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In our food country, and adjacent to the "food provinces" of Sichuan and Guizhou , Yunnan's food always seems to be covered up a little. When most people from other provinces mention Yunnan's food, the first thing that comes to mind is the rice noodles that have been opened all over the country and the wild mushrooms that have suddenly become popular in recent years.
In fact , Yunnan's cuisine is far richer than we know. Yunnan has a diverse terrain and breeds a variety of ingredients, and wild ingredients are incomparable elsewhere. Different customs, cultures and lifestyles of multiple ethnic groups have brought different cooking methods and taste habits. It is adjacent to Sichuan , Guizhou , Guangxi , Tibet and other provinces, and borders Myanmar , Laos , and Vietnam , so that the cuisine of different regions of Yunnan often presents different styles and tastes. and mutual penetration and influence formed the all-encompassing " Yunnan flavor" today.
In this huge province, even if it only opens a small corner in the southeast corner, it is enough to feast and enjoy it.
In 9 days, a total of about 1,000 kilometers of self-driving journey, all the way to the fertile soil of southeastern Yunnan. It passes through 9 cities: Kunming , Maitreya , Mengzi , Hekou, Jianshui , Yuanyang , Honghe , Shiping and Yuxi . In every city, it is expected to find the most authentic food through the eyes of the locals. Wild mushrooms on the market in large quantities during the rainy season, Maitreya's braised chicken rice noodles, Mengzi's bridge rice noodles, Vietnamese small roll noodles in Hekou, tofu and steam pot chicken in Jianshui , Hani dipping chicken in Yuanyang , live fish and barbecue in Shiping , and eel rice noodles in Yuxi ...... Perhaps for the natives, these foods are a bit "touristy" because of the strong regional symbols, and are not the daily delicacies that locals rely on for their daily lives. But for a visitor who arrives in Yunnan for the first time, tasting fresh ingredients that he has never seen before and finding novel flavors that he has never tasted before is enough to become a harvest worth cherishing and remembering during the trip.
Glancing back at the stunning colorful clouds, swallowing the thick soup of the remaining rice noodles at the bottom of the bowl. Free souls leap from the tip of their tongues and can't wait to start telling the story of this journey of graceful walking on the taste buds. The aroma of food from afar has since become a signpost for the soul, tirelessly guiding the steps forward.
Sweet and sour, bitter, spicy and salty, the ultimate taste is all in southeastern Yunnan.
The overpasses crisscrossed by the provincial capital city sometimes have several floors up and down, and if you are not careful, you will drive in the wrong direction, and a female driver who doesn't know the way will always drive to her destination more than ten minutes later than expected. The city is huge and all-encompassing , with ancient archways and modern high-rise buildings standing next to each other, and you can taste almost all the delicacies of Yunnan province here.
Wild mushrooms, rice noodles, flower cakes, and many old flavors of Kunming in the market piece together the bits and pieces in Kunming .
The menu is full of mushrooms that have never been heard of before: milk pulp, coral fungus, tiger palm mushroom, skin picking mushroom...... Almost only by imagination blind spots. After the bottom of the pot of local chicken soup is opened, all the mushrooms are added at once, simmered in the pot for nearly 20 minutes, and anxiously wait for the timer to return to zero little by little - many mushrooms are poisonous until they are fully cooked, so it is strictly forbidden to eat them until the countdown ends.
The sound of the bell penetrated the gates of the Wizard of Oz. What comes out from under the lid is the simple and pure aroma of the mountains. It also carries the moist and fragrant soil of the soil, dreaming back to the rainy season of the mountains and forests.
The soup continued to boil, and a thick layer of fat was impacted by the force from the bottom, constantly changing shape.
Cooking soup is about the most back-to-basics way to eat mushrooms. The large amount of fat in the chicken soup makes the heat of the soup less volatile, and the aroma of the mushrooms is more originally stimulated and integrated into the soup.
Serve a bowl of soup first, and the heat of the soup will not dissipate for a long time. Suck it gently, and the umami comes as promised, but without that aggression. It's just that it vaguely comes from the tip of the tongue, and after a few seconds, it gradually drowns out the entire taste buds, giving people a light and fluttering feeling. After a few sips, this umami taste spread all over the internal organs and wandered through the body.
Unlike the strong possessiveness of seafood, the aroma of mushrooms is gentle and soft, and there is no dispute with the world. After arriving, it seems that the sense of taste has been restarted, and the body is filled with an enduring aftertaste.
The mushrooms in the pot are really amazing. Dozens of minutes of simmering make the fluffy structure of the mushrooms soak up the soup. Ask the waiter in the store to help mix a bowl of the most authentic dipping water, roll the steaming mushrooms in the shiny dipping water and put them in your mouth, each mushroom has a different taste: bamboo shoots and matsutake mushrooms are delicate and tender, the texture is loose and porous, absorbing more soup, and the soup will overflow into the mouth between chewing; Black porcini mushrooms and milk pulp mushrooms have a slightly rough texture, are chewy and have a meaty taste.
During chewing, the unique aroma of each mushroom cleanses the heart. Presumably, on the first night in Yunnan , you will return to the dense mountains and forests of the rainy season in your dreams with the aroma of mushrooms.
With a lot of curiosity, Yunnan tried the legendary fungus that can "see the villain" - see the hand green for the first meal. The so-called hand green is actually a general term for a class of porcini mushrooms that have the characteristics of indigo color reaction after injury, and if eaten improperly, diarrhea, vomiting, and even hallucinations will occur. But in fact, after formal cooking methods in regular restaurants, most of these fungi are no longer toxic.
Themost "top" method of this type of mushroom is to use a lot of oil, add dried chili peppers, garlic slices and sliced mushrooms and stir-fry until there is almost no water in the mushrooms and they are completely cooked.
After eating this plate, I finally understood why the locals risked poisoning and had to feast on it.
