Chapter 32 Fried Chicken: Old-fashioned Fried Chicken, Stir-fried to perfection!

Lin Yao was in high spirits after securing her first order since arriving in this world, and she planned to celebrate properly. "Brother, we must celebrate properly today. Go and fetch Master Wang so we can have dinner together. Ah Yu, come with me."

Entering the kitchen, Lin Yao deftly rolled up her sleeves. "Today I'm going to make fried chicken and pickled fish."

Wang Xiaoyu had never heard of chicken being deep-fried before, and couldn't help but wonder, "Fried chicken?"

Fried chicken did exist in ancient times; the gourd chicken, which appeared as early as the Tang Dynasty, can be considered an ancient version of fried chicken.

Gourd chicken is typically made by tying the chicken together with thin rope, first boiling, then steaming, and finally deep-frying. The resulting chicken is crispy and tender, and its shape resembles a gourd, hence the name.① However, this dynasty is very likely earlier than the Tang Dynasty.

Knowing that Wang Xiaoyu had never heard of fried chicken, Lin Yao patiently explained, "That's right, it's chicken fried in oil. Frying is a common cooking technique. Fried pork belly, which is commonly found in restaurants, is made by frying pork. Since pork can be fried, chicken can naturally be fried too."

Lin Yao washed the chicken, drained the water, cut the chicken into pieces, and put them into a large bowl.

To make tender and juicy fried chicken, marinating is crucial.

Lin Yao added salt, cinnamon powder, garlic powder, wine, and ginger slices to a large bowl, mixed them well, and marinated each piece of chicken until it was coated with the seasonings.

Unfortunately, they live in a southern coastal region, far from the grasslands of the north and central regions, making it difficult to buy milk.

Otherwise, adding some milk during marinating will make the fried chicken juicier.

While waiting for the chicken to marinate, Lin Yao placed the fish on the cutting board and began preparing the fish fillets for the sauerkraut fish.

She sliced ​​the fish into even, thin slices, each slice being of moderate thickness with clear texture. "The fish slices for sauerkraut fish should not be too thick, otherwise they will not absorb the flavor well and the taste will be poor."

She gently placed the sliced ​​fish into a plate, sprinkled it with a little salt and wine, and gently mixed it to ensure that each piece of fish fully absorbed the seasonings, removing any fishy smell and enhancing the aroma.

Lin Yao turned around and carried out a jar of pickled cabbage from the corner of the kitchen. This pickled cabbage had been pickled together with pickled cowpeas and pickled radishes.

The moment she opened the jar, a tangy and refreshing aroma wafted out, filling her nostrils and making her mouth water.

She chopped the pickled cabbage into small pieces and stir-fried it in a hot pan. Lin Yao kept stirring until the aroma of the pickled cabbage was fully released before setting it aside.

Then, Lin Yao poured an appropriate amount of lard into the pot, added ginger slices, minced garlic, dogwood, and Sichuan peppercorns, and sautéed them until fragrant.

In an instant, a rich aroma spread everywhere.

Next, she poured the sliced ​​fish bones into the pot and stir-fried them quickly until the surface of the fish bones turned slightly yellow.

Lin Yao added enough water to the pot, and soon the milky white fish soup began to bubble and boil, emitting a fragrant aroma.

Lin Yao poured the stir-fried pickled cabbage into the fish soup and continued to simmer it, allowing the flavor of the pickled cabbage to fully infuse into the fish soup.

Then, she carefully placed the marinated fish slices into the pot one by one, gently stirring them. "The fish slices used for sauerkraut fish are quite thin, so the cooking time should not be too long. Once they are in the pot, they should be stirred immediately to ensure that the fish slices are heated evenly and to prevent them from sticking together."

Wang Xiaoyu helped out while listening attentively to Lin Yao's explanation. Once the fish slices changed color and were fully cooked, Lin Yao sprinkled on some chopped green onions and cilantro, and a delicious and colorful sauerkraut fish dish was ready.

On the other side, the chicken was also marinated.

Lin Yao took out two empty bowls, poured flour into one bowl, and cracked two eggs into the other, stirring them well. "This is the batter to coat the chicken. Coating it with batter will prevent the chicken's juices from escaping too quickly at high temperatures, which would make the chicken dry. It will also create a crispy skin, enriching the texture."

Lin Yao first put the chicken pieces into a bowl of flour, rolled them to coat the surface of the chicken pieces evenly with flour, gently shook off the excess, and then put the flour-coated chicken pieces into the egg liquid so that the whole chicken pieces were coated with egg liquid.

Finally, she put the chicken back into the flour bowl and coated it with flour again, so that the fried skin would be even crispier.

With everything ready, Lin Yao inserted chopsticks into the oil, and a string of small bubbles appeared. "Ayu, the oil temperature is just right now." She put the chicken pieces into the pot, and oil bubbles instantly appeared in the pot.

Wang Xiaoyu, who was standing to the side, was already starving just from the smell, but he was still trying his best to remember every step Lin Yao took.

Lin Yao used her chopsticks to turn the chicken pieces from time to time. In no time, the originally raw and tender chicken meat gradually turned into an enticing golden color, and the unique aroma of fried chicken wafted from the kitchen into the yard.

When Lin Cheng brought Wang Shan home, he could smell the delicious aroma from outside the gate. "Ayao, what are you making? The smell is wafting all the way outside!"

