During the Qingming Festival, people from my hometown are very fond of stir-fried river snails, hence the saying, "Qingming snails are better than geese." After a winter of rest and nourishment, the snail meat at this time is plump and delicate, making it the freshest and most delicious of the year. It is even more savory than a "fat goose," earning it the reputation of "a pearl on the plate."
My mother's specialties with snails are braising and stir-frying. The braised snail method is simple. My mother usually adds a small amount of oil. When the oil is 80% hot, she stir-fries broad bean paste, ginger slices, garlic cloves, and dried chilies until fragrant. Then, she adds the river snails and stir-fries them dry. Next, she adds coriander, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, fennel, sugar, and fine salt, continuously stir-frying over high heat. She then adjusts to medium-low heat, adds water, and covers the pot to cook. During this process, she needs to uncover the pot and stir-fry every five minutes to ensure even flavoring and to make the cooked snail meat easy to suck out. Finally, she sprinkles with chopped green onions and serves. The aroma is incredibly savory and delicious. The whole family sits around the table, and all you can hear is the "sucking" sound as everyone enjoys the snails. Accompanied by a delicious broth, a ball of snail meat is drawn into the mouth—savory, delightful, and full of fun. It pairs well with wine and goes perfectly with rice. My mother also says the snail soup is very delicious; after eating the snail meat, the broth can be used to cook noodles.
"A single dish of snails brings a thousand kinds of fun, surpassing even the finest delicacies." Stir-frying river snails with spring chives is a seasonal dish that must be eaten in the spring and is also my mother's favorite. First, blanch the snails in boiling water, remove them, and take off the shells. Then, use a needle to pick out the snail meat, wash it, and stir-fry it with spring chives. The taste is incomparably fresh and tender, light and refreshing, with a long-lasting aftertaste. The green stalks of the chives, interspersed with the black-and-white snail meat, create a perfect harmony between the meat and vegetable. The savory and delicious flavor fills the mouth, refreshing the mind and eyes, boosting energy, and truly providing a moment of pure culinary joy.