Most of the journey was already hungry, but fortunately, I ordered a drawer of steamed dumplings with matsutake mushrooms in advance to comfort the eyes that were waiting for the countdown to the mushroom soup.The slightly larger steamed dumplings are wrapped in a full filling, and small pieces of matsutake mushrooms can be clearly seen in the filling. The aroma of matsutake mushrooms mixed with the meat aroma is not obtrusive, but it does not hide its presence, and lightly adds an unusual fragrance to the originally monotonous meat filling.
[Restaurant information] Yimen Congshan Wild Mushroom Mansion Slag Old Hot Pot
The "Jianxin Park ", which has a history of more than 100 years, is one of the few "Chinese time-honored brands" in Kunming .
The time goes back to the end of the Qing Dynasty. That year, the Qing government abolished the imperial examination system that lasted for 1,300 years. The candidates who originally relied on "learning and excelling" had to find another way. Among them, there are three Kunming students, learning from the practice of Guizhou Changwang Noodles, and launched the first "Changwang Rice Noodles" in Kunming , which was popular for a while. Later, according to the eating habits of the locals, the new garden abolished the fat sausage hat and replaced it with "crispy rice noodles" made of three raw materials: crispy whistle, Yunnan-style cold white meat slices, and spiced tofu with blood. Since then, it has also become the signature of this century-old store.
The old store of Jianxin Park on Baoshan Street still has a long queue every day. There are not enough places in the store, so many people simply sit on the small bench at the door and eat rice noodles.
A bowl of crispy rice noodles, the first bite is not too amazing. The soup base is the usual rich rice noodle soup base, and the rice noodles are also ordinary smooth rice noodles, but the "hat" covered on the rice noodles is indeed very solid. A large piece of blood is crowded into a corner of the bowl, the tofu skin is about thin and tough Shiping tofu skin, and the fried crispy whistle that can absorb the soup, and the soul is about a dense layer of fragrant but not spicy red oil on top. It is probably the limited gaze of a foreigner who lacks local taste, no matter how you look at it, this is also a bowl of rice noodles with rich ingredients but ordinary.
The more ordinary and longer, this is probably the way to survive a bowl of rice noodles.
[Restaurant information] Jianxin Garden Crossing Rice Noodles
The lady at the counter is skillful, one person is responsible for packaging and the other is responsible for settlement. In the operation room behind him, several masters were busy wrapping the flower filling into the puff pastry and putting it in the oven. In the huge oven, soft embryos waiting to be awakened by the high temperature are neatly arranged, quietly waiting for time and temperature to give them golden embellishments on their cheeks and a gentle fragrance emanating from the inside out.
The freshly baked flower cake is definitely not to be missed. The aroma with temperature is fleeting, and with a slight force, the outer layer of puff pastry is shattered. Under the aroma of flour and butter, a fragrance from the flowers blooms from within. Jasmine flowers are refreshing, roses are rich, and the puff pastry turns into powder in the moment of entrance, wrapped in petals and spins and jumps in the mouth, exuding sweet energy.
I ate a whole sweet bomb from the flowers in Spring City, where flowers bloomed.
[Restaurant Information] K. Wah Flower Cake
in Kunming for only one night , and went directly to the next destination.
Maitreya City, which is more than 130 kilometers away from Kunming , is the most famous, in addition to the Maitreya Buddha, is the amazing Maitreya braised chicken. If you want to eat the most authentic braised chicken rice noodles, you have to go to Zhuyuan Town on the outskirts of the city.
Through a smoky and dusty gravel road, you will reach the center of Zhuyuan Town. The not very spacious road is lined with vehicles and battery cars in a disorderly manner, and parking has become a problem. Occasionally, women wrapped in headscarves were peddling snacks and fruits on both sides of the street, and the dense canopy of the trees covered the shop's signboard, and the two words that appeared the most were vaguely seen - braised chicken.
The next thing to do is to open the door to welcome guests. The large and small braised chicken shops in the streets and alleys, while selling braised chicken/braised chicken offal, boil water on a new stove, add the blanched rice noodles/rolled noodles to the broth of the braised chicken, and then spread a few pieces of marinated chicken on top, which is the favorite street food of the locals - braised chicken rice noodles/roll noodles. An endless stream of customers arrived, and the store aunt skillfully pulled a chicken from the front, and the chicken was dismembered between the hands and the knife, and then scalded the powder, poured soup, and added chicken nuggets...... All the actions were done in one go, and a bowl of noodles with the heat in the pot was brought to the low table in the store by the diners tremblingly.
The dark marinade is salty and delicious, and the chicken meat is soft and has a special aroma of marinade. Paired with the store's homemade chili oil, the aroma is even richer and longer. The shredded chicken cut into thin strips is distinct, but it is not hard or dry, and the taste is just right. The rice noodles are smooth and the rolled noodles are flexible, and it is difficult to tell which one is more delicious for a while. But in contrast, the rolled powder undoubtedly wraps more soup and brings more of the essence of the braised chicken into the mouth.
Most of the people who come here to eat are locals: elementary school students who play until noon, office workers who work all morning, and most of the neighbors know each other. The almost "market unified price" of 5 yuan a bowl has become a tacit understanding for everyone. The two eldest brothers sitting next to each other sat at the low table with their legs crossed, heroically added two large spoonfuls of chili pepper to their bowls, and then stirred gently, picked up the big bowl, and "sucked and sucked" the wind rolled the remnants of the clouds. Before he could react, like a juggler, the hot soup in the bowl turned into dense beads of sweat on his forehead, gathered together, and rolled down into the dust.
The guide recommended two neighboring stores, and I really couldn't choose to try them together. In fact, it is more because although the 5 yuan bowl of noodles is of high quality and cheap, the portion is not too large, and people with normal meals may need to add extra powder to eat enough.
Each restaurant has a different marinade recipe, and the texture and taste of the soup and chicken are naturally different. The one on the right is "Baoci Mei Braised Chicken Roll Noodles", the soup is relatively light, the chicken is tender and firm, and it is generally a "light school"; A "Yangshu Shusheng Braised Chicken Shop" on the left, the soup is slightly heavier because of the addition of peppercorns, and the chicken is slightly more woody than the former, and it is generally a "heavy mouth pie". It is difficult to distinguish which is good and which is bad, it is recommended to try it from light to heavy.
