沈順英
故鄉(xiāng)的春滋味是一盤色澤金黃的薺菜春卷。
春卷的主角是薺菜。薺菜又叫菱角菜、麥地菜、枕頭菜、護生草等,遍布田疇阡陌。自古以來,人們就有春食薺菜的習(xí)俗。薺菜比起苦菜、馬齒莧、二月蘭、枸杞頭更具有獨特的清香和美味。
幾場春雨滋潤,薺菜們一齊仰起臉,齊整整,這里抻抻,那里拽拽,將綠色的裙裾理好,一時間,你也水靈,我也清爽。
薺菜味道甘美,詩經(jīng)里說,“誰謂荼苦,其甘如薺”,它的甘美、平淡,潤入味蕾,像一種極致婚姻,煙火繞身,深情不滅。
春卷,始于東晉,叫春盤;盛于唐宋,叫五辛盤;北方人叫春餅,南方人稱呼春卷。各地因為飲食習(xí)慣不同,也許會有餡的區(qū)分和春卷皮的大小厚薄之別,但立春吃春卷,已漸漸衍生成人們在春天的一種尋常習(xí)俗。
春餅一年四季都有,可做春卷只能選擇在春天。春卷內(nèi)容以新鮮的蔬菜為主,如薺菜、婆婆丁,以及韭菜、蘆筍、蘑菇、木耳等。春雨滋潤下,這些菜撩人心扉,滿目鮮嫩,進嘴生香,滿口含春。
采來薺菜,將薺菜擇去老葉,用水清洗干凈,切碎,加入醬干、胡蘿卜絲、五花肉一起炒熟,這便是春卷的主要餡料。
春卷的素餡需要刀工,而制作春卷皮更要靠功夫。先把白面用水調(diào)成稀糊狀,而另一邊則把平底鍋在爐子上燒燙,用手把糊狀的面團抓起,順勢往平底鍋上一掃,不消兩三秒,一張小人手掌大的春卷皮即告完成。
把餡料放進面皮中,折成三寸來長的長條形,面皮兩側(cè)的頭也掖入到折痕中,繼續(xù)卷起,銜接處用蛋清一抹,接口便黏合在一起。包好的春卷像一根根白蠟燭,薄薄的面皮下,里面的餡料隱隱約約透露出來。那青翠的薺菜,鮮紅的胡蘿卜絲、黃褐色的醬干充斥于其中,煞是好看。 春卷,有的地方做法是用油炸。油燒熱后將春卷逐個小心翼翼放入鍋內(nèi),小火加熱。用筷子把油鍋里的春卷不停翻動,小火煎至金黃色撈出。剛出鍋的春卷,黃色的外衣透露出一點點鮮紅,一點點翠綠,一點點嫩白。瘦瘦長長、小小巧巧的春卷,金燦燦的,盛在盤里,如一闕宋詞小令。
春卷誘人的色澤,令人垂涎三尺。輕輕咬開,一股淡淡的薺菜清香,盈滿唇齒間,早春的味道便在舌尖蔓延開來了。清香滿嘴,讓味蕾盛開,讓幸福肆意蔓延。把春天卷起來,是多么風(fēng)雅的一件事,輕輕一咬,鄉(xiāng)野的氣息彌漫開來,那是春天的滋味,還是親情的味道,傳遞著春天的溫馨。
一盤油潤亮澤的炸春卷,雖經(jīng)一番精致加工,仍不掩其山野的馥郁本色。一口咬下,鄉(xiāng)野氣息,直擊味蕾。咀嚼后,鮮嫩爽脆的春卷令人想起清蒼疏曠的田園生活。
清人林蘭癡寫道:“調(diào)羹湯餅佐春色,春到人間一卷之”,這是對春卷最簡約、最形象的描繪。大家圍坐在一起,吃著噴香的春卷,春天的食物在口齒間散逸,恰如窗外春暖花開,草長鶯飛。小小的春卷里,不僅包容了融融的春光,更蘊藏著恬淡的人間煙火。
The taste of spring in my hometown is a plate of golden spring rolls with shepherds purse.
The main ingredient of spring rolls is shepherds purse, which has many other names and is widely distributed in fields. Since ancient times, there has the custom of eating shepherds purse in spring. Compared with other wild vegetables such as bitter herbs, purslane, and Chinese wolfberry sprout, shepherds purse has a unique fragrance and better taste.
After several spring rains, all the shepherds purses in the field begin to raise their faces together, stretch themselves here and there, and tidying up their skirts of green leaves. So in a short time, all the field seems to be covered with the refreshing shepherds purses.
Shepherds purses are sweet in taste. As early as in The Book of Songs, shepherds purse was described as a grass with a sweet taste. Their sweetness and blandness, like an extreme marriage, will be tempting us with a lingering effect.