Huainan Beef Soup Making Technique
It is said that during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Zhao Kuangyin stationed his troops in Nantang, Bagong Mountain, Huainan, but was trapped by his troops. The people of Huainan saw this and were anxious. Finally, under the leadership of the leader, they slaughtered their own cattle, boiled them into a big pot of soup and sent it to Zhao's camp. After drinking it, the morale of the officers and soldiers was greatly boosted, and they broke through Shouchun City in one go. After Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne, he never forgot Huainan beef soup. Later, Huainan beef soup was passed down as a magical soup and "save the emperor soup" among the people. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zheng, a Hanlin scholar, served as an official of the imperial court. After retiring and returning to the banks of the Huaihe River, he developed the Huainan beef soup making skills and ingredient secrets, which were passed down to later generations. After thousands of years of historical evolution, Huainan beef soup has become a common breakfast food in Huainan area, and has also become an important feature of Huainan local food culture. During the preparation, soak the beef and beef bones to remove blood stains; use the ratio of water, beef and beef bones to 100:20:30; cook over high heat and simmer for 3-4 hours; use spices according to the proportion of broth; to make chili oil, use 1 part chili and 3 parts butter, after the oil is boiled, pour the slightly wet chili into the oil, use sesame seeds as a highlight, and wait until the sesame seeds turn yellow; 500 grams of broth, 6 grams of salt, 0.5 grams of spices, 1 gram of chicken essence; cut the cooked beef with a sharp knife, and the meat should be thin and even; to make vermicelli, use 3 parts boiling water and 1 part cold water, pour them into the vermicelli, and wait until the vermicelli is soft; be sure to use a porcelain bowl to serve the soup, otherwise it will change the taste; the broth must be kept above 80 before serving to disinfect and sterilize.