[Restaurant information] Baoci Mei Braised Chicken Roll Noodles, Yang Shusheng Braised Chicken Shop
An article once said that in a year, the rice noodles eaten by Yunnan people can knit sweaters for the earth.
Rice noodles with a long history were first recorded in the Northern Dynasty's "Qi Min Yaoshu", and after hundreds of years of circulation, various forms and practices have been derived. Among the many rice noodle practices in Yunnan , the bridge rice noodles are still the most representative.
The boiling chicken soup is served, and the ingredients are added to the chicken soup in the order of "Mr. is cooked" while hot: first the egg yolk of the quail egg, then the meat slices, fish fillets, etc. are put into the egg white and mixed well, put into the soup, and finally add leeks, tofu skin and other side dishes and rice noodles. Sprinkle chrysanthemums, coriander, and chopped green onions on top, and a bowl of "chrysanthemum bridge rice noodles" was born in his own hands.
In the eyes of local gourmets, a bowl of rice noodles over the bridge that "gets on the table" must have good soup, good ingredients, and good rice noodles. The soup should be boiled for six or seven hours with local chicken, old duck, tube bones and Xuanwei ham bones, etc., and the soup should be clear and fragrant after filtering. The ingredients should be based on seasonal characteristics, and it is also necessary to ensure that the meat and vegetables are matched so that they do not conflict with each other's tastes. Rice noodles must be made with Yunnan local fermented rice noodles, which retain the aroma of rice while having small gaps inside, which can better absorb the soup.
I found three rice noodle shops with the best local reviews in succession, but I didn't expect them to close early in the afternoon. In this city where most stores are "Buddhist", the information on the Internet always seems to be not particularly accurate. Early closures, temporary closures, and store decorations seem to be commonplace. If you want to eat, sometimes you still have to rely on luck and fate.
Simply choose a random shop on the side of the road, and fast food is also sold in the window, and many locals come here to have a meal with a few meat and vegetarian dishes. "Chrysanthemum rice noodles across the bridge" seems to have become exclusive to outsiders. The set meal of rice noodles across the bridge ranges from more than ten yuan to tens of yuan, which is probably related to the number and variety of side dishes. Just a few minutes after sitting down, the aunt prepared the ingredients from the back kitchen and quickly brought them up. While anxious to take pictures, I was worried that the soup would cool down too quickly, so I finally put all the ingredients into the soup in a hurry, and slowly observed the heat of the soup to make the surface of the meat slices curl slightly and turn white until they were completely cooked.
The thick layer of fat on top of the chicken broth looks plump and tempting. Scoop up a spoonful of soup and bring it to your mouth, the soup is clear but not bland, refreshing and delicious, which is probably the most exquisite part of this chicken soup.Pick up a few rice noodles, and there are still a few chrysanthemums on them, even if they are visually pleasing to the eye. The chrysanthemum does not have a strong taste in the mouth, and after asking, I learned that adding chrysanthemums to this rice noodle can neutralize the fire of chicken soup, and it is not easy to get angry when eaten in summer, and secondly, it is to make the visual richer from the color matching, which is the finishing touch to make a bowl of rice noodles "both form and spirit".
[Restaurant information] Hongxinyuan chrysanthemum bridge rice noodles
Although it was past the usual breakfast time, I was still surprised by the full number of customers in the store when I first arrived. The kind proprietress first took us to choose a set meal at the entrance of the store, and the number of side dishes corresponded to different prices. In the glass window, you can choose from golden pig's feet, fried pork skin, crispy meat, tenderloin, egg dumplings, etc., if you don't follow the locals in front, it's really hard to choose. The store put the selected meat and side dishes and poured a bowl of "soul broth", and with a "wow", the heat in the bowl rose. After that, diners will have to "do it themselves and have enough food and clothing".
Rice noodles and rolled noodles are placed on one side by one, and there is no additional charge for self-service selection. Rice noodles are traditional white rice noodles, and rolled noodles may have red rice, giving it a faint beautiful pink. If you like a stronger texture, you can pour the powder directly into your own soup and eat it, if you like a softer one, you can blanch it in the boiling water next to it before eating.
The pig's feet are fried and then braised and cut into pieces of the right size, not soft or hard, the taste is crispy and fragrant, and there is no fat and sticky teeth like normal stewed pig's feet, even if you eat a few more, you don't have to worry about getting tired and panicking. Unlike the rice noodles across the bridge, the pork bone soup base here has been skimmed off the oil in advance, leaving only the essence of the bone broth, which is refreshing and mellow. After soaking in the soup, the small holes on the surface of the meat after frying over high heat suck the water hungrily, and when you bite into it, the soup overflows and the meat is fragrant. Be sure to add a few more drops of homemade chili oil, chili oil mixed with the aroma of the soup for an early morning refreshment.
The boss said that her pig's feet are refreshing and not greasy because they are fried and then braised, and the soup is less oily, so it is especially suitable for eating in the morning. Many locals eat a bowl of rice noodles here before going to work or before heading out of town. Sitting at a low table by the patio of the back room, he lowered his head to take a sip of soup, nibbled on a pig's foot, and then looked up at the sky here. Looking at the locals around you, walking in, sitting down to drink a bowl of soup, eating a bowl of rice noodles, then standing up and stretching, and slowly leaving, the day is just beginning. The time in the small town is always so elegant and calm, and every morning is unhurried, unfolding slowly like a picture.
Starting with a bowl of rice noodles in the early morning, ending with a bowl of rice noodles late at night, the crystal clear rice noodles pass through time in this small city, slowly weaving into years.
[Restaurant Information] Yang Jijia and Yuan
The barbecue restaurants here have almost no menus. All ingredients are skewered and placed in the freezer, all of which are chosen by diners themselves. Each family has its own specialty - this "Wacheng Roast Chicken", the most signature is the roasted black-bone chicken. Various parts of the black chicken: chicken wings, chicken tips, chicken skin, chicken heads, chicken liver, chicken racks...... On the boss's oven, it can be turned into a magical delicacy.
