豆腐与鱼相爱 不是一种意外
2021-09-10高维微
高维微
三溪口豆腐魚,一道盛名在外的重庆佳肴。
硕大如脸盆的菜盆里,鱼和豆腐在厚厚一层红艳的辣椒下相拥,油泼辣子特有的香味混合着鱼的鲜香、豆腐的软绵,勾引得人食欲爆棚。
从渝武高速三溪口互通下道往北碚方向走,沿途的广告牌上,“豆腐与鱼相爱,不是一种意外”“三溪口不远,豆腐鱼很近”等广告语,为麻辣鲜香的豆腐鱼增添了一丝文艺范。
Sanxikou Tofu Fish is a famous Chongqing delicacy.
In a vegetable basin as large as a washbasin, fish and tofu embrace each other under a thick layer of red pepper. The unique fragrance of oil and pungent seeds is mixed with the fresh fragrance of fish and the soft cotton of tofu, which seduces people’s appetite.
On the billboards along the way from Sanxikou Interchange of Chongqing-Wuhan Expressway to Beibei, slogans such as "Tofu falls in love with fish - that was no accident","Sanxikou is not far away, tofu fish is nearby" add enormously to the cultural ambiance of tofu fish that originally wandered in the spicy food world.
过路司机与路边摊的合作Cooperation Between Passing Drivers and Roadside Stalls
说到三溪口豆腐鱼,就不得不提212国道(现542省道)上的货车司机。正是他们和当地居民共同创造了三溪口的这道美味。
上世纪八十年代,三溪口是212国道进出重庆城的必经之路。当时就有村民在公路边摆摊卖小面,专做过往司机的生意。随着货车越来越多,司机收入也越来越高,他们就要求老板“整点好吃的”。
整什么好呢?偏远小镇三溪口,唯独不缺嘉陵江鱼,于是小面摊端出了麻辣鱼。一来麻辣压腥,二来重口味下饭,因此很受货车司机们的偏爱。
不过,光是吃鱼难免单调。三溪口有股山泉,村民们用泉水做的豆腐早有名气,货车司机便要求在麻辣鱼中多加些豆腐。没曾想,燥辣与温柔的相遇让人意外惊喜,于是菜谱再次升级,麻辣鱼变成了豆腐鱼。
三溪口豆腐鱼的名声,随着货车的车轮越传越远,当地居民也纷纷把临街的房屋改造成鱼庄。鼎盛时期,公路两旁的馆子多达三十余家。
这些鱼庄经营项目类似,外观差别又不大。为避免走错场子,食客们在口口相传中给它们取了各种代号:“口口雨棚棚那家”“三层楼红砖房”“白色瓷砖房”“负一楼杀鱼那家……
When it comes to the Sanxikou Tofu Fish, we have to mention the truck drivers on National Highway 212 (now Provincial Highway 542). It was they and the local residents who jointly created this delicious dish in Sanxikou.
In the 1980s, Sanxikou was the only way for National Highway 212 to enter and leave Chongqing City. At that time, some villagers set up stalls selling noodles along the highway mainly for passing drivers. As the number of trucks increased and drivers’ wallets got thicker, they asked the stall owners for"something better".
What to offer? In Sanxikou, a remote town, there is no shortage of Jialing River fish, so spicy fish is served in small noodle stalls. On the one hand, it is spicy, with no fishy smell, and on the other hand, it is very popular with truck drivers because of its heavy taste.
However, fish alone is somewhat dull. There is a mountain spring in Sanxikou. Tofu made by villagers from spring water has long been famous. Truck drivers asked for more tofu to be added to spicy fish. What people unexpected was the surprise of the meeting of hotness and gentleness. Therefore, the menu was upgraded again, and spicy fish became tofu fish.
The reputation of Sanxikou Tofu Fish, as the wheels of trucks, spread further and further, local residents have also transformed houses facing the street into fish restaurants. At its peak, there were more than 30 restaurants on both sides of the highway.
These fish restaurants have similar menus and little difference in appearance. In order to avoid going to the wrong one, diners gave them various codes, "the one with the canopy shed", "the three-story red brick house", "the white ceramic tile house" and "the fish killing one on the negative first floor...
豆腐鱼里有山水There are Landscapes in Tofu Fish
三溪口豆腐鱼口碑相传几十年,关键就在独特的山水滋味。
作为主角的鱼,肉质细腻才能与豆腐完美搭配。三溪口地处嘉陵江边,出好鱼、选好鱼自然不算难事。而点睛之笔的豆腐,则一定要用三溪口背后小山上的山泉水制作,软绵Q弹带一点点嚼劲。这山泉水同时也是豆腐鱼口味独特的关键配方——三溪口几乎所有鱼庄都将山泉水引到了厨房。几乎所有人都坚持认为,“山泉水和自来水煮出来的鱼,味道就是不一样”。
随着更多精品鱼的出现,原本用来压腥味的辣椒,承担起更多增色添香的职责。辣椒是新鲜的干辣椒,这样才能保证红亮亮的鲜艳度。因为要配合上桌前最后一道泼油的工序,所以炒辣椒和舂制糊辣壳不能太生、太细,也不能过火或者太粗,否则要么不出香味,要么会有焦糊味。各种火候,全凭师傅拿捏。
Sanxikou Tofu Fish has been handed down for decades, and the key lies in its unique landscape taste.
