Zongzi is China's intangible cultural heritage, through the inheritance and evolution of history, the formation of "salty in the south and sweet in the north" unique taste, but have you ever eaten chili zongzi? With the New Year approaching, every household in Xingye County, Guangxi Province wraps up zongzi, in the festive atmosphere of "Zongxiang City", a chili zongzi stands out, the taste is very unique, and it is loved and sought after by the locals.
Li Jinrong of Huanjiang Village, Xingye County, is a farmer who often wraps chili rice dumplings. Early in the morning, she puts the zongzi leaves in a basin, washes them with tap water, and then puts them on the table to dry for later use.
In addition to the rice dumplings, glutinous rice, mung beans, chestnuts, chili peppers and marinated meat have been brought to the table, and when the glutinous rice is about to be seasoned, she also enthusiastically introduces the sauce recipe, which is made from common seasonings.
Li Jinrong: "There are oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken essence, and bean curd." ”
Before making the zongzi, she poured the sauce into a large pot of white glutinous rice, and kept kneading the glutinous rice with her hands, so that every grain of rice could be stained with the sauce, "rain and dew evenly".
Li Jinrong: "We now stir the ingredients evenly, glutinous rice and sauce together." ”
Afterwards, Li Jinrong picked up scissors and cut a few cuts on each pepper. This is a crucial step in making chili zongzi, and a few small knives can make the chili zongzi taste even more delicious.
Li Jinrong: "I cut the chili pepper a few times, and the juice inside will come out and seep into the glutinous rice, which is delicious." ”
After the preliminary preparations were completed, Li Jinrong briefly introduced the filling of today's chili zongzi before wrapping the zongzi.
Li Jinrong: "I started to prepare the bag, which contains bones, pork, mung beans, chestnuts, and chili peppers. ”
After that, Li Jinrong and her family worked together, Li Jinrong and her daughter He Yan were mainly responsible for making zongzi, and the other person was responsible for tying ropes.
I saw them pick up a few zongzi leaves, put glutinous rice, chestnuts, pork belly and other ingredients in turn, put in one or two chili peppers, and then fold the zongzi leaves in half and wrap them, and the other person used a red and white string to tie the zongzi body with five flowers, completely finalized, and soon wrapped the zongzi.
Li Jinrong: "I wrap this zongzi, chili zongzi, I have been wrapping it for five or six years, and this material is put like this." ”
Taking advantage of the gap between the zongzi ropes, Li Jinrong moved the household firewood stove, picked up the firewood next to it and put it in the stove, and when he got the big wood, he chopped it in half, or stepped on it, and then put it in. She told reporters that the zongzi cooked with firewood have aroma and taste better.
Li Jinrong: "These are the firewood used to cook that zongzi, which is better than the one used in the gas cooker, and it is much more fragrant, and the firewood zongzi is the most delicious." ”
When asked about the firewood, she told reporters that when someone in the village renovated the house or replaced the old furniture, she would transport the wood home as firewood, and there would be no more when it ran out.
Lighting the firewood, the jumping tongue of fire licks the bottom of the pot passionately. Taking advantage of the fact that the water was not boiling, He Yan quickly put the zongzi into the pot, which took more than three hours to boil before it came out of the pot.
Li Jinrong's daughter He Yan: "Now put this zongzi in the water and boil it together, after the water boils, it will take about three more hours to boil, and the zongzi cooked with firewood will taste sweeter." ”
Three hours later, the hot pot with white mist was opened, and the hot rice dumplings were baked! Serving the chili zongzi to the table, Peng Hui, a guest who came to admire, couldn't wait to cut the rope, open the zongzi leaves, and open the glutinous rice.
Guest Peng Hui: "I have eaten zongzi for decades, and it is the first time I have eaten zongzi with chili buns inside. ”
A mouthful of soft glutinous rice belly, fresh, fragrant, salty, spicy, glutinous five levels of taste bloom together, all kinds of flavors like the monarch and minister of traditional Chinese medicine, the main and secondary are clear, and the comprehensive consideration. The juice oozing from the chili peppers is integrated into the rice grains and fillings, which plays a role in enhancing the freshness and flavor, which is not only noisy, but also eye-catching. Even people who don't eat spicy food will fall in love with this chili rice dumpling.
Guest Peng Hui: "This chili pepper has penetrated into this meat, it is so fragrant, this kind of spicy is different from the usual traditional chili sauce, so fragrant." ”