Wait for the boss's busy time and go to the next door. The two stores have a good relationship, and you can order from one store to the other at any time.
Another neighborhood restaurant, " Jinping Mengla Barbecue Restaurant", focuses on the Mengla Dai style. Walking into the store, I saw that the owner was wrapping the meat filling with a green leaf like origami, then skewering them one by one, and then putting them on the fire and roasting them until the leaves wilted. This is actually a Dai specialty - fragrant leaves wrapped in meat, this leaf Dai language is called herbal medicine, which is a pepperaceae plant with a natural aroma. It is usually wrapped in leaves and then fried or grilled, and eaten with the leaves will have an indescribable delicious fragrance.
Dai, Hani and other ethnic groups like to use banana flowers in their dishes. Wash and chop the yellow tubular flowers of the plantain flowers, add seasonings to marinate and mix well, and heat them well in the banana leaves over the fire. The banana flowers in the mouth are soft and glutinous, and the look and taste are like fully ripe chopped green onions, but when chewed carefully, there is a little aroma of plantains, and the aftertaste is slightly sweet.
Probably because of the skin color of the black chicken, the meat skewers look inconspicuous, and even a little burnt, but the mouth is crispy and fragrant, and the chicken is also chewy. Chicken skin, in particular, is baked like a thin layer of paper, and the presence of fat is not felt at all. The accompanying hot sauce is full of fire, and sure enough, when it comes to spicy food, no one in the southwestern provinces is convinced of anyone.
Passion fruit lemon chicken feet have the unique sweet and sour and refreshing smell of Yunnan , soothing the heat of barbecue and chili. A sudden rainstorm came outside the door, washing away most of the scorching sun during the day. After ten minutes, the rain stopped, and the air was sweet and clear, cool and pleasant. The cool night has arrived.
[Restaurant information] Jinping Mengla barbecue restaurant, Wacheng roast chicken
There are few pedestrians on the streets. On the contrary, the number of taxis shuttling through the streets and alleys is surprising. Travel agencies that once filled the entire small town are still closed. The number of tourists has decreased, and the shops on the street have been full of doors, and most of them have slowly closed. In the once bustling commercial street, digital stores, gold stores, and various brand stores are still open to welcome customers, but they are embarrassingly deserted.
The whole town revealed a kind of loneliness after a long period of prosperity.
Once upon a time, every morning when the gates of the country opened, groups of Vietnamese women came from across the river, carrying Vietnamese on their backs Goods and food are sold in the streets and alleys of this county.
Tour groups from the country, wearing uniform T-shirts or identical peaked hats, led by local guides, pass by the river and go to Lao Cai in Vietnam to experience the exotic atmosphere.
At the moment of the epidemic, all of this came to an abrupt end. The national gate was deserted, with only soldiers standing guard and a few groups of tourists who came to visit and take pictures. No Vietnamese women, no tour groups. The once noisy town suddenly became quiet.
This is a mom-and-pop restaurant, the male owner is Chinese and the female owner is Vietnamese . Presumably, the practice of rolling powder was brought by the hostess from Vietnam . There are not many choices of mushroom meat and green onion meat fillings, 2 yuan a piece, and the hostess has begun to get busy.
Spread the rice milk in a pot and steam it in a thin layer, pick it up with a long chopstick, coat the filling with a layer, and then roll up the rice noodle skin with chopsticks. The whole operation took only a few tens of seconds, and within a few minutes, the roll powder in the plate had been stacked high.
Dipping water needs to be mixed by yourself: There is a shop owner who has already used fish sauce, soy sauce and other sauces to add coriander, millet spicy, and lemon juice of the soul according to his own taste This bowl of dipping water is the finishing touch to a seemingly ordinary small roll powder.
The mushroom meat is fragrant but not greasy, and the green onion meat is made of raw green onions, which is slightly "heavy". The sour and spicy salty dipping water is definitely a plus, and I can't help but think of the soul-sublimating chili sauce and lemon juice in every bowl of PHO on the days of Ho Chi Minh noodles. I don't know when the epidemic will end, and I will be able to travel thousands of miles to an appointment with pho.
[Restaurant Information] Street Garden Vietnamese Small Roll Noodles
In the exotic street near the port, there are several particularly good Yunnan and Vietnamese food. The restaurant has a view above the river, and on a good day, you can see Vietnam opposite with the wind.
Most of thewaiters are Vietnamese , skilled in Chinese, and the dishes are a fusion of Yunnan and Vietnamese flavors, which can only be eaten around here.
Vietnamese fried spring rolls are like a fried version of Vietnamese small roll noodles, cut into sections, fried golden brown and crispy, one bite at a time. The filling is minced meat, fungus, carrots, vermicelli, quite a traditional "Chinese" recipe. Here, it is difficult to define whether a certain food is Chinese or Vietnamese, and the two styles of cuisine constantly collide and rub, and finally embrace and blend with each other, creating a unique Yunnan Yue deliciousness.
Old milk potatoes and papaya flower scrambled eggs are all delicious things worth trying in the store. Diced potatoes cooked with chili, green onions and garlic become an artifact for rice. Papaya flowers are spread into egg pancakes, making the eggs instantly refreshing, and the slightly bitter taste of the flowers is unexpected. Probably after eating for a day, I am not hungry, and while sighing at the deliciousness, I always feel that there is a lack of amazing heartbeat. When the egg pancake is lifted, the amount of oil flowing out from the bottom of the plate can probably fill a small bowl, which is probably a major feature of "heartbeat".
[Restaurant information] Doudouya
Jianshui The ancient city has a magnificent and huge power.
Entering from the city gate, the road under your feet suddenly turned into a long and short stone road. Passing through the continuous and imposing stone archways, walking past the shop signs, one intersection connects many intersections, and the end of one alley is another alley. This ancient city seems to be difficult to come to an end. Therefore, getting lost has become commonplace.
