A mouthful of scorched soft glutinous, Nanjing radish balls, hidden Jinling autumn and winter market warm fragrance

in autumn and winter in Nanjing, the wind always has a clear coolness. The streets and lanes in the south of the old city and the stalls around the vegetable market can always smell a scorched fragrance that hooks people. It is the sweet white radish mixed with the fragrance of noodles. After being fried in hot oil, the fragrance fills the whole alley-this is the delicious Nanjing radish balls that Nanjing people cannot leave in autumn and winter. There are no precious ingredients, but it is a simple combination of ordinary white radish and flour. It is fried until golden yellow and crisp inside. It can be eaten dry and cooked. It is sweet and greasy. The warm warmth flows into the heart along the throat. It is the smell of fireworks in autumn and winter engraved in the bones of Nanjing people. It is a childhood memory in the old lane and a simple surprise on the dining table of ordinary people.

I am Jiang Wanzhou, 30 years old this year. I am a native of Laomen East, Nanjing. I have been sharing Jinling city's home-cooked food in howcooks for four years. I am cheerful and easy-going. I grew up in the fireworks in the south of the old city. I fried radish balls and cooked home-cooked dishes with my grandmother. I have a deep obsession with Nanjing's local civilian snacks. I don't like to chase after exquisite net red delicacies, but I only like these old tastes hidden in the streets and lanes with homely temperature. Nanjing radish balls are the delicious food I most hope for in autumn and winter, grandma's specialty, appetizing snacks on the way to school, and the most healing warm fragrance in Jinling autumn and winter.

In autumn and winter in old Nanjing, every family can't do without fried radish balls, especially after first frost, white radish is sweet and juicy with the best taste, which is a good time to make radish balls. In my childhood memory, every weekend in autumn and winter, grandma always moved a small stool to work in the yard, selected local fresh white radish, washed and polished into fine threads, sprinkled salt to kill excess water, then dried and chopped, mixed with flour, chopped scallion and ginger, a little spiced powder, mixed into eggs, kneaded into round balls, lowered into a 60% hot oil pan, and slowly raised the balls, fry until golden yellow, take it out, control the oil and eat it while it is hot. The outside is crisp and the inside is soft. The sweet radish is completely locked inside. There is no spicy taste. One bite at a time, it is too fragrant to stop.

At that time, when I came home from school, I could smell the aroma of fried radish balls as soon as I entered the alley. I put down my schoolbag and leaned to the hearth, waiting for grandma to fish out the freshly fried balls. I stamped my feet so hot that I couldn't bear to put them down. I took a bite while it was hot. The skin was crisp and the inside was soft and glutinous. The sweetness of radish radish was simple but delicious. In addition to eating the fried radish balls directly, grandma will also use them to burn green vegetables, stew broth, and suck the balls full of soup. They are soft and glutinous, and they are also artifacts for cooking. During the holidays, the family will fry a large pot, which is not only a snack for guests, but also a side dish for the table. A pot full of golden balls is the most lively fireworks in autumn and winter.

Nanjing radish balls are a classic local snack in Jinling. They belong to the civilian delicacy of old Nanjing. There are no prominent historical allusions, but they are the exclusive taste of autumn and winter handed down from generation to generation. Nanjing is located in the south of the Yangtze River. The climate in autumn and winter is dry and cool. White radish is sweet and moistens the lungs. Local people combine home-made white radish with flour and fry it into balls, which can not only be used as snacks to satisfy appetites, but also serve as a main meal. The method is simple, the ingredients are easy to obtain, and the taste is versatile. It has gradually become a necessary food for Nanjing family in autumn and winter. Different from radish balls in other regions, Nanjing edition pays attention to "sweet but not spicy, crisp outside and soft inside". It does not add heavy ingredients. It highlights the fresh and sweet radish itself, with light and palatable taste. It conforms to the characteristics of Nanjing's warm and moist diet. It is the most down-to-earth Jinling snack in the street stalls and ordinary family kitchens in the south of the old city. It carries the daily autumn and winter warmth of the old Nanjing people.

I sincerely recommend you to try the authentic Nanjing radish balls. First, it is Jinling's exclusive market flavor in autumn and winter. It hides the old Nanjing's homely fireworks. It has no complicated seasoning and is simple but cured. You can feel the slow life and warmth in the south of the old city in one bite. Second, the taste is excellent and distinct. The freshly fried outer skin is scorched and crisp, the inner skin is soft and glutinous. White radish, after cooling, it is soft, tough and tasty, and each has its own flavor. Third, the ingredients are healthy and homely, with white radish, flour and eggs as the main ingredients, less oil and salt, and no extra additives. It is suitable for all ages and children to eat in autumn and winter. Fourth, the old and children can eat it at ease. They can be eaten in a variety of ways and can be directly used as snacks to relieve their cravings. They can burn green vegetables, stew broth, boil hot pot and boil hot pot, it is an excellent side dish ingredient; fifth, the cost performance is extremely high, the ordinary cost of the ingredients is low, the method is simple and easy to use, street stalls and family kitchens can be made, it is a civilian delicacy that everyone can enjoy.

Authentic Nanjing radish balls, hidden a lot of home tips, but also grandma handed down the old practice. First of all, the local white radish after first frost should be selected. It is sweet, juicy and spicy. After shredding, salt must be used to break out the water. After drying, seasoning should be carried out to prevent the balls from loosening. Seasoning does not need heavy ingredients, only chopped scallion and ginger, a little salt and a little spiced powder are needed to improve the flavor. Eggs are added in batches and stirred until they can be kneaded into balls. Too much flour will harden, too little is easy to disperse; When frying, the oil temperature should be well controlled. 60% of the oil should be put into the pan. Slowly fry with a small fire until golden yellow and floating. After taking it out, control the oil and eat it while it is hot. After the fried balls are cooled, the cooking soup is suitable, and the more they are cooked, the more delicious they are.

When I grew up and left the south of the old city to live, I still couldn't change the habit of eating radish balls in autumn and winter. I walked through many streets in Nanjing and ate many radish balls from small stalls, but I always felt that grandma made the most delicious radish balls. Now that my grandmother is getting older, I learn from her practice. I fry a basin every autumn and winter, watching the golden balls rolling in the oil pan and smelling the familiar aroma, as if I had returned to the time when I was a child waiting for balls in the yard. This seemingly ordinary radish ball has no gorgeous appearance or outstanding fame, but with the most simple taste, it warms the autumn and winter of generations of Nanjing people, hides the warmth of family members, hides the fireworks of old alleys, and hides Jinling. The most ordinary beauty.

When I share Jinling cuisine in howcooks, I always put this Nanjing radish ball in the first place in autumn and winter, because it can best represent the market fireworks of old Nanjing. It has no delicacies, but it has the most healing homely flavor. In Nanjing in autumn and winter, the chill is getting stronger. A mouthful of hot radish balls is enough to dispel all the coolness. This is the most moving part of home cooking, simple and simple, but full of warmth.

If you come to Nanjing in autumn and winter, you might as well go to the streets and alleys in the east of the old gate and the south of the old city, find an old stall, buy a freshly fried radish ball, taste it while it is hot, or learn to make a basin at home, and feel the warm fragrance that belongs exclusively to Jinling in autumn and winter. What is your favorite home-cooked snack in autumn and winter? Have you ever eaten such sweet and soft waxy radish balls? Please leave a message in the comment area and share it. You can also come to the howcooks to find me and unlock more local home-cooked delicious practices and stories in Nanjing.