Chapter 433 The meal must be delicious
After leaving the post station, no one let down their guard.
While on the road, there was always someone observing the surrounding situation.
Fortunately, I didn’t meet any strange people and nothing strange happened.
Princess Lejia ate pork jerky while looking out the window: "Zhengzheng, Aying, how did you sleep last night?"
She slept very soundly last night. If Shishu hadn't woken her up, she might have overslept.
Zhou Ying: "I slept well, but I was a little attached to my bed. But when I woke up in the morning, I felt pretty energetic."
She doesn't have very high requirements for food and accommodation, but she is a little particular about her bed.
When she married into the Duke of Weiguo's mansion, she brought the bed she brought from the Zhou family.
Later, they divorced and the bed was taken back to Zhou's house.
Zhou Ying was quite happy to leave Beijing with Shen Huazheng and others this time.
When she was young, she hoped to travel all over the country and see the world.
Now that I finally have this opportunity, being familiar with my bed is no longer a big deal.
Chen Huazheng: "I also felt much better when I woke up this morning than in the past few days. At least I slept much longer."
In order to reach the northwest as quickly as possible, they traveled in a hurry during the day, arrived at the post station to rest before dark, and set out again early the next day.
This is really too much for someone like Shen Huazheng who has very high requirements for sleep quality.
This is even more tiring than going to court early in the morning!!
Fortunately, I went to bed early last night, so I didn’t feel so tired after getting up in the morning.
Princess Lejia picked up another piece of pork jerky and said, "Look at you two, you are so tired that you have dark circles under your eyes. When we go back, we don't have to rush so much. We can walk back slowly and stop to have some fun along the way."
Zhou Ying looked at Princess Lejia, whose face was puffed up from eating, then looked at Chen Huazheng, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
When I return to the capital, I will still have to follow the officials in the capital.
Although we don't have to rush as much as when we were traveling with General Xie and the others, we can slow down a bit.
But you can stop and have fun along the way... forget it.
Chen Huazheng thought about it, but in the end she didn't have the heart to burst the beautiful bubble in Princess Lejia's heart.
This trip to the northwest was originally carried out on the mission of Emperor Jingning, and naturally he would have to return to Beijing to report on time.
As an imperial envoy, she certainly couldn't leave other accompanying officials behind to go out for fun.
If I take them out to play... that's not allowed either.
However, when returning to Beijing, you can indeed slow down and enjoy the scenery along the way.
If there is really something fun nearby, you can only write it down and find a chance to play it next time.
Princess Lejia didn't know what Chen Huazheng and Zhou Ying were thinking. While eating pork jerky, she was thinking about the strange things that happened in Wang Zhaohe Pingyu Town.
Although these things sound bizarre and creepy, if they were written into a story, I think many people would want to read it.
When the convoy stopped by the roadside for lunch, General Xie asked someone to invite Shen Huazheng and others over.
This time they caught a lot of fish and snails.
If it were before, they would definitely have a good meal with these fresh ingredients.
But because of what happened in Pingyu Town, General Xie was a little worried that something might happen if he stayed in one place for too long.
Should I just have a quick meal and then continue on my journey in a hurry?
Or do you want to have a hearty lunch?
General Xie and Yun Gan thought about it, and then went to find Shen Huazheng and a group of officials to express their concerns.
While speaking, General Xie also specifically emphasized that someone had caught some snails.
General Xie had eaten snails before, but he didn't have any cooking skills. He just threw them into the pot and cooked them.
The taste is not very good. Not only does it have an earthy smell, but the meat is also a bit tough.
But it is meat after all, even if it is not much.
When there is no choice, having something to eat is naturally better than having nothing to eat.
Now that Chen Huazheng is here, the situation has become different again.
She is an excellent cook and has many ideas. She may be able to unlock new ways to eat snails.
When she heard about snails, Shen Huazheng's eyes lit up.
[There are snails here, so we can stir-fry them! ! ]
Zhou Ying & Princess Le Jia:!!!
I’ve never eaten fried snails, but since Zheng’er/Zheng Zheng is so excited, it must be delicious.
When the others heard that the Northwest Army soldiers had caught so many fish, they were also very happy.
It's really a matter of walking and eating along the way.
The food along the way is incredibly abundant, and Lord Shen is also by our side.
Not everyone can have this kind of good fortune.
Hahaha! ! !
After discussion, almost everyone agreed that they should have a good meal.
