The god of summer for Suzhou people is shrimp seeds. There are almost 10 days left, otherwise we will have to wait until next year.

In the summer of the plum rain this year, the heat wave is coming so fast that every bite of thick red sauce takes a breath. Looking at the table full of good dishes, I feel miserable and miserable. I can't eat it. If a Suzhou mother sees this situation, she can make a "fan cold noodles" in 5 minutes. No matter how her face turns, she can quickly "still be the same". Fan cold noodles are a common signature in Suzhou in summer. They look pale, but the taste is strong. A breath of fairy air blows open your teeth and is extremely appetizing. The method is simple. Use an electric fan to blow the cooked noodles mixed with shrimp oil to cool, then sprinkle with fragrant rice gravy and shrimp soy sauce, and mix well with crisp shredded vegetables. The translucent Suzhou noodles slide into your mouth with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts, like making an ice mask for your throat, and the heat is no longer hot. In my heart, this noodle is "Bad Appetite Rejuvenation Noodle".

Go to Suzhou to spend the summer. Look carefully. The stars on the walls and bowls are fresher than fish and clearer than crabs. That is the secret of delicious food. I once heard Suzhou Pingtan "Slow Sound", and my ears almost became pregnant. Who can stand the water guttural sound of Wu dialect, coupled with the words of the graceful and restrained school! There are some overlapping words grouped together inside, forming the main theme, just like the summer of small river shrimps to Suzhou people, and just like the unique freshness of shrimp seeds to Suzhou.

In summer, let the delicious food become concentrated and gather the few things you want to eat. Like many people, I lose weight in summer. Li Qingzhao said that "people are thinner than yellow flowers", which is a bitter love, but "longing for spring" is not the same as "greedy but not greedy". I miss the full belly of the female shrimp more than the male shrimp.

In Suzhou's "Three Shrimp Noodles","Three Shrimp" refers to shrimp seeds, shrimp meat, and shrimp brains.

In the elegant summer of Jiangnan, we have to mention the Suzhou people's "Three Shrimp Noodles". There are more than 8000 noodle restaurants in Suzhou, and it can be said that every family cannot avoid making this bowl. I.M. Pei, a Suzhou native, commented this way: "I can't get tired of seeing the beautiful scenery of Suzhou, and I can't get tired of eating Suzhou shrimp." "Suzhou" here is not so much a production area and variety, but rather a way of eating "three shrimps" with geographical and cultural characteristics. The "three shrimps" are shrimp seeds, shrimp meat, and shrimp brains. The three things must be stir-fried separately. Even the shrimp shells and shrimp heads must be boiled into oil and soup. They can be refreshed with the ultimate intensity. This is the sense of piety for Suzhou people when eating shrimp.

The sanctity of shrimp is still in the "one period and one period" of Suzhou Xiaohe shrimp. In terms of seasons, there is still room for negotiation about shrimp meat and shrimp brains, but shrimp seeds are a matter of every penny. It has to be held in early summer every year. During the three months of May, June, and July, no matter how powerful the chef is, he has to focus on cooking three shrimp noodles in Taihu Lake water. Fishing is banned in Taihu Lake this year, and the shrimp season in the surrounding waters is slightly shorter than in previous years due to the scorching heat. High temperatures will make shrimp seeds throw faster, and seconds count.

In the old shrimp season, skillful aunts from every household welcomed them with a shrimp peeling ceremony. Each hand holds a basin of ice water in a row, and the seeds of each shrimp must be kneaded and peeled by hand. Nowadays, most of the sky-high prices of "Three Shrimp Noodles" are due to the inability to consume labor. Only time-honored brands that stick to the tradition can they calmly do such a time-consuming and labor-intensive task.

In early summer, the weather is getting hotter, and river shrimps enter the seed-producing stage. At this time, the seed-shrimp are particularly fat and tender.

