Lantern Festival originated in the Han Dynasty, and it is said that Zhou Bo and Chen Ping removed the influence of Lu, which happened to be the 15th day of the first month. In order to commemorate this day, Emperor Wen of Han went to the folk every year to have fun with the people, and designated this day as the Lantern Festival. By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian listed the Lantern Festival as one of the folk festivals in taichu calendar law. During the Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, there was a saying that "jiaozi in the Song Dynasty, lanterns in the Sui Dynasty". Yuanxiao in the north was called Prison Pill and Piaoyuan in the Song Dynasty, and Tangyuan, Yuanyuan and Tuanzi in the south. Eating Yuanxiao bodes well for the full moon. "Sweet-scented osmanthus stuffed with walnuts, rice like the Pearl River. See who is good at losing powder and try to sell Yuanxiao in the wind. " ("Shangyuan Zhi Zhu Ci")
Lantern Festival, also known as "Shangyuan Festival", is also the birthday of the "three officials and great emperors" in folk Taoism. Blessed by the heavenly officials and great emperors, "Heaven blesses the people" was born. Taoist ternary theory is divided into upper, middle and lower Yuan festivals, and the three officials are in charge of heaven, earth and human beings. Because of Tianguan's joy, every household in the folk celebrated his birthday with lanterns and fireworks. Eating Yuanxiao on the Lantern Festival may have started in the Song Dynasty, when it was called "floating Zi Yuan", but it was renamed as "Yuanxiao" in the Ming Dynasty, and every household cooked and cooked Yuanxiao.
Compared with jiaozi in the south, Yuanxiao has the advantages of no crack and large size, but the disadvantages are thick and hard stuffing. Too much dry powder makes the soup paste, which is often turbid. Yuanxiao stuffing is diverse, white as snow, soft and moist, sweet and sour, and it is convenient and economical to eat.
Raw materials:
Flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, walnut kernel, golden cake diced, melon seeds.
Production method:
● Put walnut kernel, diced gold cake, flour, sugar and melon seeds into a basin, add appropriate amount of cold water, mix them into stuffing, then make them into five square stuffing blocks and air them in a ventilated place for 24 hours.
● Soak the stuffing in cold water, roll it in glutinous rice noodles, dip it in cold water, roll it in glutinous rice noodles, and do this for four times, so that all glutinous rice noodles are stained with the stuffing, and the jiaozi is ready.
Bring boiling water to a big fire, put Yuanxiao into boiling water in batches, and push it to the bottom of the pot in one direction with a spoon. After the Lantern Festival floats, cook it with a small fire and sprinkle some cold water in the pot. When the Lantern Festival rises, the stuffing melts.
How to eat Yuanxiao?
There are also skills in making Yuanxiao:
◇ Gently pinch. Before cooking, gently pinch the Yuanxiao with your hands to make it crack slightly, so that the Yuanxiao is easy to cook inside and outside, soft and delicious.
Under boiling water. After the water in the pot is boiled, put it in Yuanxiao, gently push it away with the back of the spoon, and let Yuanxiao rotate a few times to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot.
◇ Cook gently. After the Lantern Festival is cooked in the pot until it floats, it should be quickly switched to slow fire, otherwise the Lantern Festival will keep turning and be unevenly heated, and it will be difficult to eat when cooked outside.
◇ order cold water. After the Lantern Festival is put into the pot, a proper amount of cold water should be added every time the pot is opened, so as to keep it tumbling instead of tumbling. After two or three times, cook for a while and then take it out to eat. Jiaozi cooked in this way is moderate in hardness, sweet and delicious. Besides cooking, there are many ways to eat Yuanxiao:
Fried Yuanxiao If it is a raw Yuanxiao, you can paste the egg white on it first and then fry it in the pot. The yuanxiao fried like this smells like eggs. When frying, turn it constantly to avoid uneven frying. When frying Yuanxiao, it sometimes happens that Yuanxiao suddenly bursts and splashes people in the oil pan. This phenomenon can be prevented if two small pinholes are punched in the Lantern Festival with a needle before it is cooked. In addition, when frying, use a small fire to warm the oil, so that the fried dumplings are sweet and delicious, and the skin is crisp and waxy.
◆ Fry the Lantern Festival and fry it for later use. Slide cooking oil on the bottom of the pot, add sugar and appropriate amount of water, and boil it with slow fire to make syrup. When the syrup is yellow, put in the fried Yuanxiao, stir it with the syrup, quickly take it out of the pot and eat it while it is hot, just like a golden bead wrapped in silk.
◆ Dress for Lantern Festival. Stir-fry sesame seeds and grind them into powder, put them into a pot with thick sugar paste, then pour the fried Yuanxiao into the pot and roll well. Take out the pan and put it on the plate, spread it out one by one, and don't stick together. Suitable for cold food and hot food.
◆ Steaming Yuanxiao Put Yuanxiao into a porcelain or metal plate covered with oil, steam it in a pot, take it out and sprinkle with soft sugar. The food is fragrant and delicious, and the method is convenient and easy.
◆ Bake Yuanxiao Put Yuanxiao in a metal plate with bottom oil, put it in the oven, bake until golden brown and cooked, take it out and put it on the plate, and serve with soft sugar. It tastes sweet and fragrant.