Lin Yao placed the fried chicken on the small table in the courtyard. "Brother, this is fried chicken. Uncle Wang, it will be ready to eat in a bit. Please have a seat. Ayu has gone to invite a familiar older brother for me."

As they were talking, Liu Dazhuang and Liang Shi, along with their son Liu Dabao, pushed open the half-closed gate of Lin Yao's courtyard.

Madam Liang handed a basket of eggs to Lin Yao, saying, "A Yao, Cheng Ge'er, this basket of eggs is a gift for you, and also to thank you for taking care of our family."

Just as Lin Yao was about to decline, Madam Liang pressed her hand down and said, "Your brother Dazhuang's family doesn't have any decent gifts to offer, but this basket of eggs is respectable enough. I'm not being polite or distant, but these two jobs would be a great help to your brother Dazhuang and me. We would feel uneasy if you didn't accept them."

Liu Dazhuang, holding Liu Dabao, chimed in, "Your father saved my life, and now you're helping us like this, so please accept this basket of eggs."

Looking at the family of three in front of her, Lin Yao knew that refusing any further would only hurt their feelings. "Since Brother Dazhuang and Sister-in-law both say so, we won't stand on ceremony."

Lin Yao put the basket of eggs into the kitchen, then brought out the pickled fish and a large bowl of pickled cabbage, pickled cowpeas and pickled radishes, inviting everyone to sit down and eat together.

After everyone was seated, the most eye-catching dish was the fried chicken. Liu Dazhuang's family arrived a little later and didn't know what these golden-yellow chunks of meat were.

Liu Dazhuang took a bite of the fried chicken. It was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. The tender chicken meat melted in his mouth. For a moment, he couldn't believe his judgment. "Is this chicken? It's so tender and crispy!"

Lin Yao knew in her heart that no one could resist the charm of fried chicken, not even the ancients thousands of years ago. "That's right, this is called fried chicken."

Wang Shan also ate a piece of fried chicken and felt even more that his decision to have his granddaughter become an apprentice was absolutely correct. "I never thought chicken could be eaten in this way. The chicken we usually cook is such a waste."

Lin Yao picked up her favorite chicken wings. After a busy day, she couldn't treat herself badly. "I've already taught Ayu how to make this fried chicken. If you want some, Grandpa, Ayu can make it for you."

Wang Shan looked at his granddaughter's flushed face, which had just come out of the kitchen, and nodded with satisfaction. "Good, good, good. My Ayu has this skill. I'll be in for a treat from now on." Ayu smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Although the fried chicken was crispy and delicious, Liang preferred the pickled fish. After a bowl of soup, she was sour, spicy and fresh, and the fish slices were cooked just right. They would fall apart with a gentle touch. The pickled cabbage was also very much to her liking. She ate one bite after another and couldn't stop.

Seeing Liang's chopsticks moving back and forth between pickled fish, pickled cowpeas, and pickled radishes, Lin Yao knew that Liang's sister-in-law had a strong palate and loved sour and spicy flavors, which was quite similar to her personality.

The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests.

After dinner and seeing off Wang Shan and his grandson, Lin Yao began to discuss the next steps with Liu Dazhuang's family. "Brother Dazhuang, my brother and I are really too busy with this little stall. We would like to ask you and your wife to help us out."

Liu Dazhuang knew that Lin Yao was genuinely trying to take care of his family. Ever since having a child, he had been extra careful every time he went hunting in the mountains, and he had long since given up on living such a life of constant danger. "Ayao, I understand what you mean. Hunting in the mountains is fraught with danger, and your sister-in-law and I are very grateful to you for providing us with a stable job."

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony with you, brother and sister-in-law. I’m going to the workshop in town to make crystal powder, and you’ll have to come with me. I’ll be in charge of supervising the production of this crystal powder from now on. As for the dock, I’ll leave it to you, brother and Yu. Brother Dazhuang will need to prepare the ingredients for the next day’s stall.”

Lin Yao glanced at Liu Dabao, who was blowing bubbles in Liu Dazhuang's arms, and continued, "Brother Dazhuang is young and strong. It would be a waste of his talents to just prepare ingredients at home. I'll teach you how to make konjac noodles and crystal powder in a bit. From now on, Brother Dazhuang only needs to prepare the ingredients for his stall, and then he can spend the rest of his time making konjac noodles and crystal powder, the more the better. After that, he can sell them elsewhere like a peddler. I'll only charge the purchase price, and all the profits from the sales will go to Brother Dazhuang."

Liu Dazhuang was surprised that Lin Yao was willing to teach him and his wife the secret recipe and let them sell it freely. His eyes instantly reddened, and he said, "This... this is a secret recipe, we can't just tell others so easily."

Lin Yao knew the importance of the secret recipe in ancient times, but she did not expect Liu Dazhuang to react so strongly.

Seeing the 1.8-meter-tall, burly man's eyes redden, she felt a little embarrassed and said, "Brother Zhuang and sister-in-law are not outsiders. Without you, the three of us siblings would probably not be alive today. In our hearts, you are our own elder brother and sister-in-law. Now that we have this opportunity, we naturally can't abandon you. Our family must live well, earn lots and lots of copper coins together, and live a good life together!"

Hearing Lin Yao's words, Madam Liang couldn't help but turn around and wipe away her tears. She then slapped Liu Dazhuang hard on the back and said, "Go away, you good-for-nothing. A-Yao is right! Our family must live well, make money, make a lot of money!"

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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, please add this to your favorites~ [starry eyes]

①②Quoted from Baidu