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Chinese Name: 酸辣粉
English Name: Hot and sour noodles; hot and sour powder
Category: Snack小吃
Main Ingredients: Noodles
Hot and Sour Noodles酸辣粉 originated in western Sichuan四川, is a traditional specialty snack in Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and other places. It is characterized by hemp, hot, fresh, fragrant, sour, and not greasy.
The noodles used for hot and sour noodles are mixed with sweet potatoes and peas in proportion, and then they are made by farmers using traditional manual methods. Sour and hot noodles originated from the southwest folk. The ingredients are handmade sweet potato flour, which is named after its strong sour and hot taste. Later, after continuous evolution and modulation in Southwest China, it officially took to the streets and became a local specialty snack.
Hot and sour noodles can be divided into two types: one is “gouache水粉”, which is prepared by using sweet potato starch; The other is “dry powder干粉”, that is, dry noodles processed into powder strips. As the hot and sour powder made of dry powder strips is relatively simple and convenient, the method of making dry powder is generally adopted. The modulation operation of “gouache” is complex.
The basic characteristics of authentic hot and sour powder: First, the powder should be soft and tough, soft and strong, and its appearance should be crystal clear. Second, the taste should be numb, hot, fresh, fragrant, sour, and greasy, that is, it should be numb but not bitter, hot but not dry, sour but not spasmodic, fragrant and thick with the aftertaste, and after eating, the taste should remain fragrant; And to make the soup red and bright, both must be satisfied.
Because vermicelli can’t absorb water and seasoning, the taste of the hot and sour powder is heavier than that of ordinary local soup powder. For example, ginger and garlic powder can be directly added into the soup without making it into soup, which makes the use of spicy and numb taste more violent.
More importantly, the use of vinegar is pioneering. The highly volatile vinegar can stimulate the smell of other spices to form a comprehensive aroma, which can be smelled from a bowl of hot and sour powder. Authentic Chongqing hot and sour powder does not use Shanxi vinegar or aromatic vinegar. Baoning保宁 vinegar, which has a history of hundreds of years, is brewed from the winter water in the middle reaches of the Jialing River. It has a strong sour smell and a slightly sweet taste. The acetic acid smell is subtle but not pungent. It is an authentic and perfect match for Chongqing hot and sour powder.
Vermicelli is a kind of filamentous or strips of dry starch product made from beans, potatoes, and cereals. In order to be convenient and fast, dry noodles are generally used to make hot and sour noodles in the market.
The processing of vermicelli has a history of more than 1000 years in China. It is produced all over the country, and it is gray-white, yellow, or yellowish-brown. Dry product noodles can be divided into round noodles and wide noodles according to their shapes. Because noodles can be produced in all parts of our country, there are natural differences between good and bad materials and technology. To make good hot and sour noodles, it is crucial to choose high-quality noodles.
How to make Hot and Sour Noodles?
Ingredients：
- 140g sweet potato flour
- 10 g dry agaric
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 4 grams of salt
- 3 g MSG
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 6 grams of white granulated sugar
- A moderate amount of coriander
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons top-secret chili oil
- Scallion in the proper amount
Instruction:
- Step 1, Soak agaric thoroughly in adequate warm water and clean it. Heat it to boiling point with clear water over a high fire. Blanch agaric for 3.5 minutes, remove it and drain it after supercooling.
- Step 2, Boil the sweet potato vermicelli with boiling water that has been scalded with agaric until they are almost ripe. Drain and add sesame oil to stir them to avoid sticking together.
- Step 3, Tear the fungus into small pieces, wash and cut the coriander into sections; Remove the peduncle and seed of green and red peppers, wash them, and cut them into 4cm long filaments; Peel garlic and mash it (or mash it with a garlic press).
- Step 4, Pour the fungus, sweet potato vermicelli, coriander section, green and red pepper shreds, and garlic puree into a large basin, mix in the aged vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, and chili oil, mix well, and sprinkle with scallions.
