Henan province in central China is not only home to the world-renowned Shaolin Temple but it is also a main grain producer known for its diverse wheaten food.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hi, I'm Smiley. Today I'm going to explore the food from a province maybe most of you are unfamiliar with
00:06 but I'm sure there is one place from this province you must have heard of and that is Shaolin Temple.
00:13 Henan province in central China is home to the world-renowned Shaolin Temple.
00:17 As the main grain-producing area in China, Henan has a sown area of wheat stable at more than 18.5 million mu
00:25 and its wheat output accounts for a quarter of the country's total.
00:28 Consequently, Henan people exhibit a profound fondness for wheat and food.
00:33 Joining me today is noodles lover Cassidy.
00:35 Basically, every Henanese person feels uncomfortable if they don't eat a bowl of noodles a day.
00:42 Let's make her comfortable by starting with a bowl of Henan-stewed noodles.
00:45 The tip to eat the noodles is to gulp it while drinking the broth.
00:49 The marinade soup, after being stewed with spices for over five hours, is umami without any aftertaste.
00:56 The white and chewy hand-put noodles soak up the savory braised essence of the broth.
01:02 This was the side dish Henan people like to enjoy with noodles, raw garlic.
01:07 We in Henan do as the Henan people do.
01:10 The garlic is like a firework burst out in my mouth.
01:22 But actually, it's not as wild as the noodles.
01:26 Maybe some soup will help mask the garlic aroma.
01:46 Among various soups, wulatang is masked with breakfast in Henan.
01:51 When I wake up in the morning, I might make an appointment with my friend to have wulatang at 8am.
01:58 With rich ingredients, captivating soup stock, and high-quality flour,
02:02 a bowl of wulatang awakens the taste buds of Henan people in a brand new day.
02:07 It has strong pepper, black pepper flavor.
02:20 Do they really drink it during breakfast?
02:24 I think it's too strong for me as a breakfast.
02:28 It's also very appetizing.
02:30 I think it makes me feel warm.
02:34 During the winter, you definitely need to have one bowl of wulatang.
02:39 After savoring the soup with a robust flavor, maybe it's time to try some steamed saffron flour.
02:45 In Henan, there are many saffron trees.
02:49 When the saffron flowers bloom, they put the saffron flowers on the trees.
02:53 They put the saffron flowers on the trees with plastic bags and take them home.
02:57 After taking them home, they simply wash them and sprinkle them with flour.
03:01 Then they can be steamed in a steamer.
03:04 After steaming, the saffron flour is also fragrant.
03:06 Then dip it in some garlic sauce.
03:09 It tastes very refreshing and delicious.
03:12 Before the founding of the country, the people of Henan were poor.
03:15 They had little to eat.
03:17 Henan people had no choice but to eat whatever they had.
03:20 Later, they found that the way to steam saffron flour was simple.
03:25 It didn't need a lot of ingredients.
03:27 And it tasted good.
03:29 Why do you add flour to the saffron flour?
03:32 Flour is the main staple food in Henan.
03:36 It's also the easiest to get.
03:38 If you use flour to wrap the saffron flour, it can be a staple food or a dish.
03:44 As we appreciate the meld of flavors and the historical influences woven into each dish,
03:50 the Henan cuisine, with plain ingredients cooked in a simple way,
03:54 embodies the simple and unaffected characters of the Henan people.
03:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]