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 Gong Zongzi is the same as the zongzi we usually eat, but it has two flavors. One is sweet with red bean paste, and the other is salty with meat, chestnuts and salted egg yolk. Before it comes, they drizzle a spoonful of honey on it. It's nice to have a new experience occasionally.

It took a while to find it in a small alley near a small park, but thankfully there's a large sign at the entrance. The premises are small and the facilities are basic, but the aroma of zongzi was immediately noticeable. The only option they had on hand was the special double-top zongzi, a salt and pepper flavored zongzi with a honey dipping sauce, which was just the right amount of salty and sweet. The ingredients listed on the sign were genuine, and aside from the fatty pork, everything else was delicious. I just found the filling a bit dry, perhaps due to regional differences. I packed a few to take home, and after reheating, they tasted just as good as they did at the restaurant.