Pickled Vegetables

Pickled Vegetables

　　Pickled Vegetables

　　According to legend, the magical pickled vegetables of Weng’an have a history spanning several hundred years, originating from Ranjiatang Village in Songping Township, Weng’an County.

　　This magical pickled vegetable is actually a specially made preserved dish.

　　Its magic lies in its strong pungent odor—somewhat resembling that of stinky fermented black beans, somewhat like stinky tofu, and somewhat akin to sour pickles. As the saying goes, “You smell it before you see it,” or “The stench is overpowering, yet the taste is endlessly delightful.”

　　Its magic also lies in its special medicinal properties—it aids digestion, treats colds, and stops diarrhea.

　　For this reason, a local legend has been passed down in this mystical land.

　　Long ago, the emperor, already over fifty, married a stunningly beautiful concubine from the Western Palace. Soon after, the Western Concubine became pregnant, which delighted the emperor immensely. None of his three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two consorts had borne him a single son or daughter, so he doted on the Western Concubine as if she were his most treasured possession—afraid to hurt her even with a touch, afraid to harm her even by holding her in his mouth. However, the Western Concubine could not eat or drink properly all day long, felt nauseated at the sight of dragon meat or sea cucumber, and vomited whenever she tried to eat. She grew thinner day by day. The emperor was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and hurriedly asked the Western Concubine what was wrong. It turned out she craved the aged pickled vegetables from her hometown. The emperor immediately issued an imperial decree, dispatching an imperial envoy leading over a thousand guards and soldiers on a grand mission to Ranjiatang, Guizhou—thousands of miles away from the capital—to retrieve the pickled vegetables. They traveled day and night, through starry skies and moonlit nights, enduring a full two months of arduous journey, finally retrieving 120 jars of pickled vegetables from the Western Concubine’s hometown, Ranjiatang.

　　At a welcoming banquet in the Golden Hall, the emperor specially invited civil and military officials as well as foreign envoys to taste this miraculous delicacy brought from afar. But when the guards opened one of the jars carried into the Golden Hall, a foul and unbearable stench burst forth, filling the entire imperial chamber. All the court officials and foreign envoys covered their noses and mouths, suffering from the overwhelming smell. The emperor had intended to show off before his ministers, but instead ended up in such an embarrassing situation. The emperor, furious, immediately punished the imperial envoy who had retrieved the pickled vegetables. Then he thought, “My beautiful Western Concubine grew up eating this stinky thing—she must be a demon!” He then ordered her to be expelled from the palace. As for the 120 jars of pickled vegetables, they had no choice but to be discarded in a refuse heap.

　　Later, an outbreak of dysentery struck the capital. From the emperor to commoners, everyone suffered terribly. No matter what medicine they tried, nothing could stop the outbreak—not even the emperor himself could get up due to severe diarrhea. With no solution in sight, the civil and military officials had no choice but to issue an imperial edict: “Whoever can cure the emperor’s illness will be richly rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold.”

　　The edict was posted for over a month with no response.

　　One day, a group of children playing at the refuse heap fell ill with diarrhea, headaches, and fevers. They were thirsty and searching everywhere for water when none could be found. One child accidentally knocked over one of the discarded pickled vegetable jars. The golden-yellow pickled vegetable broth flowed out, and the children scrambled to drink it, ignoring the stench. They gulped it down until their bellies were full. Strangely enough, after drinking the broth from the refuse heap...

　　…their diarrhea stopped and their fevers subsided. When people heard that the children had recovered by drinking the pickled vegetable broth from the refuse heap, they were amazed—could it be that the pickled vegetables from the “demon’s” hometown were magical medicine? The next day, the news spread throughout the capital. Crowds of commoners went to the refuse heap to scoop up the broth to use as medicine. Everyone who drank it found their diarrhea cleared up quickly. When the imperial envoy who had fetched the pickled vegetables heard the news, he immediately sent people to collect some of the broth. After drinking it, his stomach troubles were also cured. He quickly took the broth to the emperor, who consumed it for three consecutive days and made a full recovery.

　　Once the emperor recovered, he remembered the wronged Western Concubine and the pickled vegetable envoy. He lavishly rewarded the envoy and sent out a large search party to find the Western Concubine.

　　After being banished from the palace, the Western Concubine had been heading toward Guizhou, hoping to return to her hometown. The search party looked high and low until they found her by the river at the border of Bashu—pregnant, emaciated, in tattered clothes, and barely alive. Before they could find a doctor to treat her, the Western Concubine passed away.