However, getting lost is not boring. On both sides of the main road, there is a "commercial prosperity" that can be thought of even with closed eyes: shops selling tea, purple sand, Hanfu, and ethnic ornaments have now become the standard equipment of all ancient cities.Turning around into the alley, I found that the life in the ancient city was unique: the shouting along the street was getting farther and farther away, like across the clouds; The aunt who roasted tofu was surrounded by a crowd, looking at the long chopsticks in her aunt's hand with anxious eyes; The cat and the dog met at the entrance of the alley, looked at each other and walked side by side into the alley.
Climb up to the corridor on the third floor of the inn, where the roofs are connected and extend into the distance. The tiles of several ancient buildings stand out in the relatively new houses. The ancient city is so big that it seems that you can't see the edge.
The area around the west gate outside the city still continues the earliest atmosphere of life. Narrow, hard-to-drive alleys, old-looking houses that look a bit dilapidated, rows of wires and countless "roasted tofu" signs divide the sky. Park the car at the entrance of the alley, this is the "reserved place" of walking and finding the old life of Jianshui .
The roasted tofu here is mostly a square piece of one inch, and the white tofu is placed on the grill, and under the action of the heat, the surface and inside gradually turn yellow and hard, and the inside gradually expands into a small ball. Take a small bite, the heat comes out, and under some crispy shells, the inside is still soft and glutinous, with a strong bean aroma. Dipped in a little water, the small holes in the tofu are full of sauce, full of flavor, and have an endless aftertaste.
The main reason why Yunnan people recognize Jianshui's tofu is that the water for making tofu here is good. The ancient well has almost become a landscape of the ancient city of Jianshui , and there are often many wellheads gathered together, and the well wall has been stretched by the rope for many years. The most famous is the Ximen Dabanjing, also known as "Pubo Spring", the well water is clear and sweet, especially suitable for drinking, making tea, and making tofu. To this day, this well is still the main source of drinking water for local residents, and you can always see several uncles with two large buckets in their hands, winding around the alleys and returning with a full load.
Near this well, there are also many workshops that make tofu with well water. The dilapidated eaves, the dim foyer, and some of them don't even have signs and store names, but when you walk in, there is a unique world: a huge machine is placed in the room, and the whole family performs their own duties, kneading out a steady stream of tofu cubes.
Guarding the unique geographical location of Dabanjing, Banjing Tofu Workshop has become one of the largest tofu shops in the area. As soon as you enter, you can smell the strong smell of tofu, and the room where the tofu is made is on the first floor, with a row of large steamers steaming hot. On the other side of the room, the worker held a piece of gauze in one hand, wrapped the tofu in the gauze with the other hand, tightened it, and rubbed it a few times, and the tofu was shaped into small squares of the same size.
Stepping on the old wooden steps to the second floor, there is a self-service tofu snack for 5 yuan a person. Soy milk, tofu pudding, and old tofu are all freshly made on the same day, and they are served hot and steamed to pick them up. Mellow and fragrant soy milk, tender and smooth tofu pudding, thick and mellow old tofu...... Then ask the aunt to help mix a bowl of authentic chili peppers for dipping water. There are also fried tofu and fried tofu skin in the store, and the tofu cut into slices is dried and then fried, and you will have a feeling of eating lard residue, which is extremely mellow. A table of "tofu banquet" was gathered, and sat down to enjoy it slowly. Outside the window, the sound of buckets in the large well hitting the stone wall can be heard from time to time.
[Restaurant Information] Banjing Tofu Fang
The Lin'an Hotel in the ancient city looks like an old hotel with a reputation but occupied by tourists, and the most important thing is honor. After entering the door, the enthusiasm and kindness of the service staff made people have an unexpected surprise. Just by lunchtime, the hall was already full, including many local families reuniting this weekend. The steam pot chicken here is said to use the most laborious traditional method, which starts to be served in the morning every day and is sold at noon, while supplies last. Buy coupons at the gate, line up at the designated window to get food, drag a small steam pot with a tray tremblingly, and on the way back to the table, the aroma has rushed into the nose.
It is said that the essence of "steam pot chicken" lies in "steaming", the chicken and accessories are put into the steam pot with a small hole in the middle, and a soup pot full of water is put under the steam pot, and the chicken is steamed using steam, and the water left in the steam pot is the essence of the whole dish - chicken soup. Unlike stewed chicken soup, under the full fat of steam pot chicken soup, the soup is crystal clear, the soup is fragrant and delicious, and even the ginger slices as ingredients have become delicious because they have absorbed too much essence.
Confucius said that food is not tired of essence, and slices are not tired of detail. The clear chicken soup in the purple clay pot, every bite, is the essence of a long journey.
[Restaurant information] Lin'an Hotel
Together with the locals, squatting on the side of the tofu stall, while "sucking" the rice noodles into the mouth, while picking up a piece of steaming baked tofu when they are free. The hot tofu and the heat of the chili pepper churned back and forth on the tip of the tongue and couldn't close the mouth, so I took another bite of cold rice noodles to "suppress and frighten", which is the exclusive happiness of Jianshui people about "eating".
[Restaurant information] Lin'an Hotel
The blue-headed fungus is probably the most common fungus in the forests of Yunnan . The cap is pale green, and even when cooked, it still has a faint green color. The mushroom tastes fat and thick, and the fibers reveal the refreshing breath of the mountains and forests. Add a lot of oil and stir-fry with chili peppers and parsley, and the flavors of several ingredients complement each other.
The blue-headed fungus is by far my favorite fungus.
Jianshui's time-honored brand - Baoxing Building, in a beautiful old house with a patio, the back door goes out, it is a rather atmospheric street. The steam pot tofu dumplings that were just served were still steaming, and the pure white tofu balls were round and chubby soaked in the soup , which looked really cute at first glance. Although it is a meatball made of tofu and meat filling, because of the addition of small crushed peanuts, a little graininess is added between the soft and glutinous tastes, and the taste is fresher and richer. The same principle as the "steam pot chicken", the essence of this ingredient is condensed in this soup, but because of the loose texture of the tofu balls, most of them are absorbed by the chubby body. While chewing, the fragrant juice blooms in your mouth.
