Anfeng Sanla Vegetable

Anfeng Sanla Vegetable

　　Anfeng Sanla Vegetable

　　Hailed as the unique delicacy of Anfeng, Sanla Vegetable has a long history. Legend has it that over 600 years ago, the literary master Shi Nai’an, while conducting research and writing *Water Margin* in the areas of Anfeng in Xinghua and Baiju in Dafeng, often had this side dish on his dining table. Made primarily from wild hemp leaf vegetables, it aids digestion, clears the airways, and helps relieve pain from the cold. For hundreds of years, during the lunar month of December, many families in Anfeng would prepare some Sanla Vegetable. Apart from consuming it at home, they would also give it as gifts to relatives and friends, gradually spreading its fame across the country.

　　Sanla Vegetable is a rustic dish from my hometown.

　　Sanla Vegetable is a very distinctive dish. It has

　　the characteristics of being “salty, sweet, savory, crisp, fragrant, moist, and spicy” (locals refer to spicy food as “ma,” or numbing). It’s an excellent pairing with alcohol or congee.

　　Sanla Vegetable must be savored little by little—there’s no rushing it. First-time tasters who don’t know its flavor and take big bites will immediately feel a sharp mustard-like sensation shoot up to their forehead and nostrils, making them cough and tear up. But soon after, all you can say is “comfortable.” If you have a cold and your nose is blocked, eating a bit will instantly clear it up.

　　Sanla Vegetable is delicious, but the ingredients used to make it are quite ordinary. It’s made from mustard greens grown in winter, which locals, not knowing their scientific name, simply call “ma vegetable.” Around the time of Minor Snow each year, women from the town and villages, wearing scarves and leading children with shovels and baskets, would scatter across the field ridges and riverbanks to dig up ma vegetables in preparation for making Sanla Vegetable. The freshly picked ma vegetables cannot be used to make Sanla right away. First, the yellow leaves and old stems are removed. Then, the greens are tied into small bundles with straw ropes and hung in long strands at the north-facing, windy back of the house to dry and wither, removing their spiciness and enhancing their unique wintery fragrance. By the time of the coldest period of winter—known as the “Three Nines”—the dried ma vegetables are taken down, first soaked in water to rehydrate, then washed clean in the stream, and laid out to dry on bamboo mats or stone slabs until the moisture is gone. Only then are they chopped into fine pieces and ready for cooking.

　　The key to making good Sanla Vegetable lies in using ample oil and accurately controlling the seasoning and cooking heat. In the past, whenever a family made this dish, it would attract many onlookers. Outside, the wind was biting cold, but inside the kitchen it was warm and fragrant with the aroma of oil. The female head of the household would be at the stove, the young girls tending the fire, experienced elders giving pointers, and those eager to learn watching closely. Sometimes, the advisors, annoyed that the cook wasn’t getting it right, would scold playfully, snatch the ladle, and take over the cooking themselves—it was all quite amusing. Once made, the Sanla Vegetable needs to be fully aired before being tightly stored in colored bottles or ceramic jars. After sealing for half a month, it’s ready to eat.