Nankunshen Wu's Grilled Snails Introduction
The little Shao Jiu Luo, with its small stall, has been selling for half a century. In addition to supporting a family, it has also nurtured seven children, all of whom have attained higher education. Now all seven have started their own families and careers, while this Shao Jiu Luo stall continues to attract tourists from all over Taiwan. This is the legend written by Wu Ji Shao Jiu Luo in Nankunshen. Wu Chen Jin Mang was originally a housewife, and seeing the family's financial burdens, she began selling Shao Jiu Luo at the Wan Shan Hall of the Nankunshen Daitian Temple. In the 1980s, as the Nankunshen Daitian Temple established a vendor area in front of Wan Shan Hall, she moved to sell in front of the large archway beneath the stone lion. In 2015, due to the temple not allowing vendors in the temple area, she relocated south to sell by the traffic lights at the entrance. The tiny Shao Jiu Luo has a labor-intensive production process. The snails are purchased, cleaned, and sorted to remove inferior quality and impurities, with the end of each shell carefully cut off, then washed and blanched for later use. A large pot is heated with oil, garlic is sautéed until fragrant, and then sesame sauce, chili, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, salt, and basil are added and heated. The blanched snails are then added and stir-fried until flavorful, before being served. Wu Chen Jin Mang has been using a large pot to prepare Shao Jiu Luo for 50 years, cooking two large pots every day.
