Chapter 3 One Hundred Forms of Rice

I have to admit that although I am always pursuing the word "foreign style", what can make my taste buds completely comfortable and relaxed is some old-fashioned things, such as Laohuo soup, or rice. If I go abroad and cannot eat rice and rice products for a long time, my spirit will be on the verge of collapse.Even a sip is fine, just need this little breath of rice as a sustenance for a sense of security.When I really can’t find a Chinese restaurant, I will choose a Japanese restaurant and ask for a set meal of eel rice. I just want a bowl of warm white rice, served in a bowl, looking harmless and innocent.I once saw others eating Vietnamese Pho in the cold wind on the streets of Paris, and saw the person sitting at the door pouring a plate of chili peppers into the soup. It was the first time in my life that I felt a vicious craving for food.

The beauty of rice is not only to save lives and soothe the nerves, but also to be quite interesting.Chaoshan people call all rice products "kueh", but there is a big difference between Kueh and Kueh.The most common form is kuay teow, which is a wide strip of rice noodles. It can not only easily complete the task of filling the stomach, but also can be transformed into a peerless delicacy for staying up late with the combination of sand tea sauce and peanut butter.Spread the rice milk flat and dry, put it into the pot and boil it when you want to eat it, add a little rice milk or cornstarch water, cook until it becomes a half paste, and serve it in the pot. The traditional Teochew brine platter is my favorite substitute for afternoon tea.

The various kueh in the steamer on the roadside stalls on the streets of Chaoshan are even more wonderful: the small concave-shaped salty water kueh like a lamp, plus a little bit of dried radish (dried radish), the flavor is quite elegant ; Pozi Kueh mixed with mulberry leaf juice, bite it down, the natural gas of the herb quickly occupies the mouth, and the rice fragrance provides just the right sweetness and taste, which is really wonderful; Fried in a pan, it is crispy and glutinous, and it is a perfect match with Earl Gray tea... Even if it is changed in shape, and various ingredients make it look different, Kemi can always maintain its neutral and gentle characteristics , without adding a point, without losing an inch, let the strong flavors show off to the fullest, and have a place to turn around and stand up.

If you only want to appreciate the beauty of rice, it is still a simple way - clear porridge with half water and half rice is the best.The translucent boiled rice grains are suspended in the same translucent porridge water, perhaps dotted with some small air bubbles, and the heat rises slowly from the surface. The more you observe, the more Zen-like the bowl of porridge in front of you will feel.Pick up a pile of rice grains with wooden chopsticks (a spoon is of course much more convenient, but out of respect for the consistency of Zen, I still recommend using chopsticks), and quickly suck it into your mouth while it is hot. First feel the temperature and consistency of the porridge with the tip of your tongue, and then Let them spread freely in your mouth. At this time, it is best to empty your mind and let the gentle and refreshing rice fragrance slowly rush from the taste buds to the top of your head.

To drink porridge, to chew or not to chew shouldn't be a Hamletian question, just let your instincts handle it.When the warm porridge slides down the esophagus into the stomach, the meditation temporarily stops, and it's time to take a sip.Just like tasting wine, try porridge made with different varieties of rice, with different heat and water, or with different cooking utensils and different cooking times, you will find a completely different structure and aroma, and it is quite nostalgic. Even the simplest ingredients can become an art as long as you taste them carefully.