After a busy morning, I finally got off work. Walking into the company cafeteria, I saw the same dishes. Although the color is bright, I have been here for so long, the chefs have changed several times, and I have tasted all kinds of dishes, but I always feel that there is a lack of flavor. It feels like hometown food. My heart couldn't help but think of the doubanjiang made by my mother.
My hometown is in southern Shaanxi, close to Sichuan, so the taste is spicy. I'm also an out-and-out hot girl. When I was a child, my family's conditions were not very good. Every autumn, the branches of the vegetable garden are covered with fiery red peppers. My hard-working mother would make several jars of bean paste to use as an ingredient for noodles or as a seasoning for stir-fries.
In rural areas, firewood is generally used to cook rice, and there is always a layer of crust in the large iron pot. When I was a child, my family was not rich, so crispy rice became our after-dinner snack. After scooping out the rice, the remaining sparks at the bottom of the pot will make the crispy rice crispy in the large pot. The mother would divide the rice cake into four portions, and each of the four siblings would have one portion. Spoon a spoonful of the bright red bean paste onto the crispy rice. The hot and sour taste of the bean paste mixes with the rice aroma of the crispy rice, making it particularly appetizing. Sometimes I add a little more bean paste and it makes my tongue so spicy. People still keep eating one bite after another. Occasionally, due to uneven distribution, those who have finished eating will grab the ones that are eating slowly. Even if I grab just one more bite, I still feel a sense of victory. Recalling the delicious food there, I couldn't help but swallow my saliva.
Later, when conditions improved and we grew up, we started working separately. Every time I leave home, even if the train going south is crowded, I will take a jar of bean paste with me to work. It is not just a bottle of doubanjiang, but also mixed with the delicious taste of maternal love and the feelings of the hometown.
A few days ago, I had a phone call with my mother. Mom said: "I'm making chopped chili peppers and bean paste. Your little sister is going home during the Mid-Autumn Festival and make a big jar for her. She is married far away and rarely comes back once. You are close to home, so I will make it for you later. Okay. Okay, I'm going to be busy, so I won't talk to you yet." Mom hung up the phone in a hurry.
"Doubanjiang Doubanjiang" has been echoing in my mind. Not only do we like to eat the bean paste made by our mother, but other people also like it. Every time I bring it, my friends love to eat it. I feel very happy when I see my friends eating with gusto. Even my younger brother-in-law who is from Shanghai also likes it. Dad joked: "Don't you have a sweet tooth, Xiao Han? Why do you still like to eat the doubanjiang made by your mother?"
The doubanjiang made by my mother is famously delicious in my hometown. Sometimes, I joke with my mother. Mom, you can apply for a patent for the bean paste you make and sell it.
My mother always smiles and says: I will only cook it for you in this life, not for others.
A mother’s child is happy. Every time I go back to my parents’ home, I always bring a large box of things, and among them, there must be a jar of bean paste.
My mother sometimes said to me: "You have to follow suit. Mom will not be able to do it when she gets old. If you want to eat it, at least you can make it yourself."
The year before last In autumn, I made bean paste with my mother, and happily gave it to two close friends. My friend also praised your cooking skills and said it was so delicious.
The process of making bean paste is relatively complicated. If you want it to be delicious, you must do it carefully.
Today I will share with you the process of making bean paste.
Doubanjiang, the first choice is Doubanjiang.
1. We usually use broad beans - also called peas. They are grown in rural areas. The grains are plump and round. We soak them for a day and a night, and then peel off the outer skin one by one to reveal the young ones inside. Seeds as white as silkworms. (Now you know why it is called broad beans)!
2. Cook the watercress in a pot without oil, then drain the water. Soak in cold water, then drain, spread the bean paste and dry it in a clean bamboo sieve.
3. Pick a branch called golden leaf from the mountain and bring it back for later use.
4. Put the bean paste in a container, cover it with a golden leaf branch, and wait for the bean paste to ferment. It usually takes a week to ferment. Always pay attention to the fermentation temperature. If the temperature is too high, the watercress will be easily burned (the watercress will turn black).
After fermented watercress, a layer of golden or white mold will appear on the surface. Golden fluff is the best product. When the weather is fine, spread the watercress in a clean sieve and expose it to the sun. After drying, put it in an airtight bag. spare.
Make bean paste.
1. Prepare a large basin without oil, wash the peppers, ginger and garlic and dry them.
2. Cut them into fine pieces respectively. The chili must be minced so that it is delicious.
3. Pour the pepper, ginger, and garlic together, add the watercress, add a little high-quality white wine (50 degrees or higher is better), and add a handful of salt. Add a little thirteen spice seasoning and mix together evenly. Usually a little trinaphthalene (a spice used in cooking) is added so that the color and taste are present.
4. Seal it well with a bottle or jar. Generally, the jars in your hometown are made of clay and are opaque. If it is translucent, it is best to place it in a cool, dry place and let it slowly settle and ferment.
Such a delicious bottle of bean paste is ready.
It is said that doubanjiang contains a lot of nutrients and trace elements. I haven't studied it in depth, just hearsay.
The prepared bean paste is sour, spicy and delicious, and has the effect of appetizing and aiding digestion.
Write an article on how to make bean paste and follow the production process. It's as if I have made another jar of bean paste, with the familiar sour and spicy flavor; I have passed down the skill of the delicious bean paste made by my mother.
Recalling the familiar smell, I couldn't help but swallow my saliva.