Chapter 40 Mirror Pork Fish Rice

Jingbo Lake is the most typical lava barrier lake among the mountains in the upper reaches of Mudanjiang River.It is said that it was formed by the overflow of magma in the late Quaternary of the Cenozoic.There is also a saying that the rift valley here was formed as early as the middle of the Cenozoic and Tertiary. The volcanic eruption caused the basalt to overflow and merge with the lava, forming a dam made of basalt, which cut off the Mudanjiang River and its tributaries. formed the lake.Because it is an alpine lake, the water surface is 350 meters above sea level and the water depth is tens of meters.The level is like a mirror, so it is called mirror park.

I have long been admiring the scenery of Jingpo Lake. In the midsummer of the year before last, I was lucky enough to escape from the scorching heat of Beijing and take a short rest at Jingpo Lake. It took two or three hours to drive from Mudanjiang City to Jingbo Lake. I was delayed because of something that day, and I started late. I just walked more than half of the distance, and it was past noon.Every ten miles or so along the way, there will be a few small private restaurants.Looking from the large glass windows, the store is empty, few people are dining, and the shopkeepers are mostly sitting in front of the door or doing other things.Except for the cover hanging in front of the door, there are almost two lines of eye-catching characters written on the glass: "Fresh fish in lake water, rice on slate".As the name suggests, this "lake fresh fish" is a rich product in Jingpo Lake.What happened to the "slate rice" is unknown.

We chose a restaurant. The boss was very enthusiastic and introduced us to all kinds of live fish in his shop, asking for our opinions.We explained that it was just a light meal, and we had to hurry after the meal, as long as we had a few dishes for dinner.The boss was very patient, and although he didn't meet his greatest expectations, he finally got us to order two or three live fish.I can’t name most of those fish, or the locals have local names. The comrades who accompanied us are very good at chatting with the boss. He knows exactly what kind of fish should be cooked, so the dishes are well prepared. Affordable and delicious.

People in the Northeast are bold, and they all pay attention to large plates and bowls. A chicken stewed with mushrooms, although it is only half a chicken, but with wild mushrooms, the soup can hold a scary big bowl.Each person took two chopsticks, and the rest was only half a bowl of soup, but he had a taste of the "moisture" in this boldness.The craftsmanship of the fish is mediocre, especially the image of the dish is not good. It is a big black plate, and you can’t even tell the head and tail, but it tastes very delicious. It is said that the fish is wild in the lake, and there is no fish. After pollution, it is not like the artificially farmed fish we eat in Beijing. Of course, the taste is extremely sweet.One of the cold raw fish dishes is something we have never eaten before.The cold raw fish is also a large plate piled up in a pointed shape, filled with bright red pepper powder, but it is not very spicy in the mouth, sweet and sour, crisp and tender, very palatable.That is to use a whole live black fish to kill, peel and remove the spines, then cut the fish into thin shreds, stir it with white vinegar immediately, add shredded cabbage, sugar, and chili noodles, so it tastes very refreshing.

Ning'an County, where Jingbo Lake is located, is an area with a large number of Koreans. Is this cold raw fish the flavor of the Koreans?I have also eaten Korean restaurants in Beijing, but I have never eaten this kind of cold raw fish.The delicious shredded raw fish is mixed with the crisp and tender cabbage, but it is hard to tell which is fish and which is vegetables in the mouth, which is the beauty.It is said that this kind of raw fish in cold salad should be killed and eaten immediately. From the time of killing the fish, it should be peeled, punctured, shredded, and raw mixed within ten minutes. fishy.

The rice was served very delicately, and the bowl was very small, in stark contrast to the utensils used to serve the dishes.The rice is crystal clear, full of grains, almost twice the size of ordinary rice grains, and the grains can be distinguished.In the past, I only saw this kind of rice in some well-printed pictorials, and I always thought it was an artistic process of plate making and photography.But this rice is really like the one in the pictorial.When the rice is eaten into the mouth, it is soft and smooth without losing its toughness, but it is very oily.People told me that this is the "Slate Rice" produced near Jingbo Lake.