When I went to Suzhou Yuxingji and others to meet, the boss Zhu Jianguo, who had pigtails, was gently fiddling with shrimp seeds. It was obvious that he had many years of experience. At this time, bosses will go to the market to select seed-bearing female shrimps at high prices, which is usually twice the price of male shrimps. I joked: "Isn't that a serious imbalance in the male and female ratio?" Boss Zhu casually picked up a shrimp for me: "The ones with long pliers are male shrimps. They have no seeds, so they can only be made into shrimp."

The "ice-water method" of taking shrimp seeds is very similar to the process before Japanese chefs make sushi, and it is very rigorous. Boss Zhu went out of his way to explain to me the meaning of ice water: "After shrimp seeds are frozen, they are not easy to die, and their shells and meat are easy to fall off. This will keep the shrimp honest, otherwise it will be difficult for the shrimp seeds to come down if they keep moving. You can't peel shrimp seeds out of the water. The shrimp seeds will stick to the gloves and won't get off. It takes a skilled person half an hour to peel one pound of shrimp, which is the amount of a bowl of noodles. It's still going to be a long time after it's taken out, and it'll take an hour to fry it!" Boss Zhu has been cooking three shrimp noodles for more than ten years. He mentioned that there are 15 processes to serve a bowl of noodles. It sounds like a complaint, but I feel confident.

He picked up a metal granulated sugar sieve and shook it, leaving the shrimp's thin feet on it, and the shrimp seeds sinking to the bottom of the water like green and yellow quicksand. Boss Zhu said that the shrimp seeds need to be filtered through gauze and the shrimp feet need to be picked out. The more I looked at them, the more hungry I became, and I was already sighing in my heart. At this time, when I think about it, the gourmet teacher Shen Jialu once mentioned that Suzhou people have a rule when dating: only men can wait for women, and those who do not entertain women can wait for men. Suzhou noodle shop also has a rule: only people can wait for noodles, not people. I will straighten my mentality and wait for my three shrimp noodles like I love, even if it contains the melancholy of a woman coming over to wait for a man, even if it waits until my saliva drops into my dream tonight.

The "ice water method" should be used to remove shrimp seeds. After the shrimp seeds are frozen, they are not easy to die, and the shells and meat are easy to fall off. Traditionally, peeling shrimp seeds requires bare hands, but now for hygiene, gloves are worn when operating.

I know it's like a marriage contract.

Shrimp seeds need to be roasted to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma. The freshly fried shrimp seeds are warm rice dumplings with scattered gold powder. I ate a pinch through the air, and the aroma bloomed instantly. I was curious: "Alas? Why isn't it fishy!" Boss Zhu smiled: "The key is good seasonal shrimp seeds. Nowadays, many merchants use fish seeds instead of shrimp seeds; some people use sea shrimp, which is fishy. You can do it, but you can do it with heavy shrimp seed soy sauce, but you can't make three shrimp noodles directly. The river shrimp is already quite fishy. The sea shrimp has a stronger taste, and its shrimp seeds are particularly large. The small river shrimp has very fine grains and the taste is delicate. The person making it must also know how to fry, which has many technical secrets, and needs to be added with ginger slices and other spices to remove the fishy smell. Many people don't know how to fry and are afraid of being cumbersome, so they just take a large plate and bake it directly in the oven." Things that require work can often be easily "simplified" by smart people. I have also eaten poor shrimp seeds alone, and I was almost smoked by the fishy smell.

On the tables of Suzhou restaurants, there are often "Qingfeng Three Prawns" from old Suzhou people's homes, which are actually separate toppings for "Three Prawn Noodles". It's just that the shrimp of "Qingfeng Three Prawns" is different in size from the shrimp of Three Prawns Noodles."We calculate it based on a few grains per catty. For example, at home, 200 grains of shrimp will be used to make fried Qingfeng Three Prawns, and restaurants will use 400 - 600 grains to make Three Prawns Noodles. The more particles there are, the smaller the shrimp will be."

It takes a skilled person half an hour to peel one pound of shrimp, and the shrimp seeds peeled out are about the size of a bowl of noodles.

