Salted Vegetables in Brine

Salted Vegetables in Brine

　　Salted vegetables in brine are one of the local specialties of Pingle. They have long been a premium ingredient used in celebratory events, both joyous and somber, as well as in everyday home cooking. High-quality salted vegetables are bright yellow and translucent, with glossy stems and leaf veins. They emit a rich aroma, taste crisp and refreshing, and have a pleasant hint of sweet and tangy flavor. When added to stir-fried squid, pork belly, large intestines, or even in dishes like smooth fish soup, they elevate the flavor immensely. Used as a base for sweet-and-sour fish or stir-fried spare ribs, they also make a presentable dish when serving guests.

　　Salted vegetables in brine from Pingle are not only consumed locally but have long been exported to Guilin, Wuzhou, and even overseas. It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, they were also among the important tribute items presented to the imperial court. The leafy greens used to make these salted vegetables are primarily mustard greens transplanted from Chaozhou, Guangdong. When selecting the greens, those with fist-sized hearts are considered the best. Overgrown Chaozhou mustard greens, which have too many green leaves and a loose shape, are not suitable for making salted vegetables. The pickling process of salted vegetables involves several steps, each requiring strict adherence to ensure optimal results.

　　The first step is sun-drying the greens. On sunny days, mature mustard greens are harvested and laid flat under the sun until the entire clump of leaves can be gathered by hand without the stems breaking—this is when they are ready to be collected. The next step is treading the greens. The quality of the salted vegetables is closely related to this process. First, the sun-dried greens are layered into a large wooden barrel, with each layer pressed flat by foot. A layer of raw salt is then sprinkled on top—about 3 to 4 pounds of salt per 100 pounds of greens. This layering and treading continue until enough liquid is squeezed out to cover the greens. Finally, a layer of straw is placed on top and weighted down with stones. If the salting is done before the Mid-Autumn Festival, when temperatures are higher, ceramic jars are preferred; after the festival, when it gets cooler, wooden barrels are better. Another crucial factor is mastering the timing and temperature when opening the barrel to retrieve the vegetables. When the tightly packed greens are kept in temperatures above 22°C, they only need about seven days to ferment. Below 22°C, it generally takes 15 to 20 days. In temperatures below 10°C, it may take up to 25 days or even two months before they are ready to be unpacked and sold.

　　When the tightly pressed greens have been left for some time and a layer of white foam floats to the surface, the stones can be removed, and the vegetables can be taken out for consumption or sale. Once mature, salted vegetables in brine should not be stored for too long. If left in the barrel for extended periods, especially in hot weather, their color may gradually change and signs of mold may appear. Care must also be taken to avoid “jar burn.” During fermentation in high temperatures, if any black mold spots appear where the vegetables touch the sides of the jar or barrel, it indicates jar burn, severely affecting the color, aroma, and taste of the vegetables. Experienced farmers adjust the fermentation time based on the weather, which is why the salted vegetables from Pingle and Lipu are so flavorful—it’s all thanks to their traditional pickling techniques.

　　Farmers in Pingle and Lipu love pickling salted vegetables, while those in Ziyuan, Quanzhou, and Guanyang prefer making pickled chili peppers. These pickled chilies look bright red and glossy, plump and shiny, bursting with a mix of sweet, spicy, sour, and tangy flavors when bitten into, yet not overly hot. They’re refreshing and appetizing. After eating, one feels a gentle warmth in the stomach and throughout the body. If you have a cold, you might even break into a light sweat, and the illness may subside by up to eighty percent without medication. Ethnic minorities in the high-altitude and cold mountainous regions of northern Guangxi often brew pickled chili pepper tea with ginger and tea leaves during severe winters. Drinking it once or twice a month helps them ward off colds.