No matter what time it is, the meal must be delicious.
As for General Xie’s concerns, that’s also easy to deal with.
Everyone just needs to remain alert all the time.
After looking at the fish that had been caught, Shen Huazheng decided to have boiled fish for lunch and a dish of fried snails.
Although it may take a long time to have a good meal, but many hands make light work, so if everyone works together, it will naturally be much faster.
After the fish is cleaned, it has to be sliced thinly and processed carefully.
Those who were good at knife skills volunteered to start slicing the fish.
The others also divided the work and cooperated. Some collected firewood, some set up the pot, and some prepared seasonings and side dishes.
In addition to fish, snails are also processed.
In order to show that they were not here for free, everyone suddenly rolled up.
After the fish slices are ready, they need to be soaked for a while to remove the fishy smell.
After soaking, it needs to be washed repeatedly and then pickled.
Marinating fish is a very important step and is the key to determining the taste of the fish.
In order to make the fish taste more tender and smooth, in addition to adding starch to the fish during marinating, Shen Huazheng also had someone add egg white.
In addition to marinating the fish, the base for boiled fish is also very important.
The base ingredients are fried by Shen Huazheng herself. In addition to ginger, onion, garlic, chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns are indispensable.
As soon as the oil in the pan was heated, Shen Huazheng put ginger, onion, garlic and chili peppers into the pan and stir-fried them until fragrant, then added bean paste and peppercorns and stir-fried them evenly.
As the temperature rises, the spiciness and aroma rush out of the pot and rush straight to your nose.
Everyone subconsciously inhaled the strong fragrance in the air. It smelled so good! !
They even feel that they don’t even need to put it in their mouths; just smelling the spicy flavor is enough to make them eat well.
After all the aromas were stir-fried out, Shen Huazheng added clean water to the pot and boiled it, then put the cleaned fish heads and fish bones in.
Cook for a while, until the water temperature rises, then put the fish into the pot.
I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or for some other reason, but we caught a lot of fish today.
This pot is already the biggest, but after putting the fish in, there is still two-thirds left.
Princess Lejia was extremely happy when she saw the pot full of fish.
Such a big pot, but it can’t even be filled.
We'll have something to eat soon, hehehe~~~
Soon, the second big pot was set up and the same cooking process began.
General Xie looked at the tender white fish meat and the red soup in the pot and couldn't help swallowing.
Anyway, I have been traveling a lot these days and am already much faster than originally planned.
Today we are just here for this lunch, so it won’t affect anything if we stay here a little longer.
As long as we can make sure we get to the post station before dark.
After finishing their work, the others couldn't help but turn their eyes to the big pot that was emitting steam.
This smell is terrible, it makes me feel addicted just by smelling it.
These fish were very lively and fresh when they were caught.
Now when it is cooked like this, wow... I don’t know how delicious it tastes.
Everyone present can tolerate some spicy food, and when they smell the spicy and fresh aroma, their mouths start to water.
Look at the pot full of fish meat...the fish meat is boiling in the pot, and their hearts are boiling too.
“Gurgle gurgle…”
“Gurgle gurgle…”
“Gurgle gurgle…”
I don't know whose stomach growled, and as if getting some strange response, the sound continued one after another.
There is a trend of ups and downs, and it seems to be continuing.
Shen Huazheng: …
There's no need to be so flattering.
The "culprit" Xiangyang didn't feel embarrassed at all, but instead straightened his back with confidence.
Everyone has a love for food.
Anyway, everyone’s stomach was growling, he wasn’t the only one.
The reason is that this boiled fish is so delicious.
On the other side, Qingtang had already helped Zhou Ying stir-fry snails according to Shen Huazheng's instructions.
She and Qingzhi followed Shen Huazheng and not only learned a lot, but also developed a tacit understanding.
For some things, Shen Huazheng only needs to give an order and they will know what to do.
Of course, when making food, you still have to follow the steps Shen Huazheng said carefully.
All the necessary seasonings are also prepared.
The dead snails have been picked out and thrown away, and the rest have had their tails clamped.
When stir-frying snails, the heat is very important.
One point less and it may not be cooked through and not tasty enough.
If it is too much, the snail meat will become tough and hard to eat because of shrinkage.
Among the people present, apart from Chen Huazheng, only Zhou Ying could grasp this balance.
