03x07 - Gluten

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GLUTEN

October.

The Euphrates poplar forest is gold.

The Hexi District welcomes late autumn.

LÜ FENGBIN

Lü Fengbin just finished
half a day's work.

Three kilometers from here,

his wife Deng Fenglan is preparing lunch.

Deng Fenglan is making
a common staple food in Jinta households.

It's called gluten.

It has a sponge-like texture
that's very elastic.

With holes like a beehive,

it can absorb the rich flavors
of different foods.

It's the most ideal flavor reservoir.

DENG FENGLAN

SPINACH WITH GLUTEN

PUMPKIN GLUTEN SOUP

Locals dry them under the sun,

so that the gluten can be air-dried

and stored for a long time.

Once gluten is placed in water,

it's immediately rejuvenated.

When cooked with free-range chicken,
the gluten becomes soft

and fully absorbs the flavorful richness
of the chicken stock.

CHICKEN GLUTEN STEW

Today,

the couple will make
the last batch of gluten

before the winter comes.

Flour and water
are all the raw materials they need.

The dough is kneaded

until it's very firm
and sticky on the surface.

This is the first step in making gluten.

A lot of water is added.

Then it's repeatedly
stirred and stretched.

The gluten
slowly separates from the flour.

Starch water is gradually filtered out

until the starch is washed away.

In the end,

we get fresh gluten.

Fresh gluten can be eaten
directly after steaming.

But at some places in Gansu,

people will process it further.

After the gluten is washed,

it is added into dough again.

WANG XINGBING

Knead it repeatedly

and you'll get a fusion of gluten
and flour noodles.

ZHANGYE, GANSU

Gaotai County.

People here view gluten
as the essence of wheat.

They're willing to spend
more time and energy on it.

This gluten noodles shop
is hidden in a residence building.

This is what gluten is
in the eyes of the locals.

Gaotai gluten is extremely elastic.

But too much elasticity

makes it hard to form the dough by hand.

A tool made from wicker must be used.

Bizi.

Within seconds, the fist-sized dough

is swiftly stretched to . m in diameter,

and less than mm thin.

Forty
bizis
are placed
on top of one another.

Wicker
bizis
transform
into natural steamers.

After minutes,
the gluten is fully cooked.

Even if they're just as thin as paper,

their texture remains elastic.

They can take repeated stretching.

Flaxseed oil is brushed
on fresh and soft Gaotai gluten

to make it more delectable.

Cut them into strips,
and you'll have their local daily staple.

It has a rich aroma of wheat
and a unique bite.

They can be paired with different
kinds of snacks and main dishes.

PORK STRIPS WITH GREEN PEPPER AND GLUTEN

LAMB WITH CUMIN AND GLUTEN

Of course,

the people in Gaotai cannot be
satisfied with just fresh food.

After gluten loses its moisture and dries,
they harden and their shapes are set.

Add them to boiling oil,
and they immediately bloom.

Air holes burst on their surface

and the texture becomes crispy.

Add them to soup

and their holes
will be filled with the liquid.

They become rich and smooth in texture.

JIUQUAN, GANSU

The same dough with fresh gluten

is handled differently in Jiuquan.

This is a specialty snack
that can only be found in Jiuquan.

Huguo.

Golden and soft gluten is its essence.

Before dawn,

Xia Shangguo needs to make
gluten for the day.

The dough is undergoing transformation.

Carbon dioxide is gradually produced,

and bubbles are formed.

This looks like a beehive.

Based on the air holes produced,

Xia can tell if the dough
has completely fermented.

His wife, Zhou Dongmei,
is in charge of the soup base.

She uses the leftover starch water
from gluten-washing to thicken the soup.

This is how the name
huguo
came about.

Various spices are added
to form its spicy soup base.

Brown syrup gives
the soup base an amber hue.

The fully fermented dough
is extremely elastic.

It takes lots of effort
to stretch the dough evenly on the tray.

Unlike Gaotai's steaming method,

the people of Jiuquan use an oven.

The air holes
start to expand in high heat.

Its surface dries and browns,

producing the aroma of grains.

Baked gluten becomes loose in texture.

They look like toast.

It's tender and crispy on the outside,

and soft and warm on the inside.

In Xia Shangguo's
huguo
shop,

gluten is the most popular item.

-Do you want some gluten?
-Sure. It's great.

Ingredients are added
to the soup in order.

The gluten is the last to go in.

Smooth glass noodles. Flaky mahua.

Because of the special texture of gluten,
it doesn't get soggy.

Instead, it soaks in the soup,
taking in its spicy flavor.

This is the proud breakfast
of champions in Jiuquan.

The people of Gansu's love for gluten

is not only due to
its mesmerizing texture and flavor,

but also because of the ingenuity
and effort put into making it.

After millenia,

it still thrives on the path
of wheat's introduction to the East.