Chapter 149 Poison? Rendering oil, braised prawns, sweet and sour pork ribs…
The lard in the house had long since run out after all that time. The first thing Lai did when he got home was to wash his hands, cut the meat, and render the lard.
After Neil helped Lay carry the things he bought that day to the living room, Lay sent him upstairs to tidy his room. When Neil came downstairs again, the fatty meat and lard had already been washed, cut into pieces, and put into the pot, and Lay was standing in front of the stove watching the pot.
Although ginger and scallions were added to the water to remove the fishy smell, the meat still didn't smell very good; it had a greasy, fishy odor.
Once the pot was bubbling with foam and the blood had been boiled out, Lai took the meat out, rinsed it with cold water, and put it in a clean bowl.
The meat chunks only had a little lean meat on them. The lean meat wouldn't release much oil; it was just left out to enhance the texture of the meat scraps.
The meat is in very good condition. Compared to the wild Gulu beasts hunted in the mountains, the meat of these domesticated Gulu beasts, whose parts have been castrated, has a much milder, almost negligible, gamey smell.
After scrubbing the iron pot again, Lai poured the washed meat chunks back into the pot, added cold water to cover the meat, and simmered it over low heat.
"Neil, wash some potatoes and green onions. We'll have wraps for dinner."
"good!"
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are still piled up in the warehouse. We haven't started making vermicelli yet, and we don't know how much raw material we'll use. It will be more convenient to retrieve them later if we keep them in the warehouse.
Neil brought back three large potatoes, each as big as an adult's fist and a half.
The soil in Rosen Town is all black soil, rich in nutrients. With the humus that Lai dug up and the careful tending of the soil, the fruit produced was large and of high quality.
Besides potatoes, Neil also picked four or five scallions and a small handful of cilantro leaves, put them all in a basin, and sat on a small stool to wash them.
The water in the pot started to boil, bubbling and gurgling, and the meat chunks were rolling around in the boiling water, with a layer of oil visible.
Lai used a wooden spatula to stir-fry the meat, and the water in the pot gradually dwindled to just the bottom, turning milky white. Next, he needed to stir-fry the meat pieces continuously over low heat to render out the fat.
The taste was still not good at this point; it had a meaty smell and was even a bit pungent.
As the water in the pot gradually evaporated, the meat pieces began to sizzle as they came into direct contact with the hot pan, and the oil quickly overflowed.
Lai had to keep stirring the meat with a spatula, otherwise it would burn or even stick to the pan due to uneven heating.
At this point, the aroma was already wafting out, extremely tempting to the appetite.
Tata circled his legs twice to signal him, and Ray knew that Ryan was coming, but he couldn't stop what he was doing for the time being.
The grease burst with a popping sound, and a drop of scalding hot oil splattered out, burning Lai's arm.
"Brother, are you burned?"
"fine."
Ryan nimbly dodged the splashing oil droplets.
Just now, while He was resting on the tree, He suddenly smelled a very strong fragrance, which made Him unable to resist coming over to investigate.
This human often concocts many foods that He has never seen before, and they taste and smell very good.
Ryan thought to himself as he watched Lai's busy figure.
The loud bang was like a horn, followed by a lot of grease splattering everywhere. Lai had to hold the pot lid in front of him to shield himself.
While stir-frying, scoop the oil into a pre-prepared earthenware pot.
This time, I didn't render a lot of oil; it only filled two small earthenware pots. If you look down from the top of the pots, you can see a few soybeans at the bottom of each pot.
The remaining pork cracklings filled only the bottom of a small bowl, enough for one meal.
There was a lot of oil clinging to the sides of the pot. Lai directly added scallions and garlic to the pot, then threw in the potato shreds that Neil had cut and soaked for a while and stir-fried them. He also added a few chopped red chilies as a garnish.
The shredded potatoes in the tortilla shouldn't be overcooked. For a savory and slightly crispy shredded potato tortilla, it tastes even better.
Ryan watched as Lai busied himself preparing dinner, setting out several plates of food on the table.
What are they doing?
Ryan looked at the plate in front of Neil, peeled off half of the tortilla and put it on it, then added shredded potatoes, shredded green onions, fried pork cracklings and cilantro in that order, and then rolled them up together and took a big bite.
"This is called a wrap, and it's something Lai thought was delicious."
Tata squatted on the chair and licked the corner of her mouth.
Have you ever tried it?
Ryan continued to ask.
"Beasts...of course beasts have eaten them!"
"What does it taste like?"
"It smells good, it's crunchy, and it hurts a little."
Tata was talking nonsense with a straight face.
In fact, for Tata's sake, Lai rarely let him eat strongly flavored food. Tata only watched Lai and the others eat burritos and tasted a few pieces of pork cracklings.
But the little monster was stubborn and refused to admit to the newcomer that he had been there for so long but hadn't actually tasted any of the good food, only smelled it.
