Chapter 380: Fresh taste is of course different
Princess Lejia took out an exquisite little box and pushed it in front of Shen Huazheng: “Zhengzheng, this is my New Year’s gift to you.”
Shen Huazheng was a little surprised. She didn't expect that Princess Lejia would also bring her a gift.
Princess Lejia urged, "Zhengzheng, open it and see if you like it."
Shen Huazheng nodded, opened it, and was almost blinded by what was inside.
There were all kinds of jewelry inside.
In addition to hairpins, there are also earrings, bracelets...
Moreover, most of these jewels are in the shape of gourds, and some are in the shape of small water drops, which are very cute.
Princess Lejia: "The gourd has a good meaning, which means fortune and luck. So the ones I choose for you are basically gourd-shaped. Zhengzheng, do you like it?"
Chen Huazheng: "...I like it, of course I like it very much."
Is this gift too expensive?
She also prepared a gift for Aning, but it was just two pieces of jewelry.
It seems that I will have to add a few more gifts when I give them to her later.
She was so good that she gave a whole box at a time.
Seeing that Shen Huazheng's expression did not seem fake, Princess Lejia smiled with satisfaction: "I knew you would like it."
As long as Zheng Zheng likes it, it’s worth it for her to spend so much time choosing.
Chen Huazheng looked at Xiao Jingran: "Ran'er, try this hawthorn cake. Sister Zheng made it with fresh hawthorns. It's delicious."
I thought Xiao Jingran would happily take it and eat it, but he didn't touch it.
Princess Lejia also felt strange: "Why doesn't Ran'er eat?"
Normally, whenever Ran'er sees that Zheng Zheng has delicious food, he will definitely be very happy.
Why is it so abnormal today? ?
Xiao Jingran hesitated for a while, and suddenly said: "Sister Zheng, can you make me some candied haws?"
Before Shen Huazheng could speak, Princess Lejia’s voice rang out—
"Ran'er, do you want to eat candied haws? Wasn't there a place selling candied haws on the way here? I would have bought it for you if I had known you wanted to eat it."
It's easy to eat candied haws, why do you need Zheng Zheng to make it?
Xiao Jingran shook his head: "That's different."
Princess Lejia: "Why is it different?"
Xiao Jingran: "It tastes different."
He blinked his big black and white eyes and said, "There is an old man in the west of the city who sells delicious candied haws, much better than those sold by others. He said that he grows all his hawthorns himself."
The old man also said that when the hawthorns are ripe, from a distance they look like small red lanterns hanging on the branches.
When you walk up to the fruit trees, you can still smell the fruity fragrance in the air.
Xiao Jingran was very envious, and he also wanted to see the branches full of hawthorns.
Shen Huazheng nodded to show her understanding.
It is true that some people use pickled hawthorn berries to make candied haws, but the taste is not as good as fresh hawthorn berries.
Princess Lejia also thought it was normal, as her little cousin had always been very picky about things.
Sometimes it is the same food, but he can immediately find out if there is a difference in any step of the production process or a different chef.
No matter what kind of food he eats, he only eats the best.
This was also the reason why Prince An and Princess An were so worried at the beginning.
If the old man's candied haws are fresher and more delicious than others, it is normal for him to not want to eat those sold by others.
Xiao Jingran's tone was a little lost: "But, the old man has left the capital. I will never be able to eat the candied haws he made again."
Before the New Year, he went to the west of the city to buy candied haws from his old grandfather.
However, the vendor next to him told him that the old man had been taken back to his hometown by his son and would never return to Beijing again.
These days, Xiao Jingran also bought candied haws from other vendors.
But the taste is different.
Princess Lejia was silent for a moment. She didn't expect that Xiao Ran would also be depressed sometimes.
Shen Huazheng touched Xiao Jingran’s head: “Sister Zheng has fresh hawthorns here, I can make candied haws for you.”
Some people believe that the key to whether candied haws is delicious lies in the cooking time of the syrup.
But Shen Huazheng thinks that the hawthorn inside is more important.
Not all candied haws are made with fresh hawthorns; more vendors use pickled hawthorns.
The taste is different from fresh hawthorn.
The hawthorns that Chen Huazheng has here were all brought back from the garden of Sinong Temple.
No matter in appearance or taste, it is incomparable to ordinary hawthorns.
Whether used in cooking, made into snacks or hawthorn tea, it is first-class.
Anyway, I have already made snacks with hawthorn so many times, so I might as well make some candied haws once more.
Hearing that Shen Huazheng was willing to make candied haws for him, Xiao Jingran was overjoyed.
