Langzhong pickled vegetables

Langzhong pickled vegetables

　　Every rural housewife in Langzhong knows how to make pickled vegetables. What sets Langzhong’s pickled vegetables apart from those in the north is the choice of “vegetables.” Northerners use Chinese cabbage, while Langzhong’s version is made with large-leafed green vegetables (commonly called home-grown greens). Around early November, in cities and villages across the north, you’ll see elderly farmers selling cabbages, pushing tricycles piled high with them on the streets, calling out to sell them. Then, they set up big pots and start pickling the cabbages—the scene is truly lively. In the north, making pickled vegetables involves thoroughly washing whole Chinese cabbages, boiling them in a big pot, and then sealing them in a vat. This becomes the northern people’s delicacy for the winter. Langzhong’s method, however, is different. Every household has its own vegetable garden nearby, and no matter the season—spring, summer, autumn, or winter—the gardens stay green. As a result, making pickled vegetables isn’t limited to winter when the ground is frozen (and no greens can be planted). When Langzhong locals want pickled vegetables, they simply go to the garden, pick fresh green leaves, boil them soft in water in a big pot, pack them into a vat, and seal it. The next day, the pickled vegetables are ready. If you were to compare the two, Langzhong’s pickled vegetables have a richer and more mellow flavor than those from the north. These pickled vegetables contain no added seasonings—their sourness is natural and authentic, making them a purely green food product. The clever people of Langzhong even use the pickled vegetable water to make their own tofu, truly making the most of every resource. Sour vegetable home-style noodles are made using sour vegetable tofu pudding as the topping and hand-pulled noodles as the base. They finely shred the pickled vegetables, stir-fry them lightly with vegetable oil, fresh Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, scallions, garlic, and pepper, then add pickled vegetable water and simmer over low heat before topping with the tofu pudding to make the topping. The tofu pudding is made by soaking soybeans until swollen, grinding them with a stone mill into a slurry, then straining the mixture through gauze to remove the pulp. Adding a bit of the water used to make the tofu pudding allows the soy milk to slowly settle and coagulate, forming tender, fragrant tofu pudding. Fresh hand-pulled noodles are boiled until cooked. The prepared topping is added, and when serving, coriander, garlic sprouts, Chinese toon buds, chili peppers, and other seasonings are added. The delicious sour vegetable noodles have a particularly tangy and fragrant taste that’s truly memorable and delightful.