"It hurts a little?"
Ryan was puzzled.
"Um."
In my experience, that red thing hurts a lot when you eat it.
Tata answered with a very affirmative attitude.
Ryan couldn't understand why food would cause pain, and why these humans would eat it knowing it would cause pain.
Neil ate a wrap and felt a little thirsty, so he drank half a bowl of old cucumber soup.
"What kind of soup is this?"
Ryan asked again.
"Old cucumber soup, this tastes sour!"
Tata, who had tried this before, eagerly answered.
"Sour?"
"Mmm! It tastes good and cuts through the richness."
Tata unconsciously licked the corner of her mouth again.
Ryan watched as Lai and Neil finished their dinner, leaving only a few flatbreads and some vegetables. Later that evening, Lamb came to Lai's house to pick up some goods and finished off the remaining flatbreads and pork cracklings.
The next day, Ray took Lamb and Neil to the early morning market and sold mountain products all morning.
Business is booming as the festival approaches, but fewer people go out in the midday sun. The next business comes in the two hours leading up to dinner. It's not worth spending three hours in the scorching sun at the market waiting for afternoon business.
If it were just him and Lamb, the two adults, waiting, they would have waited. But with Neil also there, after finishing his work at the morning market, Ray decisively took the two of them back to the village.
I took a nap at home to avoid the midday sun, and then got back to work on household chores.
Lai cleaned the shed where the mules and tarpon lived and replaced the straw. Neil found a basin and picked all the peppercorns from the pepper tree.
This is the same Sichuan pepper tree that Lai dug up from the mountains last year.
I thought it wouldn't survive last winter, but Lai used two little magic tricks on "technology" to help it survive and even produce a lot of fruit.
These dried peppercorns are just enough to make hot pot broth in winter, but some will be used up when braising meat in winter, so I still have to go to the forest to pick some when I have time.
Neil spread the picked peppercorns out to dry in the sun. In the afternoon, he said goodbye to Lai and went shrimp fishing with Helen and the others.
Having not seen each other for almost a month, the children were very happy to be together again. Neil even went to Hagrid's house to invite Danny to play with them, and Danny, who was usually a loner, seemed especially excited.
Neil subtly inquired whether Danny had been bullied, and upon receiving a negative answer, he finally felt a little relieved.
He hurried home before Lai was ready to cook dinner, carrying a small bucket covered with a small fishing net, and was very happy.
"Brother! Look, I caught a lot of shrimp today, and some loaches too. You can use these shrimp to make dinner later!"
"Okay, pour it into the basin first."
"Uh-huh!"
Neil found a large basin, filled it with water, and poured everything from the small bucket into it.
The river shrimp bounced and scattered all over the ground when they touched the water in the basin. Neil hurriedly put down the bucket and started picking up the shrimp, making a mess of things.
"They caught quite a lot of shrimp."
Ray glanced at the table and saw that Neil had caught a few dozen shrimp, but not many loaches, only a dozen or so, not enough for a dish.
"Brother, why don't you make something different with these shrimp?"
Deep-fried?
"I ate it last year."
Neil's ears were a little red.
Lei thought for a moment and then asked again.
"Braised prawns?"
"Mmm!"
Neil's eyes seemed to be shining.
"Remove the shrimp veins first, then we'll cook them in a bit."
"Okay! Brother, you go ahead and do your other things. I'll take care of these shrimp!"
"OK."
We haven't started making the main dish yet. Shrimp is a bit troublesome to prepare, but it cooks very quickly, so it's better to finish making the main dish first. Otherwise, the dishes will get cold before the main dish is even cooked.
Lai usually pairs steamed buns and twisted rolls with stir-fries. The weather was hot, and the dough had risen almost completely. He chopped some scallions to use when making the twisted rolls later.
"Brother, what should we do with these loaches?"
"Find a small bowl, add some water, and put it aside. I'll make some braised loach with sauce when the shrimp are done cooking."
"Uh-huh!"
Neil's eyes lit up again.
As expected, Ryan flew over again while Lai was cooking. It felt like there was suddenly an audience member in your life, observing your every move from the shadows, popping up every now and then to make their presence known.
To be honest, this feeling is quite annoying, but Lai can tolerate it for now. At least the fantasy creatures won't betray you to the leaders or push you directly into a zombie horde.
What is he doing?
"shrimp."
Tata answered, her mouth never stopping.
Ray had Neil boil some shrimp for him in plain water. The shrimp were firm and bouncy, and Tata ate them with great pleasure.
"Neil, the steamed buns and twisted rolls should be cooked. Take them out."
"good!"
The prawns were cooked at the same time and served on a large plate. Lai brought the prawns to the table and then started washing the pot to cook another dish.
