[theme music playing]
GUAGUA
QINZHOU DISTRICT, TIANSHUI, GANSU
[instrumental music playing]
[narrator] Four o’clock in the morning.
There are busy footstepsdeep in the alley.
[door opens]
This small shop at the end
has only made one type of foodfor the last 30 years.
The weight reached 300 kilograms today.
Before sunrise, they’ll be deliveredto nearly hundreds stalls in the city.
XIGUAN
Every day,
people in Tianshui in southeast Gansuwake up to this kind of food.
In the local language,it has a resounding name: Guagua.
This food made from buckwheat starchis the number one breakfast in Tianshui.
Grab it with your handwith a little force,
form it into small, irregular pieces.
It seems random, yet it’s ingenious.
The pulled-away pieces of guaguaare almost transparent.
They’re firm…
…with an uneven texture,
which makes it easyfor seasoning to stick.
Mix thoroughly with a spicy sauce,
put them into a hot baiji bun,
and you’ll feel energized.
GUAGUA BUNS
QINGYANG, TIANSHUI
Buckwheat starch used to make guaguasare widely grown in the Longdong Plateau.
It’s a very common local grain.
The summer solstice is over.
Winter wheat harvest just finished.
In the same field,farmers sow buckwheat seeds.
Huan County has cool weatherand sufficient sunlight.
Buckwheat’s growth period is short.
It matures in just three months.
[man speaking in Mandarin]
[man] Mature buckwheatis black in color and plump.
[narrator] Huan County’s buckwheat has a high amylopectin content.
It’s easier to mold.
Different cooking methods
enable it to havea complex flavor and texture.
Press it with your handsand it’ll have a shell-like pattern.
The shells absorb saucesand develop a smooth texture.
CAT-EARS
With the use of a tool,make them into hele noodles.
Their shape is set after boliling:Thin and soft.
Make thin pancakes using batter.
They’re light and crispy on the edgeswith a sweet taste.
Fry buckwheat noodles after fermentation,
and they become local donutswith a firm texture.
FRIED DONUTS
Buckwheat is a landmark cropin Huan County
and the pride of the locals.
And in Tianshui, people process buckwheatwith another plan in mind.
QINGYANG, TIANSHUI
After noon,Wen Kejin starts to make guaguas.
Shell the buckwheatand crush it into small pieces.
Soak it in water, and stir it repeatedly until the mix becomes sticky.
WEN KEJIN
Pour it into the stone mill,and grind the buckwheat even finer.
There’s one step leftto processing the ingredient.
In order to getthick and silky buckwheat milk,
Mr. Wen puts his entire body weighton the wooden handle,
and keeps milling and filtering carefully.
For the past 40 years,
the Wen family has processedhundreds of kilos of buckwheat daily.
Cooking the buckwheat milkis the core step.
His wife handles the milk,and Mr. Wen controls the heat level.
This is how they’ve worked togetherfor over ten years.
The most strenuous partneeds to be completed by Mr. Wen.
Under high heat, keep stirring
so that the starch continuesto gelatinize.
After one hour,it becomes a uniformly gelatinous mix.
If you cool it down at this point,and let it solidify naturally,
you’ll get jellywith a moisture content of 85 percent.
XINYANG TOWN, TIANSHUI, GANSU
At the town of Xinyang in Tianshui City,there’s a fair twice a week
with local snacks.
But people know about this placeall because of buckwheat jelly.
Gently swirl around itusing a special tool
to get long strips.
The strips are translucentand the color of taro and very moist.
They’re smooth and cool to the taste.
COLD BUCKWHEAT JELLY NOODLES
However, it takes more effortto make guaguas than jellies.
The stove in Wen Kejin’s homeisn’t turned off yet.
In the wok,the buckwheat milk is still simmering.
By observing the color and thickness,
Mr. Wen knows if the buckwheat milkhas already transformed.
With the last mixing motion,
the buckwheat milkbecomes denser and firmer.
After it’s placed in separate containers,it cools down and forms its shape.
Guagua is produced.
But the process of making itisn’t over yet.
Wen Kejin leaves a portion of the gelatin
and continues to cook itwith the residual heat from the stove.
To the people of Tianshui,
the buckwheat crust is where the essence of guagua lies.
[Wen Kejin] Done.
[rooster crows]
[narrator] After one night,
the moisture from the gelatinhas largely evaporated,
and it becomes amber in color.
A bit burnt on the outside,it’s thick and firm.
Spongy holes are formed in the layerbetween the crust and the gelatin.
The layer itself is fragrant and chewy.
BUCKWHEAT CRUST
The crust has a mesmerizing aromaand a chewy texture.
Add one or two piecesto every bowl of guagua
and it’s icing on the cake.
Vinegar-based sauce cleanses the palate.
The sesame sauce is smooth.
The chili oil is spicy.
The three flavors in one make upan authentic bowl of Tianshui guagua.
TIANSHUI GUAGUA
[man] The guagua is ready.
[man repeating] Guagua, jelly.
[narrator] Every morning,guagua is the star in Tianshui.
This kind of breakfast looks simple on the outside,
yet it takes a lot of effort to makeand is custom-made
by the people in Tianshui.
Over the course of 2,000 years,
it has become an ordinary delicacythat has taken root locally.
[instrumental music fades out]
[end theme playing]