Not rice noodles! Not hot soup! It is a status symbol of Henan people.

▲ Schizonepeta cucumber roll. Photography /lxpcxplcy, map/Huitong. com

-Wind, scenery and words-

Summer Muses o

Not rice noodles! Not hot soup! It is a status symbol of Henan people.

▲ Schizonepeta cucumber roll. Photography /lxpcxplcy, map/Huitong. com

-Wind, scenery and words-

Summer Muses of Henan People

Schizonepeta tenuifolia is a joint code of Henan people.

Mention Schizonepeta tenuifolia with Henan people, and you will see each other's knowing smile; Mention Schizonepeta to people in other areas, and you will be greeted by a series of questions: What is Schizonepeta? Cat mint? What's the difference between Schizonepeta tenuifolia and basil? Why do you want to eat Schizonepeta? What's the smell of Schizonepeta tenuifolia? Worse than parsley and broken ears?

▲ Schizonepeta mixed with cucumber. Photography/Bean 5, map/map. com

Schizonepeta tenuifolia, as the all-round trump card on the dining table of Henan people, is the summer muse of Henan people. In hot summer, if you throw a few pieces of Schizonepeta casually in cold water or sprinkle a handful of Schizonepeta in cold cucumber preserved eggs, your appetite will be aroused.

Some people say that where there are people from Henan, there is Schizonepeta tenuifolia. If you ask me, where there is Schizonepeta, there are people from Henan.

▲ In Henan, only Schizonepeta leaves are generally eaten. Photography/Call me Chef, Tu/Hui Tu. com

Every homesick Henan person has a taste of Schizonepeta in his heart. As a seasoning dish, many Henan children said that they would never accept the taste of coriander, but they were fascinated by the more pungent Schizonepeta tenuifolia. There are also many children in Henan who say that they can't eat Schizonepeta without Henan, so they turn to the "flat replacement" of Schizonepeta-coriander; There are even fans of Schizonepeta tenuifolia, who scatter the seeds of Schizonepeta tenuifolia on the windowsill of a foreign land.

In fact, Schizonepeta tenuifolia is not exclusive to Henan people. Schizonepeta tenuifolia is found everywhere in the Central Plains, similar to southwestern Shandong and northern Anhui. As a condiment, Schizonepeta tenuifolia is eaten in a similar way to coriander, but it has a slightly bitter herbal fragrance in taste.

▲ Schizonepeta onion. Photography /lxpcxplcy, map/Huitong. com

From the appearance, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, mint and basil (also known as nine-story pagoda) are almost twin brothers, which is easy to be confused. So until today, there are still many controversies about whether people in Henan eat Schizonepeta or basil.

"Today's people suffer from wind disease, that is, they use Jing to defend themselves." At first, Schizonepeta tenuifolia was considered as one of the Chinese herbal medicines for treating wind-cold. Because the taste is refreshing, the longer you pinch it, the more prosperous it is. In Henan, a populous province, the vegetable properties of Schizonepeta tenuifolia far exceed its medicinal properties. "Compendium of Materia Medica of Tang Dynasty" also specifically records: "This medicine is Schizonepeta tenuifolia, which lived in the grass department first, and is now eaten by human beings and contained in the vegetable department."

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▲ Schizonepeta tenuifolia, a traditional Chinese medicine. Photography/Kunming commercial photography, map/map. com

Interestingly, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, which can be eaten all summer at a time, seems ordinary, but it has a "supreme" position in the hearts of Henan people. Whoever is well informed is the one who has "eaten a big plate of Schizonepeta"; Laughing at yourself when you hit a wall is "don't eat Schizonepeta"

When the Huimian Noodles Pavilion and Hu Spicy Soup Shop downstairs replaced the chopped green onion in the bowl with Schizonepeta leaves, summer came in Henan.

▲ Henan garlic juice grab noodles. Photography /lxpcxplcy, map/Huitong. com

Many times, the Schizonepeta tenuifolia on the dining table is the foil. Like Henan, it does not dispute or rob, but it has a unique faint fragrance. In summer in Henan, Schizonepeta's partner is the first choice, always fishing for noodles.

If you want to vote for the popular summer lunch in Henan, there is no doubt that the noodles with Schizonepeta garlic sauce are the first. In the early years in rural Henan, every household had wells. Even in summer, the newly pumped well water is cool and sweet, and the splashed water is cold smoke. After the warm handmade noodles are cooked, they are thrown into the newly pumped well water for a shock, and the hot air disappears with the boiling bubbles.

▲ Schizonepeta tenuifolia and tomato eggs are the most common gravy in Henan fish noodles. Photography/September sunshine, pictures/bugs, creativity

The noodles fished out of the water are particularly strong, poured with a spoonful of garlic juice, and then tossed with a freshly picked and washed Schizonepeta leaf. Chopsticks are stirred a few times casually, and the flavors of Schizonepeta and garlic juice are fully blended, and the noodles are surrounded.

