This time, the mall also added chickens, and the price is really cheap. I should buy a few to stock up on, so I can send some to Pei's father sometime.
She bought five chickens and all the pork. This time, she bought pork belly again. Pei Yuezhi found that pork belly is quite versatile and can be used in almost anything.
I've used a lot of flour these past few days. I checked my storage space and only have 25 jin left. I'll buy another 50 jin to keep on hand. I don't know if there will be any flour left on the next special offer, although there has been some this time.
I haven't cooked anything delicious for many days, so I'll make two more tasty dishes today!
Pei Yuezhi first took two jin of pork belly, intending to make braised lion's head meatballs.
Cut it into small pieces, then mince it, but be careful not to mince it too finely; it should still have some meaty texture.
Soak some scallion and ginger in hot water. Smash the scallions and ginger, chop them a little finely, and soak them in hot water.
Add some white pepper powder, some sugar, and salt to the meat, then beat in an egg and mix well until the egg is fully absorbed.
Then add some starch and the scallion and ginger water you just soaked, mix well and stir until it becomes sticky.
Pei Yuezhi divided the meat into six portions, turning each portion back and forth in her hands to release the air inside, and then shaping it into a round shape.
Add plenty of oil to the pot, and once the oil is hot, fry the meatballs briefly.
After you put it in, don't rush to flip it over. Wait until the bottom has set before gently flipping it over.
Fry for two or three minutes; the purpose is to set the shape, not to cook it through.
Place the fried meatballs in a pot, add scallions, ginger slices, bay leaves, star anise, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and rock sugar.
Add more water to the pot. These lion's head meatballs need to be stewed for a long time, about two hours on low heat. Although they will be cooked in a short time, it is completely different from stewing for a long time.
There's plenty of time, even enough to go back inside and rest for a while.
He sent a large group of children to watch the fire and told them to keep it small, so Pei Yuezhi felt relieved and went to lie down on a chair in the yard.
"It's great to have kids working. They can just check on the pot every now and then and take a break."
"Yueyue, you've been slacking off here." Liu Yuanyuan had just returned from the front yard when she saw Pei Yuezhi lying in the yard.
Since we didn't have any empty pots at home, we took the rice to Liu Yuanyuan's house to steam it.
Seeing Liu Yuanyuan come in, Pei Yuezhi opened one eye to look at her, replied that she was tired, and didn't say anything more.
Pei Yuezhi had originally planned to check on the pot halfway through, but she accidentally fell asleep.
When she woke up again, she smelled a delicious aroma. Pei Yuezhi opened her eyes groggily, still a little dazed, and mumbled, "How could I still be asleep? My bad!"
Pei Yuezhi quickly got up and ran to the kitchen.
"Oh my, it smells so good! Watching the pot here makes me feel like the chef, hehehehehe!"
Liu Yuanyuan put the pot lid on, and then Pei Yuezhi suddenly appeared: "You startled me. Why didn't you say anything when you came over?"
"You scared me! You were smiling like a villain!"
"Someone was watching the pot for you, and you suddenly fell asleep," Liu Yuanyuan said, feigning shyness.
Pei Yuezhi told the three children to go out, and that she and Liu Yuanyuan could stay in the kitchen.
The process of stewing lion's head meatballs is very long, and the whole house is filled with its aroma. Liu Yuanyuan always secretly lifts the lid of the pot to take a look.
Pei Yuezhi even slapped him several times.
"Stop lifting the pot to look, or I'll beat you up."
"Fine, I won't watch it then."
Pei Yuezhi looked at the long green beans in the basket next to her and thought that Liu Yuanyuan liked to eat stir-fried green beans. She had just fried some meatballs and the oil in the fryer hadn't been emptied yet, so she decided to fry the green beans.
The two sat together picking green beans, chatting idly as they did so.
"Yueyue, are you very tired?"
"We're working together, aren't you tired too? Why are you asking this?"
Liu Yuanyuan put down the green beans in her hand and looked at Pei Yuezhi, saying, "Yueyue, I feel you are under a lot of pressure. I don't want you to work so hard. Lately, you've made me feel the same as in my past life."
"When we first met, we had a pretty good few days. We were slowly selling things and making a steady profit. We could have lived a good life. Those days felt like we were back in our past life, before we started the restaurant."
"Then you started to get more and more anxious. I know you are a strong-willed person and you want to work hard, so I can't say anything. But I see that you have started to feel anxious and more and more tired recently, not only physically but also under psychological pressure."
"As your good friend, I don't want to see you go through the same thing as in your past life, when you rarely even went home. Do you know how worried I was when I got the call from your workplace?"
Pei Yuezhi fell silent. She had indeed been very anxious lately. She thought she had disguised it well, but she didn't expect Yuanyuan to see through it all.
"I just hope you can relax a little, or tell me about your stress. I'm willing to share it with you. You're never alone. It's more important than anything else for us to live a good life together."
Pei Yuezhi, who was initially very moved and whose nose was even a little sore, couldn't help but laugh when she heard the last sentence.
"Oh, I only said all this because you finally seem relaxed today. Wasn't I incredibly charming just now?" Liu Yuanyuan even gave herself a thumbs up.
Pei Yuezhi burst out laughing: "You're so charming! I'll take everything you say to heart, but could you please pick the green beans properly?"
"Okay, okay, I know!"
Wash the green beans, remove the ends, and break them into long pieces.
As Liu Yuanyuan peeled the beans, she asked, "Yueyue, what are you picking beans for?"
"Stir-fried green beans, you like them."
"Really! Then I'd better hurry up and finish it, yay yay yay, I love it." Liu Yuanyuan visibly sped up her pace.
When they were almost finished breaking the barley, Liu Yuanyuan went to start a fire, while Pei Yuezhi went to prepare the other ingredients.
Mince the garlic, shred the ginger, and chop some scallions.
Once the oil is hot, simply wipe off the excess water from the green beans, then deep-fry them over high heat for about five minutes, until the skin bubbles and wrinkles. Then you can take them out.
Pei Yuezhi poured out the oil from the pot, leaving a little oil in the bottom, and then added scallions, ginger, and garlic to sauté until fragrant.
After stir-frying until fragrant, add some dried chili pepper pieces, stir-fry for a while, and then add the green beans.
Add salt and MSG, stir-fry for a while to allow the flavors to fully meld, then add light soy sauce and Sichuan peppercorn oil.
Both Liu Yuanyuan and I dislike the feeling of biting into a peppercorn while eating, so we used peppercorn oil instead.
Pei Yuezhi was craving braised tofu with scallions, so she bought a pound of tofu from the mall and made a sauce.
Pan-fry the tofu until golden brown, add scallions and sauce, stir-fry and simmer for a while, then drizzle with cornstarch slurry.
Then stir-fry some hot and sour shredded potatoes, and then we can eat!
Just then, the lion's head meatballs were ready. As soon as the pot was opened, the whole house was filled with a wonderful aroma, which made Liu Yuanyuan eager to serve the meatballs.
Remove the lion's head meatballs from the pot, reduce the remaining broth over high heat, thicken it slightly with cornstarch, pour it over the meatballs, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and it's ready to eat!
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