"What blind boxes! I haven't even eaten yet and I want blind boxes!"

Mrs. Li was so angry that all she could hear was the sound of the blind box.

At that moment, the two children pointed behind her at the same time, "Rainbow Blind Box Sister!"

Mrs. Li turned around, her eyes shining with joy: Her savior had arrived!

She quickly waved and greeted Qin Yi: "Hi! Boss Qin!"

Hearing the call, Qin Yi turned around helplessly: "Hi~ Mrs. Li, hello children."

Mrs. Li, holding a child's hand in each hand, walked up to Qin Yi and said, "Mr. Qin, are you downstairs to buy rice? Wuchang rice is quite delicious. What is this silk rice used for? I've never tried it before."

Qin Yi: "Oh, my family ran out of rice, so I came out to buy some. The long and thin grains of the jasmine rice make it soft and suitable for making claypot rice."

Mrs. Li: "So Mr. Qin's family is having claypot rice for dinner tonight. Yours must be delicious."

Upon hearing this, Li Nansang's little ears immediately shook Mrs. Li's hand and said, "Mom, I love claypot rice the most!"

Mrs. Li: "Daughter, when have you ever eaten claypot rice?"

Li Beiyang jumped up and said, "Mom, I want to eat claypot rice too! I don't want to eat at home!"

Qin Yi paused, carrying the rice: Are they targeting me?

At this moment, Mrs. Li gave an awkward but polite smile: "Hehe, Mr. Qin, my two children are really picky eaters, but they especially love your cooking. It's a pity that these two children don't even know what claypot rice is, but they say they love it. From this blind love, you can see that they really crave your cooking skills."

Qin Yi was flattered by the compliments and felt a little elated. It must be said that Mrs. Li's way of speaking was indeed quite good.

So she smiled at the two kids and said, "Why don't you go to your sister's house for dinner?"

Li Beiyang jumped up and down: "Hooray! We can eat claypot rice now!"

Li Nansang grabbed Mrs. Li's hand and gestured to himself and his brother, asking, "Mom, is claypot rice specially made for baby and Zizai?"

Mrs. Li was also speechless: "Ah, this..."

Qin Yi patiently explained to Xiao Nan Sang: "Claypot rice originated from the Eight Delicacies of the Zhou Dynasty. It is a type of rice cooked in a clay pot."

Li Nansang clapped enthusiastically, "Treasure hunting is great! I love treasure hunting!"

"Uh... then you promise your sister you won't be picky about food, okay? You'll eat whatever your sister makes."

The two children answered in unison, "Okay!"

Qin Yi led Mrs. Li and her two children to her home.

Mrs. Li looked at the decorations in her home and praised them repeatedly: "Indeed, a girl's home looks warm, comfortable, and milky white, which is very soothing. I am not worthy of having this color. My two children can make it dirty in a day."

"You two aren't allowed to jump around on your sister's sofa, understand?" Mrs. Li said sternly to the two children.

Qin Yi unpacked the jasmine rice, soaked it in water, and then said to Mrs. Li, "There's a small balcony upstairs. If the children are bored, they can play there. There's also a swing there. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Then I'll have to trouble Chef Qin!"

Qin Yi prepared two medium-sized casserole dishes, intending to cook one for the children and the other for herself and Mrs. Li.

The children ate beef claypot rice, while the adults ate preserved meat claypot rice.

First, slice the beef into thin slices, add appropriate amounts of salt, pepper, light soy sauce and oyster sauce, then add a spoonful of cornstarch. Mix all the seasonings well and seal with a layer of peanut oil to lock in the moisture.

Next, we'll make preserved meats.

Blanch the sausages and cured pork in boiling water for one minute to soften them, then slice them thinly and arrange them neatly on a plate.

The excess fat from the cured pork and the scraps from the sausages are specially chopped up and used to make the soul broth for claypot rice—cured meat soy sauce.

Then chop the shallots, cut the ginger into thick strips, and chop the cilantro and scallions into small pieces.

Heat the pan, add oil, turn on low heat, add ginger and garlic, then add the leftover scraps of cured pork and sausage and stir-fry until fragrant.

Once the ginger and garlic turn golden brown, add half a bowl of water and cook until all the flavors of the ingredients are released. At this point, the unique smoky aroma of the cured meat will emerge.

Then turn the heat down to low, add two tablespoons of light soy sauce and one tablespoon of dark soy sauce, and finally add some white sugar to neutralize the aroma and enhance the flavor.

The last step in making this preserved meat soy sauce is to use a strainer to filter the soy sauce from the pot and pour it into a small bowl for later use. Qin Yi made two portions this time, set them aside, and used them in the final step.

Next, let's deal with the rice in the claypot rice.

Brush a thin layer of peanut oil on the inside of the clay pot, put the rice in, and add water in a ratio of 1:1.2 to cover the soaked rice.

Then cook the rice over medium heat. After the water boils, wait another five minutes until the rice and water level in the pot are even. At this point, uncover the pot.

Place the marinated beef in the clay pot on the left, being careful not to pile them up.

Place the sliced ​​cured pork and sausage from the plate into the earthenware pot on the right, and then cover it again.

Drizzle a layer of peanut oil along the edge of the pot and the lid, and continue cooking for about six minutes.

During this waiting period, the earthenware pot should be placed on the stove and rotated like a roly-poly to heat the pot walls around it.

The oil drizzled around the edge of the pot helps the rice form a crispy crust.

However, if you don't rotate the pot, the bottom will get too hot and turn black, and the crust around the edges will also be uneven in color.

At this point, you can faintly hear crackling sounds coming from the clay pot; this is when the rice crust begins to form.

Then put the vegetables into the pot, sprinkle the beef with chopped green onions, and leave a space in the middle for the egg yolk.

Crack two nutritious free-range eggs into the pot, simmer for another minute, and do not lift the lid.

Finally, remove the clay pot from the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes before Qin Yi went upstairs to call the children for dinner.

"The claypot rice is ready! Come and eat and dig for treasure!"

The children washed their hands and sat around the table.

Qin Yi placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of each person.

Then, two heat-resistant mats were placed on the table, and the casserole was brought out.

Lift the lid and pour the prepared preserved meat soy sauce evenly over each serving of claypot rice in a circular motion.

As soon as the lid was opened, a hot and fragrant aroma wafted out.

The egg whites have solidified. While the yolks are still runny, use a spoon to stir them into the hot rice and mix well.

Then scoop up the crispy rice crust from the bottom and sides and mix it evenly with the sauce.

"Alright, we can eat now, everyone please start eating."

Upon hearing Qin Yi's command, Li Nansang and Li Beiyang both grabbed the rice scoops, wishing they could scoop more rice into their own bowls.

"This piece of crispy rice is mine!"

"This big piece of beef is mine!"

"That area over there is mine, you're not allowed to touch it!"

"Li Beiyang! How come you're even trying to steal my vegetables! Don't you only like eating meat?!"

"This green vegetable has a layer of juice on it, it's so delicious!"

Mrs. Li hadn't even touched her chopsticks yet; she was watching her two children fight over the bowl of claypot rice.

She exclaimed, "Normally, they wouldn't even glance at seven or eight dishes placed in front of them at home, but they're eagerly grabbing this bowl."

Qin Yi picked up Mrs. Li's empty bowl and filled it to the brim, saying, "Food tastes best when someone's fighting over it! I know that all too well!"