Walking into the small courtyard of the farmhouse, the smoke and the smell of pork stewed sauerkraut teased the tip of the nose, which was exactly the same as the taste in memory.
A meal of authentic pork stewed sauerkraut, is the quality of the pork meets the quality of the sauerkraut, after the fire and the test of time, the pork is fat but not greasy, the sauerkraut is sour and delicious, full of fragrance, ironing the stomach, there is warmth, there is happiness.
- Editor
Hetao local dish - pork stewed sauerkraut
He Chenggang (Dengkou).
If you ask the people of Hetao what their favorite dish is, I think everyone will answer in unison: "Pork stewed sauerkraut!".If you ask again which dish it is, I will be proud to tell you: "It is an authentic local dish of the Hetao!"”
The best at making pork stewed sauerkraut is not a senior chef in a star-rated hotel, but a housewife in the countryside of Hetao. With the arrival of light snow and heavy snow, the season of killing pigs has also arrived. Today's Zhang family, tomorrow's Li family, when killing pigs, they must invite the whole village and good relatives and friends to share their first pork stewed sauerkraut this year. Due to the large number of guests, the liveliness is not much different from the wedding banquet, so people are also Xi to call the pig killing dish "pig banquet". On the first day of killing the pig, the hostess washed and cut the golden cabbage pickled at home, and after the butcher washed the pig, she first cut off the "trough meat" of the pig's neck and handed it to the housewife. Thirty or forty catties of pork were cut into large slices by a neat and capable housewife and fried in a large iron pot over high heat, and after a while, the house and courtyard were filled with the fragrance of peasant pork. After the pork is cooked, add sauerkraut and potatoes, add water and simmer until the meat is rotten, and a unique aroma of pork and sauerkraut will spread throughout the village, which makes people taste delicious.
Don't look at the operation procedure of pork stewed sauerkraut, it seems simple, but each family has its own taste, the degree of sourness and saltiness of cabbage pickling, the length of time pigs are raised, especially the cooking techniques practiced by farm wives for many years, forming their own unique flavors, which is not something that can be explained by cooking theory.
The practice of stewing pork and sauerkraut in a big pot may be forced by the poor living conditions at the beginning, and the pickled sauerkraut was also to adapt to the natural conditions that could not preserve fresh vegetables at that time, but it achieved a unique delicacy of the Hetao people. The aroma of farmhouse pork infiltrates the sauerkraut, and the sourness of the sauerkraut dissolves the greasy taste of the pork, and this natural mellow taste is not something that any professional can deliberately make. Hetao people who go out, as long as they don't eat pork stewed sauerkraut for a period of time, always feel that something is missing in their stomachs. The wanderer who has been away from his hometown for a long time is even more concerned about this dish, because it carries the strong nostalgia of the Hetao people.
Hetao pork stewed sauerkraut
Lv Yongliang (Linhe).
Although the Hetao pork stewed sauerkraut is not a precious dish, it can also be called a local famous dish, and even some big restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities have this dish. It's impossible to know when and who created the Hetao pork stewed sauerkraut, but I only remember that when I was a child, it was a delicacy used by the hospitable post-Datao peasant family to entertain their guests.
In the past, around October every year, almost every household had to buy hundreds of catties of cabbage, a few large bags of coarse salt, and pickle a large pot or a few large sauerkraut on it. These sauerkraut can generally be eaten until May and June of the following year. Now that the conditions are good, pickled sauerkraut can be bought all year round, and people don't pickle most of them anymore.
I remember when I was a child, my mother often gave us stewed sauerkraut to eat, but at that time, the economic conditions of the family were not good, there was not much pork, so we could only use the lard stewed vegetables refined during the New Year, but we also tasted fragrant and delicious in our hearts. Later, with the continuous improvement of living standards, pork or pork ribs were used for braised sauerkraut at home. Whenever relatives and friends from afar visited, they always shouted for my wife to stew sauerkraut, saying that she was good at stewing vegetables. At this time, I always have to get a few cold dishes, and everyone drinks a little wine together and waits for the stewed sauerkraut to come out of the pot. The wife is in the kitchen cutting meat, stir-frying, boiling the pot ......More than an hour later, an affordable, nutritious, fatty but not greasy stewed sauerkraut with pork ribs was served on the table. Everyone was eating, chatting and drinking, and they were very happy.
