02x06 - Pickled Vegetables

[bunniefuu]

The combination of ingredients
is mysterious and intense.

With the help of nature,

the people of Yunnan
created a new taste experience.


Fresh vegetables get a special flavor
after the pickling process.


People all over the world
have different knowledge of this process.

In the southwestern part of Yunnan,

all sorts of pickled vegetables
seem to be simple,

but combined with different ingredients,

they can produce a complex,
diverse, and rich flavor.

Green Dragon Crossing the River Soup
is here.
YUNNAN MANGSHI, ZHEFANG TOWN

October is the time
to harvest sow thistles.


Sow thistles in Zhefang town
are especially fleshy.

However, like all mustard-like plants,

it gives a spicy and bitter flavor
when eaten fresh.

In the hands of Jiang Caizhi,

she only needs days
to give sow thistles a brand new flavor.

Salt breaks down sulfur compounds.

Sow thistles lose their bitterness.

At the same time, water seeps out.

However, Jiang Caizhi has a stricter
requirement on the dehydration process.

A rock weighing five kilograms

would break down
the cellular walls of plants.


Under the pressure
and with the help of the sun,

only three hours is required

to dehydrate nearly
half of the sow thistle's water content.

Similarly, in Dehong,

another kind of pickled vegetables
dehydration is even better.

And the taste is even stronger.

A bowl of clear soup
becomes sour and spicy


with uplifting and appetizing effects
by adding these pickled vegetables.


When radishes first emerge from the soil,
their stems and leaves are most tender.


It's the best ingredient
for making pickled vegetables.


Xie Yuefang is the eldest child
in the family.


Her mother will pass
her vegetable pickling technique to her.

This is the Dai Tribe's tradition.

Everything relies solely
on the power of nature.


The sun on the low latitude highlands
is warm and passionate.


After ten days, radish sprouts have lost
most of their water content

with all the plant fibers intact,

which becomes the best medium for flavor.

After marinading and pounding them
numerous times,


the radish sprouts miraculously
become soft yet utterly tough,

waiting for flavor to be added to it.

The soil of the basin region in Dehong
is loose and fertile.


It's the ideal growing environment
for rice.


Self-cultivated long-grain glutinous rice
has a moderate amount of starch.


It's an important ingredient in
Xie Yuefang's vegetable pickling process.


Carefully rub steamed glutinous rice
and radish sprouts

and mix them evenly together.

This simple and ancient way
of food preparation


will bring about the most traditional
and rich flavor.

Jiang Caizhi has a different method

in using glutinous rice
to make pickled vegetables.


After glutinous rice ferments,
warm and cook it.


Then, go through
a simple distillation process.


Home-made white wine with high
alcohol content promotes the sour flavor.

At the same time, alcohol esterification

will bring about a more liberal
and direct flavor experience.

White wine is crisp and stimulating.

Add spicy and aromatic
allium hookeri roots

and hot and intense chili powder.

We'll need to allow time to complete
this three-dimensional taste.


Zhefang town is , meters
above sea level.

At the start of winter each year,

the temperature difference between
day and night is degrees Celsius.

The temperature rises during the day

and promotes fermentation.

At night, the temperature drops
and inhibits the growth of bacteria.


After going through this cycle
for half a month,


it produces Dehong's local
spicy pickled vegetables.

With years of experience making this,

Jiang Caizhi is the best judge
for its quality.

It's delicious.
SPICY PICKLED VEGETABLES
The matured spicy pickled vegetables

have an almost transparent
yellow-green color.

The metabolic product of fermentation

produces the sour, fresh,
and sweet flavors altogether.


They emanate the fragrant smell
of alcohol.

In Dehong,

even though the flavors of pickled
vegetables are easily identifiable,

you can pair them with anything you like.

It's sour, sweet, fresh, and crispy
when stir-fried with potatoes.

STIR-FRIED SPICY PICKLED VEGETABLES
WITH POTATOES

When paired with pork,
it's rich and tasty.

STIR-FRIED SPICY PICKLED
VEGETABLES WITH PORK
COLD SPICY PICKLED VEGETABLES

When eaten cold and raw,
it's crispy and refreshing

with a very pure sour taste.

It can be taken with rice or alcohol.

Having the spicy pickled vegetables
with a few home-cooked dishes


creates a simple and satisfying meal
for Jiang Caizhi's family.

YUNNAN MANGSHI, DENGGAO VILLAGE

While Jiang Caizhi's family
is enjoying the spicy pickled vegetables,


the transformation of pickled vegetables
in Xie Yuefang's home is still ongoing.

After one month's fermentation process,

the starch in the glutinous rice
becomes hydrolyzed

and transformed into lactic acid.

Water content in the jar
increases by one-third.


This jar of sour water
will have a special use later on.

Under the heat,

the remaining unhydrolyzed glutinous rice
breaks down.

After cooking for eight hours,

the sour water consolidates into a paste

and presents an enticing amber color.

This is the symbol
of Yunnan's grilled taste.

The pickled vegetable paste.

The pickled vegetable paste
is sticky and fine.


Combined with many spices,
it tastes sour, spicy, and refreshing.

Aside from eating it directly,

it's also an important flavor change.

There seems to be
a sour fragrance in the air.


It's finally time for Xie Yuefang's
pickled vegetables to come out of the jar.

Dry and dehydrate them once again.

The radish sprouts
are continuously oxidized.


The aromatic substances continue
to be concentrated and accumulated.

The texture becomes tougher.

At this time, there's one last step
to the flavor formation.


Under high heat,
the radish sprouts soften.

Covered in the pickled vegetable paste,

the sour taste becomes richer.

After drying it for a week,

the completely dehydrated radish sprouts
transform into dry pickled vegetables.

DRY PICKLED VEGETABLES

Meeting the pickled vegetable paste
once again,


it becomes the ultimate encounter
of the continuation in its lifespan.


The finished dry pickled vegetables
are concentrated over time and in flavor.

Just a small amount of it

can bring about a rich sour fragrance
to a bowl of pork radish soup.

PORK RADISH SOUP
WITH DRY PICKLED VEGETABLES

She succeeded in her first attempt.

Xie Yuefang will soon be able
to replace her mother


in taking care of the family's
daily meals.

Spicy and bitter sulfides

are originally defensive weapons
of the Cruciferae plant family.


The people of Yunnan found a way to
transform the ordinary to extraordinary.

With adaptation to the local conditions,

they utilize glutinous rice
and microorganisms


to transform them
into a new taste experience

and pass it on to the next generation.