　　Ziyuan is a high-altitude and humid mountainous area, so rural households love making pickled chili peppers, with almost every family owning several fermentation jars. To make them, the jars are first sterilized and dried over a fire to remove any moisture, then filled with mountain spring water, rice wine, brown sugar, and raw salt to brew a fragrant, sour liquid. Next, fresh, thick, glossy red chili peppers are selected, their stems snipped off with scissors without damaging the peppers. They are then sun-dried for half a day or a full day to remove surface moisture before being placed in the jars. The amount depends on the size of the jar and the volume of the brine, but generally, the brine should just cover the chilies. Once the jar is sealed, water is poured around the rim to create an airtight seal. After about half a month of fermentation, the chilies are ready to eat. As long as the jar remains sealed, even if left to ferment longer, the chilies will remain sweet with a hint of spice, crisp, tender, juicy, and flavorful—excellent both as a food and seasoning. For instance, stir-frying ferns with pickled chilies creates a rare wild delicacy. When used in cooking fresh fish or tofu hot pot, locals in Ziyuan joke: “It’ll make you tie your tongue so you don’t swallow it!” meaning the dish is so delicious it might make you accidentally swallow your tongue, so you’d better hold it in to enjoy the food. Today, Ziyuan’s pickled chilies have moved beyond farmsteads into industrial production, sold in bulk and marketed across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Hubei, becoming a sought-after local specialty.

　　Salted vegetables and pickled chilies are common sights and frequently eaten. But there’s another Dong ethnic delicacy known as “insect cuisine,” which is rarely heard of and even harder to come by. The Dong people living in Longsheng have long had the habit of catching insect larvae for food. They refer to wasps and grasshoppers as “boneless meat.” Wasps (hornets) are flying insects found in forests, with venomous stingers on their tails that can sting people. There are two types of these wasps: one builds nests in trees, commonly called “tower wasps” or “oil gourd wasps,” while the other builds underground nests, known as “earth wasps” or “ghost head wasps.” Their nests are made from tree branches, leaves, and resin. The nests consist of multiple round compartments, each with small holes where female wasps lay eggs, covering them with resin. By the seventh or eighth lunar month, the larvae fill the compartments. At this point, the Dong people stake out the nests, then at night, they either set the nest ablaze with firewood to kill the wasps or use smoke to drive them away. Then, they harvest the nests and carefully extract the larvae. Some nests can yield up to a pound or two of larvae. These are then stir-fried with oil and seasonings until golden and crispy. When served, the aroma is overwhelming—it’s truly a rare mountain delicacy and exquisite delicacy. Paired with alcohol, it’s an exceptional dish. If used in soup, its rich, sweet aroma and taste are even sweeter and more delicious than seafood. Unless you’re regarded as the most honored guest in a Dong household, you’ll never get the chance to taste this delicacy.

　　Another “insect cuisine” is grasshoppers. Also known as yellow bugs, in northern Guangxi’s mountainous regions, there is a type of grasshopper that is entirely green, with two long thin antennae on its head, oversized eyes, three yellow lines connecting its back and head, long wings, and pale reddish inner wings. They are as big as a middle finger. Because these grasshoppers often feed on corn leaves in the fields, locals call them “corn grasshoppers.” At night, they often stay motionless on the corn leaves. During the corn tasseling and silk emergence season, the Dong people go into the fields with torches to catch these pests. Sometimes, they can catch a small bamboo basket full in just one or two hours. Once caught, the basket is plunged into boiling water to kill the grasshoppers. The once green grasshoppers turn a slight red. Then, their heads are pulled off along with their internal organs, leaving no waste except for the yellow, juicy grasshopper eggs inside. The legs and wings are then removed, leaving behind a small lump of reddish grasshopper meat. Some people stir-fry them with ginger, garlic, green chili, and salt. The result is a vibrant red and green dish with a strong aroma. If deep-fried, the grasshoppers are first marinated in a bowl with garlic, ginger, salt, and five-spice powder for half an hour to absorb the flavors. Then, the oil is heated in a pan, and once boiling, the grasshoppers are added. When they float to the surface and turn slightly golden and crisp, they are removed and cooled before eating. The aroma, crispness, and deliciousness of these fried grasshoppers are indescribable. As the Dong people say: “Fried grasshoppers are the tastiest—rare in heaven, scarce on earth.”

　　These Dong ethnic “insect dishes” are rare and unique—even frequent visitors to Dong homes seldom get the chance to try them. Northern Guangxi’s rural cuisine includes many specialties, such as Yao-style five-spice vegetables, dried bamboo shoots, and dried mountain mushrooms. These are all traditional vegetables with distinct characteristics and flavors suited to a wide audience. Despite the abundance of various delicacies on dining tables, rural specialties remain cherished for their unique flavors as culinary treasures.