[Restaurant information] Baoxing Lou
Enter the countryside and follow the customs. Jianshui's barbecue restaurants are spread around tofu.
From the early morning to the late night, the charcoal fire in the fire pit never goes out, the long chopsticks of the aunt roasting tofu keep flipping, and new tofu pieces are constantly added to the grill. A group of diners finished eating and left, and a new person sat on the seat, holding chopsticks, dipping water, and holding tofu, and the whole process was completed in one go.
In terms of barbecue style, Jianshui's barbecue seems to be in its own way: roasted grass sprouts are "regionally limited", which is most common only in Jianshui , and all parts of the pig body are also fully utilized - pork belly, pork skin, tooth stems...... Brush with a special sauce and sprinkle with paprika for a fragrant and spicy dish. The roasted gourd is particularly stunning: the gourd is cut into thick slices, roasted over a fire until soft, brushed with sauce, and dipped in paprika when eaten. The taste is similar to zucchini but different, it seems to be bland, but it is crisp and fragrant and makes people unable to extricate themselves.
Fade the noise of the day, the city is a bit quiet at night, but the occasional barbecue stand shows the energy of the night in a dimly lit corner. People sat in groups of three or five, under the big trees and by the stove. After a few skewers, I only felt that my mouth was on fire. The takeaway brother brought cold milk liquor, which brought a full of sweetness and coolness to the burning mouth. Taste is the longest memory. Even if it has been so long that I can't remember the walls of the ancient city and the wind of the ancient city, I will still remember that there was such joy on the tip of my tongue one night in the ancient city.
[Restaurant information] Lao Qujiang Renhe Barbecue
The restaurant is responsible for cooking the soup, and the rice noodles are picked up by the customer, which seems to have become a common rule in this area. One is heavy, the other is light, and two bowls of rice noodles seem to cover the preferences of all diners. The large intestine is handled very cleanly, the blood is not a regular square, but can wrap more soup, feel more flavorful, although the soup floats with a layer of red oil, but it is fragrant but not spicy, and it is quite "friendly" to tourists. The crispy meat in the three fresh rice noodles is definitely the finishing touch, the chicken soup is refreshing, and the gaps in the crispy meat are full of soup, and the entrance is extremely crispy.
A bowl of rice noodles is refreshing. Beside him, a group of girls wearing traditional Hani costumes walked side by side, and the smiles on their faces seemed to focus on all the warmth and beauty in the morning light of the ancient city.
[Restaurant Information] Garden Snacks
The road from Jianshui to Yuanyang Terraces is a little unexpected. Before leaving, I checked that this section of the journey was less than 100 kilometers, thinking that I could arrive easily, but when I was really ready to go, I found that it took about 4 hours to reach the homestay in the terraced scenic area.
Most of the way is unrepaired gravel roads, and there are always large trucks following in front and behind, making sharp turns one after another...... For nearly 4 hours, the nerves were tense throughout the whole process, and there was no time to take care of the scenery on both sides. When I finally stopped the car and looked around, the green mountains were undulating, and the turquoise rice fields were divided into neat shapes, paved layer by layer, all the way to the distance. The rice fields and the sky seem to be very close, and as the distance extends, they continue to get closer and closer, and finally hug each other at the end of their sight.
A child from the north, for the first time in the mountains, saw such a large area of turquoise terraced fields, and his heart still couldn't contain his excitement and ecstasy. Rushing out of the car, holding the camera to constantly change angles and press the shutter, I can't wait to pack this beautiful mountain scenery into my bag and wrap it up on the road to the distance together.
Dependent on the land for generations, agricultural civilization and majestic mountains meet and collide here, opening up natural wonders that seem breathtaking at any time. The terraced fields change with the terrain of the mountains, large and small, high and low, and the rice planted in the fields looks as smooth and silky as velvet from a distance. Between the mountains and canyons, Taoism is naturally neat and orderly, as if there are two hands of God carving this place carefully, creating a huge artistic treasure.
I specially set up a "sunrise landscape room", looking forward to seeing the sun from the edge and ignite the green with the morning light. For two days in a row, when I opened the curtains with sleepy eyes, I only saw heavy clouds approaching the window, and the inside and outside of the house were dark. In the early morning, the cool green struggled to lean out of the gap in the clouds, and was gently brushed by the clouds, and returned to silence and paleness.
This is the case with the summer climate here. Seeing that the night was about to lose power, the domineering water mist secretly rubbed each other and condensed with each other, taking over everything in the mountains, covering the mountains, fields, and people. Until dawn, the gradually warming sunlight called for a slow wind to help, but only let the clouds turn over lazily and walk towards the other end of the mountain.
In the morning, we drove to the Eagle Mouth Terraces, an undeveloped wild viewing platform. The vehicle stopped on a gravel platform on the side of the road, and after a few steps down the steps made of rubble, there was an observation deck with an uneven road surface, but it had been fenced off and protruded outward like an eagle's beak. Looking down at the terraces, I feel even more staggered and spectacular. The houses in the village are dotted in the terraced fields, and the thick clouds seem to be throwing themselves into the arms and approaching at a speed visible to the naked eye, but they lose the arrogance and dignity of the morning under the light of the gradually warming sunlight .
Next to the observation deck of the tea factory, there is a path that extends to the fields. Climbing down the stairs, it didn't take a few minutes to find yourself in the rice field. When I got closer, I felt even more shocked by this kind of exquisite carving that seemed to have been cut. The rice seedlings of uniform height are clustered upwards, and the edges of the steps are neat and the height is staggered, as if the steps have been extending to the high place with the mountain.
Being in the mountains is easy to feel the insignificance of "mayfly world". But in this endless turquoise, I only feel small and not desolate. This mountain is still the primitive and wild mountain, where human wisdom sows seeds and forms a towering miracle belonging to civilization. Today, this mountain is primitive but not barren, wild but not savage, and generations of people's tiny bodies have been walking through the mountains for thousands of years, step by step, shovel by shovel, shrouded in this natural greatness with the light of civilization.