"Sister Zheng, can I come with you to the kitchen?"
He really wanted to see how candied haws were made.
Shen Huazheng wanted to refuse, but seeing his eager eyes, she agreed.
"Okay, but you can only watch from the side. You can't run around or touch anything. Got it?"
Xiao Jingran nodded happily: “Ran’er knows.”
Chen Huazheng was still a little worried, and she looked at Princess Lejia who was standing beside her.
"Aning, you have to watch over Ran'er and don't let him do anything dangerous."
To make candied haws, you need to boil the syrup, which is very hot.
It can be very dangerous for children if they accidentally touch or get splashed.
Princess Lejia quickly patted her chest and assured: "Don't worry, Zhengzheng, I will definitely take good care of Ran'er."
Xiao Jingran also hurriedly said: “Sister Zheng, Ran’er will definitely be obedient and won’t run around.”
After getting double assurance, Shen Huazheng brought Xiao Jingran into the kitchen as well.
The cooks followed the instructions and carefully washed the hawthorn berries and drained them.
Then use clean gauze to wipe off all the water on the surface and pick off the stems of the hawthorns.
Qingzhi Qingtang took some clean bamboo sticks and strung the hawthorn fruits on them.
In order to make it look better, they would choose to string hawthorns of similar size on the same bamboo stick.
Everything is ready, you can start making candied haws.
Chen Huazheng had someone light a pot, added rock sugar into the pot, and then added clean water that just covered the rock sugar.
First boil the water over medium heat, then turn to low heat and simmer until all the rock sugar in the pot has melted.
As the water in the pot slowly evaporated, the syrup inside began to bubble and gurgle.
The bubbles that came up were relatively large at first, but then they became smaller and smaller, and even the color of the syrup in the pot slowly turned yellow.
Xiao Jingran stood aside and watched attentively, his eyes sparkling.
So magical~~
He didn't dare to make any sound, for fear of disturbing Shen Huazheng's performance.
Qingzhi followed instructions and fetched a bowl of cold water.
Shen Huazheng took out two chopsticks, dipped them in some syrup, and soaked them in cold water for a few seconds before taking them out.
When the chopsticks are taken out of the cold water, the syrup on the surface of the chopsticks has solidified into a brittle and hard sugar shell.
Shen Huazheng handed one of the chopsticks in her hand to Xiao Jingran and one to Princess Lejia.
Xiao Jingran smiled, thanked him, and took it.
Princess Lejia was also very happy. As expected, she enjoyed a very high status in Zheng Zheng's heart.
Even the prepared candy would be given to her first.
Xiao Jingran took a bite of the syrup on the chopsticks, and just as he bit into it, he heard a crisp "crunch" sound.
He swallowed the candy shell in his mouth: "It's crunchy and sweet, so delicious."
Princess Lejia: "The candied haws will taste even better when they are ready."
The syrup was ready, and Shen Huazheng asked someone to take the pot off the fire.
While the syrup in the pot was still hot, she sprinkled a handful of roasted sesame seeds into it, and then quickly stirred it a few times with a spoon to mix the sesame seeds into the syrup.
The next most important step is to coat it with syrup.
Shen Huazheng did not choose to scoop up the syrup and pour it on the hawthorns.
The temperature of the syrup is too high and you may get burned if you do that.
She picked up the skewered hawthorns and rolled them in the steaming syrup, so that each hawthorn was evenly coated with a thin layer of sugar coating.
It doesn't need to be too thick, just a thin layer will do.
This will allow the sugar coating to harden and become crisp quickly, and the taste will be better.
Looking at the layer of crystal clear sugar coating on the red hawthorn, Xiao Jingran's clear and clean eyes suddenly showed surprise.
Qingtang had already spread oil paper on the chopping board, and Shen Huazheng carefully placed the hawthorn skewers coated with sesame syrup on the oil paper.
"Wait until the syrup on the outside of the hawthorn cools down and hardens, and is completely solidified, then you can eat it."
When the sugar shell on the outside is formed, the candied haws are ready.
The remaining hawthorns were processed in the same way, and one string after another of bright red syrup hawthorns appeared on the oil paper.
Xiao Jingran looked at the finished candied haws, and then looked at Shen Huazheng with admiration.
Sister Zheng is really amazing, it seems like there is nothing she can’t cook.
[Babies, candied haws made with fresh hawthorns are really delicious. The method in the article is real and can be used. When coating with syrup, only a thin layer is needed. If it is too thick, it will stick to the teeth. The method is also applicable to rock sugar strawberries, rock sugar apples, etc. Here is a homemade picture. ]
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