"Slate rice", also known as "Xiangshui rice", is said to be rice that grows on volcanic lava. It is produced only once a year, and the yield is not high. It is a local specialty.In the old days, "tribute rice" was made and presented to the imperial court.Ning'an's "Xiangshui Rice" is most famous for the rice in Bohai Town, west of Tokyo.This Bohai Town was once the capital of the ancient Bohai State, also known as Shangjing or Tokyo Longquan Mansion.Bohai State is a country established by the Sumo Mohe tribe, and the Mohe tribe is one of the oldest races in Northeast China.The Bohai state was founded in 698 (that is, the first year of Tang Wu Zetian's holy calendar), with Tang as the suzerain state, received assistance from the Tang Dynasty, and gradually became stronger.At its peak, its territory could reach more than 5,000 li, with five capitals and fifteen prefectures, sixty-two prefectures, and more than one hundred and thirty counties.The land of Bohai State was originally a cold and desolate land, mainly relying on fishing, hunting and nomadic. It became Jingpo Lake, and it also flowed and covered the plains or formed plateaus and valleys.During the period of the Bohai Kingdom, the planting industry developed rapidly, and there were many types of crops, such as rice, millet, and grain. The planting of rice, in particular, was inseparable from the exchanges in the Central Plains.In Jingbo Lake and Bohai Town, where volcanic lava flows after ancient volcanic eruptions, volcanic lava flows under the soil layer. In addition, the nearby lakes and developed water systems create natural conditions for rice production.

So far, Bohai Town still has the ruins of Longquan Mansion in Shangjing, the ancient Bohai Kingdom.The architectural planning and artistic style of Longquan Mansion in Shangjing were modeled after Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty.The inner city of Miyagi runs northward, using local materials. Most of the city walls are made of basalt. The walls are tall and strong. Although they have collapsed today, the remnants of the walls are still three meters high.The host accompanied us to visit the Xinglong Temple in the town.Xinglong Temple was re-built on the former site of Bohai Kingdom during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The surrounding walls are also built of basalt. In the temple, there is a stone lighthouse, a relic of the Bohai Kingdom, and the lighthouse is also carved with basalt. After more than a thousand years of wind and rain erosion, it is still well preserved.

Whether it is a city, a temple, a tower, or even the rice produced, almost all of them are closely related to the basalt overflowed by the volcanic eruption, and the "underground virgin forest" not far from here is exactly this basic basalt. The eruption port of the Mudanjiang River is not only blocked by the lava flow flowing from there, but also makes it the largest lava barrier lake in China.Later people lived and multiplied on such underground lava for tens of millions of years, established a country, and created a culture. It is said that there are more than 50 species of fish in Jingbo Lake. During the few days we were in Jingbo Lake, we actually tasted more than ten kinds.Although the chef’s skills are not flattering, the fish is extremely fresh, especially the special product of Jingpo Lake, “lake crucian carp”. Roasting, steaming, dry frying, or making soup, all of them can't hide their freshness.Jingbo Lake has a radius of hundreds of miles, surrounded by green peaks and ridges, and the lake is as clear as blue. The water depth in the south of the lake is only a few meters, but it can reach about 50 meters in the north.The water depth is different, and the living areas of various fish in the lake are also different. More than 50 kinds of lake fish are distributed in waters of different depths.In the early morning or evening, those who recuperate here often go fishing with poles in the lake, enjoying themselves. The weather is calm and there is no wave like a mirror. If you can catch a few fresh fish and cook a little, no matter whether it is with food or wine, it will be a good choice. An excellent treat.Such lakes and mountains are like the Fuchun River where Yan Ziling fished. It is hard to imagine that it is on the bank of a mountain barrier lake in the north.

Because I praised "Xiangshui rice", the host invited me to a nearby village called "Gaolitun", where the Korean ethnic group lives together.It is said that there are dozens of restaurants run by ordinary people in the village, and the "Xiangshui rice" there is the most authentic, surpassing what we ate on the road.When we arrived by car, it was already the beginning of the lights. Every courtyard in "Gaolitun" hung a string of red lights at the gate.Bicycles, motorcycles and cars of all kinds are parked outside each courtyard.The kitchen at the back of the house was steaming with smoke.Dozens of houses like this are well-arranged, but all of them are like this, which is a magnificent sight.That day happened to be the weekend, and the residents of Ning'an County and tourists from all over the country came to patronize the small village, which seemed overwhelmed.So I asked more than a dozen companies in a row, but they were all full, so I had to return in a bad mood.The wish to taste "authentic Xiangshui rice" has not been fulfilled, so far I have left a regret.

"Land of fish and rice" should be well-deserved for Jingbo Lake.