Zhou Ying put the snails and ginger slices into the pot, poured in clean water, sprinkled a circle of white wine, and blanched them to remove the fishy smell.
Then take the snails out of the pot and set aside.
Qingtang quickly cleaned up the water in the pot and added oil over high heat.
Zhou Ying put shredded ginger, minced garlic and chili sauce into the pot, and after stir-frying until fragrant, she also poured the perilla leaves into the pot and stir-fried until fragrant.
Qingtang was quick to pour all the drained snails into the pot.
Zhou Ying held the spatula in her hand and kept stirring back and forth.
As she moved, the snail shells in the pot collided with each other, making crisp sounds.
The oil pan was boiling, with small oil bubbles popping out of the pan from time to time. The "clattering" sound of the snail shells colliding with the "sizzling" sound made the pan lively.
Zhou Ying looked at the pot, and when she saw that it was almost cooked, she added white wine and bean paste, an appropriate amount of salt, a spoonful of sugar, and finally poured in half a bowl of water, and continued to stir-fry until the snail meat was thoroughly cooked.
Everyone was still immersed in the aroma of boiled fish, unable to extricate themselves, when suddenly a complex fragrance drifted in the air and went straight into everyone's nostrils.
It has a rich aroma and a spicy taste.
If you look carefully, you can smell the unique fragrance of perilla.
General Xie, Yun Gan and the others all showed joy in their eyes. It turned out that they were right to tell Lord Shen about catching the snails! !
Isn't this a new and delicious delicacy?
Originally, we planned to eat this meal with steamed buns dipped in sauce, and just asked someone to go to the river to see if they could find something to add to the dishes. We didn't expect to find so many fresh ingredients.
Not only was this lunch rich and delicious, it also saved us a lot of sauces.
The other soldiers who had eaten snails before were also surprised and delighted. They never thought that snails, which used to have such a strong earthy smell, could be cooked with such a rich flavor.
Just by smelling it, you know it must be delicious.
Today we not only have boiled fish, but also fried snails.
Paired with steamed buns, wow, the taste is so delicious just thinking about it now.
When the boiled fish fillets and fried snails were ready, everyone had already prepared steamed buns, bowls and chopsticks, and were waiting obediently to be fed.
The fish fillets are tender, white and fragrant. Although the snails look black, each one is fried until shiny and greasy. They are also dotted with chili peppers, which looks very tempting.
Everyone was already very hungry from the overwhelming aroma, and now they couldn't help but eat, so they just picked up their chopsticks and started eating.
Xie Yanqing picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks, blew on it gently, and put it into his mouth.
As soon as the fish enters your mouth, your tongue first tastes the numbing and spicy sensation, and then you will be amazed by the smooth and tender texture.
As you chew it, the sweetness of the fish, along with its spicy and rich aroma, immediately echoes between your lips and teeth, and even throughout your mouth.
The spicy and fresh flavors are intertwined, stimulating the taste buds and nerves.
General Xie was an impatient person. Whenever he traveled, he always wanted to go faster and faster.
This time, I felt that we were traveling a little too fast.
They will soon arrive at Yuzhang County. By then, Lord Shen will be busy planting potatoes and they will have to return to the military camp.
I don’t know how many more meals of this delicious food I can have.
General Xie picked up another piece of fish and put it into his mouth.
There’s no point in thinking so much, fish still tastes better.
Although I don’t know when the next meal will be, I have to eat what’s in front of me first.
As for the future, we’ll talk about it later.
Yun Gan and other soldiers were also eating the boiled fish with great relish. The fish meat was tender and fresh, and the soup was spicy and refreshing.
As you chew, the freshness and fragrance blend on the tip of your tongue.
The taste is extremely wonderful.
Some people were eating fish and eyeing the shiny snails.
The snails with their tails cut off have already been soaked in thick soup during the cooking process. Pick up one and suck it, and the snail meat hidden in the shell will easily slide into your mouth along with the soup.
The snail meat is thick, crispy, tender and juicy.
As you chew, the delicious taste of the snails melts slowly on the tip of your tongue along with the rich, complex aroma of the spices, and then spreads between your lips and teeth.
Perilla has a fresh fragrance with a slightly sweet and spicy taste. When fried with snails, it not only does not taste abrupt, but also suppresses the muddy smell in the snail meat.
The snails are slightly spicy with a fresh fragrance. One bite will fill your lips and teeth with a full sense of happiness.
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