Yuanwei Handmade Mantou Shop 反璞歸真 堅持原味的手工饅頭
Yuanwei Handmade Mantou Shop
◎English Written by Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos by Yang Chan-hua
Yuanwei (original flavor) is a mantou shop located in the Zizhu New Village, in Zuoying District. Owner Mr. Wang has been in business for eight year and enjoys a large customer base.
Every morning the shop opens to a long line of eager customers. Some of these people come from other areas and go out of their way to get Yuanwei's mantous. This diverse and loyal customer base is clear testimony to Yuanwei's popularity.
However, Mr. Wang's booming business did not happen overnight. When he first began his business, he and his wife would often work up to 22 hours a day. He recalls falling asleep over pork buns that they would be still working on in the middle of the night. Over the years customers have been very supportive. With its location in Zuoying's military village, there are many people who have originated from provinces in China where mantous are a popular cuisine. His customers would give them a lot of feedback regarding their ongoing recipe improvements and techniques. This was very valuable to Mr. Wang, even when his shop transitioned into a thriving business. To this day he still welcomes feedback and continues to make improvements.
He also knows the importance of making food with the best ingredients and a solid technique. He never skips steps or uses artificial flavoring. The only spice that goes into his buns is a pinch of Sichuan pepper to add flavor in the scallion rolls. He uses only government certified premium unbleached flour. This type of flour has to be kneaded precisely otherwise the mantous come out with an unappetizing, grayish hue. His mantous always come out bursting with the sweet flavor of wheat flour, solid to the touch and chewy in texture.
Kneading the dough is also hard manual labor and with the shop full of steam all the time, Mr. Wang is always sweaty. However, every time a fresh tray of mantous come out perfectly round and full, he knows his hard work has been rewarded.
反璞歸真 堅持原味的手工饅頭
◎文／楊蟬華
◎攝影／楊蟬華
饅頭是眷村飲食文化不可或缺的一環，位於高雄左營自助新村的原味手工饅頭，開張到現在才8個年頭，卻已深深擄獲老饕們的脾胃。
清晨，開車的、拄著柺杖的、外傭推著輪椅來的，甚至有遠從楠梓騎機車來的，光顧的客人沒間斷過，生意之好可見一斑。
這樣的榮景，可是王老闆一點一滴打拼來的。剛開店時一天工作高達22小時，他和太太常包子包到一半就睡著，但是他很感激客人的包容與指導，許多客人告訴他改進的方法，他就這樣改良到現在。
正因曾有過一段走味的人生，老闆的饅頭與包子堅持不用人工香料，除了花捲中添入少許花椒提味外，饅頭的香甜與飽滿彈牙的口感，全都是靠真功夫揉和出來的。
除了不添加人工香料外，老闆還選用經國家標準認證未摻入漂白劑的麵粉，老闆說未加漂白劑的麵粉，很容易揉出灰灰賣相不佳的白饅頭，所以手工一定要確實到位，正因此常常汗流挾背，但只要看到蒸過的饅頭表皮，淬練出一種飽和的光澤感，高溫之苦與疲累都消除了。
當被問到他心目中完美的饅頭產生了沒，老闆說還沒，仍持續研究改良饅頭的方法，但毫無疑問的，王老闆堅持原味的手工鏝頭已贏得顧客的好口碑。
Zhenkouwei Roasted Duck House
◎English Written by Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos by Yang Chan-hua, Hou Ya-ting
Zhenkouwei literally means "tasty roasted duck". The restaurant has been in business since 1982 and has become unquestionably the best place to get roasted duck in the area. Frequent customers usually order their ducks in advance and know it is a must if they want to make sure they get their ducks for special occasions.
When asked what his secret was, the owner laughed and said he didn't have any secrets. The only reason his ducks are so good is because they never skip any steps. They do everything precisely and accurately. The shop produces 70 to 100 ducks daily and staff starts work at 4:30 am every day. The first batch of duck is on the rack by 10:00am. Each rack contains 10 ducks. These ducks are known as "naked ducks" because they come complete with the head and neck. They must weigh at least 2.4 kilos (about 5.3 lbs) and are fresh from the farm daily.
The preparation process is meticulous. This process includes the plucking, the cutting of scallions, the wrapping and the making of the sauce. Zhenkouwei's roasted ducks are not only prized for their good flavor but are also sought after because every slice is fresh, crisp and fragrant. Shaving the duck is also an art that requires special skills. The owner's wife and sister are in charge of this task. During peak hours they can shave one duck in as little as two minutes. Although the leftover bones have nearly no meat, it should not be wasted. At Zhenkouwie's they stir fry the cartilage with a generous amount of Chinese sour kraut made with mustard green. This produces the popular "leftover makeover" dish. Its deep flavor is achieved by marrying the richness of duck cartilage with a sharp note of Chinese sour kraut over an open flame. The potent fragrance and moderate amount of chili pepper added during the frying process are enough to make anyone's mouth water.
在香氣流轉間
真口味烤鴨莊 豐富了眷村的味覺印象
◎文／侯雅婷
◎攝影／楊蟬華、侯雅婷
作為一個老饕，一定不能錯過真口味烤鴨莊！這家在左營極富盛名的眷村美食，自民國71 年開店迄今，門庭若市，生意興隆。這烤鴨到底有多好吃？有經驗的人都知道最好事先預訂，免得望鴨興嘆！
老闆爽朗的笑著說，店裏烤鴨沒什麼祖傳秘方，但強調每個步驟都一定得按部就班，確確實實做到定位。店裏每天凌晨四點半就開始烤鴨的作業程序，以確保十點能準時將第一爐（一爐有10隻烤鴨）烤鴨上架，每天製作的烤鴨約70~100隻，嚴選當日新鮮、品質優良的光鴨（包括頭和脖子的鴨叫光鴨)，重達至少4台斤，從拔鴨毛、切蔥、桿麵皮、調醬料，樣樣不假手他人。老闆說店裏的烤鴨，嚐得到鴨的新鮮、脆度、原味和香氣。「片」烤鴨更是一項專門的功夫，由老闆娘和妹妹一肩扛起這項重責大任，人多的時候，兩分鐘就得「片」完一整隻鴨，可說是刀功了得，料理剩下的鴨骨頭也不馬虎，佐以酸菜，酸菜用量極為大方，大火快炒後，香氣噗鼻而來，帶點微辣，又是一道令人垂涎欲滴的美食，老闆娘說：「鴨骨頭加上米粉、酸菜搭配饅頭最對味！」