Chapter 20 Why didn't my older brother scold me? Wen Xinglin looked at An in confusion...
"If you want wolf tooth potatoes, bring your own bowl."
"I want!"
"I want!"
"I want the nest too!"
The children who had been surrounding An Fusheng scattered instantly, rushing towards the cupboard.
Since the children prefer milder flavors, An Fusheng deliberately used less seasoning.
Considering that some younger children might not be able to eat it, An Fusheng fried the potato strips a little crispier than usual, so that even with less seasoning, they wouldn't taste bland.
An Fusheng had just finished mixing the seasonings when the children gathered around with their bowls.
"Those who don't eat spicy food, come first."
"I!"
"I!"
"Me too!"
Three stainless steel bowls appeared in front of me, held high in the air and swinging wildly.
"No need to hold it so high." An Fusheng put a small handful of wolf-tooth potatoes in each bowl: "We still have dinner later, so eat a little less first."
"good!"
An Fusheng left a portion without chili for Wen Xinghe and Wen Xingrui, then added half a spoonful of chili to the bowl and asked Bai Mangmang, "Is this amount of chili okay?"
Bai Mangmang nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
She was getting impatient because everyone else had already started eating.
Wen Xingmou hugged the bowl to her chest, grabbed a potato and put it in her mouth. Her little mouth closed, and her eyes lit up: "Wow, this is delicious!"
An Shisi followed the same posture, holding a bowl in one hand and stuffing potatoes into his mouth with the other. He grabbed one potato and put it in his mouth, then immediately grabbed a second one. He didn't have time to speak at all.
Wen Xinglin finally got to eat the wolf tooth potatoes his classmate had been talking about. The potatoes were still warm. He took a bite and found the outside to be crispy and the inside soft and fluffy. So this is what wolf tooth potatoes taste like! They're so delicious!
The wolf tooth potatoes with chili peppers need to be mixed again until well combined.
Holding the empty bowl, smelling the aroma, and listening to the slurping sounds of the others eating nearby, Bai Mangmang regretted asking for chili peppers; if she hadn't, she would be eating them now.
After mixing it well, An Fusheng grabbed a handful and put it into the white bowl.
Bai Mangmang immediately grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth. Mmm, so delicious!
The children in the kitchen were all taken care of, and those who weren't in the kitchen shouldn't be forgotten either. An Fusheng packed two portions of spicy food and two portions of non-spicy food, carried them out of the kitchen, and shooed the others who were happily eating out of the kitchen so they wouldn't interfere with his cooking later.
Bai Miaomiao was pulling Wen Xinghe downstairs when a portion of wolf-tooth potatoes was shoved into her hand.
“Give it a try,” An Fusheng said.
"Thank you, big brother," Bai Miaomiao said.
Wen Xinghe was still confused about what was going on.
"These are wolf tooth potatoes made by my older brother," Bai Miaomiao said to Wen Xinghe. "Try them, they smell so good!"
When Wen Xingrui saw a group of people eating and walking towards him, he panicked. He was being pulled by Wen Min to learn to stand up, so he ignored everything and tried to run towards An Fusheng. However, before he could even move his feet, he fell over like a tree that had been pushed down.
"Hey, hey, what's the rush?" Wen Min quickly grabbed him and put him down on the ground.
An Fusheng placed the wolf-tooth potatoes in front of him: "Eat them."
Wen Xingrui clapped his hands happily on the ground before reaching for the wolf-tooth potatoes in the bowl.
Wen Min grabbed his hand. "Tsk tsk tsk, are you afraid that there isn't enough dirt on your hands so that it won't taste good enough?"
Wen Min wiped his hands clean with disgust before letting him grab the bowl.
"Here you go." An Fusheng handed the last bowl in his hand to Wen Min.
"Thank you, Fu-zai." Wen Min took the bowl. "It smells delicious!"
Before long, exclamations of praise echoed from the elevated area: "Delicious!"
What is the greatest joy for a cook? It's being recognized and praised, of course!
An Fusheng returned to the kitchen satisfied to cook.
There were still some wolf-tooth potatoes left in the kitchen. An Fusheng took one and put it in his mouth. "Delicious!"
The rest was put into a bowl and left for Mrs. Lou.