Yunnan's chickens seem to be "athletes", and the free-range chicken raised in the mountains all year round is particularly firm and chewy, and the skin and meat are still intact after cooking, and the shiny oil shine on the skin is particularly eye-catching. Because the fat content is low, you won't feel greasy if you eat too much. The combination of white chicken + dipping water is simple, retaining the most unpretentious aroma of chicken. Living in the mountains and returning to the basics with this food, I have to be grateful for nature's most primitive gifts to human beings.
After eating lemongrass fried pork ribs for two days in a row, my friends did not hesitate to set it as the top 1 favorite food of this trip. The ribs seem to have been cooked with spices first, and the juice inside is still very rich, and then fried in a frying pan and lemongrass repeatedly to make them crispy. When you enter the mouth, the outside is crispy and tender on the inside, and the golden and crispy skin is full of juice inside after biting open, and it is completely shriveled and stiff without being tormented by the high-temperature oil pan. Chewing carefully, the aroma of lemongrass seems to come from a distant place, looming but not to be underestimated, becoming the icing on the cake of this plate of fried food.
There are many family restaurants in the terraced scenic area, which can be crowded in the off-season, but this one is the only one, which is almost full every night. The name of the store comes from the traditional fire tool of the Hani people, the fire pond. This method commonly used in Yunnan opened a new chapter in the earliest human beings to improve their living environment: heating, tea making, and processed food all depended on fire pits, and families sat together to enjoy cooked food, which was a favorite way of eating for Hani families.
The night in the mountains was particularly quiet, but the lights in the shop were still shining, and the sound of conversation came from the dark night. As if he was one of them, he sat around the steaming fire pond with the Hani people, roasted food and tea, and enjoyed the duty and colorfulness from the mountains.
[Restaurant Information] Hani Fire Pond
Hani stir-fried beef, using minced beef cut into small pieces, add mint leaves, peppercorns and millet spicy and stir-fry, the taste of chili pepper has the fragrance of mint leaves, The Hani people are really good at using various herbs to create a unique and good taste.
Just as I was about to check out and go out, I saw a group of people sitting around the tea table at the door, drinking tea and roasting tofu around the stove. The boss warmly greeted him to have some tea, and simply sat side by side with strangers in a circle. On the other side, the boss injected boiling water into the tea leaves that had just been roasted at high temperatures, and the tea soup was clear and fragrant.
During the conversation, I learned that everyone was a diner who had never known each other. Or pass by the view, or stay in a nearby village.The boss invested in homestays and restaurants here, and settled down in this mountain, drinking tea, watching the scenery every day, chatting with different people, or going to fish in the terraced fields in the evening and making an appointment with three or five friends for a drink. While drinking tea and chatting, from drinking tea to tasting tea, from the hassle of city life to the leisure of mountain life, unknowingly, a few hours passed. "The mountains are as quiet as ancient times, and the days are as long as small years." Time flowed slowly in the crackling of the fire pond, becoming the calmest years of life.
[Restaurant information] Huawowo Hani Toast Dish
Shiping The ancient city presents a completely different taste from the ancient city I have seen before.
Inside the city wall, the stone road is flat and spacious, connecting the old houses with a sense of age in all directions. The mottled bricks of the old houses are still there, the faded wooden beams are still there, and the plaques written in old fonts are still there. Although the land behind him has gradually grown tall buildings, the ancient city is still close to the ground, gathering and precipitating the power of the times to create a long-lasting fragrance.
There is no fanfare, no deafening sound. The doors of the shops on both sides of the street are open, selling ordinary daily necessities. It seems that he has long expected that what he sells is things that tourists will not buy, and the boss sitting at the door talks to himself, showing no interest in tourists with cameras at all. This is a good place to walk leisurely without having to be careful to avoid shopping.
At night, the ancient city went to bed earlier. Occasionally, a few red lanterns hanging on the windowsill emit a dim light. Even the barbecue stalls, which have always been open only at night, closed early in the evening, handing over the ancient city to the silent night. I am afraid that a little commotion and a little dazzling light will disturb this thousand-year-old dream.
Yilong Lake is adjacent to Shiping County and is the southernmost plateau of the our country Tamsui Lake. There are fish in the lake, and along the lake, there are fish-eating shops.
I have a small fish pond at home, choose which one, fish it up, quickly slaughter and bleed it and chop it into large pieces. When served, the fish is still clean and shiny white. After boiling, put it in the pot, and after a few minutes, the fish is so tender that it is completely separated from the bones with just a slight pluck.
The dipping water has a strong taste but does not hide the umami of the fish, and the more you eat, the more you feel spicy and enjoyable. Vegetables and tofu are distributed to each table in a self-service format, and can be added at any time. What is amazing is the small shiitake mushrooms at the bottom of the pot, the fish soup completely burrows into the gap of the mushroom cap, and when you bite into it, the juice overflows, which is another delightful tongue experience.
If you think cooking hot pot is too monotonous, the store can also help you make salt and pepper or braised fish pieces. It takes a long time, but the taste is not worth looking forward to. It is suitable for trying new things, but it is not suitable for really satisfying the appetite.
[Restaurant information] Longjing Yuzhuang
The marinated ingredients have a slightly spicy flavor, and after grilling, brush them with a layer of hot sauce while they are hot. It seemed that he didn't feel satisfied again, so he sprinkled a layer of chili powder densely.
When sent to the mouth while it is hot, the burning sensation of the chili pepper is infinitely amplified by the high temperature, and it explodes like an atomic bomb in the mouth. The burning and tearing sensation hit, and for a moment it seemed to have an illusion: could it be that he swallowed a fireball? Or a knife?
There was free warm soy milk in one corner of the hall, and I seemed to suddenly understand the boss's good intentions. Fortunately, roasted zumelon is counted as a "clear stream", and the chili powder can be dipped according to your own taste, and there is a fragrance in the crisp taste. Otherwise, in the face of this table of enthusiastic barbecue, I am afraid that I will eat until I cry.