For the farmers of Hetao, pig killing can be regarded as their special festival, and it is common to set up three tables and two tables to feast on neighbors, relatives and friends. Especially in recent years, pig killing banquets have been popular in rural areas, and every pig killing season, I always receive invitations from relatives, friends and classmates such as my third aunt and second wife. At the pig killing feast, you will see a lot of people from the city who come to the feast, they are either threes or threes, or ten or eight people, carrying cold dishes and fruits. If you're interested in learning a craft, you can go to the cooking site to "watch" carefully. I saw that the master cut the pork trough meat into about two inches long, about half an inch thick, put it in the pot and fry it for more than ten minutes, when the meat color turned red and the fragrance was overflowing, the onion and garlic, Sichuan pepper, big ingredients, soy sauce, salt, etc. that were put into the bowl in proportion in advance were poured into the pot, and then the sauerkraut, potatoes, and wide vermicelli were put in, and after simmering for more than an hour, the pungent fragrance made you have a great appetite. When the stewed sauerkraut is served on the table, you can gather around the table with everyone, eat a piece of fatty meat, and take a bite of sauerkraut, the fat but not greasy, sour but not strong taste is refreshing, if you want to drink a few more sips of soju, it is simply the feeling of racing over the living immortals. The reason why the pig killing banquet is held every year, in the words of the peasant family themselves, is "to be prosperous and auspicious, although it is crowded and rubbing, but it can contact feelings".
It's another year of pig killing season
Tian Shuqin (Linhe).
The small snow lies on the sheep, and the heavy snow kills the pig". As soon as the heavy snow season arrives, the annual pig killing season in the Hetao area has arrived again. At this time, the pig killing dish has become a hot topic in the circle of friends and WeChat groups, the plate of yellow color, fragrant, soft and delicious pig killing dish to provoke the taste buds of many people, people who have lived in the city for a long time can go to the countryside to eat an authentic pig killing dish, that is an extremely happy thing.
I remember when I first married into my mother-in-law's family, my mother-in-law's family fed two big fat pigs. My mother-in-law's family has a large population, and raising two big fat pigs every year is the oil and water of the family for a year. Mother-in-law is kind, diligent, and very popular in the village, and there are many people who help when killing pigs, and there are many relatives and friends who invite to eat pig-killing dishes, so the mother-in-law's family killing pigs is also like a trivial banquet. A few days before the pig killing, the family sent invitations to relatives and friends to eat the pig-killing dishes, and invited the people in the village to help kill the pigs and stew vegetables.
The day before the pig killing, the whole family began to prepare for the pig killing, cleaning the courtyard, chopping wood, repairing the stove, and going to the street to buy tobacco, alcohol, drinks, sugar, tea and vegetables, while the mother-in-law was busy steaming her best Minqin steamed buns to entertain guests. When I first arrived, I didn't know how to do anything, and the only thing I could do was help my mother-in-law make a fire. Watching them go in and out of the busy way, I suddenly felt that this was preparing for the New Year instead of killing pigs.
As soon as the day of the pig killing was dawning, the helpers came one after another. Those who carried water, lit fires, chopped vegetables, peeled onions and garlic, and peeled potatoes, the small courtyard suddenly became lively. The pig seemed to have a premonition and could not come out of the pen, and several strong offspring pulled the pig out by the ears and the tail of the pig, and tied it firmly. The howl of pigs resounded throughout the village, and the children, who were worried about the pig's urine bubbles, hurried out of the bed when they heard the sound, waiting to grab the pig's urine bubbles to play.
The cauldron of the fading pigs was steaming, the butchers bent down and rolled up their sleeves, and their movements were swift, and in less than half a day, the two big fat pigs were slaughtered and cleaned up. More than 20 catties of pork trough meat was cut into finger-thick, palm-sized pieces, and stewed in a large pot full of potatoes and sauerkraut. Looking at such a big pot of stew, I muttered in my heart, "So much, can I finish it?.""I even thought it was a little incredible.
Towards noon, the invited guests arrived, the butchers were busy, and several large tables were set up with cold and hot dishes. Everyone sat around guessing the boxing order, pushing the cup and changing the lamp, singing and laughing one after another. When the wine is hot, the fragrant pork stewed sauerkraut is served. I was shocked by the way they ate meat and drank wine, and I was amazed by the generosity and boldness of the Hetao people.
Authentic pork stewed sauerkraut, meat, fat but not greasy, soft and fragrant;The dish is sour but not strong, sticky and refreshing. After you are full of wine and rice, soak a bowl of sauerkraut soup in boiling water and drink it, which is called a hearty meal. A meal of pig-killing dishes was eaten until the sun was in the west, and the people who were still unsatisfied got up to leave, and the mother-in-law did not forget to bring each of them a sour stewed dish, so that the elderly and children at home could also taste this pig-killing dish with a unique fragrance. When I returned to the kitchen with all the guests gone, there was not much left of the big pot, and the doubts that had puzzled me for the day were instantly relieved.
