[intro theme playing]
SOUHERB
WENGOU VILLAGE, TIANSHUI, GANSU
[narrator] The summer rainbrings the valley back to life.
Everything is growing, including invisiblemicroorganisms in a jar.
[instrumental music playing]
This kind of white soup is called souherb.
It’s made by fermenting vegetables.
In Tianshui, every householdis used to having one.
ZHAO AIZHEN
Okay, done.
[narrator] Zhao Aizhen is the souherbexpert in the Wengou Village.
It’s time for the ingredients she placedin the jar a few days ago to come out.
The vegetables are tender.
The soup is refreshing.
The sour aroma broughtby the fermentation is unique and mild.
SOUHERB
Tianshui is located on the boundarybetween northern and southern China.
Forests cover almost 50 percentof the land.
It has a mild climatethat’s rare in Gansu.
The varieties of wild vegetablesnot only taste good after cooking,
but they can also becomethe raw ingredients for making souherb.
LAMBQUARTERS WITH OIL
Starting March 3, endive sproutscan be made into mashed balls. [laughs]
[narrator] Zhao Aizhen wants to finda wild vegetable called endive.
It only grows during two seasons:Spring and summer.
It has a slightly bitter taste.
Its stems and leavesare crispy and juicy.
She thinks they’re the bestraw ingredients for making souherb.
Souherb seems simple to make,yet it’s very specific.
No meat or fish productscan be involved in the process.
Boil the soup, then add endives.
Bacteria is killedin the process of cooking.
The flavor transformation needs one lastimportant step.
Old souherb is the best yeast.
When the lactobacilli inside itmeets the starch in the soup,
the time spent under the heat stimulatesthe fermentation of a new souherb.
Souherb already hasover one thousand years of history.
The Tianshui ancestors discoveredits beauty by accident.
In its long coexistencewith the local flavor,
people in the northwestern regionhave mastered its fermentation process.
Life in a rural village has a slow pace.
Endive souherb also needs to waitfrom one to three days of fermentation.
Through the actionof microorganisms and enzymes,
the endives become soft.
Its bitter taste is slowly removed.
A large volumeof lactobacilli is produced.
Souherb emanates an aromathat’s very easy to recognize.
ENDIVE SOUHERB
Raw souherb can be consumed directly,
but it would havea slightly pungent flavor
which makes some people avoid it.
However, people in Tianshui have a wayof making it more approachable.
Add seasoning ingredients,and stir-fry them on high heat.
Locals call it stir-fried souherb.
SOUHERB RADISH
It’s slightly sour and spicywith a mild and savory aroma.
It can be used for home-cooked meals,
and it can also be a partof flavorful dishes in restaurants.
SOUHERB HOT POT
Zhao Aizhen loves to makethese kind of noodles more.
Press the batter of cooked noodlesthrough a slotted ladle
and place in cold waterto form their shape.
With a fish-like tail, it’s called yuyu.
SOUHERB YUYU (GUOZOU)
Add one spoonful of stir-fried souherband the yuyu becomes soft and agile.
In the heat of summer,
souherb yuyu makes dinner in ruralvillages more refreshing and comfortable.
TIANSHUI, GANSU
[man] All right.
Hu Yinmin has a noodle placein Tianshui City.
Every two to three days, he mustpersonally make a batch of souherb.
Making souherb isn’t only limitedto using vegetables.
Today, he wants to try a new combination.
With the most common celeryand cabbage as a base,
he also adds carrots and radishes,which are rarely used.
Different raw ingredientsprovide a subtle difference
to the sour and savory soup baseand transform its flavor.
In Hu Yinmin’s noodle place,souherb is served all year round.
To the people in Tianshui, souherbis meant to be paired with noodles.
Noodles are thick and heavy.
Souherb will help in digesting them.
Over ten types of noodlesare served in his place.
The most popular oneis still souherb noodles.
Just add a ladle of stir-fried souherbto thin and white noodles.
They’re energizingand relieve the summer heat.
SOUHERB NOODLES
Good.
ASSORTED SOUHERB NOODLES
[narrator] The assorted souherb preparedfour days ago has fermented well.
It will become a new variantof souherb noodles.
The flavor of souherb was formed due to local conditions.
It has also become a colorfuland lively mark
among food in the northwestern region.
A chef faraway in Beijingwas inspired while making creative dishes.
With slightly sour emerald greentomatoes as the base,
add outstandingly aromatic celery,and slightly ferment them.
Its texture and taste is very closeto its original production area.
Tear off pickled mullet roe in pieces.
Smooth with a savory aroma,mildly envelop them in green souherb.
The vibe of the plateaumeets the element of the sea.
It’s a wonderful encounter
between the two places that are2,000 kilometers apart from each other.
SOUHERB MULLET ROE
Humans never stopin their pursuit of flavor.
Souherb was produced
due to an exceptionally favorableenvironmental condition.
It took rootat the dining tables of people
in the northwestern region daily.
Because of its delicious flavor and health benefits,
it’s gradually becoming well-known to more people in the world.
[instrumental music fades out]
[end theme playing]