Chapter 10 Pan-fried Tofu
Once the pork belly's gamey smell had finally dissipated from the repeated frying, Jiang Zhi scooped them out again.
I left only a little oil in the pan, then cracked two round eggs on the edge of the pan, making a sizzling sound.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhi was also quickly stir-frying, and soon the pan was full of golden egg crumbs. Jiang Zhi added a spoonful of bean paste that she had bought on the way, and stirred it over high heat again, instantly releasing a fragrant aroma.
But that wasn't enough. Jiang Zhi turned down the heat a bit more, added chopped shiitake mushrooms, and gently pressed the bottom of the pot with a spatula, allowing the aroma of the shiitake mushrooms, eggs, lard, and the spoonful of soybean paste she had just added to rise from the pot.
Stir-fry over high heat again, and the aroma of various flavors will make your mouth water.
Unfortunately, there was only a cold and heartless chef named Jiang here, who was only focused on stir-frying.
Fried rice with pork cracklings—it's called fried rice, but actually, Jiang Zhi's favorite dish is always stir-fried rice.
And this step of scooping out the rice is the most important step, besides the previous oil-removing process.
The rice Jiang Zhi cooked wasn't the hybrid rice that Grandpa Yuan had introduced in her previous life. In this dynasty, although rice wasn't considered extremely expensive, it still had to be bought from specialized rice shops. Pei Ye himself didn't cook often, so he basically didn't keep any rice at home.
For convenience, Jiang Zhi only took some millet and yellow millet that she bought along the way and mixed them together. Then, while the lard was heating in the pot, she washed and rinsed the mixed rice and finally put it into the pot with boiling water.
Then, roughly estimating when it was just about to boil, I scooped the rice out and poured it into a steamer, waiting for it to steam.
Once the rice was cooked, Jiang Zhi picked up the large steamer with both hands and poured it directly into the pot where she had previously fried pork cracklings, eggs, and mushrooms, then vigorously began to stir-fry it.
The golden rice grains, the slightly browned oil residue, and the finely chopped mushroom pieces were all coated in the pot.
Once stir-fried, the aroma immediately wafts out—the fragrance of lard, the aroma of bacon, the aroma of fried eggs, and even the aroma of rice all blend together.
Jiang Zhi was finally satisfied, and a slightly intoxicated smile appeared on her face.
Then when she looked up, three round heads had quietly popped out from beside her.
Oh no, to be precise, it's three big heads and one short head.
"Miss Jiang, what are you making? It smells so good!"
If Gu Yuan initially stopped at Pei Ye's house because of Jiang's really good spicy dishes, then at this moment, she was genuinely craving them.
She quietly swallowed.
Although the other three had already become somewhat accustomed to Jiang Zhi's amazing cooking skills in just one day, it was already past midnight. Not to mention Pei Ye, who hadn't eaten enough spicy food, even You Yi, who had just had some late-night snacks, was getting hungry again.
Not to mention Little Twist, who had been working the whole time, was now staring with her clear black eyes, half-covering her stomach, but still unable to stop the gurgling sounds coming from it.
Jiang Zhi chuckled and rubbed the little braided head.
Then he filled each of their bowls to the brim, and also filled a large bowl for himself.
The five of them simply sat around the stove and wolfed down their food.
Gu Yuan was wondering outside if Jiang Zhi had forgotten to bring some Sichuan peppercorns in, and he was hesitating whether to remind her!
But when the aroma of fried rice wafted out, she forgot everything else and, like everyone else, squatted by the stove, eyeing it intently. She even managed to snatch the first bowl of rice that Jiang Zhi served.
After the first bite, if his mouth hadn't been stuffed full, Gu Yuan would have shouted, "It's so delicious!"
The rice grains are coated with a distinct aroma of oil, bursting on the tongue. A few chews reveal even more flavorful mushrooms, egg bits, and fried pork cracklings.
Among them, the egg pieces are on the saltier side; each bite offers not only the texture of eggs but also the rich flavor of soybean paste. The shiitake mushroom is the mildest, but it possesses a unique aroma and a soft texture, offering a distinctive flavor.
The pork cracklings were somewhere in between, but they were Gu Yuan's favorite. Rather than being salty, each bite of them was bursting with meaty flavor and a satisfying crunch. These tiny cracklings, scattered throughout the bowl of fried rice, were like little surprises, constantly being discovered.
As Jiang Zhi ate the fried rice, which still had the smoky aroma of a wok, she squinted her eyes happily.
In her past life, Jiang Zhi had a habit of eating a bowl of carbohydrates when she was tired, and after eating it, she felt that a lot of her burdens were lifted.
Having traveled to this unfamiliar era, Jiang Zhi appears to have everything she could want amidst her laughter and playfulness. In reality, she feels like she's walking on thin ice, afraid to take even a single misstep, lest she fall into the abyss.
Therefore, Jiang Zhi proceeded cautiously, step by step.
Jiang Zhi wasn't stupid; she had some suspicions that the landlord had a different identity. But so what? She would eventually create her own network of connections to leverage.
When the time comes, who would dare to coax or lie to her? Humph...
As Jiang Zhi lazily ate her meal while sitting on a bamboo chair, her previous enthusiasm had vanished, replaced by a chilling indifference in her heart.
