02x10 - Salted Flour

[bunniefuu]

This is the art of food storage
and flavor transformation.


It started with our ancestors
over , years ago


and left a mark through
the next generations with time.


Finally, it developed into
a unique type of flavor in Yunnan.


It's one of the oldest preserved food
in China, known as
"Zha."

The ingredients include
meat and vegetables.


You can almost find its original form
from the ancient books.

In Yunnan,

they kept the most traditional flavor
and way of making it until now.

Hometown food is like your mother tongue.

It's deeply embedded in the memories
of a wanderer.


Entering the lunar month,
the year is almost ending.


The children and grandchildren
are coming home for reunions.


The grandmother, Lu Guiying,
knows their taste best.

LU GUIYING

Salted flour fish is a must-have dish
as the family welcomes the new year.


Small stonefishes fresh from Lake Dian
are fat with tender meat.


But only after drying them,
they become an ingredient to Lu Guiying.

YUNNAN, KUNMING

The preparation of ingredients
will decide the final texture and taste.


This is the lesson a beginner
should learn in food preservation.

Today, in Kunming City,

Li Huiqiong will learn how to make
the popular fermented dish from her aunt.

The purple eggplants have grown

to be soft and plump
with thin skin in Yunnan.

Cutting them into strips

exposes the inner spongy pulp
to a greater extent


and accelerates
the water evaporation rate.


The texture gradually
becomes soft and chewy.

SALTED FLOUR SLICED RADISH, TOFU
SALTED FLOUR TARO
The fermentation of vegetables, meat,

and rice or noodles together
is called
"Zha".

Many places in China have similar dishes.
YUNNAN DALI, HEQING

In Heqing, a small city
in northern Yunnan,

pigs are k*lled at the end of the year.

The leftover scraps

become the main ingredients for
Zhao Shuangxiu in making fermented food.

Fat pig intestines,

lean backbones,

and plump bellies are gathered,

awaiting to have a new breath of life.

After drying them for three days,

the eggplants lose percent
of the water content.

They're soft yet firm.

The small stonefishes in Lu Guiying's home
also become gel-like and chewy.


These ingredients are about to be covered
with condiments of various colors.


Salty and spicy are the basic
signature taste of fermented food.


It's also a requirement
to prolong their shelf life.

YUNNAN, KUNMING

Besides having the characteristic
inherited from the family,


every type of fermented food presents
its fresh personality.


This is accomplished by using
your preferred side ingredients.

LI HUIQIONG
Salted flour eggplants.

Under her aunt's tutelage,

Li Huiqiong found
an exclusive side ingredient.

Raw rice milled into a powder.

Mix it with the dried eggplants
using a one-to-ten proportion.


A large amount of starch in the grain
can produce lactic acid

which promotes fermentation.

Not only does it prevent
the eggplants from spoilage,


it serves as the catalyst
to transform its flavor.


Aside from rice flour,
many places use cornflour

or glutinous rice flour for fermentation.

This is a required step
in making fermented food.

Store them in a sealed jar.

Li Huiqiong needs to wait for some time
to examine her learning outcomes.

YUNNAN DALI, HEQING
Located kilometers away in Heqing,

the salted flour pork liver needs to be
completed before the village banquet.

Zhao Shuangxiu has her secret weapon.

Soybeans that are fermented
for three months


have sticky and long fine threads
when pulled.

That's the sign of protein breakdown.

The organic acid produced
can inhibit the foul smell of raw meat

and bring a mesmerizing fresh fragrance.

Chili and pepper
provide a complex spicy flavor.


White wine with a high alcohol content
brings a rich and long-lasting aroma.

The taste is strong.

This is the salted flour pork liver that
Heqing people don't get tired of eating.

YUNNAN KUNMING, SHILONG VILLAGE

Aside from carefully
choosing the side ingredients,

in making fermented food,

a strictly controlled pickling environment
is needed.


Mix pepper and salt
with the dried fish and chili powder.


At this point, we're only waiting
for the fermentation of the fish.


Creating a perfect
fermentation environment

requires a systemic process.
LU GUIYING

This cannot be completed
by only relying on a jar.

These dried grass

are about to become an important
component in making salted flour fish.

Since Lu Guiying was young,

she mastered amazing handicraft skills.

The dried grass became a jar stopper.

It's joint with the opening of the jar.

Put the jar upside down.

Water can inhibit airflow.

The dried grass acts like a gate.

It can seal the opening

and also absorb excess moisture
that seeped out from the fish.


It maintains the dryness inside the jar
and inhibits the growth of bacteria.


Next, the microorganisms
are about to have a party inside the jar.


With different ingredients,
the fermentation time also differs.

SALTED FLOUR FISH, MONTH
SALTED FLOUR EGGPLANT, MONTHS
SALTED FLOUR PORK LIVER, MONTHS

After two months,
the salted flour eggplant is ready.


The undissolved rice powder
encapsulates the eggplant strips.

They're dry and soft

with the unique slightly sour taste
brought about by fermentation.


When deep-fried, the eggplant is cooked
until it turned golden brown.

They're rich, salty, spicy, and sour.
SALTED FLOUR EGGPLANT

The salted flour pork liver
has gone through all four seasons.


When cooked as a stew,
it emanates a rich aroma.


The oil from the big intestines
blends with the hot stew.


The intestines are chewy
and the pork bones are soft.

The meat is fresh, tender, and fragrant.
SALTED FLOUR PORK LIVER

Lu Guiying's salted flour fish
is ready before the New Year.

Saute in low heat.

The fish presents a tough and firm texture

with a glint of oil.

It tastes fresh and spicy.

This is the hometown taste her kids
and grandchildren are craving for.

SALTED FLOUR FISH
Time to eat.
A bowl of salted flour fish

is enough to connect the family
through their taste buds.


Together, the whole family welcomes
all four seasons

the new year would bring.

Li Huiqiong's salted flour eggplant
is enticing in both color and aroma.


It will become the appetizer
in her restaurant.


Zhao Shuangxiu has prepared
a delicious finale dish

for Dali's Heqing village banquet.

The salted flour pork liver is fragrant,
spicy, and rich.


It pushed the atmosphere
of the party to its peak.

In mankind's long search for food,

the combination and storage of ingredients
often lead to surprises.

"Zha."

Such food with ancient history

gradually evolves into
a more luscious taste experience

that adds fun to life.