"Meat Pie" has different definitions in North and South.
Before saying "meat pie soup", say "meat pie" first.
The word "meat pie" is quite different in the context of northern and southern China. In the northern language system, when it comes to "cakes", there must be noodles, such as pancakes, pies, sugar cakes and so on. And "meat pie" refers to the staple food similar to pie after baking in a pot. Different from pies, patties are much larger, usually pork or beef and green onions, without extra vegetables. Cut the baked meat pie obliquely into 6-8 pieces. Beijingers call this piece "one edge". Thin skin and thick flesh, once bitten, immediately conquered by the satisfaction brought by meat and oil. This is what a perfect meat pie should look like.
In my childhood memory, especially in the summer when I didn't like cooking, I bought some JD.COM patties at home and cooked a pot of millet porridge, which was a good meal.
So when I hear "meat pie soup", my most instinctive reaction is to associate it with the soup made from meat pie. What the hell is that?
Later, I learned that "meat pie" in the southern context refers to the cake made of meat stuffing, which is usually chopped or beaten to produce glue and stick together. Apart from pure meat and a little Jiang Mo, there is basically no need for additional ingredients. Chopped meat pie is put into a crock or stew pot, or simmered or steamed to make meat pie soup. Chopped meat pie itself has gum, which is easier to precipitate amino acids than non-chopped meat, which may be one of the reasons why meat pie soup is more attractive than directly stewing several sparerib soups.
After I first discovered what meat pie soup was, I was not so interested in it. In my opinion, the "melon meatball soup" made by Beijingers is much more delicious than the meat pie soup: after the meat is cooked, it is made into meatballs with a vise and boiled in boiling water for "retting". In addition, wax gourd, vermicelli and pepper are added. It's just a home-cooked dish spread on the table of Beijingers, but foreigners don't have enough to eat. Isn't this richness more attractive than meat pie soup?
It was not until I went to Nanchang last month that I really saw the number of soup shops all over the street. I was once addicted to the hot meat pie soup at a high temperature of nearly 40 degrees, and even once suspected that the best soup chef in this universe should not be from Jiangxi.
What kinds of meat pie soup are there?
When I arrived in Nanchang, I have to admit that the status of meat pie soup in Nanchang people's minds is much higher than that of wax gourd and meatballs in Beijing people's minds, and it is not an order of magnitude in terms of varieties alone.
"Meat Pie Soup" is just a basic, or a general term for this simmering soup. In addition to pure meat pie soup, meat pie can also be matched with many ingredients, such as eggs, longan, mushrooms, cuttlefish, Sydney, tea mushroom and so on. These are just common combinations in shops. I'm afraid people have their own recipes at home.
Egg patty soup should be the most common, and it is available in almost every soup shop. In the "Maozi" in Jingdezhen, we have midnight snack, meat pie and egg drop soup, but in the noodle restaurant of the Old Third Hospital in Nanchang, it is more interesting to associate eggs with meat pie. When the meat pie is ready, beat the whole egg on it. Yes, one side is meat pie and the other side is egg.
Egg cake soup is also very distinctive. I thought it was just a preserved egg, but I didn't expect to cook a whole one. The scalded preserved eggs are soft and semi-melted, which sounds a little dark, but some Jiangxi boys only like to eat this bite, and they have to ask the store to put a cup of preserved eggs in it to melt.
My favorite is cuttlefish meat pie soup, which only needs a small piece of dried cuttlefish, and the simmered soup will taste very complicated. The meat pie itself tastes soft, and the dried cuttlefish mixed in it has something to chew besides the big meat pie. Although I'm sweating, I'm still hungry.
Casserole soup
There is a more authentic way to make meat pie soup, which is simmered in a unique crock in Jiangxi. Walking on the streets of Nanchang, you can often see the four characters of "crock simmer soup" appearing on the archway of a small shop. Take a closer look, there is a huge crock with dragons carved on it, which is quite the style of a town shop.
Gourmet Xiao Kuanpang once said that every city has its own local cuisine, which is rarely seen here or even around. In Beijing, it is fried liver, and in Shanghai, it is a grassroots circle, both of which are local snacks that only locals know; This rule is very convincing even abroad. Fried tripe bag, a special snack in Florence, can't be found in other Italian cities, even Bologna, which is known as the "city of fat people", is no exception.
I don't know if there is crock soup outside Jiangxi, but what is certain is that this kind of food, which is very picky about utensils, will lose a lot of its original flavor even if it spreads to other provinces. Even in Jiangxi, if there is a crock soup shop in a town outside Nanchang, the signboard must also indicate the birthplace of Nanjing Jinsheng Pagoda as a key word to show authenticity.
The principle of crock soup is simply to simmer a small crock with a big crock. Each vat is made of clay. China has used clay pots to hold liquid or food since ancient times, and even some European and American countries have the custom of making wine with clay pots. This is because the casserole has good air permeability and heat preservation performance, and the liquid contained in it does not affect breathing and can be heated evenly.
The bottom of the big crock can be burned, and there is a fixed iron frame in the crock. The chef will stack the small crock with ingredients on the iron frame layer by layer, and some will cover the seal of the small crock with a layer of tin foil to better seal and keep warm; When simmering, the charcoal is lit first, and the heat is transferred from the big crock to the small crock by the high temperature generated by the charcoal fire, so that the soup is simmered. There is no open flame in the small crock pot and it has been simmering for a long time. The advantage of this is that it does not destroy the nutrients of the ingredients, similar to the Cantonese who are also good at making soup, and stew the soup with a pot of water.
