"How to make you meet me
In my most beautiful moment/For this
I have been praying to the Buddha for five hundred years
I begged him to let us have a mortal relationship
The Buddha then turned me into a human being. A tree
grows on the roadside that you must pass by/It blooms carefully under the sun and is full of flowers
Each one is my hope in the previous life..."
I don't know which tree others think of when reading Xi Murong's poem." What is a "flowering tree"? When I was young at the time, I thought of locust trees. As a person who grew up in the north, my impression seemed to be that only the only people who could be covered with flowers and be so pure, elegant and romantic that they could be included in poetry. Sophora japonica.
Although I got to know many flowers and trees later on, I still have a special liking for Sophora japonica, not only because of its sweet and refreshing fragrance, and the milky white flower clusters are like fluttering pink butterflies, which are agile and admirable, but also because it allows me to realize Another elegant thing - Han Ying Zui Hua (of course, people are talking about poetry), Sophora japonica is really good for seasoning and edible.
People in my hometown eat locust flowers and acacia trees. My cognitive distinction between Sophora japonica and Sophora japonica was when I was in high school. There are many tall locust trees beside the campus roads and in front and behind the classrooms. Some bloom in late spring and early summer, and some bloom in autumn; some have flat pods, and some are fat locust trees. After asking, I found out: Sophora japonica blooms in autumn, and Sophora japonica blooms in late spring and early summer. The flowers of Sophora japonica are edible.
But at that time, I didn’t have the opportunity to "contain the beauty and admire the beauty". But every time when the acacia flowers bloomed, I would see the old women in the family courtyard in groups, holding long poles and high scissors, while cutting off the acacia flowers. They ate a bunch of sweet snacks while discussing how to eat them: one said making dumplings, another said making sophora flower cakes, and some said scrambled eggs were the best... They just carried a basket of spring cakes with us who couldn't go home. The young man's coveted fantasy of those delicacies gradually faded away...
Many years later, I returned to my alma mater. Due to campus construction, there were not many locust trees left, but because of the unfinished "Han Ying Tsui" in my heart, It’s a pity that I have done a lot of “extracting beauty and exalting Chinese” in recent years.
The easiest way to eat Sophora japonica is to make tea. I have dried flowers and soaked flowers directly. Regardless of the dried flowers or fresh flowers, the Sophora japonica drink exudes a sweet fragrance with a hint of green beans, and the taste is also light and sweet. In appearance, the dried flowers will be a little yellow in color, but the fresh flowers are as pure as jade, and they are particularly beautiful when soaked: the white petals are set against the green receptacle, and against the backdrop of the transparent glass and clear water, they look like fairies in white clothes. , pleasing to the eye and making people forget about vulgarity.
Sophora japonica is combined with various types of flour to create a wide variety of foods. Experienced people told me that when doing this, it is best to blanch the Sophora japonica flowers, not for a long time, just scald them. I don’t know why, but it seems that many wild vegetables and leaves need to be boiled before eating. Some of them need to remove oxalic acid, and some may just kill bacteria. Sometimes I don't have the heart to blanch the Sophora japonica flowers because I think they are too delicate and it makes me feel distressed to burn them.
Sophora japonica can bake pancakes, both leavened and dead. For dead dough, you can add sophora flowers when kneading; for leavened dough, I usually knead a bowl of sophora flowers into it after the dough is ready. If added before fermentation, the flavor of sophora flowers will change due to fermentation. The sweetness is gone. The Sophora japonica cake has the sweetness of the New Year, which can be strong or soft. Especially when you bite the flower base of the Sophora japonica flower, you will feel a refreshing touch for a moment, as if you have bitten into romance!
Steaming steamed buns, frying tortillas, making Sophora japonica cakes, and steaming Sophora japonica flowers are all good ways to eat them. They may be juicy, crispy, soft, or fresh, but no matter which way you make them, you will be intoxicated by the fragrance of flowers. Here, the kitchen at that time seemed to have shed its pyrotechnic greasiness and became an extremely elegant place.
Sophora japonica is used as filling. Many people say that meat filling is better because it is juicy and delicious; but I also try to make vegetarian filling, add shrimps and eggs, and it is good for making dumplings and steamed buns. It has a rich flavor and a refreshing fragrance. The Sophora japonica flowers used to make dumplings need to be blanched and minced into small pieces; when making steamed buns, I usually don’t chop them and just put them in whole, because I really can’t bear to use my knife on those white and delicate flowers.
Personally, I think Sophora japonica scrambled eggs look the best.The beaten golden egg liquid stands out against the white and green of the Sophora japonica flowers. Heat the oil in a pan and fry it to an attractive golden color. Finally, it is served on a white or green porcelain plate. Beautiful! Every year, I don’t necessarily make food related to Sophora japonica, but scrambled Sophora japonica eggs are a must, just to watch the process of those tender pistils being wrapped and cared for by the egg liquid, and to watch their final integration and embrace into one, just like A soft and beautiful woman, plunged into a beautiful love full of fireworks...
Climbing branches and holding scissors, in the bright spring light, she brought a basket of fragrance like clouds and snow into the kitchen, and then added clusters, petals and stamens. Gently rub the ground into the basin. The soft touch and elegant aroma make people no longer feel that cooking is a perfunctory task just to satisfy their hunger. It is a necessary and elegant task of mixing sauces and powders, and they can't help but think of some poems and articles. , for example, I often stroke flowers and pistils while thinking of those silent "pistils" in Yu Dafu's "Autumn in the Old Capital", and think of Ji Xiaolan holding a pipe who might actually be writing "Huaixi Magazine" under the locust tree. Thinking of Zhuangzi's "Gushe God" who does not eat the fireworks of the world...
Sophora japonica is probably one of the most planted tree species in China, especially in the north, because of the "Ask where my ancestors came from, Hongdong, Shanxi Reminiscent of the "big locust tree", people always like to plant two locust trees on the slope of their house to express their feelings, and at the same time to express their yearning for a rich and beautiful life - because the pronunciations of "槐" and "财" are similar. The locust tree is also particularly easy to live and long-lived. It has a beautiful tree shape and a tall crown. The locust tree is a good place to enjoy the cool weather and grow mulberry trees. In late spring, the moonlight is melting, and strings of white elves, as graceful as flying, sprinkle the sweetness all over the alleys. The night is dense, the local accent is rippling, and those simple and clear dreams are floating.
The sweetness invades the hometown dream, and the locust flowers shine white at night. In late spring next year, don’t just look and smell, but also taste the sweetness of romance - it’s so wonderful to have Yingzuihua...
