Celebrate Longtaitou Festival with These Vegan Dishes!
Spring festival didn’t exactly bring the spring weather I was hoping for - in Beijing we had a crazy cold flash and even a snowstorm! Well, maybe the Longtaitou Festival, celebrated on the second day of the second lunar month, is our next best bet! The name of the festival, 龙抬头 Lóng táitóu means “the dragon lifts his head." The legend goes that as the dragon wakes up from his winter slumber, he will bring the rain. Maybe it’s because I’m originally from Raincouver (aka Vancouver, Canada), but I’ll take some spring rain as relief from the dry Beijing winters any day!
While the Longtaitou festival hasn’t been observed strictly in bigger cities for quite some time, who am I to pass up a festival with traditions of eating delicious food (all of which are veganizable)? So let’s encourage a come-back with these five traditional Longtaitou dishes!
Source: 大廚網 Da Chu
1. Spring pancakes (春饼 Chūnbǐng)
These pancakes are said to represent the scales of the dragon (lóng lín 龙鳞). Unlike traditional western-style pancakes, the batter doesn’t traditionally contain eggs - only flour, water and a little vegetable oil. Chunbing are thin, almost translucent, and a little chewy, and are served with a variety of savoury dishes. My favourite fillings are pickled cabbage and vermicelli (酸菜粉丝 Suāncài fěnsī) and smoked tofu with Chinese leeks (豆干韭菜 Dòu gān jiǔcài). Be sure to also order a side dish of shredded onions, pickled radish, and cucumber as well as a hoisin dip. So good!
Source: Sohu
2. Dumplings (饺子Jiǎozi)
Is it even a Chinese festival if people aren’t eating dumplings? Dumplings on this day are referred to as lóng ěr 龙耳 ‘dragon ears’. While there isn’t any particular must-eat filling, I love a good mushroom dumpling, or plant-based pork and chive (my favourite is from 植爱生活).
Source: China Daily
3. Dragon Beard Noodles (龙须面 Lóng xū miàn)
Doesn’t the idea of slurping up a dragon’s chin hairs just make your tummy tingle? All jokes aside, it’s actually quite impressive to see these noodles being made, as they are traditionally hand-pulled! They are very thin, long, and supposedly very easy to digest. Originally from Shandong province, they have become very popular all over Northern China.
Source: Chinaculture.org
4. Tofu Balls (豆腐丸 Dòufu wán)
The villagers of Sihua village in Fujian province have the tradition of making tofu and vegetable balls. After being carefully pressed by hand, they will be left to dry and later served in bowls or red bags.
Source: Asia News (Ji Zhe)
5. Fried Beans (炒豆 Chǎo dòu)
A traditional snack in Shandong province for Longtaitou is fried soybeans. It’s super simple, but who doesn’t love the texture of a salty, crunchy bean? Sometimes locals will also enjoy some stir-fried bean sprouts to encourage a good year’s harvest. In Shanxi, beans are mashed along with water and flour, cut into cubes, and then fried in oil. This variation is called “齐子豆” qízidòu.
Source: Baike (Qizidou)