Unbeknownst to her, Pei Ye, who was engrossed in his meal, was momentarily stunned when he caught sight of the girl, who was as languid as a cat. He didn't even notice the enticing aroma wafting into his nose.
*
After finishing their meal, everyone took turns using the loofah ladle to rinse their bowls. In addition, Jiang Zhi also had to rinse the more than 30 bowls that had just been collected.
The thought of this made Jiang Zhi feel like her vision was going to go black.
Of course, she never imagined that she would face an even more sudden darkness today.
Before she went out, she was only responsible for the step of "soaking the beans". Now, the soaking time is about right.
This means that although it's already past 10 a.m. in modern times, his workload still includes: 1. Cleaning 20 bowls. 2. Sprouting beans. 3. While washing his own bowls, he also needs to put everyone else's bowls and chopsticks into the cupboard.
Jiang Zhi had a rare, hopeless look in her eyes.
She took a deep breath and pulled herself together.
Finally, just as the night watchman was about to leave the alley at midnight, Jiang Zhi lay exhausted on the bed.
She had just finished sprouting the bean sprouts: she found a discarded wooden bucket, the bottom of which was full of holes, perfect for testing the bean sprout machine.
Next, after removing some bad beans from the soaked beans, they were spread into a thin layer in a wooden bucket that already had a layer of gauze. Then, a little water was sprinkled on top, and the job was done.
While lying in bed, Jiang Zhi thought carefully about the future development path for a while. After considering all the options, she finally drifted off to sleep.
*
In the morning, dewdrops dripped from the grass and trees peeking out of the window, dripping onto the Xuan paper that Jiang Zhi had left there the night before, wetting a large area.
As Jiang Zhi, dressed in a red dress, walked past the window, she casually closed the window that was not properly closed.
She got up very early this morning, planning to go to the morning market to buy some daily necessities, such as tooth powder and bath towels.
Having been roughed up by the landlord, the original owner of this body lived a very rough life. In the few days since Jiang Zhi transmigrated, she has been too busy to pay attention to these things.
Now, she even leaves grocery shopping to those who come to freeload, and she's even written out detailed recipes.
On the large table in the main hall, there was a sheet of Xuan paper with several lines of large characters written on it by Jiang Zhilong in a vigorous and elegant style.
"Gu Yuan: 20 eggs, 6 large pieces of tofu"
"You Yi bought two ounces of meat and some cumin from the spice shop."
"Pei Ye's Three Jin of Fine Rice"
Jiang Zhi refused to believe it; with such a clear and concise list written by her, how could these items possibly be mixed up?
So she calmed down, put on a beautiful red dress, and walked toward the market.
Buy the blush powder that girls usually use!
Tooth powder that can be used as a toothpaste replacement, buy it!
We also need to buy bath soap!
I should at least buy a brass washbasin!
Like a ragdoll cat, Jiang Zhi was full of curiosity about the world, especially about things she had only seen in museums.
So before she knew it, the vegetable basket Jiang Zhi was carrying was filled with all sorts of things, and most importantly,
She's almost completely spent all the money she earned in the last few days!
Jiang Zhi sighed silently and had no choice but to turn back.
But on the way, she saw a clothing store that had just opened. The female owner, dressed in a light gauze dress, smiled and gave her a wink.
Jiang Zhi couldn't resist going inside.
A moment later, another neatly folded light green cross-collar half-sleeved gauze dress appeared on Jiang Zhi's basket.
The reason for buying it was nothing more than that when she looked in the bronze mirror just now, under the praise of the female shopkeeper, Jiang Zhi felt that when she wore this outfit, her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, her waist was slender and delicate, and her skin was as white as porcelain, like a mountain spirit.
Yes, it's definitely because this outfit is so beautiful!
It wasn't because the boss was too nice to talk to that Jiang Zhi was flattered to the point of feeling like she was floating on air!
But as she stepped out of the clothing store, Jiang Zhi let out a long sigh and reached into her empty pockets:
She has now completely squandered all the money she earned in the past two days!
Only some of the original owner's reserve funds were left for unforeseen circumstances.
Starting today, she will continue to work hard!
As she walked home, she pondered these thoughts.
As expected, the three people had indeed bought the items.
Although Jiang Zhi had things on her mind, she did not neglect her three benefactors!
Today she plans to make the simplest dish among the famous dishes served at state banquets: pan-fried tofu!
More importantly, it's an absolute accompaniment to rice!
Pan-fried tofu is a dish that can be quite complex when it's difficult to make, but it's surprisingly easy when it's simple. Or rather, its simplest form should be called tofu stuffed with meat.
Needless to say, it was difficult. Jiang Zhi had made it under her master's tutelage before, and even the soup itself was meticulously prepared. Jiang Zhi still remembers: a whole chicken for the broth, abalone as a base, and pork knuckle for added flavor…
Clearly, Jiang Zhi is currently planning to make a simplified version, which requires very simple ingredients: meat, tofu, and some seasonings. She intends to make one non-spicy bowl and one spicy bowl for everyone to enjoy.
A note from the author:
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The ending, slightly revised in version 8.9, is definitely even better now! [cheering emojis]
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