After learning to make zongzi for a while, the two little kids realized that this seemingly simple task was actually quite challenging. Su Xueyan, the younger one, was particularly troubled by her limited grip and finger length, which made the zongzi more likely to come loose.
Although Su Xuanhe had enough grip strength, he did not master the trick of making zongzi. Even if the zongzi was wrapped properly at the beginning, the white glutinous rice inside would gradually leak out. In fact, it was because the "corner" was not exposed.
After breaking off three and four pieces of bamboo leaves respectively, although Su Qingluan didn't say anything, the usually frugal Yang couldn't stand it anymore and drove the two little guys out of the kitchen: "Although bamboo leaves are not that precious, you can't afford to play with them as toys!"
Su Qingluan laughed and placed the zongzi leaf that had been "ravaged" by her brother and sister near the outside. "It's just two cracks. It can still be used. It just needs to be paired with a better, intact zongzi leaf."
Yang added the chopped wild vegetables to the porridge and mixed them together. She turned around and smiled, "Before, you said that you should cultivate good habits for your younger brothers and sisters and not spoil them too much. I think after counting them, you, as the elder sister, are the one who spoils them the most."
As long as Su Xuanhe and Su Xueyan wanted to do something, Su Qingluan would take them to do it if she was free. Even if she was not free, she would find a way. Moreover, Su Qingluan would hardly get angry when the two children made trouble in the kitchen like today.
Su Qingluan smiled and shook her head: "At their age, they want to do everything. Since our family has the conditions, we are not afraid of damaging a few leaves. It won't hurt to let them learn to use their hands."
In the past, when the family was making dumplings or buns, if these two little guys looked curious and wanted to help, Su Qingluan would give them two pieces of dough and teach them how to roll out the dough and how to make dumplings and buns.
Of course, the dumplings made by these two little guys are definitely all kinds of "imaginative art". Su Qingluan simply put their "works of art" on a separate layer. After steaming them, no matter whether the dough collapsed or the filling leaked out, she let them eat it themselves.
Originally, Yang wanted to take over these "defective products" herself, but in Su Qingluan's view, the things she made, even if they were not so good-looking, would still taste delicious.
What's more, Su Qingluan was responsible for kneading the dough and preparing the filling. With these two steps as the foundation, no matter how strange the buns and dumplings made by her younger brother and sister were, one thing was certain - the taste would not be outrageous.
As expected, when the two little guys saw their "finished product", they ate it all up without any disgust, and even ate more than when Yang or Su Qingluan made it.
But ultimately, the dough for dumplings or baozi is stretchable, so even if the filling leaks, it can be easily replaced. But zongzi leaves are completely different. Not only are they inelastic and stretchable, but if you're not careful, the entire leaf will crack. This makes making them much more difficult than making baozi or dumplings, so the two little guys always fail.
One or two failures could be covered up with enthusiasm, but over time, the two little guys' "interest" was almost wiped out. So when Yang chased them away, they left obediently without much lingering thoughts.
Su Qingluan smiled and shook her head, then continued with her work. Soon, she had wrapped thirty dumplings, enough to fill an entire pot.
These thirty were just sweet rice dumplings, and Su Qingluan would make the salty ones next. Considering that the rice dumplings in Huaxi Village were usually sweet, and that they were usually dipped in sugar or left plain with only a jujube in the glutinous rice, Su Qingluan prepared fewer salty ones.
Even though she likes salty food, she understands that the inertia of food taste can still play a decisive role in a short period of time. This year can be regarded as a year for trying "salty rice dumplings", but she must not make too many.
After all, this new flavor, no matter what, takes time to accept. Moreover, the salty rice dumplings contain salted egg yolks and bacon, which are relatively perishable, so they need to be eaten as quickly as possible in this era without any insurance measures.
Therefore, Su Qingluan was very cautious and only made less than twenty egg yolk and bacon rice dumplings. She also decided on the quantity after strictly calculating the number of rice dumplings each family would send.
After she finished wrapping the two pots of rice dumplings, Yang invited her to finish her meal.
"Mother, I'll cook all these rice dumplings first, then we'll have dinner!" Su Qingluan neatly stacked the rice dumplings in two large pots usually used to cook soup, and carefully placed them on the stove - the fire in the stove had not yet been extinguished, as Su Qingluan had deliberately asked Yang not to turn off the fire.
Upon hearing Su Qingluan's voice, Yang put the dishes in place and walked over to the kitchen. "Hey, it doesn't matter if your rice dumplings are a little early or late? They'll only take an hour or two anyway..." Seeing the commotion in the kitchen, Yang was stunned. "What did you put in the pot? A stone?"
Yang walked over curiously and took a look: "Hey, isn't this the pressure stone I used to make sauerkraut in winter?" Yang couldn't help but move closer to smell it.
Su Qingluan laughed: "Don't worry, mother, I have washed it many times, there won't be any weird smell." Su Qingluan asked Su Guangfu to move these cylinder-pressing stones. Not only are they regular and flat in shape, but their surfaces are also very smooth, the kind of smoothness that comes from years of washing by river water.
There is no fine sand or sharp edges on the surface of such a stone. It is very good whether it is used as a pressure stone for a jar or as a stone to be used to press rice dumplings. At that time, Su Qingluan spent a long time to find a stone that suited her taste.
"I see you've used this stone before. It's said that it makes things softer when cooked." Yang thought of the cold tripe strips she had before. It was indeed chewy, but it didn't give her the usual feeling of half her teeth being broken after taking a bite.
Su Qingluan nodded and smiled, "That's right. If you want the rice dumplings to be soft, chewy and chewy, you still need to put in some effort." After thinking for a moment, she said, "By the way, mother, father is going to my brother's room tonight. Why don't you take your sister to sleep in my place?"
"Why do we need to move rooms?" Yang was confused. "Besides, if we go to your place, where will you sleep? You can't sleep on the floor, right?"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight. I'll have to watch the fire all night long."
Su Qingluan carefully filled the pot with water until the water level covered the stones, then covered it with the lid. She did the same with the other pot, then added some firewood to both hearths, then brushed the ash off her hands and said, "Mother, let's go eat!"
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