Autumn and Winter Check-in Challenge
Every winter, I always think of the steaming bowl of sake-stuffed balls in my hometown. The taste is like a ray of warm sun in the cold winter, warming my lips and teeth, and also warming my heart.
Wine-brewed balls are a traditional spot in the Jiangnan region. The balls symbolize reunion, while the sake brew has a mellow rice aroma and a hint of sweetness. When the two are perfectly combined, it is a joy to have both the texture and the taste.
Making sake dumplings is not an easy task. First of all, the glutinous rice selected must be clean and plump, so as to ensure the delicacy and taste of the balls. Then, the glutinous rice is soaked, ground and drained, and then fermented for several days to obtain the viscous glutinous rice syrup. And that sake brewing needs to be carefully brewed. After the glutinous rice is steamed, it is mixed with koji and fermented, and then it is cellared for a period of time to obtain the mellow liquor.
And to combine the two perfectly, it takes a certain amount of skill and experience. The mastery of the heat, the combination of seasonings, the shape and size of the balls, every detail is related to the success or failure of this dish. When the piping hot dumplings were served, a rich aroma of rice and a faint sweet aroma filled the air. Take a light breath and you can see a thin layer of ripples on the milky white soup noodles.
At this point, gently scoop up a ball with a small spoon and put it in your mouth. The ball is soft and glutinous on the outside, sweet on the inside, and exudes a faint aroma of wine. The soup combines the essence of sake brewing and dumplings, which has both the richness of the dumplings and the sweetness of the sake brewing. Whenever this happens, I always feel an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Wine-brewed dumplings are not only a delicacy, but also an emotional sustenance. It represents the taste of hometown, the memories of childhood and the affection of family. While tasting that bowl of sake-stuffed dumplings, I felt like I was back in that winter night, sitting around the fire with my family, sharing the taste and warmth of home.
Nowadays, although I can taste all kinds of food in a foreign country, I will never forget the simple bowl of wine-stuffed balls. Whenever the winter solstice comes, I always find a quiet place to cook a bowl of wine-stuffed dumplings, reminiscing about the taste of my hometown and the good times.
Perhaps, the real taste does not lie in the luxury and complexity of the food, but in the simplicity and sincerity of the emotion. Just like that bowl of wine-stuffed balls, simple and beautiful, but it can make people have an endless aftertaste.