-law in that place, and maybe he was worried that the boss would ask: "Huh?" Why didn't you bring your wife today? ”
Over the years, I have eaten water basin lamb in many parts of Shaanxi. Once, when I went to Sima Qian's hometown - Hancheng, my wife and I asked for two bowls of water basin lamb, and as soon as the soup came up, there was no appetite, and the whole bowl was white, and I took a sip, so tasteless, and the boss said that the salt should be put by himself. I asked what about the spicys? The boss pointed to the side of the bowl. I opened the lid and looked inside, and inside was a dried noodle spicy with no oil. My wife and I smiled at each other and politely said to the boss, "Check out." "Another time, when I was in Yan'an, I entered an authentic northern Shaanxi mutton restaurant. The boss asked me if I wanted the original soup? I said "Hmm". Who expected the smell of this original soup is that I, a Guanzhong person, can't bear it at all, but there is a lot of meat, but it is difficult to swallow, and finally it is still checkout. Later, I found a storefront in Yan'an with a sign that read "Xi'an beef and mutton steamed buns", went in to eat, and sure enough, there was a bit of a taste of Guanzhong, and then I would do this in Yan'an. I also took my father to eat a basin of lamb in Huifang Street. At that time, my father was extremely reluctant, first, because of the high price, a bowl of thirty-five yuan; second, because of the fear of the taste of the Hui people, we could not adapt. I packed a ticket to my father, the water basin here is absolutely authentic, and almost all the people who come to Xi'an to visit xi'an come here to eat. My father had to be up to me. However, it turned out later that I should not have taken my father back and forth to Fang Street to eat water basin lamb. Two very small bagels, miserable white, the soup is not fried, the bowl is very delicate, the bottom of the bowl sinks one or two pieces of lamb, the taste is not edible. After coming out, his father forced a smile and said, "This is the worst time since he ate the water basin lamb." I smiled awkwardly and didn't say a word. All of the above experiences, I boiled it down to bad luck. This also leads to a lesson: in unfamiliar places, do not rush to try the water basin lamb.
The most authentic water basin lamb is none other than Weibei. It is said that many Xi'an people go to Dali, Pucheng and Fuping to eat water basin lamb, and enter a shop at will, and the taste is not much worse. The aroma of wine is not afraid of the deep alley. These stores are not necessarily in the bustling streets, nor are they necessarily all big shops, famous shops, and may be in the back alleys, not even a sign, but everyone is here.
Water basin lamb, not only can make people fill their stomachs, it has long become a culture, a character. In the long river of history, it has carried too many changes in the times, too many sorrows and joys, too many human feelings...
A bowl of lamb bubbles, strong hometown feeling.
About the Author
Li Peizhan, born in 1984, a native of Fuping, Shaanxi, currently lives in Xi'an. Professional teacher, amateur author. He is a member of the Shaanxi Youth Literature Association and a member of the Weinan City and Xi'an Writers Association. Editor-in-chief of Shaanxi Wentan Network, Network Director of Chinese Monthly Magazine, Editor-in-Charge of New Media of Shaanxi Literature Magazine, Preferred Author of Selected Miniature Novels, And Contracted Author of Yellow River Weekend. His works can be found in Shaanxi Daily, Xi'an Evening News, Yanhe, Shaanxi Literature, Chinese Monthly, Yan'an Daily, Weinan Daily, Hancheng Daily, Northwest Literature and other newspapers and online media.