Ryan stared at the plate for a while, then flew to Ray's shoulder to watch him process the loach. Ray glanced at him sideways for no apparent reason, as if sensing something.
Ryan was very curious about how Lai managed to turn these ugly and fishy things into food.
Loach is a dish that requires some skill to prepare. Lai simply drained the water and sprinkled salt on it to remove the fishy smell. She also chopped some scallions, ginger slices, dried chili peppers, and garlic for later use.
After rinsing several times, set aside. Add plenty of oil, heat the oil and stir-fry the ingredients until fragrant. Then add the loach and fry until the surface is cooked. Add soybean paste and various seasonings, add water and simmer until cooked. Add minced garlic and cook for a few minutes before serving.
Ryan watched as Lai busied himself preparing a large bowl of loach, which exuded a delicious aroma of soy sauce.
It's still ugly, but the smell isn't so bad. This human seems to have the magic to make food delicious.
Ryan thought to himself.
"Brother, is this braised loach?"
"Hmm, you should try it."
Neil picked up a loach; the villagers rarely ate it, usually using it to make soup, which had a very fishy taste. But trusting his older brother, he tentatively took a big bite.
It has a very tender texture, and the savory sauce covers up its earthy taste. It's a bit salty, but it's perfect for eating with rice.
"Delicious! Brother, you're amazing!"
Ryan watched with disdain as the human cub ate the ugly thing, but at the same time he was also curious about its taste.
"Little monster".
"The beast cries out, 'Ta-ta!'"
"Tata, what does loach taste like?"
"The beast has never eaten it, so the beast doesn't know."
Ryan glanced at him, and Tata felt he saw disdain in His eyes.
Lei doesn't allow the beasts to eat food with strong flavors!
Tata felt bitter inside, but dared not argue with Ryan, and felt a little wronged.
Lian withdrew his gaze and flew back to the sapling.
It's hot, so the braised shrimp will definitely spoil before tomorrow, but the braised loach can barely be eaten tomorrow morning.
Ray and Neil ate all the shrimp, but there were some loaches left. Ray casually stuffed the bowl into the storage space, which could isolate the air and keep it from spoiling overnight.
After cleaning up the dishes, the two peeled chestnuts for a while, and the day quickly passed.
The next day, after selling vegetables, Lai made braised fish and stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar for Neil. Thanks to Neil, Lamb had enjoyed quite a few delicious meals these past few days.
On the second-to-last day before the harvest festival, Lai made Neil some rather complicated sweet and sour pork ribs, and Tata rubbed against him again while he was cooking.
Ray couldn't understand what it was about the kitchen that attracted Ryan, making Him appear there on time every day.
Once the oil is hot, add the sugar cubes. The sugar cubes quickly melt into syrup, turning a beautiful caramel color. Lai seizes the opportunity to pour the blanched spare ribs into the pot. The ribs are coated in syrup and oil, turning a very appealing color. The surface of the meat undergoes a Maillard reaction, releasing a caramel aroma.
Tata couldn't help but drool as she smelled it.
What is he doing?
"Li'an asked."
The pure meaty aroma from the rib meat is incredibly tempting.
Sweet and sour pork ribs, gulp.
Tata swallowed hard.
Seeing that the ribs were almost done, Lai added a large ladle of water, covered the pot, and simmered it slowly until all the broth had evaporated.
Sweet and sour pork ribs are delicious, but they can get greasy if you eat too much of them. So Lai made a cold dish with old cucumber, garlic, and salt. We just need to wait for the pork ribs to be cooked before we can have dinner.
Ray invited Lamb to dinner, but Lamb couldn't come because he had something to do, so only Ray and his brother were at the table.
"The ribs are ready, let's eat."
"Okay, thank you, brother!"
Ray put a piece on Neil's plate first before preparing to eat himself. Suddenly, he felt unwell, as if something had squeezed into his head.
He felt everything go black, the world spin, and then he lost all consciousness.
Is this food spoiled? Is it poisonous?
I was careless!
His consciousness gradually blurred, and he felt lightheaded and hazy. Before he could think any further, he passed out.
Neil heard a thud as the ribs Lai was holding on his chopsticks fell into the bowl. His brother sat with his head down, shaking his head as if he was a little dizzy.
But he quickly recovered and continued eating the ribs in his bowl, albeit somewhat awkwardly.
"elder brother?"
Lei didn't answer him, as if he hadn't heard him.
Neil thought it was probably just his brother's slip of the hand, so he didn't think much of it and used the serving chopsticks to pick up a rib for Ray.
"Brother, you eat!"
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Author's Note: (Slap! Slap!)
A: What are you doing?
Author: I'm spanking the reader!
A: Why?
Author: You Don't Understand the Pain of Single-Player Typing
A: (Exhales a smoke ring) In our line of work, the worst thing is to fall in love with...
Author: Uh, hold on!
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