The Healing Hutangfen

By Zhou Yinghui

It was seven years ago that I decided to settle down in Wuhan.When I came to this metropolis,distant from my hometown and loved ones,there was a sense of bewilderment and homelessness in my heart for quite a while.

Wuhan is nicknamed a “paradise of breakfast.” There are many types of food for breakfast,such as hot-dry noodles with sesame paste,doupi (a panfried delicacy of glutinous rice and minced meat),mianwo (salty deep-fired doughnut-shaped snack made of rice and soybean milk),tangbao (steamed dumplings filled with minced meat and gravy)...You can sample them for one month without repetition.But there was always a little lack of excitement in the taste buds,and the feeling of nostalgia was deepened in the humdrum day after day.

Mr.Z read my mind.One weekend morning,he suddenly said,“Let’s go to taste the most delicious breakfast in Wuhan.”

“Isn’t it just hot-dry noodles? I’m already fed up with it.” I criticized it in my heart but didn’t utter a word,following him tamely.

A white porcelain bowl was brought up:it was rice noodles in creamy and thick soup,which looked unattractive,dull and monotonous.Had it not been for the garnish of dried shrimp,spicy diced radish and coriander with scallions,it would not have been appetizing at all.

There are numerous choices for breakfast in Wuhan.武汉早餐众多

Hubu Lane in Wuhan is famous for its street foods.武汉户部巷

决定来大武汉落脚是七年前的事。远离故土、作别亲人，来到这偌大的城市，好一阵子心中都涌动着一抹惶惑飘零之感。

武汉是个“早餐之都”，过早的餐点品类不少：热干面、豆皮、面窝、汤包……吃一个月，都可以不重复。只是味蕾里总归少了点刺激，思乡之情便在这日复一日的平淡里愈加深浓起来。

Z 看出了我的心事。一个周末的清晨，他突然说：“走，去过早。尝尝大武汉最美味的早点。”“不就是热干面吗？早就吃腻了。”我暗自腹诽，却没有说出声，乖乖地跟他走。

粗白的瓷碗端上来，却是乳白微稠的一份汤粉，看上去其貌不扬、寡淡单调，若不是尚有些虾皮、辣萝卜丁和小葱香菜末点缀，着实勾不起太大食欲。

我小心翼翼地捻起几根包裹着厚厚糊状物的米粉放入口中，一时间呆住了。细长软糯的米粉竟是想不到的鱼鲜滋味，混杂着白胡椒的辛辣，令人一洗前嫌，刮目相看。喝上几口，便似乎有一股鲜活的生命气息游走于唇齿之间，沉睡了整晚的五脏六腑顿时清醒过来，酣畅淋漓的汗珠痛快地涌出毛孔，细细密密地缀了一额。

Z 又端上来一份油条，他把油条折断浸入汤中，示意我再尝尝。稀疏的孔洞里蘸满香浓的汤汁，我咬上一口，固态与液态、酥脆与绵软、香甜与辛辣交织在一起，着实令人惊艳。

I carefully picked up some rice noodles wrapped in thick paste into my mouth,feeling stunned for a moment.The slender,soft,and glutinous rice noodles were unexpectedly flavored with fresh fish and mixed with the spicy taste of white pepper,which refreshed me impressively in a spick-andspan manner.After taking a few sips,it seemed that there was a fresh breath of life lingering between the lips and teeth; my internal organs suddenly woke up after sleeping overnight while beads of sweat gushed out of my pores heartily in profusion,decorating my forehead finely and densely.

Z brought up a portion of youtiao (deep-fried dough stick),broke it,dipped it into the soup and motioned me to try it.After the sparse holes dipped in the tasty soup,I took a bite:the combination of being solid and liquid,crisp and soft,sweet and spicy was really amazing.

“Youtiao is a perfect match for hutangfen (rice noodles in flavored thick soup),” Z said with a beaming smile.

A bowl of hutangfen Photo by Cao Ting 鲜鱼糊汤粉 图/曹婷

The delicacy of minced fillet,the spiciness of pepper,and the softness of hutangfen,together with the deep-fried scent of youtiao,all urged me to wolf it down.Looking down at the plainlooking bowl,I couldn’t help but compare this meal with a woman with delicate features,coarsely clad in plain clothes yet not thick and heavy in colors,who didn’t put much effort into performance,but when interacting with her,you feel like you’re drinking mellow wine,which grows more fragrant over time.

Z said that the hutangfen was carefully cooked with small carp or small eels.First,they cut and wash the fish clean,place it on the soft fire and cook it overnight until the fish flesh and bones blend with the water; cull the fish bones,mix buckwheat flour with rice flour to thicken the fish,then add white pepper to remove the fishy smell; thus a pot of fresh,thick,sweet,and spicy hutangfen is done.

