Finally, Pei Yuezhi tore the chicken leg into small pieces: "Good child, let's eat together as a family."
One bite, and the taste wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly delicious either; it was a very ordinary flavor. However, you could tell that the ingredients were of good quality.
Even though the seasoning is very light, there is only a slight fishy smell, so it is still quite popular and can be considered a signature dish.
The pig ears tasted very average; it seemed like they were just boiled with some dark soy sauce, a little peppercorn, and star anise.
This simple braising is actually not a big problem. The problem is that they don't seem to know how to handle the ingredients. It tastes a bit like pork.
Today I got to try Qingquanlou's signature dishes. I'll have to check out Baiweiju's signature dishes another day to see what their competitor is like.
The three of them had a simple meal. Pei Yuezhi herself was a bit picky and didn't eat much, but she felt that the two children ate quite heartily.
"Morning and Evening, is the taste alright?"
Fan Chao swallowed his food and replied, "Mother, if these two dishes had been here before, I would have thought they were delicacies, but after eating Mother's cooking, I only think they are just okay."
"Yeah, now that I've eaten what Mom makes, this meat doesn't seem that delicious anymore." Fan Mu's little mouth was glistening with oil as she blinked her big eyes at Pei Yuezhi.
Pei Yuezhi directly pinched her cheeks twice.
Perhaps because I was hungry before, I developed a non-picky eating habit. Even if the food doesn't taste very good, I can still eat well, which is quite good.
After finishing their meal, the three of them went back to their room for a nap.
By the afternoon, Liu Yuanyuan should have brought her mother-in-law back.
Pei Yuezhi hadn't seen Granny Liu for many days, so she had to cook something delicious for her.
Knowing that Granny Liu liked to eat noodles and pancakes, Pei Yuezhi decided to make a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), since she hadn't had one in a long time.
Without further ado, she first took some pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and then a piece of leg meat, as Pei Yuezhi preferred leaner cuts.
Scrape the fat off the pork skin with a knife, cut it into large pieces, and blanch it in cold water.
Add two spoonfuls of white sugar and two spoonfuls of water to a pot, turn the heat down, and cook until it caramelizes.
Once it turns a dark reddish-brown color, you can add water.
Put the blanched meat into the pot, making sure the water completely covers the meat.
Then add scallions, ginger, dried chili peppers, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds.
The home-style recipe is fine as is, but Pei Yuezhi wanted to make it more fragrant, so she added angelica root, cardamom, cloves, a piece of black cardamom (preferably crushed), and nutmeg.
With so many spices added, it's hard for it not to taste good.
Finally, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon, and a suitable amount of salt.
After bringing the fire to a boil, remove some firewood and simmer over low heat for two hours.
Liu Yuanyuan returned just then, and the first thing she did was come over and lie down next to Pei Yuezhi.
Pei Yuezhi bought some grapes from the mall, washed them, put them on a plate, and went to see her in the room. She was lying sprawled on the bed, and when she saw Pei Yuezhi come in, she started crying and playing the victim.
"Yueyue, I'm exhausted. I walked there and walked back. Even though Grandma didn't have much, I'm still exhausted. What are you going to cook? I'm hungry."
"I made roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), it's stewing now, have some fruit." She said, handing over the grapes she had just bought at the mall.
Liu Yuanyuan was really exhausted. She didn't even eat grapes and just lay there motionless.
"Alright then, I'll go cook. You can rest for a while."
While the meat was stewing in the pot, Pei Yuezhi began preparing to make steamed buns.
Add baking powder, yeast, and warm water to the flour.
After kneading into a dough, add some cooking oil and knead until smooth.
Let it rise until it doubles in size, about half-risen.
Deflate the dough, divide it into evenly sized portions, roll each portion into a strip, then roll it into a dough ball, and finally roll it out to roughly the same size.
With just a little oil in the pan, I started making the flatbread.
Each side should be cooked for about two minutes, until golden brown and springs back quickly when pressed at the edge.
Pei Yuezhi glanced at the meat in the pot; it was almost ready.
I also prepared some green peppers. Although the authentic way to eat it doesn't include green peppers, Pei Yuezhi really likes the version with green peppers.
Whether it's authentic or not, it doesn't matter.
"Yueyue, I've rested enough. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Liu Yuanyuan walked into the kitchen somewhat dazed and looked at Pei Yuezhi, who was busy at work, and said...
Seeing that she still looked a little sleepy, Pei Yuezhi felt a pang of pity and said, "It's almost done here, there's nothing else I can help with."
"Alright then, I'll go back and call my mother-in-law and Nian'an."
When the three returned, Pei Yuezhi had already turned off the heat on the meat.
"Auntie, you're back! Get ready for dinner! I made roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), it smells amazing!" Pei Yuezhi scooped out a piece of meat to show off.
Grandma Liu looked at it and praised it in a very cooperative manner: "Oh my, it smells so good. I can smell it right in the yard. This meat is stewed so well. It looks so tender and juicy. It's been so long since I've had such delicious food from you. You should eat more today."
"Okay, I knew you liked noodles, so I specially made these flatbreads today and put this meat inside. They're especially delicious."
"Really? Then I'll have to try it."
Pei Yuezhi began assembling the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). First, she took out a piece of meat, pressed it down with a knife, chopped it a little, and then cut the bun from the side so that it could hold the meat.
Stuff the meat into the bun, pour on a spoonful of the essential broth, and the fragrant roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) is ready.
I asked a few people, and none of them ate the one with green peppers, so I decided to have one with green peppers and then have the authentic one.
"These are the signature roasted chicken and braised pig's ear that I ordered at Qingquanlou Restaurant for lunch. I didn't think they were that good, so there are some left. You guys should try them too."
Liu Yuanyuan was still looking forward to it: "Yuanyue, I've never eaten at this restaurant before. Since these are all their signature dishes, they shouldn't be bad, right?"
"How come I've never eaten there? Your dad bought vegetables from them before, didn't he? They were really good, how come this isn't as delicious?" Grandma Liu asked, a little puzzled, then suddenly remembered something, "Could it be that all the cooks have been poached?"
"Yes, yes, it's been too long, I forgot, but the taste seems to have been pretty good," Liu Yuanyuan said somewhat awkwardly.
He thought to himself: Luckily I reacted quickly. I didn't expect the original owner's family to be living quite comfortably.
Grandma Liu picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it: "It tastes pretty good, but it doesn't smell that good."
"I feel like the taste is bland, and there's not much fragrance at all," Liu Yuanyuan said after tasting it.
"No way, I'm eating it just fine," Grandma Liu said. "Could it be that I'm getting old and my mouth isn't working properly anymore?"
"No way, you're so young. Nian'an, have a taste." Liu Yuanyuan said, putting a piece of chicken on Li Nian'an's plate.
"How about it?"
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