The ginseng fruit is heart-shaped. When ripe, its skin is yellow with a slight purple tint. It is high in protein, low in sugar and fat, and rich in vitamin C and the six essential nutrients required by the human body. It contains 17 kinds of amino acids. The ginseng fruit is rich in selenium, a trace element that helps maintain normal bodily vitality and activates human cells. It has excellent therapeutic effects on high blood pressure and diabetes...
Taro, known as "potato" or "foreign potato" in Gulang, is an extremely common vegetable and also a staple food that appears on locals' tables all year round. When it comes to cooking methods, clay pot taro is a must-mention. First, choose a sheltered and dry low-lying area or field ridge and dig a suitably sized clay pot (i.e., a small pit). Then...
Legend has it that during the Western Han Dynasty, the famed general Huo Qubing was fighting the Xiongnu in Wuwei. Amidst the busyness of war and days without food, the local people, wanting to reward the soldiers, placed their homemade "lukui" flatbreads in an earthen kiln to roast. Some soldiers accidentally also put freshly marinated whole chickens into the kiln, lighting them with apple tree branches. Once roasted, the chicken emitted an incredibly fragrant aroma...
Yellow Millet Porridge is a distinctive farmhouse dish from the Gulangtan area. To make it, peel and dice or slice an appropriate amount of yam, then boil them in a pot first. Next, rinse and add a suitable amount of yellow millet. Once the potatoes and yellow millet are thoroughly cooked, skim off the excess broth with a ladle, then simmer on low heat for a while longer. Finally, stir with a spoon to mash the yam into a paste…
Roasted wheat is a simple, homemade snack made by roasting a mixture of hemp seeds and wheat. The preparation method is straightforward: heat an iron pan over a fire, and once the pan is hot, add an appropriate amount of wheat. Stir the wheat evenly in the pan using chopsticks—do not stop stirring, as stopping may cause the wheat at the bottom to burn. When the wheat is about 70% cooked...
The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the "Mid-Autumn Festival." In Gulang, every household makes mooncakes. The mooncakes here in Gulang are very different from those sold in stores—they are large steamed cakes, sized according to the steamer basket, meaning the mooncake is as big as the basket it’s steamed in. To make them, fermented dough is rolled out into thin sheets of equal size, then brushed with clarified oil, and sprinkled with turmeric, red yeast rice, fennel, rose petals, and other colorful ingredients. These layers are stacked on top of each other and steamed in a pot for about two hours. The resulting mooncakes are about 10–20 centimeters thick and 40–60 centimeters in diameter. When eating, the mooncake is cut into smaller wedges. These mooncakes look like blooming chrysanthemums, and taste soft, fluffy, and fragrant—greatly loved by those who eat them.
Dandelion Yellow refers to "dandelion." Its leaves are relatively broad, resembling willow leaves. The edible variety of Dandelion Yellow has very fine but long leaves, covered with serrations. The leaves of Dandelion Yellow can be used as wild greens, and the preparation process is very simple. First, wash the Dandelion Yellow, then blanch it in boiling water, remove it, squeeze out the water, let it cool, and then add...
Shammi is the seed of sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum), an annual psammophytic herbaceous plant. The grains are smaller than millet, reddish-brown in color, and oval in shape. Shammi is highly nutritious, rich in protein, fat, and various vitamins. Processed shammi foods such as shammi flatbread rolls and shammi thick porridge have a uniquely fragrant aroma and are known to aid digestion,...
【Beef (or Lamb) Offal Stew】 is made from the internal organs, heads, and feet of cattle (or sheep), carefully rinsed, then stewed with fresh broth and seasonings. A bowl of aromatic and brightly colored lamb offal stew features a layer of oil floating on top, dotted with red and green accents. The red comes from chili oil, the green from chopped scallions and cilantro, while beneath the oil lies a milky-white, savory broth. …
【Highland Barley Noodles in Fish Shape】Originally a specialty dish from the mountainous regions of Gulang, it gets its name from its unique shape — thick in the middle and pointed at both ends, resembling little “fish.” To make it, highland barley flour is mixed with an appropriate amount of water to form a dough, which is then rolled out into sheets about half a centimeter thick and cut into four-edged thick noodles. Then, holding the noodles in one hand and using the other to roll, each noodle is shaped into...
