Cooking Smoke from Stone Houses:winnowing-basket feast

No din of carriages and horses, there is only the echo of wind passing through stone alleys. The people of Yuanjiagou call this stillness. Andwithin this stillness lie the crowing of roosters, the barking of dogs, the sound of a stream, and the crackle of firewood burning in the stove.

When it comes to the skill of washing vegetables mountain folk never cut corners. The water must be running water, and they must wash carefully. Every leaf and every bean pod has to go into the pot clean and fresh.

When the pork belly goes into the pot, wait until the skin turns golden brown and curls slightly—then the rich aroma of pork belly fills the whole house, impossible to hide. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat. The green beans slowly soften and go limp in the meat broth, and the collagen from the pork belly slowly melts into the sauce. The moment you lift the lid, the aroma could knock you off your feet. This pot is what truly gives mountain folk the confidence to host their guests.

The prawns must be cleaned and prepped properly, too. Trim the antennae, remove the vein, and leave the shells on. Only when they’re spotlessly clean can they do justice to the next crispy bite. Coating them in batter is delicate work—the flour and eggs must be mixed to just the right consistency, then coated on in a thin layer. Listen to that sizzle. Look at that golden color. Fry until crispy outside and tender inside—that’s the perfect heat. Scoop them out and drain off the excess oil, then plate them while they’re still hot. That crispy bite is never the same once it cools.

The pork trotters and pork head meat in the braising pot have also reached just the right doneness. The aroma of star anise and cassia bark slowly seeps into the collagen over a gentle simmer. Braised food is not something to be rushed. Only a gentle, unhurried simmer can slowly soften the collagen over time.

The dipping vegetables still have water droplets on them, the peanuts are fresh out of the pan and still too hot to handle, and the coarse grains are not fully cooked until they split open.

There must be exactly nine dishes—no more, no less. If any one of them is missing, the winnowing-basket feastis incomplete.

没有车马的喧嚣，只有风穿过石巷的回响。苑家沟人管这叫静。这静里，藏着鸡鸣犬吠、溪流声，以及灶堂里柴火燃烧的噼啪声。

洗菜这件事，山里人从不马虎。水要活水，洗要仔细。每一片叶子、每一根豆荚，都得清清爽爽地下锅。

五花肉下锅，待那肉皮变得焦黄微卷，满屋子的油香就藏不住了。猛火烧开，文火慢炖，扁豆在肉汤里慢慢塌软，五花肉的胶质一点点融进汁里。揭盖那一刻，香气能把人顶个跟头。这一锅，才是山里人待客的底气。

大虾也得收拾利索。剪须、去线、留虾壳，干干净净的，才对得起接下来的那口酥脆。挂糊是个细活，面粉和鸡蛋调得稀稠得当，裹上去薄薄一层。听那“滋啦”声，看那金黄的颜色，炸到外酥里嫩就是最好的火候。捞出来沥油，趁热装盘。这一口酥脆，凉了就再也不是那个味了。

卤锅里的猪蹄和猪头肉，也到了火候。八角、桂皮的香气，在慢火中一点点渗进胶质。卤味这东西急不得，只有那不急不缓的文火，才能让胶质在时间里慢慢化开。

蘸酱菜还带着水珠，花生米刚出锅还烫手，粗粮蒸到裂了口子才叫熟透。

九样菜，一样不能多，一样不能少，缺了哪一样，簸箕宴都不完整。