If we say that the food in my hometown is the crystallization of the food culture handed down from generation to generation by the industrious and simple Tujia and Miao people. If you want to taste Xiangxi cuisine, you must first have two basic functions: one is not afraid of spicy food, and the other is to eat sour food.
Shut up and serve directly.
The first one is authentic Tujia bacon in Xiangxi.
Look at this color. Do you doubt its taste? Authentic Tujia bacon, you must choose pigs that have been raised for about a year without feed. The slaughter time must be around the winter solstice, and it must be smoked patiently with firewood for about two months. The best bacon is pig's waist, which is half fat and half thin and tastes the best.
The second way, phoenix blood duck.
This dish must choose the ducks raised locally in Xiaoxigou as raw materials, and its biggest feature is blood cake. The blood cake is duck blood slaughtered by ducks, and is selected from high mountain glutinous rice. Duck blood soaked in glutinous rice, glutinous rice stuck with duck blood, giving birth to a unique flavor. When cooking, stir-fry the duck until it is cooked, add water to simmer until it tastes delicious, and add blood cake before taking out the pot. This dish has a unique flavor, but it is a bit spicy.
Third, Camus fish with Chinese sauerkraut.
There is a proverb of Miao people in western Hunan, if you don't eat sour for three days, you will go up the mountain to fight (meaning walking unsteadily). This dish is the crystallization of Miao wisdom. According to legend, because of the limited storage conditions in those years, the fish salvaged could not be eaten for a while, and the more it was eaten, the more sour it became, and it became today's fish. The production of sour fish is also very particular. The raw material is rice carp stocked in paddy fields, and then yellow rice produced in high mountains is marinated in casserole for more than a month. This dish is moderate in sour and spicy taste, and it is the first choice with meals.
The fourth way is the sour meat of Miao.
Camus sour meat, pork belly is the first choice as raw material, and it needs to be marinated in casserole for about half a month. When cooking this dish, it is best to fry it with local tea seed oil, and serve it with dried Chili and garlic when closing the pot. When the dish is loaded, the dish is golden in color, crisp and slightly sour at the entrance, with endless aftertaste.
Fifth, the water centipede in the stream.
Water centipede, called water reptile in Xiangxi dialect, mostly occurs in pollution-free streams in mountain streams in late spring and early summer. This dish is mostly fried, its meat is rich in high protein, and its entrance is sweet and pleasant. Accompanied by wine and food are mountain people. Because of its ugly appearance, the first taster must have some courage.
Sixth, Tujia eel.
The raw materials are carefully selected live eels. Eggs are scattered in clear water and fed for a week until the mud is full of fishy smell. When cooking, put the live eel directly into the hot oil pan and let it curl naturally. When the eel is cooked, add dried Chili, pepper, shredded ginger and garlic. This dish is full of spicy taste, fresh and tender fish, and it is also a must-have dish with wine.
Seventh, fry the bee pupa.
The raw material is the pupa of the mountain thunder bee, which is a high-protein food with big meat and tender meat. Stir-fry with fresh ginger foam and chopped green onion. The protein of this dish is too high, so people who are allergic to protein should eat it carefully.
Eighth, Xiangxi corn acid.
Glutamic acid is made of corn flour and mashed red pepper, which can be preserved in casserole for more than half a month. When cooking, take a proper amount of glutamic acid out of the pot and stir-fry it with hot oil. This dish is moderately sour and spicy, and it is a common dish that people eat at home.