As the shimmer in the morning passed through the streets and alleys in western Fujian, Mi Xiang drilled into the crack in the door in the wind - it was the dustpan stalls in Wuping and Longyan that began to steam. There are too many friendly names for this traditional Hakka delicacy: Wuping people called it "fed bread cube", because the steamed rice peel was spread on a bamboo dustpan to cool down; Guangdong people called it "fried rice noodles", while southern Fujian people called it "kiu teow". Although they are both translucent powder slices steamed from rice slurry, they have lived a unique morning city style in the Hakka world. It is not only a breakfast to awaken the small town, but also a cultural symbol that hides the migration stories of Hakka ancestors.
01.Historical origin: From migrating bags to the scenery of the city in the morning
The birth of the dustpan basket hides the survival wisdom of the Hakka ancestors. According to legend, in order to avoid war, Hakka people moved south with their luggage, and needed food that was resistant to storage, easy to make and full on the way. Rice is produced in western Fujian, so the ancestors grind the rice into slurry, steamed it into skins, and simply wrapped the ingredients and carried it with you - this is the earliest appearance of the dustpan.
When the ancestors settled in Wuping, Longyan and other places and their lives settled, the dustpan dumplings also changed from "travel-to-road food" to daily delicacies. Especially in Wuping, it has become a "limited" for the morning market: after 10 a.m., the store closed. It is precisely because of this "limited time", the streets always surround early morning people, either eating in a steaming restaurant, or packing home for breakfast. The shops of couples are crowded with people, becoming the most lively morning scene in a quiet town, which is simple and vivid.
02. Production technology: Every step contains the password of craftsmanship
The deliciousness of the dustpan is from choosing rice to rolling stuffing, no sloppy steps can tolerate any sloppy step.
First select rice, you must use high-quality indica rice with hard texture and low viscosity, so that the steamed rice skin will be smooth and not sticky. The rice should be soaked for 4-6 hours in advance, soaked in full and soft, and then grind into a slurry. The old craftsmen prefer stone mills. The ground rice slurry is delicate and fragrant. Although it is replaced by machines, it lacks a bit of traditional warmth. The ground rice slurry should be mixed well with a little salt and oil, which will not only make the rice crust more tough, but also add a light salty aroma.
Steaming rice peel is the most effective link, and the "hurtball" tool is even more soul. The traditional bamboo dustpan has a diameter of about 30 cm and has a slightly raised edge. Before steaming, apply oil to prevent sticking; after pouring rice slurry, gently shake the dustpan with your hand to evenly spread the rice slurry into a thin layer as thin as a cicada's wings, and then put it in a boiling water steamer. After 1-2 minutes, the lid will be opened, and the rice fragrance will instantly swell up, and the white and transparent rice crust will be formed. Wuping’s small shops often use aluminum cages. After steaming, cut them into small pieces of five inches square, which is more convenient to wrap the filling.
The filling is "fruit" in a dustpan: cut the fresh pork into powder, add onion, ginger, soy sauce and marinate and stir-fry, and then add mung bean sprouts, leeks, shredded carrots, fresh bamboo shoots, shredded mushrooms, and sometimes add shrimp to improve freshness. Wu Ping's couple's division of labor was tacitly divided, one steamed skin and the other spread the stuffing and rolled the skin - spread the filling on the rice crust and rolled it into a cylinder that was slightly thicker than the thumb, pour a spoonful of scallion oil and sprinkle a few scallion flowers. The white rice crust as white as mutton fat was wrapped with green scallion flowers, and I was drunk before I even had it.
03. Flavor Features: Try the simplicity of western Fujian in one bite
The freshly prepared dustpan has to be eaten while it is hot to taste. After taking the first bite, the rice skin is soft, tender and smooth, with a faint rice fragrance, and it is tough to chew; the meat, crispy vegetables and mushroom flavor in the filling are mixed together, and the layers are clear, so eating a few more bites will not be greasy. Wuping's small shop will also serve guests with fragrant hot tea or a bowl of thick pork bone soup for free. Longyan people like to use soy milk or porridge, and take a bite of soup with one dustpan, which will warm your stomach and heart.
If you want to add some flavor, it is even better to dip it in local garlic sauce or chili sauce - Fresh spicy seeps into the rice crust and filling, adding a bit of fireworks. In the streets and alleys of Longyan, you can always see people queuing: office workers are in a hurry to pack, students are eating and chatting, the old man who is practicing in the morning sits slowly, and a bowl of dustpan is taken to eat, and the morning in western Fujian is really awake.
04. Inheritance and rebirth: Let the Hakka flavor go further
Today's dustpan baskets adhere to traditions and face new changes. In old stores, craftsmen still insist on using stone grinding and steaming skin with bamboo dustpans, saying "this is the old taste"; some businesses use modern equipment to improve efficiency and have also launched vegetarian and sweet fillings to satisfy the tastes of more people. Longyan’s old-fashioned shops have become the memory of generations with their reputation, and Wuping’s morning market stalls are still lively, but there are more tourists holding their mobile phones to take photos. As the Internet spreads, the dustpan has become a "Internet celebrity Hakka flavor". Many people come to western Fujian specifically to taste this authentic breakfast.
The local government also regards the dustpan dump as the treasure of Hakka culture, holds food festivals and declares intangible cultural heritage, so that more people can know the migration story behind this food. For Hakka wanderers who are away, the dustpan is still a nostalgic smell: when you return to your hometown, the first stop is to eat the dustpan, and the familiar rice fragrance entrance is like returning to the streets of the morning market when you were a child.
This bowl of dustpan baskets that have come from the years of migration is wrapped in the morning mist of western Fujian and hidden in Hakka fireworks. It is the heat of breakfast stalls, the ingenuity of craftsmen, and the living carrier of Hakka culture. Whether it is the traditional flavor in the old shop or the innovative filling of the new style, the dustpan is passing on the story of western Fujian and the warmth of Hakka bit by bit, so that this century-old delicacy will continue to be fragrant in time.