The first time I ate pig killing dishes, I only felt sour and greasy, and I didn't think it was delicious. Later, I don't know when I started, I unconsciously liked to eat Hetao pig killing vegetables, and I felt more and more that Hetao pig killing vegetables were fragrant and delicious, especially the bowl of sauerkraut soup soaked in boiling water made me want to stop.
Pork stewed sauerkraut is a traditional delicacy in the Hetao region, which represents the customs and food culture of this land, and carries the memory of the hometown that will never fade.
Braised sauerkraut with pork bones
Zhang Hui (Hohhot).
The most impressive taste in my memory is the stewed sauerkraut with pork bones. Every late autumn and early winter, there will be many tricycles selling Chinese cabbage in the village, and every household will buy one or two hundred catties of pickled sauerkraut to eat all winter.
The method of sauerkraut is extremely simple, I saw my grandmother take out all the cabbage in the green net bag, skim off the yellowing and rotten leaves, put it in a large stainless steel basin, wash it with water two or three times repeatedly, and put it under the sun to control the moisture. While waiting, pick and chop the rotten leaves, dig a bowl of cornmeal and pour it in, add a little water and mix well, and the chickens in the yard will have a good meal.
When the moisture is almost controlled, put the cabbage in half, and then put it in the pot that has been washed in advance, layer of cabbage and a large grain of salt, and repeat it many times until the urn is full. The rest of the cabbage is put in the cellar and kept for the pork and cabbage stuffed dumplings for the Chinese New Year. The pickled cabbage can be eaten after about half a month, and when the curtain is lifted, a sour aroma of fermented cabbage comes to the face.
The sour cabbage is ready, and then it's time for the pork bones. Grandma is a good pig farmer. Pigs in the countryside snack from coarse grains, the meat is firm, and the fragrance is strong. Grandma separates the various parts of the slaughtered pig, some are used to make pickled pork, some are used to make dumplings and stir-fried vegetables, and the fate of pig bones is always stewed sauerkraut.
Grandma said that the pork bones of braised sauerkraut are preferentially selected as pig bones. When making pork bones stewed sauerkraut, grandma first take the bones out of the cool room in advance and soak them in warm water, do not blanch, put some lard in the pot, wait for the oil to melt, add the washed bones and stir-fry repeatedly until the bones are golden, and the room is full of its charming fragrance, then add green onions, ginger and garlic, Sichuan pepper, spices, salt, dark soy sauce, etc., and finally pour in the water that has not been bone, and cover the pot. The pork bones were stewed for nearly an hour, and I couldn't wait for that, so I tugged at my grandmother's shirt and kept chanting, "Grandma, I'm hungry." "Grandma touched my head and told me to wait. I lay on the kang and stilted on Erlang** to count, and every time I counted to a hundred, I asked "Okay?"."Grandma is not annoying, let me wait. The winter sun was warm and warm, and I fell asleep after counting them. After a while, my grandmother patted me lightly and said, "Huixiao, wow, the meal is cooked." I opened my eyes suddenly, jumped up, and hurriedly placed the dishes and chopsticks on the kang. The house is full of the aroma of braised sauerkraut with pork bones, take a bite, the bones are crispy and soft, the sauerkraut is sour, the potatoes melt in the mouth, and the aftertaste is endless. I tossed a small amount of soup with rice plates and devoured them, and I was able to eat two bowls of rice at once, even though I don't usually have a lot of food. Grandma always smiled and said, "Eat slowly, don't choke, there are more in the pot." "In the cold winter days in the north, this pot of fragrant pork bone stewed sauerkraut always brings me endless warmth. The warmth comes not only from the food itself, but also from the love of grandma.
As time passed, my grandmother also aged day by day. After my grandfather died, my grandmother didn't raise pigs anymore. But every autumn, she always pickled sauerkraut, saying that she would pickle some sauerkraut, and then let me buy some local pork bones, and when I went back, she would make pork bones and stewed sauerkraut for us.
It's winter again, and the air is filled with the aroma of braised sauerkraut with pork bones. And what I miss the most is the taste of pork bones stewed sauerkraut made by my grandmother, which is always deeply engraved in my memory, because it is the taste that my grandmother loves.
The taste of home
Li Zhixuan (Wuyuan).
