Shaanxi Ningqiang snacks

Ningqiang is a region in Shaanxi. People may not be familiar with this region, but there are many special snacks in this region that are well-known, such as the nutritious Ningqiang walnut steamed buns, the spicy Ningqiang spicy chicken, the Ningqiang fern vermicelli that can clear away heat and reduce fire, or some other cold dishes such as Ningqiang leaf jelly, etc. Ningqiang has many special snacks. Below I will introduce in detail the special snacks in Ningqiang, Shaanxi.

NO1. Ningqiang walnut bun

Ningqiang walnut steamed buns are fermented with oil flour, and the time and water temperature vary throughout the year. The fermentation process is divided into three times. After the first leavened dough is fully fermented, add a certain proportion of raw flour. After fermentation to a certain degree, add a certain proportion of prepared edible vegetable oil. After fermenting again, add walnut paste and mix well. Pinch it and roll it into long strips. Spread walnut paste on the surface to make it into round cakes. Finally, add walnut paste and vegetable oil and bake it in the oven. In the old days, the cakes were in the shape of "dragon eyes" with phoenix patterns around them. They were called "Manchu and Han Dragon and Phoenix Wedding Cakes" and were a tribute to the Empress Dowager Cixi.

Ningqiang walnut steamed bun has a long history. According to word-of-mouth legend of Ningqiang walnut buns, after Zhou Yuji, a governor of Tianjin, was defeated and charged with a crime, his son fled to Ningqiang with his chef and became a son-in-law of the Wang family. His chef worked as a cook in the Wang family, mainly making seafood pickles, pastries, etc. Over time, the chef became familiar with Ningqiang's situation and incorporated the abundant walnuts in Ningqiang and the local method of making walnut buns into the pastries he produced.

NO2. Ningqiang Spicy Chicken

Spicy chicken is a unique traditional snack in Ningqiang, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, and is a cold dish. It is indispensable in high-end banquets; it is often seen on the tables of ordinary people; it must be eaten when friends come over; and it is often chosen as a gift. It is Wang's Spicy Chicken, a famous Ningqiang local snack well-known in the northwest.

The method is: first kill the chicken, remove the hair, take out the internal organs, wash it, put it into cold water to boil, remove the foam, add cardamom, star anise, amomum villosum, white button, a little pepper, 10 grams of ginger, and two green onions, simmer until it is 70% cooked, remove it, drain the water, and let it cool. Then use a sharp knife to cut the chicken into two-inch square pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper powder, mix well, and marinate for ten minutes. Finally, mash 40 grams of ginger and squeeze out the ginger juice. Add it into the chicken soup along with chili oil, MSG, etc., pour in the chicken pieces, mix well and serve. This dish has a bright golden color, the meat is tender and crispy, fat but not greasy, and spicy. After eating it, the tip of your tongue and the skin of your lips will feel burning, making you both afraid and loving it, unable to resist the temptation and eating it again and again.

NO3. Ningqiang fern root vermicelli

Ningqiang fern root vermicelli is a specialty of Ningqiang County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province. Ningqiang fern root vermicelli is made from the rhizomes of wild ferns that grow in the Qinba Mountains for many years, from which starch is extracted and refined.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records that "fern root can dispel sudden heat, promote urination, induce sleep, and replenish the deficiencies of the five internal organs." Modern science has proven that it is rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins and a variety of trace elements. It is nutritious, smooth and delicious, pollution-free and harmless. It is a purely natural black health product.

There are actually two ways to prepare it, one is as a cold dish and the other is as a hot dish. But no matter which method you use, you must soak the fern root vermicelli in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. When the vermicelli is no longer hard, take it out and drain the water. For cold dish preparation, mix it directly with the seasoning. To make hot dishes, add seasonings to the pot and stir for three minutes. If you are making soup, the time can be longer.

NO4. Ningqiang Leaf Jelly

Ningqiang has a special delicacy called leaf jelly, which is made from the leaves of a tree called the golden jelly. The method is to take about one kilogram (half a bucket) of leaves from the tree, put them in a wooden barrel, rinse them with cypress ash and boiling water, use a rolling pin to stir continuously in the barrel to dissolve the leaves, then put the dissolved leaf juice in a bowl and cool it until it solidifies and then it can be eaten cold. When mixing it cold, use garlic, salt, MSG, pepper, vinegar (salted water), chili oil, etc., and it can be eaten after mixing it. It is pure natural and delicious. It has the effects of maintaining health, nourishing the stomach and prolonging life.