杭州这道菜,被误解得太深了!
对浙江物产第一次有具象的感受,是几年前在嘉兴村子里的采访。
村民酿米酒,晒笋干,怡然自乐。我问一个当地企业家这里是否有贫困户,他没有直接回答我,而是说:“我们村后都是茶山,没事做的老人家,每天上山采采茶,一天就能收入120块钱。”
那一刻我意识到什么叫老天爷追着喂饭。
In Jiaxing county, East China's Zhejiang province, when I asked a local entrepreneur if there were any impoverished households in the area, he didn't directly answer me.
Instead, he said, "Behind our village are tea mountains. The elderly who have nothing to do go up the mountain every day to pick tea. They can earn 120 yuan a day." It was then that I realized what it means to have fortune handed to you on a silver platter.
浙江有着全国最好的竹子产区之一,电影《卧虎藏龙》(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)里极具中国美学的竹林打斗戏就是在浙江西北部的安吉取景的。更不要说群山和密布水网带来的丰富物产。
作为省会,照理说,浙江有多少好吃的,杭州就该有多少好吃的。
但杭州却成了互联网上的“美食荒漠”,西湖醋鱼也被调侃为杭州第一大坑菜,一众博主花式群嘲:“对不起我,对不起西湖,也对不起鱼”“正确的食用方法是连鱼带盘一同丢进西湖”。
杭州街景
Despite being the provincial capital, Hangzhou is ironically referred to as a culinary desert. The famous West Lake Vinegar Fish has become the city's top culinary disappointment, with bloggers mocking it mercilessly.
这听上去多少不大合理。毕竟饮食体现了区域经济水平。杭州是新中产青睐的互联网和高新技术产业之城,GDP多年稳居全国城市前十。况且拥有钱塘江、西湖、天目山的丰富物产,怎么会不好吃呢。
或许是在天水麻辣烫、淄博烧烤这样浓烈的大众饮食审美下,杭州的“淡”显得格格不入;又或许是城市每变大一点,就离好食材更远一点。
但当你不带偏见地进入这座城市,你就会发现它的好吃。
竹子,和它的孩子竹笋,都是杭州人喜欢的物产。
听着有点像大熊猫。但就像杭州“老市长”苏东坡说的,宁可食无肉,不可居无竹。杭州人爱竹子的清雅,也爱竹笋的清鲜。
什么时节吃什么笋,对于杭州人来说,就像什么天气穿什么衣服一样自然。即便在不出笋的时节里,它们也会用笋干入菜。
早春的杭州,竹林里立着牌子提醒游客不要踏入出笋的竹林
我今年早春到杭州,每到一家餐厅吃饭,都有春笋开会的感觉。笋或是清炒,或是和咸肉做成腌笃鲜,又或是和雪菜、河蚌、蛤蜊等做成汤菜,都是非常美味的。
Hangzhou locals appreciate the elegance of bamboo and the freshness of bamboo shoots.
When I visited Hangzhou early this spring, every restaurant felt like a bamboo shoot festival. Whether stir-fried, cooked with salted pork in Yanduxian, or made into soups with clams or mussels, every dish was incredibly delicious.
雪菜边笋九芽蛤蜊肉
让我印象最深的是一道用料简单的油焖笋。这道江南人的家常菜,把笋的清鲜发挥到了极致。
早春雨后冒尖的春笋,脆嫩无渣,水分十足。这时的笋要像拍黄瓜一样横刀拍下,让它自然裂开,烹饪起来更加入味。
这道菜用料不需要多,只需要加糖、盐、酱油爆炒焖熟,讲究的话出锅时烹一勺醋,撒葱完结,就能烧得十分美味。糖在遇到高温后会发生焦化,产生焦糖味。笋有种介于蔬菜和菌菇之间的口感,那是氨基酸赋予它的肥厚鲜甜。
Braised spring bamboo shoots require only a few ingredients: sugar, salt, and soy sauce. Stir-fry and simmer until tender. For an extra touch, add a splash of vinegar and sprinkle with green onions before serving. The sugar caramelizes during cooking, imparting a rich, caramel flavor.
如今物流发达,从杭州回北京之后,我在电商平台轻松买到了春笋,烧起来很难失手,是比肉还要好吃的清鲜美味。
油焖春笋
笋的另一种代表做法就是腌笃鲜,一般被认为属于上海本帮菜,所谓鲜掉眉毛,说的就是这道菜。
“上海人都要来杭州吃腌笃鲜的,”杭州一位餐厅老板这样告诉我。腌是咸肉的意思,笃是慢炖,而鲜则是指鲜肉。江南人越冬腌的咸肉,配上春天的笋,加鲜肉慢炖成的清润浓汤,就是腌笃鲜。
腌笃鲜
"People from Shanghai all come to Hangzhou to eat Yanduxian," a restaurant owner in Hangzhou told me. "Yan" refers to salted meat, "du" means slow-cooking, and "xian" signifies fresh meat. This dish combines the salted meat preserved by Jiangnan people over the winter with spring bamboo shoots and fresh meat, slowly simmered into a delicious soup.
腌笃鲜原教旨主义者对入菜原材料控制得很严格,只能接受菜名范围内的这三种食材。但更多人会加上百叶结或莴笋一起炖。
春天的江南,你可以在很多地方吃到添了河蚌的腌笃鲜。
河蚌腌笃鲜
杭州人爱竹子,也像竹子,出世又入世。
他们有“人间天堂”山水间、龙井山上一杯茶的闲适;却也吸收着老天爷赏饭的雨露,用圆融聪慧的精神勤奋向上。
他们也和竹子一样平和,机动车礼让行人在杭州贯彻得很好。我在杭州工作的北方朋友说,从没见过杭州人吵架,有事大家商量着来。
一锅鲜
Fang Yueliang, born in a village near Hangzhou, worked hard in Hangzhou and Beijing, learning to cook in large hotels. After tough times and saving some money, he mastered Hangzhou cuisine and opened a small eatery in Hangzhou.
Initially, Fang Yueliang's restaurant had few customers, while less skilled chefs had busy eateries. Realizing his approach was out of touch, he sought advice and learned from others. Eventually, his restaurant became locally famous.
西湖醋鱼
But with just one bite, I was amazed. The fish was incredibly tender, without any muddy taste. The sweet and sour sauce was refreshingly light and bright, without the overly thick consistency of heavy starch. It felt pleasant in my stomach. The finely chopped ginger reacted with the vinegar and fish, creating a crab-like flavor.
苏州葑门横街菜市场的河虾
二者兼得往往是很难的,毕竟适合上班的城市人才多压力大,大概没什么生活可言;而适合旅游的城市往往好山好水好无聊,野心家们很难实现抱负。
而杭州是为数不多的,既能容下肉身,又能容下灵魂的城市。
杭州不是靠旅游吃饭的城市,他的互联网和高新产业、众多的文化场所足以安放你的灵魂。但它深厚的文化底蕴和“淡妆浓抹总相宜”的出世美景,却让人能够舒适地寄放肉身,即便是生存,也不觉是件难事。
难怪那么多文人愿意为它写诗。
杭州的饮食很像这座城市,一半靠天赐物产,一半靠人工雕琢,赋予人文的色彩。
宋嫂鱼羹
如果你听说它不好吃,不如亲自来吃一吃。
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