Regarding size, only by comparing the taste can we make a final conclusion. I thought of the Three Shrimp Noodles Mixed by Boss Zhu himself. The flowing water and flowing water-turning the bowl with one hand is like "clouds", and kneading chopsticks with the other hand is like "running water." It is not difficult for senior Three Shrimp Noodles Diners to grasp the time. Some anxious diners like me, were afraid that the noodles would get cold without mixing them well, so they quickly stirred them up and talked after eating them. Suzhou people can tell at a glance whether they are local from the way diners mix noodles.

The shrimp meat is like flower buds, evenly decorated with the dough, and the orange-red flowers in full bloom are shrimp brains that are peeled off after boiling water. Only when the shrimp meat is small can wisdom be seen. When making noodles, the shrimp seeds and shrimp brains can penetrate through the clusters without falling. There are three shrimps in each bite of noodles.

Suzhou people mix three shrimp noodles, turning the bowl with one hand like a "traveling cloud", and kneading chopsticks with the other hand to mix the noodles like "running water."

The noodles themselves must also be delicious. The shrimp shells and shrimp heads after squeezing out the shrimps are the magic weapon for boiling soup and the background color of the three shrimp noodles. The chef does not need to add a little MSG, but it tastes like the fairy butter in the Guanyin Jade Pure Bottle. The shrimp seeds rub the face evenly, and the food is fresh!

The boss gave him a bowl of shredded egg soup and several plates of pickled vegetables. The three finely divided shrimps instantly merged into one place in my mouth with a pair of chopsticks. The roots of fresh noodles, accompanied by the crispy crisp of the thin shrimps, reminded me of the word "Shuyu". Just like the Shuyu Spring in front of Li Qingzhao's former residence,"water and stone are exciting, and the gurgling sound is like washing jade." The grains of shrimp brain are large and are fragrant and enjoyable when chewing. After eating, the saliva will be "stop the clouds and mist, sometimes the rain", which will naturally aftertaste.

Fish fillet with shrimp seeds and rice

The shrimp seed soy sauce that Su Bang dishes can drop casually is the dignity of Suzhou people.

The use of shrimp seeds is not limited to three shrimp. As a Jiangnan native, the reason why they worship a table of home-cooked Su Ban dishes is that shrimp seeds are available regardless of cost. The fried shrimp seeds turned into fresh dust. The polite host shook his hand, and everything floated down was hospitality. I once ate at Suzhou gourmand Sister Xiaomei. It was really a table full of "dusty" food. For me, who came to Suzhou from afar to find shrimp seeds, good shrimp seeds can make a traditional dish famous.

After serving the dishes, my sister suggested that I stand up and look down at the entire table."Look, isn't Suzhou food all white and clean in summer? It looks cool and appetizing?" Indeed, the whole shrimp seed-themed dish is like a landscape chapped by shrimp seeds between heaven and earth. Just looking at the color, it is difficult to hide the elegance.

Sister sister said that it was all home-cooked dishes. She laughed and said that when she was a child, she had a lot of shrimps and everyone had a lot of effort (time), but shrimp seeds were not that valuable. During the shrimp season, Suzhou people want to keep the delicacy longer, and naturally have the custom of boiling "shrimp soy sauce" and cooking dried shrimp in summer. Shrimp seeds used to make shrimp seed soy sauce have been produced since the beginning of summer. The seeds of clear water shrimp and white shrimp from Yangcheng Lake or Taihu Lake are the top grade. According to Sister Xiaomei, Suzhou is a core producing area and it is difficult to find low-grade shrimp seeds. At this time, affordable good soy sauce becomes the focus.

Exquisite shrimp seed soy sauce mixed noodles

"Good soy sauce made from naturally fermented soybeans. Start frying the shrimp seeds, like frying peanuts in the pan, without adding oil. Then add a little green onion, ginger, and garlic, and start boiling shrimp soy sauce. Put a little bit of rock sugar in it because soy sauce is bitter. Let's boil shrimp oil for the rest." Suzhou people like to eat cold dishes in summer, get up early, and have a bowl of white porridge that is not thin or thick, and a fried dough stick. However, the fried dough stick must be dipped in shrimp seed soy sauce, which makes it more extravagant at once.