　　With the death of the Western Concubine, the unborn child perished as well. The emperor, devastated at the end of his ancestral line and the shattering of his last hope, was heartbroken. To commemorate the Western Concubine, the emperor gave her a grand burial and built a “Concubine Temple” by the riverside where she had died. The temple commissioned an exquisitely crafted statue of the Western Concubine and assigned nuns to offer incense and recite scriptures in tribute to the woman who had saved the capital’s citizens from disease using her hometown’s aged pickled vegetables.

　　Now, in Ranjiatang Village, Songping Township, there remains an old house—the very one where the Western Concubine lived before being selected to enter the palace. After her death, the emperor bestowed upon it the title “Concubine Camp.”

　　In fact, making pickled vegetables isn’t complicated—the key is preparing the pickling brine. Once the brine is ready, carefully selected tender vegetables such as chili peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, red beans, bamboo shoots, and fiddlehead ferns are washed clean with water, dried until no longer dripping, and then placed in the brine. After a relatively long period of soaking—typically around a month—they’re ready to eat. The longer the brine is kept, the more aged it becomes, and the better the flavor and medicinal effects of the pickled vegetables.

　　To make new brine, ingredients such as red barnyard grass, tender corn, glutinous rice, yellow wine (or white liquor as a substitute), mineral water, and vegetables are needed. Among these, red barnyard grass is the most crucial ingredient—without it, the brine cannot be made. First, red barnyard grass, tender corn, and glutinous rice are mixed in certain proportions. Then, a jar capable of holding brine is cleaned and filled with a small amount of red barnyard grass, glutinous rice, and tender corn paste. A layer of vegetables is added, followed by an appropriate amount of yellow wine and brine. This process is repeated—layering vegetables, wine, and brine—until the jar is full. If the brine doesn’t fully submerge the vegetables, it should be added until it does. The jar is then sealed with a lid, and fresh spring water is poured into the brim. After about a month, the brine is ready and the pickled vegetables can be eaten. Once the pickled vegetables are finished, fresh ones can be added continuously. After a year or so, additional yellow wine, glutinous rice, and corn brine can be added to restore and refine the flavor. It’s important to note that from the making of new brine, to adding fresh vegetables, to harvesting the pickled vegetables—no oil or salt must be allowed to touch anything. Exposure to oil or salt will cause the brine to spoil within a week.

　　The maturity of the pickled vegetables is judged by their color—typically, ripe pickled vegetables turn a reddish-brown, while aged ones appear brown. The main way to eat pickled vegetables is by stir-frying them, which tastes even better when mixed with meat. Finely chop the pickled vegetables, then prepare some lean pork belly. Cut dried chili peppers into thick rounds (“firecracker slices”). Heat the oil until very hot, stir-fry the “firecracker chili” until crispy, then add the ground pork belly and stir-fry until hot. Next, pour in the chopped pickled vegetables and stir-fry together. Add salt, ginger, scallions, garlic, MSG, and other seasonings. Once cooked, serve it up—the taste is initially stinky but ends up fragrant and sweet, refreshingly delicious. Travelers who don’t know its taste might hesitate to eat it because of the smell, but once they try it, they won’t be able to stop. Those who know pickled vegetables always order a plate when visiting—the fatigue disappears, spirits lift, and appetite soars.

　　The ripeness of lancai (a type of preserved vegetable) is determined by its color—typically, ripe lancai is ochre-colored, while aged lancai turns brown. The primary way to eat lancai is by stir-frying it, and its flavor is even better when mixed with meat. Finely chop the lancai, then slice semi-fatty sanxian pork, and cut the dried chili peppers into “firecracker tubes.” Heat the cooking oil until very hot, add the “tube chilies” and stir-fry until crispy. Then put in the minced pork and stir-fry until heated through. Next, add the chopped lancai to the pan and stir-fry everything together. Season with salt, ginger, scallions, garlic, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and other spices. Once ready, serve it up—the taste is surprisingly fragrant despite the initial pungency, slightly sweet amid the funk, deliciously refreshing. Visitors unfamiliar with lancai might hesitate to try it upon catching its strong smell, but once they take a bite, they can’t stop eating. Travelers who know about lancai will definitely order a plate—it’s said to instantly relieve fatigue, lift the spirits, and greatly boost appetite.