Only fish with finer flesh can be perfectly balanced with tofu. Sanxikou is located on the Jialing River, so it is naturally not difficult to produce and select good fish. The finishing touch is the tofu, soft and chewy, which must be made from the mountain spring water on the hill behind Sanxikou. This mountain spring water is also the key formula for the unique taste of tofu fish. Almost all fish farms in Sanxikou lead the mountain spring water to the kitchen. Almost everyone insists that "fish cooked with mountain spring water and tap water have different tastes".
With the emergence of more fine fish, chili, which was originally used to remove the fishy smell, has assumed more responsibilities to add color and aroma. Chili is fresh and dried, so as to ensure the brightness of red. To cooperate with the last process of pouring oil before serving, the fried chili and pounded spicy shells should not be too raw, too fine, too hot or too thick, otherwise, they will either have no fragrance or have burnt flavor. All degrees of heating is up to the master.
一盤鱼长出一条街A Plate of Fish Grows a Street
然而盛名之下,三溪口豆腐鱼却因为沿街店面简陋的环境,长时间被戏称为“苍蝇馆子”,加上渝武高速通车后,走542省道的车越来越少,三溪口豆腐鱼的火爆场面逐渐降温,原先三十多家鱼庄只剩下不到一半。转型发展寻找出路,成为经营户需要考虑的问题。
上世纪八十年代,凉风垭豆腐鱼庄是三溪口最早的一批豆腐鱼庄之一,如今由父亲和叔伯传到了刘光亮手中。为了留住几十年传承下来的老味道,刘光亮一直在坚持,“豆腐鱼是我们家最早开始做的,我们肯定不可能抛弃豆腐鱼转行,不过我们在配菜上有增加。”
代號“三层楼红砖房”的渝兴豆腐鱼,靠着推陈出新赢得市场,比如为老人和小孩准备了番茄鱼和酸菜鱼,还有回锅鱼等。
还有一些鱼庄,选择开辟第二战场,比如“王记”,把总店搬到了北碚城区的九号好吃街上。
除了经营者,北碚区人民政府也在为“三溪口豆腐鱼”想办法。北碚区结合城市提升改造工程,精心打造三溪口豆腐鱼特色美食街,还聘请了专业团队,一对一为17户商家量身定制改造提升方案,力争让每家店都能带给食客不同的感受,刘光亮的鱼庄现在甚至还加装了电梯。
再探三溪口豆腐鱼,味道没变,环境却让人舒心了很多。而且设置了专门的停车位,非常方便,吃完鱼还可以沿着周边步道散散步,颇为惬意。
However, with its fame, Sanxikou Tofu Fish has been nicknamed "Fly Restaurant" for a long time because of the crude environment of storefronts along the street. In addition, after the Chongqing-Wuhan Expressway was opened to traffic, fewer and fewer cars took Provincial Highway 542, and the hot scene of Sanxikou tofu fish gradually cooled down, leaving less than half of the original thirty fish restaurants. Finding a way out for transformation and development has become a problem that these owners need to consider.
In the 1980s, Liangfengya Tofu Fish Restaurant was one of the earliest players in Sanxikou, and now it has been passed to Liu Guangliang by his father and uncles. In order to retain the taste passed down for decades, Liu Guangliang has been struggling for long, "It was our family that first started making tofu fish, and we certainly can’t abandon it to another career, but we have increased the number of side dishes."
Yuxing Tofu Fish, codenamed "Three-story Red Brick House", has won the market by bringing forth the new, such as preparing tomato fish, pickled cabbage fish and twice cooked fish for the elderly and children.
There are also some fish farms that have chosen to open up the second battlefield, such as "Wang Ji", and moved their head office to No.9 Delicious Street in Beibei City.
In addition to the operators, Beibei District Government is also trying to find a way out for "Sanxikou Tofu Fish". Beibei District has carefully built the Sanxikou Tofu Fish Special Food Street in combination with the urban upgrading project, and hired a professional team to tailor the upgrading plan for 17 businesses one by one, striving to make each store bring different feelings to diners. Now, the fish farm of Liu Guangliang has even installed elevators.
Revisiting a restaurant offering Sanxikou Tofu Fish again, we find that the taste remains unchanged, but the environment is much more comfortable. Moreover, parking space is set up, making dining more convenient. After eating fish, you can also take a walk along the surrounding trails, which is quite pleasant.