Walnut Dumplings When the farming season winds down in autumn and winter, the hardworking folks of Huating Township finally have time to enjoy the uniquely fragrant walnut dumplings. Nowadays, families who have walnuts at home always serve walnut dumplings as the reunion meal on New Year’s Day. In fact, making walnut dumplings is relatively simple: crack the shells, remove the nuts, and gently roast them over low heat until they turn light yellow and emit a rich aroma. Then blow off the fine skin on the walnuts, mash them while still hot with a bit of salt, and thoroughly mix them with boiled and cooled red radish, white radish, tender cabbage heart, or tofu. Add chopped green onions and ginger, refined cooking oil, and five-spice seasoning. This creates the filling. The dough can then be rolled out, the dumplings wrapped, and cooked. Walnuts contain three times the fat of soybeans and twice that of peanuts, making them highly nutritious. These dumplings offer the texture and flavor of both vegetable and meat dumplings. As soon as they’re cooked, they are incredibly aromatic—rich yet not greasy, not bland either, with a refreshing fragrance and a long-lasting aftertaste. They are endlessly chewable, stimulating the appetite and refreshing the spirit, combining the best qualities of both meat and vegetable dumplings.
Yellow Fish Noodles, also known as "Fenhu zi," are made from finely ground cornmeal harvested in autumn. First, a small amount of the yellow dough is stirred into a basin of cold water with chopsticks to form a noodle-like slurry, which is then poured into a pot of boiling water and cooked over high heat. Next, more yellow dough is added. After about ten minutes, hot water is poured into the pot and stirred...
Huating Angelica Pubescentis, also known as Fleshy Angelica Pubescentis, is the dried root of the Umbelliferae plant Angelica pubescens Maxim. f. biserrata Shan et Yuan. With a long cultivation history and unique natural conditions and growing environment, Huating Angelica Pubescentis boasts excellent and distinctive quality. The Angelica produced in Huating is characterized by thick and plump roots, good fleshiness, white cross-sections without woody texture, a rich and fragrant aroma, and high overall quality…
Nianpanzi Village, Maxia Township: Known for its specialty medicinal herbs, especially rhubarb...
Geographical Scope of Huating Walnuts: Within the territory of Huating County, Gansu Province, covering 10 townships and 1 development zone, namely Shangguan Township, Shenyu Township, Ankou Town, Donghua Town, Xihua Town, Maxia Town, Shanzhai Township, Cedi Town, Hexi Township, Yanxia Township, and Shibaozi Development Zone. Distinctive Qualities: Superior quality and rich in nutrition, characterized by thin shells, …
The specialty garlic of Huating County…
Kongtong Lily…
As early as the Ming Dynasty, the fur garment industry in Pingliang was already quite prosperous. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republican era, the local fur market was regarded as one of the important distribution centers for furs in Northwest China. Fur garments can be divided into two types. The first is made from old sheepskin, which features long hair and thick skin, making it sturdy and cold-resistant. The second is made from lamb skin, which is white, fine, and long, with naturally curled tips at the ends of the fur...
A traditional folk handicraft, with artisans skilled in carving found in every village. Made from cowhide, these pieces feature intricate carving and vibrant coloring that is bold yet tasteful. The depictions of figures and landscapes are all exquisitely crafted...
Cold Dressed Walnut Blossoms – Huating Cold Dressed Walnut Blossoms: In spring, after the walnut trees bloom, the fallen walnut blossoms are collected and dried. When eating, wash off the dark water, then mix with minced garlic, chopped scallions, sesame oil, salt, and vinegar. The taste is delicious, making it a true black-hued health food and an excellent dish to serve honored guests. …
Cold Mixed Bracken Fern - Huating Style: Made with premium marinated Guanshan bracken fern, chopped scallions, minced garlic, sesame oil, salt, and vinegar. Delicious and truly a green food. Welcome to try...
Fried Rice Cake with Wild Herbs: These Huating wild herb fried rice cakes are made from a type of low-grade algal plant that grows on the hillsides of Huating. The herbs are collected, cleaned, and dried, then mixed with chopped scallions, cellophane noodles, and tofu to form the filling. The mixture is wrapped in leavened dough and steamed. With a light flavor and rich nutrition, these cakes are a beloved treat for all ages. …
Pig head pressed on streaky pork – Huating-style: Clean the pig head, remove hair, and boil until cooked. While hot, debone the pig head. You may also apply various food colorings. Wrap the cooked meat in clean cloth and press it with a heavy object. The next day, remove the cloth. The meat will be tightly pressed into a solid piece. Slice it thinly with a sharp knife to serve. This dish has excellent texture and an attractive color...
Kongtong paper-cutting is a treasure among the folk crafts of Pingliang. Its themes are diverse, covering historical figures, birds and beasts, flowers and plants, fish and insects, and more. Its forms are varied as well—door decorations, kang (heated bed) patterns, kiln-top designs, chest and cabinet motifs, grain storage patterns, lantern designs, wedding patterns, hanging curtain art, festival decorations, birthday motifs, and embroidery templates, to name just a few…
Xiaohui Roast Chicken originates from Kongtong District in our city. With a long history and unique flavor, it is a famous local specialty cuisine in our area. It has won gold and silver awards at national and Gansu Province exchange fairs, including the Golden Ox Awards, for three consecutive years. Since 1986, when it was sold from street to street, Xiaohui Roast Chicken has continued to grow and develop. To date, it has opened numerous branches of various sizes around Pingliang...
When making blood sausage, there’s inevitably some blood left over to make blood strips. Though not every household can afford to make blood sausage, every family proudly serves blood strips as their signature dish. Even the poorest families can usually manage to slaughter a chicken for the New Year, yielding a chicken’s worth of blood. With skillful aim and quick hands, they catch every last drop in a salted bowl without spilling a single one—sometimes even holding the chicken upside down...
The ingredients for this snack won’t be lost, but the craft might. It’s hard to say if there will be any women left who can make them in ten years. Found only in the countryside, it has been overshadowed by other buckwheat noodle dishes and failed to gain widespread popularity. Without successors, it may vanish. The method of preparing these noodles is the same as that for hand-pulled long noodles, but less alkali is used—only a certain proportion of wheat flour is mixed with the buckwheat...
Alfalfa noodles — not the "muxi" (osmanthus) in the commonly seen "muxi meat." Alfalfa is a type of grass, but also a vegetable. Introduced to China from the West during Emperor Wu of Han’s reign, this forage crop was first planted in the Guanzhong and Longdong regions. It can grow and bloom on any mountainous land, producing harvests for over ten or even dozens of years once sown. Not only edible, its leaves are round, plump...
Flower Face Noodles — I haven’t had them in twenty years. They slide smoothly down your throat, their pull irresistible. These noodles are made by rolling out two layers of wheat dough, with a layer of scalded sorghum dough sandwiched in between — two whites enclosing a red. Only when rolled out do their unique features emerge. When wrapping the sorghum dough, the wheat layer is thick, especially puffed up in the middle, while the edges must be firmly pressed down by hand...
Geographical Scope: Five counties and one district under the jurisdiction of the People's Government of Pingliang City, Gansu Province, excluding Huating County—namely Kongtong District, Jingchuan County, Lingtai County, Chongxin County, Zhuanglang County, and Jingning County. Distinctive Qualities: “Pingliang Golden Fruit” refers to apples produced in Pingliang City, Gansu Province. Pingliang has been designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as one of the country’s most suitable regions for apple production…