"Big brother."
"Huh? What brings you here?"
An Fusheng turned his head and saw Wen Xinglin walk into the kitchen.
“I can help.”
"Really?" An Fusheng placed the packaged wolf tooth potatoes away.
Wen Xinglin walked to the kitchen counter; he wasn't much taller than the counter itself.
An Fusheng found a wooden four-legged stool and placed it next to the kitchen counter. "Come on."
Wen Xinglin used the counter to step onto a stool, his vision filled with colorful and uniquely shaped ingredients. "They look so beautiful!"
An Fusheng always thought so: "Of course."
"Big brother, what should I do?"
"Wash your hands first."
"Okay." The sink was right in front of him, and Wen Xinglin was standing high enough to easily wash his hands.
After Wen Xinglin washed his hands, An Fusheng placed a plate of chicken wings in front of him. "I've already added cooking wine, scallions, and ginger to it. Can you mix it with your hands?"
"Okay." Wen Xinglin started mixing the chicken wings with both hands.
An Fusheng started cooking, taking away the small pot he had just used to fry potatoes, replacing it with a large pot, and turning on the fire to heat the pot.
Once the bottom of the pot was smoking hot, half of the oil used to fry the potatoes was poured into the large pot. To prevent the fish head from sticking to the pot later, An Fusheng added a little salt to the oil and then put the fish head, cut in half, into the pot.
As the oil slowly heats up in the pan, the fish head submerged in the oil gradually caramelizes and becomes fragrant.
Seeing that the bottom was golden brown enough, An Fusheng flipped them over and continued frying.
As the fish was being fried until it was browned, the aroma gradually filled the air. Wen Xinglin couldn't help but look into the pan, drawn by the fragrance.
The oil in the pot bubbled and sizzled around the fish head, which seemed to be shaking enthusiastically in response. The aroma grew stronger and stronger, which Wen Xinglin found amazing.
The fish head was fried until golden brown on both sides. An Fusheng put ginger and garlic into the oil, and then poured a circle of cooking wine around the fish head along the side of the pot. The pot sizzled and the aroma became even stronger.
"It smells so good!" Wen Xinglin couldn't help but exclaim.
An Fusheng poured light soy sauce and a little dark soy sauce into the pot, making the originally golden fish head even more shiny.
As Wen Xinglin watched the changes unfold, he felt as if his older brother possessed magic. Uncle Du cooked in the same way, but his dishes were neither as fragrant nor as visually appealing.
Wen Xinglin's look of worship and amazement made An Fusheng feel quite proud.
"Do you want to learn?" An Fusheng asked.
Wen Xinglin nodded emphatically.
An Fusheng picked up the kettle and added boiling water to the pot, feigning ignorance as he asked, "Do you know why I'm adding boiling water?"
Wen Xinglin shook his head.
"Because boiling water can bring out the oil and protein in the fish, and after they are brought out, they dissolve into the soup, making the soup richer."
After adding water, An Fusheng held the tofu in one hand and a cleaver in the other, using his palm as a cutting board. He made several quick cuts, horizontal and vertical, and with a flick of his wrist, a large block of tofu was transformed into many uniform cubes that scattered in his palm and rolled into the pot.
Wen Xinglin looked at An Fusheng with even more admiration, which An Fusheng found quite pleasing.
Tofu needs to be boiled a thousand times, and fish a thousand times; fish head tofu especially needs to be boiled in soup long enough to bring out its best flavor.
An Fusheng put the lid on the pot and let it simmer slowly.
"Are the chicken wings ready?"
Lost in his wonder, Wen Xinglin was suddenly jolted awake by An Fusheng's question. He accidentally dropped the chicken wing from his hand, which bounced off the counter and onto the floor.
"I'm sorry!" Wen Xinglin nervously tried to get off the stool.
"Don't move, I'll do it."
An Fusheng picked up the chicken wing from the ground. "It'll be fine after washing it."
Wen Xinglin looked at An Fusheng nervously, waiting for his older brother's criticism.
"Why are you so nervous?" An Fusheng looked at Wen Xinglin, whose face was flushed, with a puzzled expression.
"Aren't you... angry?"
Why should I be angry?
"I dropped the chicken wing on the ground."