【Chinese Chive Pockets】To make them, mix an appropriate amount of water into flour to form dough, then let it rest for about 15 minutes. Wash, clean, and dry the Chinese chives, then chop them finely. Add salt, ground Sichuan pepper, minced ginger, chicken powder, sesame oil, and scrambled eggs (scrambled in a pan and then crumbled) to the chives and mix well. Take a round piece of rolled dough, place the filling in the center, fold one side of the dough over the filling, and press the edges tightly…
【Cold Noodles】These are meticulously made using unique ingredients. Common varieties include white cold noodles made from peas, and yellow cold noodles made from hyacinth beans or soybeans. The white ones are as clear and translucent as white jade, while the yellow ones resemble egg yolk. The white cold noodles are especially beloved — they are crystal-clear and can be sliced into thin strips or cut into one-inch cubes. Topped with seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, …
Minqin Honeydew Melon is produced in Minqin County, Gansu Province. With over 50 years of cultivation history, its product quality surpasses that of similar produce from other regions. The Shoucheng Township of Minqin County, Gansu Province, is nationally renowned for its Yellow River Honeydew Melons, Cantaloupes, and Tulips. With a cultivation history of over 50 years, covering a planting area of 15,000 mu, its product quality is superior to that of similar products from other areas…
Camels are a unique animal with high economic value. Camel hair consists of mane hair, normal coarse hair, and fine downy hair, which differ greatly in length, fineness, tensile strength, elasticity, and use. Its fibers are fine, long, uniform, with great tensile strength, good elasticity, low specific gravity, strong wear resistance, high acid resistance, relative alkali stability, lightweight, warm, colo...
In the depths of winter, it’s the season for “Soft Pears” in Liangzhou. Among the stalls of dried and fresh fruits lining the streets, these Soft Pears, alongside bright red apples and golden winter pears, look the least appealing—wrinkled and grayish-brown, soft and mushy in the sun as if they’ve gone bad. Who would spend money on such “rotten” pears if they didn’t know any better?
There are many ways to eat highland barley, and it can be used to make a wide variety of dishes. It can be stir-fried directly, called stir-fried highland barley, mixed with roasted hemp seeds, giving it a crispy and fragrant taste; it can also be roasted and ground into flour, known as roasted barley flour, which can be eaten dry or mixed with tea; raw dough can be used to make pancakes or steamed into buns. Of course, the most exquisite dish is the highland barley dough fish-shaped noodles...
【Hand-Pulled Lamb】Also known as sweet-water lamb or boiled lamb, the meat is tender, flavorful, fragrant, and delicious. When preparing it, the ribs and upper spine are selected, and the meat is cut into evenly sized chunks before being placed in a pot. Together with ginger, it is boiled in cold water. Once cooked in sweet water, it is taken out and served, with seasonings such as garlic, cilantro, chopped scallions, chili flakes, ground pepper, and salt...
【Cold Noodles】When making these noodles, refined flour is mixed with an appropriate amount of penghui (a green edible alkali), along with a small amount of cooking oil. The dough is repeatedly kneaded, rolled out, and cut into fine, coarse, or wide strips. After boiling, the noodles are dipped in cold water to chill, then tossed with an appropriate amount of cooked cooking oil. They are springy when lifted and loosely scattered in the bowl, golden-yellow and glossy. A spoonful of vinegar is added...
In Gulang, it is customary to eat glutinous rice roll cake during the Dragon Boat Festival, but as a delicious dish, people also make and enjoy it on regular days. The specific method is as follows: first, prepare and let the dough rest, then roll it out into small flatbreads. When the oil is hot, fry the small flatbreads in the oil until they become crispy pancakes. Next, add washed glutinous rice and red dates to a pot, and once the water boils, simmer over low heat until the rice is cooked. Then add an appropriate amount of white sugar, stir everything together with the glutinous rice and red dates to form a cake. Afterwards, use a spatula to place an appropriate amount of the glutinous rice cake in the middle of a pancake, fold it into a roll shape, and it’s ready to eat. The glutinous rice roll cake is sweet and delicious—once you have one, you’ll want another.
The 10th day of the 10th lunar month is the Xiayuan Festival, when every household honors their ancestors by visiting graves and burning paper offerings to send winter clothing to the departed. People eat hemp seed paste buns, which are said to commemorate the loyal devotion of Meng Jiangnu, who journeyed a thousand miles to deliver winter clothes. The buns symbolize the bundles used to carry the winter garments. The process of making hemp seed paste buns is as follows: first, hemp seeds are ground into a paste, mixed with an appropriate amount of water, and wrapped in cheesecloth…