Chapter 16: Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes
Wang Yanmei saw her sister-in-law and mother-in-law looking sad, so she stepped out to ease the atmosphere and said, "Hey, Xiaoxia, the meat has been cut. You still have to cook today."
Lin Xia calmed herself down and took over her sister-in-law's position.
Last night, Lin's mother saw that everyone looked hungry, so she asked them to have another round.
Lin's mother went to buy meat early this morning, but Lin Xia did not come back at noon, so the meat was kept until the evening.
Lin Xia was not at home. Although Wang Yanmei and her mother-in-law had looked at the meat once, they were afraid that the meat would be spoiled. After thinking about it, they decided that they should wait for her to come back.
When Lin Xia heard this, she quickly started to blanch the meat.
Last time there was not enough meat, so I added potatoes to make up the number.
This time there was quite a bit of meat, and everyone agreed that the potatoes and the rice were excellent, and they all asked for more potatoes. The texture and taste of the potatoes had already conquered the Lin family, and it was the first time they thought potatoes could be cooked so deliciously.
Lin Xia moved her hands and thought to herself: Why not let her teach my sister-in-law how to do it? If she is not here, my sister-in-law can do it.
Lin Xia made a prompt decision and said, "Sister-in-law, you do it, I'll teach you how to do it." Lin Xia gave up her position and let Wang Yanmei take over.
Wang Yanmei didn't expect that her sister-in-law would teach her how to cook. Lin Xia hadn't hidden her cooking skills before, but when she saw the complicated steps, she knew there must be some skills involved.
Wang Yanmei was forced to do the job.
"Put the meat in cold water and boil it. This is to cook out the blood in the meat. Adding ginger slices is to remove the fishy smell." Lin Xia explained to her sister-in-law while adding ginger slices.
Mother Lin was relieved when she saw her daughter and daughter-in-law learning together.
When he thought about his daughter getting married soon and going to such a far place, his heart ached and he quickly turned away his red eyes.
Wang Yanmei listened to Lin Xia's instructions and studied seriously with a look on her face as if she was facing a great enemy.
Lin Xia cut the peeled potatoes into pieces and put them into water. She explained to Wang Yanmei, "After cutting the potatoes, we put them into water to prevent them from changing color."
Probably because it was delicious, my sister-in-law added two more potatoes.
There was a lot of meat this time, but Lin Xia felt that there were too many potatoes. Eating too much of one dish would make one feel sick.
After thinking about it, I came up with an idea. Why not make a dish of spicy and sour shredded potatoes? Sichuan cuisine is sour, spicy, appetizing and delicious.
Lin Xia immediately picked up the remaining two potatoes and cut them into thin strips, then continued to soak them in water.
Wang Yanmei was confused when she saw Lin Xia's action. Wasn't it supposed to be put into the braised pork? Why was it cut into shreds again?
"What is this for?"
When Lin Xia heard Wang Yanmei's question, she remained mysterious and said, "Cook a delicious dish!"
When the water boiled, Lin Xia led Wang Yanmei step by step and started to make the braised pork.
When Wang Yanmei poured the oil, she felt distressed again. Although it tasted good, it was too oily! But seeing her sister-in-law said so, she was afraid that if she poured less, the taste would be bad.
Add water and simmer, all that’s left is waiting.
The Lin family members returned home one after another. Hu Zi broke free from his father's hand with an expectant look on his face and ran home quickly with his short legs.
Lin Jianguo saw his son's anxious look and felt helpless. His younger sister didn't come back at noon, and Hu Zi was very disappointed when he didn't see the meat. He was in a bad mood when he went to school in the afternoon.
On the way back just now, I kept asking questions, asking whether my aunt would be back in the evening, why she didn't come back at noon, and whether she would cook meat for dinner in the evening.
Lin Jianguo was so confused by the noise that he saw his son running back home. His father suddenly quickened his pace beside him. He felt a little excited and hurried to catch up with him.
Lin Jianjun, who had just walked into the alley, saw his eldest brother and father in front of him. He was about to call for help, but he didn't expect his father to suddenly quicken his pace.
Lin Jianjun didn't understand what was going on, so he quickly followed to see what was going on.
Wang Yanmei was looking at the pot intently, full of anticipation, but she didn't know whether it would succeed.