Shrimp seeds and soy sauce dipped in fried dough sticks

Regarding shrimp soy sauce, Yuan Zicai, a gourmand of the Qing Dynasty, wrote down in the "Suiyuan Food List":"Buy a few kilograms of shrimp and put them into a pot to boil them with autumn oil. Remove the autumn oil with a cloth. Wrap the shrimp in cloth and put them in a jar to hold the oil." This autumn oil actually refers to the first soy sauce extracted from spring brewing and summer drying to the beginning of autumn. It has a mellow taste, and its thickness and color are deeper than ordinary soy sauce. According to the solar terms, shrimp seeds are already at the end of the year. A friend who once studied Su Ban cuisine told me: "Elegant Suzhou people used to only use shrimp seeds before the Dragon Boat Festival. Top shrimp seed soy sauce should be salty at the end and sweet at the end, rather than delicious in one bite." I think I do everything I can because I love too much.

shrimp roe

Shrimp seed leaf

Shrimp seeds and water bamboo

Preserved egg with shrimp seeds

The fairy spirit of shrimp follows shrimp seeds and soy sauce, naturally adhering to shrimp seed leaf, shrimp seed rice fillet, shrimp seed eel, shrimp seed white cut chicken, shrimp seed white meat, shrimp seed white eggplant, shrimp seed rice bamboo, shrimp seed rice bamboo, and shrimp seed preserved eggs. In the old days, Suzhou people who were fastidious would eat shrimp seed soy sauce dipped in three whites during the summer-white cut meat, white cut chicken and white cut belly. The white cut meat needs to use three-essence and three-fat rib meat. This meat needs to be cooked with bacon or ham and stewed like marinated fresh meat. It has a compound flavor. Let it cool and cut. It is still warm when you cut it out and put it into your mouth, soft and chewy! You must use the tip of the belly when you cut the belly in white. Cook it with the meat to add flavor.

White eggplant with shrimp seeds

At this time, my sister held the stem of the eggplant with one hand and took a chopstick with the other hand to open the eggplant: "This is the local white eggplant. When we were young, we ate with eggplants. Nowadays, people eat less rice, so they steam eggplant directly. Mix shrimp seed soy sauce and sesame oil well and you can eat it." In the season when the eggplants are plump, the soft taste is full of shrimp.

shrimp roe white fish

I thought that "shrimp roe white fish", a crispy and delicious dish with wine, must be an innovation. My sister quickly dispelled my speculation,"I have to specially pick a kilogram of white fish weighing two to one and a half kilograms and marinate it every other night. Put it in oil and fry it until crispy, and you can eat the bones directly. Brush the skin with a thin layer of maltose so that the shrimp seeds can stick more. It's delicious!"

Suzhou food has roots. Therefore, many seemingly modern combinations have actually been settled for a long time. Suzhou people are accustomed to using expensive shrimp seeds to match everything, which is more generous than the popular Chinese food with caviar. I suspect the only reason for this result is that Suzhou people have learned to enjoy delicious food too long ago.

This is similar to the shrimp roe fish that Suzhou people used to eat in midsummer. The fish is boiled with ginger, sugar, and autumn oil, and coated with a layer of shrimp seeds on the surface to have a quite charming sweet and salty taste. Just one piece can consume a pot of good porridge. In the past, people in Suzhou went to other places to visit relatives and friends and brought two boxes of shrimp roe fish from Caizhizhai or Daoxiang Village. The value of the fish is completely comparable to the two boxes of Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs today. Nowadays, such delicacy has gradually been diluted and sublimated, and only then has the lighter shrimp roe white fish.

Next year's shrimp seed season, I will still come here for this summer table in Suzhou and let the spring spring flow.

Food Bless You!

Consultant for China International Food Expo

Producer of "God's Table"