Thin crust crisp stuffing a bowl of fresh, this bowl of Shaxian flat meat, hidden in Fujian millennium fireworks heritage

the morning in central Fujian is always awakened by the fresh aroma floating out of Shaxian snack bar. It is not the richness of heavy oil and heavy sauce, but the pure fresh fragrance that comes out after being rolled in the bone soup with thin skin wrapped in crisp and tender meat. A bowl of steaming flat meat is served on the table, sprinkled with green chopped green onion, dripped with two drops of balsamic vinegar, and slipped into the throat. The meat stuffing is crisp, tender and sweet. This is Shaxian flat meat, a national snack that is popular in the north and south and south and even overseas. It seems to be an ordinary wonton, but with its unique mallet beating meat technology and thin dough skin, it has become the soul signboard of Shaxian snacks. It is also the taste mark of the integration of Central Plains food culture and Fujian and Vietnam customs. It is low-key but very recognizable.

I am Luo Xingyu, a 32-year-old native of Yubang Village, Shaxian County, Fujian Province. I have been sharing Minzhong snacks in aifoodnews for four years. Yubang Village is recognized as the first snack village in Shaxian County. My family has run flat butcher shops for three generations and grew up with the sound of wooden mallets beating meat. I am not a professional chef, but I can tell with my eyes closed whether the meat is beaten in place and whether the dough is rolled thin enough. I have a hearty and honest personality. I don't like fancy seasoning. I firmly believe that the soul of a good snack lies in the ingredients themselves and the craftsmanship handed down from generation to generation. For me, this bowl of flat meat is not only the craft of making a living, but also the inheritance of grandpa's hand-in-hand teaching, the breakfast on the way to school, and the most practical homesickness when I go far away.

The history of Shaxian flat meat can be traced back to thousands of years ago. The scholars of the Central Plains moved south and brought the embryonic form of wonton to Sha County in central Fujian. Combined with the high-quality pork and wheat produced locally, they gradually improved the flat meat of today. Li Gang, a famous minister of the Song Dynasty, once wrote poems to praise it, which shows that it was already a popular delicacy in ancient times. Once upon a time, Sha County was an important trade route between Fujian and China. Merchants and travelers from south to north all liked to order a bowl of flat meat with noodles mixed in small shops on the street, which was both affordable and full. In modern times, Shaxian people took this craft out of the mountains. Green Shaxian snack signs spread all over the country and even overseas. Flat meat has also become the most familiar taste for countless people in daily life. Breakfast, midnight snack and hunger on the way will always be there, simple and warm.

What I remember most is the summer when my grandfather taught me to beat flat meat. At the age of ten, I was holding a heavy mallet and my arms ached until I could beat it dozens of times. Grandpa said, flat meat "crisp", all in this beat. The pure lean meat of the pig's hind legs slaughtered on the same day must be selected, all fascia removed, placed on a special wooden pier, and repeatedly beaten thousands of times with a wooden mallet. It cannot be chopped with a knife, and it cannot be twisted with a machine-chopping with a knife will break fibers, and the machine will make the meat produce wood. Only by beating by hand can the minced meat produce a unique crisp feeling. Beat until the meat paste can hang on the mallet, add a little salt, ice water, egg white to taste, and never put other seasonings to avoid covering up the freshness of the meat.

Noodle and soup head are also the soul of authentic flat meat. The dough should be rolled out as thin as cicada wings, almost transparent, made of high-quality flour and a little alkaline water, so that it will be smooth and tender without sticking teeth, wrapped in meat stuffing and put into the pot, floating up and cooked, and will not be rotten for a long time. The soup head is a clear soup that is slowly stewed with pork tube bones for several hours. The slick oil is skimmed off, leaving only mellow and fresh fragrance. A little scallion, shrimp skin and a few drops of fragrant pork oil are placed at the bottom of the bowl in advance. After the flat meat is fished out, it is rushed into the hot bone soup, and the fragrance is instantly diffused. The method of wrapping flat meat is also exquisite. It is kneaded into small butterfly-like shape, each size is uniform, one by one.

Sincerely recommend every friend who loves snacks, be sure to try authentic Shaxian flat meat. First, it is a living fossil of the integration of Central Plains diet and Minyue culture. The craftsmanship passed down for thousands of years is the taste of history. Second, the taste is unique, with thin skin and slippery, crisp and tender meat stuffing, which is completely different from ordinary soft and rotten wonton stuffing. The soup is fresh and not greasy, suitable for all ages. Third, the ingredients are healthy and real, without too many additives, low fat and high protein, with noodles; fourth, it is extremely cost-effective and can be eaten all over the country. It is convenient and fast. It is an excellent choice for daily diet. Fifth, it is a cultural symbol of Shaxian County. It is a unique experience to go to the snack street of Yubang Village and watch the old master beat meat and pack flat meat on the spot.

At present, in many chain stores, in order to pursue efficiency, they use machines to mince meat and prefabricated soup base, which taste far inferior to the manual version of the old stores. Grandpa taught me a few tips and shared them with friends who want to relive them at home: add ice water when beating meat, which can make the meat crisper; The skin must be thin, but it cannot be broken. When boiling flat meat, the water is put into the pan, and it can be boiled for 30 seconds after floating. Never cook for long. Add a little fragrant pig oil to the soup, which is more fragrant than ordinary oil. These seemingly simple details are the essence of Shaxian flat meat for a hundred years.

I share Shaxian snacks aifoodnews, always put flat meat in the first place. Because it makes me understand that the real national delicacy is never a delicacy, but a taste made with the simplest ingredients and the most solid craftsmanship. This bowl of flat meat hides the simplicity and perseverance of Shaxian people, the homesickness of wanderers, and the warm memories of travelers from south to north. It has no gorgeous appearance, but with pure fresh fragrance, it has conquered the taste buds of generations of diners.

If you also prefer this simple and delicious snack, you may as well go to the local Shaxian old shop and order a bowl of flat meat with noodles. If you have the chance to go to Yubang Village, Shaxian County, Fujian Province, you must see the process of the old master beating the meat by hand and try the hot flat meat that has just come out of the pot. Do you have any stories about Sha County's flat meat? What's your favorite snack match? Please leave a message in the comment area and share it. You can also come to the aifoodnews to find me and unlock more authentic snacks in Sha County.