I was invited to the same school in Jinxiutang to eat pig-killing dishes. I don't know when, the asphalt road and the cement road have been connected from village to village, from the county seat to Jinxiutang more than 30 kilometers, and the drive will be there quickly.
The same scholars were already full of relatives and friends who had come to the banquet, and the whole room was filled with the mellow aroma of a large pot of stewed sauerkraut, which made people drool.
Every year around the time of heavy snowfall, the weather is cold, the farm work is done, and the rural areas of Hetao begin to kill pigs. On the day of killing pigs, it is a special festival for farmers in Hetao, such as holding a small banquet, commonly known as "pig banquet", it is common to set up three tables and two tables. Whoever kills pigs, call relatives and friends a few days in advance, when will my family kill pigs, come and eat pig killing dishes!The pride of inviting people is happy, and the people who are invited also feel very faced.
More than 40 years ago, the rural economy was not very good, and people didn't know what a refrigerator or freezer was, let alone bought it. When it was particularly cold in winter, the ice outside had frozen three or four inches thick, and families began to kill pigs. In order to store and preserve pork, the people of Hetao are full of wisdom. Break the ice from the canal or pond, pull some large pieces of ice back, in the shade of the yard, use ice cubes to build an irregularly shaped "hill bag", leave a small mouth, put the pork cuts to be stored inside, plug the small mouth with ice cubes, and then with some mud, smear a layer on the outside of the "hill bag", a pure natural small cold storage that is both fresh and anti-theft, and it is done. People commonly call it the "meat cellar", usually pour some cold water on it from time to time, the more it freezes, the thicker it becomes, the stronger it becomes. The pork stored inside is tender and does not lose moisture, and can be stored until the weather is warm in spring.
Pork stewed sauerkraut has become a famous food in the Hetao, and a big pot is full of stewed on the day of killing pigs, which is enough for dozens of people to eat. The meat of a pig's neck, no matter how many catties, is all put into the pot, and the firewood is slowly stewed, the meat is rotten and the vegetables are rotten, fat but not greasy, the color and taste are good, and the entrance is melting. Eating mellow and delicious pork stewed sauerkraut, listening to people's laughter, enjoying strong nostalgia, family affection, and friendship, the year's hard work disappeared.
New Year Pig Cultural Festival
Tian Jingwei (Hanghou).
Winter winds.
Can't stop people from rushing to one.
Family reunion. Leisure and entertainment.
A feast of New Year's pigs smoked by fireworks.
Feel the different traditional folk customs.
This strong local feeling.
It carries deep memories of hometown.
The noisy gongs and drums are accompanied by Yangge.
Promote rural culture through dance friends.
The loud singing voice spread all over the world.
Sing and dance to celebrate the harvest.
Raise a glass of wine.
There were happy smiles on people's faces.
King of Pigs Tournament.
It has become a beautiful landscape.
The first pot of the Loop.
It brings together the best of the countryside.
Pork, sauerkraut, potatoes.
Simmer. The moment the lid is lifted.
Steaming pork stew with sauerkraut.
Like a blooming flower.
The color is bright. It's mouth-watering.
In an instant. A city with a taste.
The aroma spreads all over the world.
This is the concern of the wanderer.
It is a unique taste that is popular in the local area.
It is the taste of inheriting the regional culture.
Kill the pig dish
Zhang Xia (Dengkou).
The pig-killing dishes before and after the heavy snow solar term make everyone can't wait. Although life is better now, we have no shortage of delicious food, but at this time, the pig-killing dishes stewed in a large iron pot have a "different taste" that cannot be stewed in ordinary days.
When the cold star of dawn had not yet receded, the women began to boil water with dry branches, and the neighbors all killed the pigs on the same day, and then each family boiled the pigs on the selected day. Nowadays, killing pigs is like holding a small banquet, and there are always several tables to invite relatives, friends and neighbors. The "chef" invited by the host family cuts the meat into palm-sized squares and stir-fries them over low heat, and when the meat is slightly browned, you can put the sauerkraut. Sauerkraut has to use half a jar, potatoes are the soul of sauerkraut, and they have to be measured in pots. Braised sauerkraut is a technical job, the fire is not too big or small, and the time must be mastered, not only to stew soft but also not to paste the pot, otherwise the fragrance will not be in place, so the "chef" of stewed pig dishes is always the few fine women in the village.
After eating and drinking, finally bring a box of stewed sauerkraut to those who can't come. Now eating pig-killing vegetables is a characteristic of the rural areas of Hetao, and it also reflects the simplicity and kindness of the farmers in Hetao and the good life.
*: Bayannur**.
Editor: Chen Long Proofreader: Yang Yakang.