Everything was ready: two large platters of mutton stacked high, along with sliced potatoes, bean sprouts, bok choy, and a plate of tofu.
Everyone sat around the table, looking expectantly at the pot, waiting for it to boil.
During this time, Pei Yuezhi prepared a dipping sauce: sesame paste with some chive blossoms, fermented bean curd, light soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and cilantro.
"Glug glug".
The pot finally boiled, and Pei Yuezhi quickly put the meat into it. The meat wasn't cut too thick, so it cooked very quickly.
Everyone picked up a piece of meat with their chopsticks, and Pei Yuezhi, worried that Fan Mu might burn herself, picked it up for her instead.
"Mom, hot pot is so delicious! It's my favorite food now!"
Pei Yuezhi smiled and tapped her forehead: "Every time I cook, you say it's your favorite dish, you little glutton."
"Yes, because Mu'er loves everything Mother makes!"
Fan Mu made them all burst into laughter.
"Look at this little girl, so glib and smooth-talking."
"Mu'er is telling the truth!"
"Okay~ I believe you."
Rain was pattering outside the shed, the pot on the table was bubbling away, and the group was chatting and laughing, with their closest friends by their side.
Pei Yuezhi thought to herself, life is so comfortable, it's good not to go back.
......
The next morning, as expected, it was still raining. In this kind of weather, Pei Yuezhi would inexplicably feel energetic and relaxed all over.
However, Liu Yuanyuan is different. She doesn't like going out on rainy days. For her, this kind of weather is perfect for sleeping in at home.
Unfortunately, now is not the time for a long nap.
"Yuanyuan! Wake up! It's time to get ready and head to the shop!" Pei Yuezhi stood by Liu Yuanyuan's bedside; this was the third time she had called her.
Liu Yuanyuan rolled over and waved her hand: "I'll get up right away."
"Auntie took the child to school. I'm taking Mu'er to the shop. Hurry up and get up to eat. I've left some porridge for you in the pot."
"Okay, I'll get up now."
As he spoke, he stood up like a zombie, first his body, and then his head, which he then sat up.
"If you're too tired, just lock the door and sleep a little longer. You can come over to help at noon."
"Okay..." he said, then lay down with a thud.
Pei Yuezhi still felt a little reluctant. Liu Yuanyuan was too sleepy, and she hadn't done much work before. Since transmigrating, she hadn't had many days of rest. She was always listless on rainy days, so she decided to let her sleep a little longer.
He took Fan Mu to the shop, told her to sit aside and watch the fire, but not to get too close to it, while he started working.
First, steam the rice. Brown rice is harder to cook, even though it's soaked in water overnight, it still takes longer to steam than white rice.
Where Fan Mu couldn't see, he took out a bowl of pork belly chunks, added some oil to the pan, and started frying the pork belly.
Fry the pork belly until the fat renders out and the surface turns golden brown, then remove it from the pan.
In a separate pot, add rock sugar and a little water to caramelize it until it turns a deep reddish-brown color. Then add the pork belly.
Keep the heat low and stir-fry, then add scallions, ginger, star anise, bay leaves, dried chili pepper pieces, and cinnamon. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add two tablespoons of high-proof white liquor.
Then add light soy sauce, fermented bean curd juice, a little salt, and plenty of water, and simmer for more than an hour.
"Yuezhi, why are you and Mu'er the only ones here? Where's Yuanyuan?" Granny Liu came to the shop after dropping off the children and was a little puzzled to see only Pei Yuezhi and Fan Mu there.
“Yuanyuan isn’t feeling well, so I let her sleep a little longer,” Pei Yuezhi explained.
Grandma Liu nodded and asked again, "Oh dear, is she home alone? Did she lock the door?"
"I had her come out and lock the door when I left, so don't worry."
She was relieved and went to the courtyard to chop and gather firewood.
Just as I was about to start making boiled pork slices, Liu Yuanyuan came over.
A little embarrassed, she said, "Yueyue, I slept for too long."
"Oh, I'm not that busy. Don't be shy, come and help me watch the fire."
The meat for the boiled sliced pork was simply marinated earlier.
Add light soy sauce, cooking wine, white pepper powder, egg white, and salt.
Save the egg yolks to make small pancakes.
Grab and grab in one direction until the meat absorbs all the moisture; this is also a way to make it more tender.
Add cornstarch and mix for a while to coat the meat slices, making them more tender and smooth. Then seal in the oil.
Use plenty of oil in the pan to fry the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.
"Yuanyuan, turn the fire down."
Fry for 20 to 30 seconds, then take it out and chop it up.
Next, pour the vegetables into the pot and stir-fry until just cooked through. Then, put them in a bowl and set aside.
Now let's start preparing the ingredients!
Heat the oil, add minced scallions, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add a generous amount of fermented bean paste, stir-fry until fragrant and the oil turns red, then add water.
Then add some light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a little white sugar.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then add some cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce slightly.
Then Pei Yue added the sliced meat, cooked it, and poured it together with the vegetables from earlier.
Sprinkle the chopped and fried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns on top, add some chopped green onions, and pour hot oil over them to release the aroma.
"Boiled pork slices! I want to eat this! In this chilly weather, eating this would be so comforting!"
"I've done quite a lot, let's keep some more!"
Next, I'll make braised eggplant with green beans.
Soak the eggplant in water for a while, coat it with a little starch, and fry it in oil until golden brown.
The green beans are also fried until cooked through, with bubbles and wrinkles on the surface.
Prepare a sauce: light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, chicken bouillon, thirteen-spice powder, water, and cornstarch.
Heat oil and sauté minced garlic until fragrant. Add eggplant and green beans, stir-fry evenly, and then add the sauce.
Reduce the sauce until thickened, sprinkle with freshly cooked garlic, and it's ready to serve!
Last but not least! Big bowl of tofu. This tofu is tender and smooth, with a slightly spicy flavor, but mostly it's fragrant. It's no exaggeration to say that it tastes even better than meat.
Boil water in a pot, and once it boils, cut the tofu into cubes and blanch them briefly to remove the beany taste.
Once the water boils again, you can take them out and set them aside.
Sauté scallions and garlic until fragrant, then add soybean paste and thirteen-spice powder. After stir-frying until fragrant, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a little sugar.
After stir-frying the sauce until fragrant, add water, and then add the tofu. Add some chicken bouillon, cover, and simmer for two or three minutes.
Then thicken with cornstarch slurry and sprinkle with chopped green onions.
Heat some oil, add some chili pepper pieces, fry for a while, let it cool slightly, and then pour it over the tofu.
The large bowl of tofu is now ready.
By this time, the braised pork should be almost done. Remove the solids, reduce the sauce until thick, and add some MSG.
Everything is ready. I wonder how many customers there will be today. Let's open for business!
Just as Granny Liu said, there were still quite a few guests, but fewer than a few days ago.
Pei Yuezhi and the other two put the dishes down and picked up large spoons to introduce the dishes to everyone.
"It's raining today, and it gets really chilly when it rains in the north, so I made a few spicy dishes: boiled sliced pork, stewed tofu, all spicy. I also made braised pork, which everyone wanted, and eggplant with green beans."
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