Next to them, Wu Fangfang came out when the food was cooking. She watched her younger sister teach her older sister-in-law how to cook. Although she couldn't do it herself, she listened with a very serious look on her face.
She wanted to learn, but she couldn't help drooling in her mouth, making her feel embarrassed but reluctant to leave.
Hu Zi walked very quickly with his little legs and ran into the kitchen panting. When he saw his aunt and mother were there, he smiled with satisfaction on his face.
He raised his chubby little face and rushed towards his aunt with his short legs.
When Lin's mother saw this, she was so scared that she quickly grabbed him by the back of the collar.
Hu Zi was running to find his aunt with great anticipation, but suddenly found that he couldn't get through.
He turned his head in confusion and found that his grandmother was holding the back of his neck.
Mother Lin wiped her grandson's saliva, looking very amused, and said softly, "The meat is not ready yet, go to grandma and wait."
Little Tiger was unwilling to hear this, but he couldn't break free from his grandmother's big hand, so he could only stay beside her listlessly.
The man was not even as tall as the stove, but he was staring at the pot, as if he could see something.
When the time came, Lin Xia signaled her sister-in-law to lift the lid of the pot.
Wang Yanmei's hands trembled slightly with excitement as she picked up the pot lid.
Suddenly, the whole house was filled with fragrance.
The fragrance wafted past Lin's father and Lin Jianguo who had just entered the kitchen.
After passing by, it floated in front of Lin Jianjun who had just entered the yard. His father's fast pace attracted him, but he didn't expect that he could not catch up with him.
Lin Jianjun couldn't help but open his eyes wide when he smelled the aroma. Could this be the aroma of the braised pork that his family talked about?
Sometimes after he helped some repair shops fix machines, he would eat braised pork when he was treated to a meal, but it didn't smell like that!
Lin Jianjun went to the kitchen with curiosity.
Hu Zi's saliva flowed even more happily when he smelled the fragrance, and he couldn't help but try to break free from his grandmother's restraints.
Wang Yanmei looked at the meat in the pot. The color and aroma were exactly the same as the one cooked by her sister-in-law. She was so excited that her face turned red. She didn't expect that she could succeed.
Lin Xia took a look and found the color and aroma very good. However, for some reason, Lin Xia could smell clearly that today's was not exactly the same as what she had made before. But seeing everyone's intoxicated and expectant expressions, she didn't say anything.
There is no easy way to explain something like cooking. It's not like you're running a shop, so there's no need to be so perfect. It's normal for everyone to make something taste different.
Everyone was already intoxicated by the smell of meat; they felt it was just as delicious as ever, and their stomachs growled uncontrollably.
Lin Jianjun followed the smell and entered the kitchen, only to find that the whole family except him was staying in the kitchen.
The already small kitchen became even more crowded.
Lin Xia took one look and said to her sister-in-law, "It tastes good, you can serve it now."
When Wang Yanmei heard this, she quickly took a large basin to put the vegetables.
Lin Xia looked at the empty stove, took the soaked shredded potatoes and prepared to fry them.
The secret to stir-frying shredded potatoes is to wash off the excess starch with clean water before frying, so that the fried potato shreds are fresh and non-sticky.
Heat the pan, add chili and ginger in oil and sauté until fragrant, add the shredded potatoes and stir-fry quickly for a few times with a sizzling sound.
White vinegar should be used to cook shredded potatoes so that the color will be refreshing, but the conditions are not right. There is no white vinegar at home, only aged vinegar, and the sour taste is the same.
Stir-fry a few more times, serve, and shredded potatoes is a quick dish that doesn’t need to be fried for a long time.
When everyone saw Lin Xia's actions and smelled the sour and spicy smell, they felt their noses a little itchy.
The smell was completely different from that of braised pork, but it was also overbearing and tempting. Everyone spit wildly when they smelled the sour and spicy aroma.
Lin Jianguo and his brothers took the prepared dishes to the dining table without any instructions.
Wang Yanmei and others picked up their bowls and chopsticks, and the group moved from the small kitchen to the living room, ready to sit down and eat.
Just like that day, everyone picked up their chopsticks and waited for the meal to start. No one wanted to talk.
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