It usually takes 6-8 hours to make soup. After the charcoal fire is extinguished, the good thermal insulation of the crock pot can keep the soup at a high temperature. The soup simmered in the morning is still very hot even if you drink it in the shop in the afternoon. Some anxious or anxious guests will ask the store to pour the soup into a small bowl, which will save time when the soup is cold. But I, an outsider, have a soft spot for little crocodiles. Even if they are twisted by hot soup, I still can't bear to pour them into the bowl.
In my opinion, although fried noodles and soup are a simple meal, as long as this palm-sized crock is served on the table, people will immediately feel a sense of ceremony.
Yuan Mei, a gourmet in Qing Dynasty, once lamented that food is not as good as exquisite utensils, and so are Sri Lankans. Different dishes should be packed in corresponding containers, which will make you feel colorful if you put them wrong. I stared at this small crock and thought about those "Tang-style feasts" and "Song-style feasts". It's best to start with food containers.
I chatted with the owner of a small shop in Nanchang where I ate fried noodles.
"Get up at two or three every morning to make soup. At 6 o'clock, the first guests will come for breakfast one after another. "
If someone asks him from Nanchang what is the most popular local breakfast, the answer is probably "mixed with flour and meat pie soup". I'm afraid this classic collocation is a taste gene that every Nanchang person wandering in a foreign land can't forget. My friends in Nanchang told me more than once that when I was sick or unwell in Beijing, I missed my hometown's meat pie soup the most. Every time I go home and just get out of the train station in the morning, I will take my luggage to the breakfast shop and order a bowl of mixed powder and a crock soup. I feel comfortable only when the soup is clean and tender.
In the hot July, I drank soup to wipe my sweat, but I also felt cool. It immediately occurred to me that a cup of egg roll soup is only 4.50 yuan. If I drink it, it's not expensive to buy a small crock, is it
: where to eat
1. Laowu food stall | Kidney soup, fried powder
Before I went to Nanchang, my friend told me that he would take me to a very delicious kidney soup shop. Because I don't usually eat kidneys, I don't expect anything. However, this kidney soup is really good. It is packed in a small container like a steamer. Fresh ingredients, no smell. If you go to Nanchang again, you must brush it again. He can eat both fried noodles and mixed noodles. It's a pity that I didn't eat particularly amazing fried powder when I went to Nanchang this time.
Yaozi Decoction 15 yuan
Address: intersection of Supu Road and Minde Road.
2. Long Laowu Soup Shop | Various flavors of crock soup
It is said that the opposite Long Laowu and Laowu have been arguing about who is the birthplace of Nanchang crock soup, because the previous two stores are in front of Jinsheng Tower, and it is said that crock soup originated here.
Later, after the rectification and demolition, both families moved to a place not far from Jinsheng Pagoda, changing guns and taking the route of "scenic restaurant". There are many tourists in the shop, which is very noisy. Even so, Long Laowu's housekeeping crock soup is a must. In addition to meat pie soup, there are various health soups.
Friendly reminder, don't order their fried powder and mixed powder, especially fried powder, which tastes burnt. But the crock soup is really delicious (I can't figure out how a store can divide it like this.
Egg Meat Pie Soup 6 yuan
Cuttlefish Meat Pie Soup 5 yuan
Address: No.203 Zhanqian West Road (next to Wang Zhongwang Supermarket)
3. Old Third Hospital vermicelli shop | Mixed powder
As we all know, Nanchang has opened noodle restaurants for decades. Now there are three branches.
The specialty of the shop is mixed powder, which is really delicious, especially with dried radish. Hum and you'll be done. I want more! It can be regarded as the best mixed powder I have ever eaten in Nanchang.
There is also meat pie soup here. I want to eat Sydney meat pie soup. As a result, the store said that there were only 8 copies a day, which had already been sold out. If you want to drink, you can only catch up early. Finally, I drank the omelet soup. The meat pie is tender.
Xiao wan ban fen 3.5 yuan
Da wan ban fen 4.5 yuan
Sydney Meat Pie Soup 5 yuan
Please refer to Baojiaxiang Community (Jiandeguan Store) in Baihuazhou Street for multiple addresses.
4. Hu Ji Lao Nanchang beer duck mixed with powder | mixed with powder, pork liver soup
Delicious chain store The main product is beer duck mixed with powder, but I read a comment before I went there. Braised pork intestines are also good. After a long struggle, I ordered braised pork intestines, which was really delicious. Even now, my mouth is watering. Personally, I think the ingredients in this noodle house should be good. Next time, I'll try the beer duck mixed with powder.
There is no meat pie soup here, but it is also good to have pork liver and egg flower soup, which goes well with the slightly spicy mixed powder. And there are so many pig livers! As long as 5 yuan, the price in Nanchang has been moving.
Braised pork intestines mixed with powder 12 yuan
Beer duck mixed powder 13 yuan
Danitang 5 yuan
Please refer to: West 10m at the intersection of Fuzhou Road and Fuzhou Branch Road for multiple addresses.
5. Cheng Xiao Bakery | All kinds of baked cakes.
Finally, I contacted a baked wheat cake shop and met him on the road. Later, I learned that it was a biscuit shop among network celebrities, which has been in Nanchang for more than ten years. On a small scale, there are usually many people queuing up.
I bought a sweet and salty cake baked with fresh meat and sugar. The meat is a little too much but it is rare and fragrant! This is my first time to eat this thin and crisp southern scone. After eating, I regret not buying two more. Dried plums and pickled mustard tuber should also be delicious. One person is still limited to 20, but it is said that Rene Liu went to Nanchang to buy 100, probably for the benefit of celebrities ~
Various kinds of sesame cakes 1.5 yuan/Zhang
Address: Xiangshan North Road 1 17 (opposite to the First Hospital of Xiaogongmiao Lane)