China News Service, Beijing, September 5th. The large-scale cultural, food, cultural and tourism program "Taste of Mountains and Seas" was broadcast on the comprehensive channel of the main station on the evening of the 5th. The audience and the host walked into Zhongning, Ningxia, and felt the sweetness of the place where mountains and rivers meet.
Poster for the Ning chapter in "Exploring the Mountains and Seas". Photo courtesy of the program team
Wormwood seeds, which are smaller than sesame seeds, give the texture of a bowl of noodles
On the edge of the Tengger Desert, an inconspicuous plant grows—sagebrush. It is only one meter above the surface, but its underground root system can penetrate two to three meters into the sand layer. Its seeds are smaller than sesame seeds, but contain amazing energy.
The surface of Artemisia annua seeds is attached with natural vegetable gum, which swells when exposed to water to form a strong gel. The ground flour is mixed with flour, and this layer of gel weaves a dense network inside the dough, firmly "gluing" the protein and starch particles together. It has low starch content and high vegetable protein. Just one seed supports the bones of a bowl of noodles.
There are 18 steps in making an authentic bowl of mugwort seed noodles. The collected Artemisia annua seeds are crushed with a stone mortar, sieved to remove impurities, mixed with wheat flour in proportion, poured with alkaline water and kneaded repeatedly. "Three kneading and three waking" - knead for 15 minutes and wake for 15 minutes, cycle three times to fully activate the flexibility of the dough. The inheritor Yu Zhenling used the long rolling pin left by her great-grandmother to repeatedly roll and push the dough along the edges. A piece of dough with a diameter of nearly three meters is so thin that it is transparent. Put the noodles on the pole to dry, and the wind passes through the gaps between the poles, blowing away the moisture and leaving the toughness behind. Cut vertically with a sharp knife and feel it with your fingertips. The noodles are even and slender. When put into boiling water, they stretch and the aroma of wheat rises with the heat.
Artemisia vulgaris seeds. Photo courtesy of the program team
The soul of mugwort seed noodles is not only in the noodles, but also in the sesame seeds and sour soup. The locals pay attention to a spoonful of mutton jelly and a spoonful of sour soup. One bite is rich in layers and has a long aftertaste.
A red wolfberry is a treasure from root to fruit
Ningxia wolfberry was recorded in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" by Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty, and it is also one of the varieties included in the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia".
This sweetness is not accidental. Zhongning is located at the intersection of the Yellow River and Qingshui River, at 37 degrees north latitude. The silt deposited by the two rivers is rich in calcium, selenium and other minerals. The Helan Mountains lie across the north, blocking the cold air and sand from Inner Mongolia, creating a unique microclimate for the wolfberry. Coupled with the average annual sunshine of 2990 hours and the huge temperature difference between day and night, Zhongning wolfberry has the unique qualities of thin skin, thick flesh and sweetness.
The buds are eaten in spring, the fruit is eaten in summer, dried in autumn and boiled roots in winter. In the hands of Zhongning people, wolfberry is not just a health supplement soaked in water, but a treasure ingredient from head to toe, from root to fruit.
Cold wolfberry sprouts. Photo courtesy of the program team
To cool the wolfberry buds, wash and dry the fresh wolfberry buds, blanch them for three minutes and then quickly cool them with cold water to lock in the green color and crispness of the wolfberry buds. Drain the water again and put it into a basin. Add salt, sugar, wolfberry balsamic vinegar and other seasonings in sequence. Finally, heat a spoonful of local sesame oil. It will be slightly bitter in the mouth and instantly wake up the taste buds. After chewing, it will taste sweet and refreshing, crisp and tender.
Stewed mutton with ground bone skin is another nutritious hard dish. Digupi can clear away heat, remove fishy smell, and balance warmth and nourishment. Soak the fresh Tan mutton in cold water and put it into the pot, then add the bone bone skin, the soul of this dish. After slow cooking and cooling, the lamb chops are tender and fragrant without any smell. The slight sweetness of the bone skin is perfectly blended with the freshness of the mutton. (over)