Small live shrimp in the reservoir are especially suitable for drunken shrimp. The bowl was buckled with the lid, and many shrimp were still struggling...... At first glance, it looks cruel and bloody, but the real heart is sent into the mouth: the shrimp meat is as chewy and full as jelly, the whole thing peels off from the shell, and the sauce wraps the shrimp body richly.
[Restaurant information] Friend barbecue
Soy milk fritters are standard on all Chinese breakfasts, and in Yunnan they are no exception. A breakfast shop in the ancient city has become the most lively stronghold in the area from early in the morning: those who are ready to go to work, take their children to interest classes, or go out to play, come out of their homes, turn to this small shop, eat a sumptuous breakfast in ten minutes, and then start the busy day.
There are also some diners, who have been doing it for a long time, and have their own combinations. The glutinous rice that has just come out of the pot is sticky and glutinous, soaked in soy milk. The glutinous rice that was originally hugged into a ball was washed away by soy milk, and the texture was no longer difficult to chew, and the whole body was wrapped in bean aroma. A hot bowl of food, the whole body seemed to ooze dense beads of sweat, refreshed.
The sauerkraut beef rice noodles here are made from Hani red rice, which is extremely gentle and soft, lacking the strength of ordinary rice noodles, but paired with any soup base and toppings , there is no mistake.
[Restaurant information] Ximen Canteen
Fuxian Lake lies on one side, and Hongta Mountain stands at one end, and this city is a real "feng shui treasure land". The famous musician Nie Er's ancestral home is here, and traces commemorating this great figure can also be seen everywhere in the city: Nie Er Museum, Nie Er Park, and painted sculptures with the theme of the national anthem scattered throughout the park...... The city of outstanding people nourishes and honors great souls in its own way.
Any journey will always be a spiritual journey, and tasting food will also provide nourishment for the soul in the final analysis. In this way, it is perfect to use this small town as the end of the journey.
Hot oil fried eel, add various condiments, pork bone soup and collect the juice, which is the "hat". The rice noodles are scalded, injected into bone broth, then covered with a "hat", mint, leeks, coriander, and a bowl of eel rice noodles is done. sour and spicy and fragrant, the eel is fresh but not fishy, the body is soft and there is no trace of overcooking; The rice noodles are soft but not soft, with a slightly fermented sourness. All the textures and ingredients are just right. Only in Yunnan , any kind of rice noodles can completely and comprehensively conquer the taste buds in an instant.
[Restaurant information] Ding Ji field eel rice noodles
The fried mushrooms in the store were initially thought to be eaten by stir-frying many kinds of mushrooms together. After serving it, I found that there was only one shape of the fungus, and then I suddenly realized that this mushroom was called "miscellaneous fungus". The skin is a little red, but the inside is clean milky white, and after stir-frying with rich oil, the outside of the mushrooms shines with a layer of oil. When you put it in your mouth, your mouth is full of fresh fragrance.
After eating the mushrooms in Yunnan , I realized that the mushrooms I ate before could really only be called "mushrooms".
[Restaurant Information] Hongyuan Hotel
[Restaurant information] Master Guo's ice porridge
At the entrance on one side, there is a whole food stall: pork belly roasted bait pieces that look very crispy and satisfying, cold and fragrant bagged Thai milk tea, Dai-flavored mixed mango that is rarely seen elsewhere after leaving Yunnan , and beef dried rice that needs to be placed on the stump first and smashed with a wooden hammer until soft, and then tear open the mixed beef dried rice...... A lot of authentic Yunnan cuisine, you can find it here.
At the exit on the other side of Xiaomiao Street, the yellow-green sign of Daijia Suandoli is particularly large and conspicuous. By evening, many of the dishes were sold out. It is enough to see how much this kind of sour and spicy snack is favored by the locals.
This snack street in the center of Yuxi is actually an area composed of several neighboring streets: Xiaomiao Street, Renmin Road, and Xinxing Road. Every evening, it was so lively that people almost passed by each other. Compared with many small mobile phone shops on Xiaomiao Street, Renmin Road and Xinxing Road are mostly time-honored restaurants, food stalls with carts or small shops selling cheap clothes. Many delicacies are hidden in this hustle and bustle.
Dried peas are soaked in water, peeled, watered, ground into a pulp with a stone mill, the ground pea pulp is boiled in boiling water, heated and bubbled little by little, making a "puff puff" sound. After cooking, filter, cool and cut into pieces, and use it to serve cold, which is the pea jelly that Yunnan people like.
The "Hongji Liang Rice Noodles" in the snack street is a time-honored brand, and pea jelly is also one of the signatures. Kunming's sweet soy sauce is indispensable, and then sugar, vinegar, chili peppers and other ingredients, sprinkled with leek segments and meat sauce, colorful and refreshing and delicious pea flour is ready to go.
In the middle of the road, a tricycle firmly occupies the "C position". Grandma Ma, who sells steamed cakes and lotus root powder, sets up a stall here all year round. The number of steamed cakes is limited every day, and they may be sold out if you arrive late. The hand-made lotus root powder is dense, and the steamed cake is placed securely in it, and it will not shift even if it shakes. The steamed cake has a dense texture, and it is easy to feel dry and choke when eaten alone, and the existence of lotus root powder just makes up for this regret. The thick lotus root powder is wrapped in small pieces of steamed cake and eats together, and the sweetness and humidity are just right. Although it is a dessert, it is enough as a staple food.
Or find a small shop after a meal, sit by the eaves on the second floor, and try the traditional Yunnan delicacy "Paoluda" and homemade osmanthus old yogurt. Watching people coming and going on the street, and occasionally encountering a curious kitten living somewhere on the eaves, there are also surprises on ordinary nights.
Night has come. Walk back to the hotel with the last aftertaste of the long journey. Xiaomiao Street is still brightly lit, and several nearby shopping malls are also full of people. How reluctant this city is to sleep.
A bright moon hung high in the sky, and from time to time it was covered by passing clouds. On the last night in Yunnan , the warm yellow lights on the street became more and more like the light at home, and the shy evening breeze caressed the passerby who was about to return home, caressing her hair and skin, footprints and shadows.
"The journey of the tip of the tongue will be in the future."
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