"A wash will do," An Fusheng said, holding up the clean chicken wings in his hand. "Look?"
Wen Xinglin looked at An Fusheng in confusion. Why didn't my older brother scold me?
An Fusheng put the washed chicken wings into the marinade and said, "Rub them again."
"Okay." Wen Xinglin quickly grabbed a chicken wing and poked it into the sauce.
The vegetables in the pot were almost cooked. An Fusheng found a large serving bowl, laid a layer of cilantro at the bottom, added salt and garlic leaves to the pot, and then poured the vegetables directly into the serving bowl while holding the pot with both hands. He also reminded Wen Xinglin, "This pot is very heavy. Make sure you have enough strength before doing this, otherwise it's very dangerous, understand?"
"knew."
My older brother specifically reminded me, was it because he was afraid I would make another mistake?
Wen Xinglin was filled with self-blame and regret.
"Pick out the ginger slices and scallions from inside the chicken wings."
"Okay." Wen Xinglin now felt that everything he did was an act of atonement.
An Fusheng placed the fish head tofu soup out of reach and went back to make the second dish.
Wen Xinglin had quickly cleaned out all the scallions and ginger from the chicken wings.
"Great!" An Fusheng sprinkled a layer of starch on the chicken wings and said, "Keep coating them, make sure all the chicken wings are covered."
An unexpected compliment dispelled the gloom in Wen Xinglin's heart like a gust of wind. Wen Xinglin looked at An Fusheng with enthusiasm in his eyes and said with great energy, "Good!"
An Fusheng continued to add quail eggs to the pot for frying. Once the quail eggs were fried, he asked Wen Xinglin, "Is it done?"
"alright."
"That's fantastic, the timing was perfect." An Fusheng praised again.
Wen Xinglin had completely forgotten the gloom from just now, and watched his older brother cook with admiration and curiosity.
An Fusheng scooped out the fried quail eggs, took the bowl containing the chicken wings, tilted the bowl, and with a "whoosh," replaced them with chicken wings that were bubbling happily in the hot oil.
Wen Xingmou silently noted: when ingredients are fried in hot oil, they will turn into a beautiful golden color and become more fragrant.
Pan-fry the chicken wings until golden brown, then add ginger, garlic, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. Stir-fry quickly and evenly, then add water.
An Fusheng took the freshly fried quail and put it into the pot. "Look at its wrinkled skin, doesn't it look a lot like the stripes on a tiger?"
Wen Xinglin didn't think it looked very similar, but his older brother said it did.
Wen Xinglin nodded.
After putting the quail eggs into the pot, cover the pot and simmer. Open the lid halfway through and stir them to help the broth reduce more evenly and faster. When the broth has reduced to the desired consistency, add salt and garlic leaves, then remove from the pot. The second dish is done!
"Big brother, these are all so beautiful." Wen Xinglin pointed to several plates of shredded ingredients in front of him. "How do we cook these?"
An Fusheng: "Stir-fry shredded pork, shredded wood ear mushrooms, and shredded carrots together, and stir-fry shredded lettuce separately."
"Why not include the shredded lettuce? They're all shredded." Wen Xingmou asked.
"Why are you with Fourteen... Hmm? Oh right, why not together? The methods are the same, putting them together will make the colors more vibrant and save time!" An Fusheng suddenly realized.
"You're simply a genius!" An Fusheng exclaimed excitedly.
So in the end, three shredded vegetables became four shredded vegetables, and two dishes became one dish.
Heat the pan and add some oil. First, stir-fry the shredded lean pork in the oil until the moisture evaporates. Then, add some minced garlic to enhance the aroma. Next, add the shredded wood ear mushrooms, carrots, and lettuce to the pan and stir-fry. No other seasonings are needed. Just add some light soy sauce and salt when it's done. It only takes five minutes!
"If you're going to stir-fry wood ear mushrooms, you have to blanch them in water or soak them in boiling water first, otherwise they'll explode in the oil, you know?" An Fusheng instructed.
No wonder yesterday when Mrs. Lou was stir-frying wood ear mushrooms and eggs, the pan kept exploding, and a lot of eggs and wood ear mushrooms flew out. He almost got burned.
"Understood." Wen Xinglin remembered his elder brother's words.
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