After eating a bowl of refreshing fish hutangfen,I immediately felt carefree and at ease.“Don’t you think it’s a little bit like some food of Henan?” Z looked at me with a smile.

“Hot Spicy Soup!” I was suddenly enlightened.This kind of food most related to my homesickness seemed to have nothing in common with hutangfen,but they are both refreshing to eat.

Hutangfen is called “Wuhan’s Pita Bread Soaked in Lamb Soup” by many northern diners.The combination of fish ( 鱼) and sheep ( 羊) means fresh ( 鲜) in Chinese.It is ingenious to replace the freshness of the sheep with that of the fish,the bread soaked in lamb soup with rice noodles and the lamb soup with the hutang (flavored thick soup).From this point of view,hutangfen is really a superb substitute to satisfy the tastes of all people and comfort the homesick wanderers.Behind this comfort food was the water country which quietly embrace and immerse you in its breath and charm.

Among the top ten rice noodles in China,Wuhan’s hutangfen is not included.It’s too ordinary,even too cheap.In the old days of poverty,most of the diners were coolies working as porters on the docks who labored hard every day.In order to keep away from hunger for a longer time,they added the uncooked rice noodles into the soup paste.Therefore,this snack used cheap materials and cumbersome procedures to create a delicious taste,brewing a fantastic flavor beyond imagination in a time of scarcity.

Since then,when feeling slightly weak and unable to brace up myself,I would buy a bowl of hutangfen.Savoring mouthfuls of the spicy fresh delicacy,the satisfaction of my taste buds would skyrocket right until the last noodle.When my empty stomach is filled with the warm soup,I would feel my heart enriched instantly—warm all around with strength returning to my entire body again,reviving on the spot.

Only with such a bowl of healing fresh fish hutangfen soothing the worn-out body and mind,and the gurgling stomach,can I feel peace of mind in this place,which I now consider my hometown.(Translation:Qing Run)

“糊汤粉的绝配是油条。”Z望着我笑嘻嘻地说。

鱼糜之鲜美、胡椒之辛辣、米粉之绵软，加上油条的焦香之气，真真令人想把舌头也吞进肚子里。低头再看看这样其貌不扬的一碗，不由得想到，这份餐食，正如眉目清淡的女子，粗布素衣而不浓彩重墨，举手投足亦不着力表现，与之相交，却如饮甘醇，历久弥芳。

Z 说，这糊汤粉的汤汁，是用小鲫鱼或小鳝鱼精心熬制而成。先将鱼剖洗干净，置于文火之上，通宵熬制，直至鱼肉及鱼骨与水相融相合，不分彼此。后剔除鱼刺，以荞麦粉与米粉混合勾芡，再加入除腥增味的白胡椒。一锅味鲜汁浓、清甜辛香的糊汤便大功告成。

一碗醍醐灌顶的鱼糊汤粉下肚，整个人登时觉得浑身舒爽通透起来。“你不觉得它跟大河南的某种吃食有点类似？”Z 望着我笑，目光里大有深意。

“胡辣汤！”我恍然大悟。这种最牵系着我思乡情结的吃食，看起来与糊汤粉毫无相似之处，吃起来却都有令人通体为之一振的感觉。

糊汤粉被不少北方食客称为“武汉的羊肉泡馍”。鱼羊者，谓之鲜也。以鱼之鲜代替羊之鲜，以米粉代替泡馍，以糊汤代替羊汤，绝妙无比。如此看来，糊汤粉着实是一碗可以满足八方口味、慰藉思乡游子的上好替代品。在对你脉脉相慰的背后，它不动声色地用这水乡泽国的气息风韵，悄无声息地将你侵袭与浸染。

中国有名的十大粉类之中，并不包含大武汉的糊汤粉。它太过平常，乃至廉价。在曾经的贫苦年代里，食客多是在码头上做搬运工的苦力，每天拼的是实打实的一身力气。为了耐饥，便在糊里加入生米粉起稠。所以，这份小吃，乃是用廉价的材料、繁琐的工序，打造出鲜美的味道，在有限的匮乏里酝酿出超乎想象的美好。

从此，遇到略觉疲软、无力支撑的时候，我便会去买上一碗糊汤粉。一口口品着这份爽麻鲜美，味蕾的满足感直线上涨，直到吃完最后一根米粉，仍觉意犹未尽。空虚的胃被这热乎乎的糊粉填满，心中立马充实起来，周身暖意融融，力量重新回到体内，整个人登时满血复活。

有了这么一碗治愈系的鲜鱼糊汤粉，安抚疲惫的身心与辘辘的胃肠，唯觉此心安处，他乡亦可是吾乡。