For Henan people, it is not enough to put Schizonepeta in noodles. It is best to have Schizonepeta in the dish. Newly picked tender cucumber, pinch off the pedicle, wash and mash, mix with garlic vinegar juice, sprinkle with Schizonepeta, and taste cool; Homemade cooked rice noodles, or mung bean noodles, soaked in water and mixed with Schizonepeta tenuifolia can be used as both a staple food and a side dish.

▲ Henan preserved eggs, also called changed eggs, are often mixed with Schizonepeta. Photography/hot air photography, map/map. com

But what attracts me most is that Schizonepeta has changed eggs. Different from preserved eggs made of duck eggs in other areas, preserved eggs in Henan (called preserved eggs locally) use eggs.

The shelled preserved eggs are clear and transparent amber. Cut a preserved egg into four pieces, pour the seasoning on it, and sprinkle touch of green Schizonepeta on it. As far as color matching is concerned, it's cool and refreshing. Finally, pour some sesame oil, which is really attractive.

▲ Schizonepeta preserved eggs. Graphics/network

Besides cold salad, Schizonepeta can also make soup. Not everyone's stomach is suitable for scratching noodles with cold water. Sour soup noodles provide another choice.

Leaves as thin as cicadas swim in hot and sour soup made of tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. The addition of Schizonepeta tenuifolia is not only the embellishment of color, but also the finishing touch of taste. Facing the ups and downs of leaves, Schizonepeta tenuifolia released a unique slightly bitter and sweet taste, which not only neutralized the sour taste of tomatoes, but also stimulated the sweetness of tomatoes.

▲ In Henan, if you eat sour soup leaves in summer and put Schizonepeta in winter, you will use coriander instead of Schizonepeta. Photography/Reality and Reality Commercial Photography Agency, Tuhui. com。

Although it is hot soup, the boiled sour soup leaves are refreshing and appetizing, with a different coolness. The tender buds of Schizonepeta tenuifolia can also be scrambled eggs, which is different from the flavor of scrambled eggs of Toona sinensis. The scrambled eggs of Schizonepeta tenuifolia have the Shan Ye flavor of wild vegetables.

People in Henan love Schizonepeta tenuifolia too much to be satisfied with its side dishes. After "solo flight", Schizonepeta tenuifolia has a homely flavor.

Steamed Schizonepeta tenuifolia is almost every grandmother's specialty in Henan. Clean Schizonepeta tenuifolia, remove stems and leaves, control water, disguise it as powder with a thin layer of powder, and then put it in a steamer.

▲ Before mixing noodles, Schizonepeta tenuifolia must first control the dry moisture. Graphics/network

The leaves of Schizonepeta tenuifolia are very delicate, so they can be steamed on the fire for three to five minutes and then cooked. After cooking, the Schizonepeta tenuifolia should be quickly dispersed so that the hot air can escape in time, so that the Schizonepeta tenuifolia can be neat and refreshing, otherwise it will stick together and taste very watery.

Steamed Schizonepeta tenuifolia with balsamic vinegar and sesame oil can be eaten directly. Thin flour, processed at high temperature, became the protective film of Schizonepeta tenuifolia. When the surface of glutinous rice flour rubbed against the teeth, the fragrance of Schizonepeta tenuifolia could not stand it and began to release its charm unscrupulously.

▲ Schizonepeta pancake roll. Photography /Johnny-wang, Tu/Huitu. com

Schizonepeta tenuifolia can be steamed with flour and made into pancakes. Chop the leaves of Schizonepeta tenuifolia, mix them with flour and eggs to make a batter, and then bake them in a pan to make pancakes. After that, roll the soft glutinous pancakes into rolls and cut them into small pieces, which is as delicate as any meal.

The baked Schizonepeta pancake is soft and delicious, with the coolness of Schizonepeta and the warmth of eggs, and then dipped in the sauce made of soy sauce and garlic paste, which has a strong taste.

▲ Green Schizonepeta meatballs are very summer. Graphics/network

In Henan, flour and Schizonepeta are doomed CP. Chop up Schizonepeta tenuifolia and flour, squeeze out Schizonepeta meatballs from your fist, and put them in an oil pan and slowly cover them with gold. Or simply wrap the whole piece of Schizonepeta tenuifolia in egg liquid and fry it directly. The floating leaves of Schizonepeta tenuifolia swim leisurely in the pot like small fish.

The Schizonepeta meatballs and fried Schizonepeta fish have not yet been cooked, and they have been surrounded by the stove. In addition to the drooling children, the dog at home is also squatting aside.

▲ Schizonepeta chicken miscellaneous grains noodles. Photography /yehuu 133, map /Huitu.com

People often say that if you want to know a city, you have to go to the vegetable market. To understand the people in a city, you must eat the home-cooked dishes in this city. If Hu spicy soup represents the tradition of Henan and the emblem is the innovation of Henan, then Schizonepeta tenuifolia is the link that connects them in series.

As a side dish, it is simple and low-key, but indispensable; As the main meal, it is lush, charming and more beautiful. Schizonepeta, very Henan, Schizonepeta, the most Henan.

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When Wen Yi Ying Shi