LaoMa Gong Zong Qiu (Xin Guan Jie)

I drove to Shantou for a trip and asked a local friend what delicious food there was. My friend actually recommended a Zongzi shop, so we drove our Hongqi car to the door of the Laotianjia Company store. It was really troublesome to park in front of the door because the road was very narrow, but their business was really very, very good. I heard from local friends that if you come late, there will be a long queue. This may be the charm of the time-honored brand. However, I didn’t think it tasted that good, probably because the price was a bit too expensive.

Lao Ma Palace has a long history in Shantou, and opposite to Lao Ma Palace there is also a gourmet restaurant with a long history, that is Lao Ma Zongqiu, which is actually the Zongzi we often eat, but there are still differences between the Zongzi in the south, the north and the northwest. Their Zongzi has a long history and unique flavor. If you come to Lao Ma Palace for tourism or travel to Shantou, you might as well come here to try it.

The zongzi (Chaoshan zongzi) in Shantou's central city (to be precise, Shantou's old city) is a unique local snack. As a local veteran foodie, of course I know that it has evolved into many flavors, all of which are "righteously" hung and loudly shouted "authentic~". In fact, the authentic Lao Ma Palace zongzi is not at Lao Ma Palace, but at Yuejin Road. And foodies, please debunk the fakes. The logo of this restaurant is the fat and strong owner "Fei De".

One of the characteristics of Shantou, this is also a very famous restaurant. Unfortunately, I have never been able to appreciate the rice dumplings in Fujian. My friends are basically incapable of accepting them. In addition, we have eaten all the way and our appetite is limited. In order to better pick the food, 6 people ordered 2 servings of rice dumplings. Although sweet and salty are my favorite, the method of making this rice dumpling is really not delicious. 6 people couldn’t finish 2 rice dumplings. We tasted the taste, took photos, and gave up. Let’s go to the next stop...

Shantou's Lao Ma Gong Zongqiu is a classic Chaoshan snack. Traditionally, there are two or three flavors: sweet, salty, and salty and sweet. The sweet filling is mung bean paste (or black bean paste) and crystal filling, wrapped with pig fat; the salty filling is mushrooms, dried shrimps, Chinese sausage, minced fish, lotus seeds, chestnuts, and pickled southern milk meat. Then it is wrapped with bamboo leaves and salt grass to form a hexagonal ball, put into the pot and cook. When eating, untie the bamboo leaves and serve on a plate. It has edges and corners, is crystal clear and smooth, and is sweet, fragrant and salty. The sweet filling in the double combination is only a small lump of red bean paste.

Opposite to the Lao Ma Palace on Waimalu, a popular check-in spot for internet celebrities. I personally don't think it's very delicious. I tried the double-cooked rice dumplings for the sake of novelty. For someone like me who has eaten double-cooked rice dumplings before and helped to pack them, I would rather eat five-spice rice dumplings, which taste simpler and more delicious. The horseshoe cake said that the weather was too hot and it was not available. In fact, I don't like it either, but I was too lazy to go to Fuhe Market to pack them for them to try.

Lao Ma Palace Zongqiu is hidden in a small alley, located at No. 2 Xinguan Street, Jinping District. It is located in the alley opposite Lao Ma Palace, and its name comes from this. There is a Chinese medicine store and an old leather shoe store opposite the alley. But the old saying goes, "Good wine needs no bush." ​​Every day, many diners flock to the alley, and the store is a different world. Especially during the Dragon Boat Festival, Zongqiu is in short supply. You don't know until you come, and you don't want to leave when you come. The authentic Shantou Zongqiu is so delicious! Soft glutinous rice, hexagonal shape, unique taste experience, this is my first impression of Lao Ma Palace Zongqiu. The ingredients of its Zongqiu are very particular. After a series of procedures such as washing, washing, and drying, the glutinous rice is fried in lard, and then fried with an appropriate amount of high-quality fish sauce. Then fry until the rice grains are crystal clear, fragrant and smooth, and serve in a basin. Add stuffing, then wrap it with bamboo leaves and salt grass to make a hexagonal ball, and put it into the pot to cook. The most famous thing in the store is the double-cooked zongzi. There are sweet and salty stuffings. The sweet stuffing is mung bean paste and crystal stuffing, wrapped with pig fat on the outside; the salty stuffing is mushrooms, dried shrimps, Chinese sausage, minced fish, lotus seeds, chestnuts and pickled southern milk braised meat. This kind of zongzi has a distinct lard aroma, sweet and soft. There are also horseshoe crab cakes, large intestine pickled vegetable soup, pig stomach soup, etc. for sale in the store, which can be used as breakfast. The sanitation environment in the store is good, and the service is average in comparison. There is a plaque in the store with "Shi Ding Zheng Zhi" written on it. The Chaoshan dialect meaning of these four words is that only after eating and tasting it carefully, can you really know its good taste. Due to the fame of Lao Ma Gong Zongzi, these four words have also spread. However, if you can come to Shantou, you might as well come to this century-old restaurant to experience the atmosphere of eating zongzi!

Many of the old shops in the old city of Shantou are hidden in dilapidated alleys. Lao Ma Palace Zongqiu is one of them. In fact, Lao Ma Palace, located on Waimalu Road, is also known as Tianhou Palace. It is the earliest building since the opening of Shantou. Some snacks located nearby are also named after it. Lao Ma Palace Zongqiu, which originated in 1920, is one of them. Zongqiu is actually zongzi. The characteristic of this zongzi is that it is half salty and half sweet. It contains glutinous rice, dried shrimp, scallops, mushrooms, egg yolks, fermented bean curd meat, lotus paste, chestnuts, lamb roasted ginkgo and other ingredients, which tastes rich.