The next day, as soon as the sky began to lighten, Su Hua got out of bed and ran to check on the sweet potato starch syrup placed in the corner of the yard.
After the second settling, the starch and water completely separated. The water on top changed from turbid to clear, while the sweet potato starch at the bottom of the basin was as clear as icing sugar, without a trace of impurities.
At this stage, the sweet potato starch can also be called wet sweet potato starch.
Su Hua used a ladle to scoop out the water from the top of the wooden basin, then carefully scraped out the wet starch from the bottom and placed it in the sun to dry.
It hadn't rained these past few days, and the sun was getting hotter every day. In just one morning, the wet sweet potato starch had been dried. Su Hua weighed it with a traditional scale, and the dried sweet potato starch weighed about three and a half pounds.
The initial ten pounds of fresh sweet potatoes were used in total. According to the starch yield ratio, three pounds of sweet potatoes could produce one pound of starch.
Beside them, the two little radish boys, Su Dalang and Su Erlang, were already imagining the taste of hot and sour noodles as they stared at Bai Cencen's starch. Even Zhao Shi and Su Bai Shi were quite interested.
"Hua'er, now that the starch is ready, is making hot and sour noodles the same as making regular noodles?"
Su Hua glanced at the group with a smile, shook her head and said, "No, the sweet potato starch has a different gluten content than the flour we use to make noodles. To make hot and sour noodles, you need to prepare a strainer and a pot of hot water. After kneading the dough, put the dough into the strainer, and then tap the strainer to let the sweet potato starch fall into the hot water."
Su Baishi, who had been cooking in the kitchen for many years, immediately grasped the key point from just one conversation and pointed to the two half-open gourds hanging under the eaves.
"We don't have this kind of colander at home. Can we use this half-hanging gourd and drill holes in it?"
The large gourd was given by Mudfish Mother. She originally intended to dry it and use it as a water ladle. The previous gourd ladle had been used for many years, so she decided to replace it with a new one.
Upon hearing this, Su Hua immediately gave her a thumbs up, "Mother is indeed amazing! I was just wondering where to find this colander!"
A strainer is an essential tool for making sweet potato starch. She asked Su Erhu to search all the general stores in Qingshui County, but they couldn't find a suitable one.
The only thing I could do was draw up the blueprints and give them to the blacksmith so he could make it, but it would take another day or two to finish.
This gourd ladle will do for now.
"Hey, what's so great about it? It's just some cooking skills." The woman waved her hand dismissively when her daughter praised her, but her slanted eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.
He then beckoned to the woman next to him, "Eldest daughter-in-law, you go boil some water first, I'll make the strainer."
Nowadays, Su Dahu spends all his time studying at Baichuan Academy and usually stays in the backyard of the restaurant at night. He only returns to the village on his days off. Su Erhu lives in the ancestral home, while Su Sanhu is sent by her to Tangshan Prefecture to work with Su Husheng, so that he won't want to go to the military camp again.
She's the one who has to do this delicate work.
Danfeng followed behind with a smile, helping out. She had only been at the Su family for three days, but she had eaten so much fresh food that she couldn't count it on two hands, and she had gained quite a bit of weight.
Now, the moment they hear about cooking, they run faster than anyone else.
Seeing that the strainer and hot water were provided, Su Hua began to mix the sweet potato starch. However, she couldn't quite remember the ratio of starch to water, since too much time had passed. She could only experiment with the ratio for mixing wheat flour first.
One pound of sweet potato starch, five ounces of water.
However, when five ounces of water were poured in, the sweet potato starch turned into a hard lump that couldn't be stirred at all.
Su Hua thought for a moment, then filled a teacup with water and set it aside. Each teacup of water weighed about an ounce. After adding a total of three teacups of water, the sweet potato starch dough finally took shape.
Once the dough is kneaded, Su Bai's strainer is also ready.
Inside the kitchen, the water in the iron pot was already boiling, and the steam swirled into mist. Su Hua poured the sweet potato starch dough into a strainer, holding the handle with one hand and methodically tapping the dough in the strainer with the other.
Su Dalang and the others stared intently at the bottom of the ladle, and saw dozens of thin, long noodles fall out of the hole and land in the boiling water.
In just a few breaths, the snow-white vermicelli had become transparent in the water. Su Hua quickly scooped up the vermicelli with a bamboo sieve and then pounded two more dough balls before stopping.
The two Su brothers stared at the rice noodles in their bowls, their eyes filled with identical curiosity. "Auntie, is this how you make hot and sour rice noodles?"
"Little gluttons! Go to the vegetable garden and pick some cilantro and scallions." The girl smiled and kept working, scooping half a spoonful of lard, a spoonful of chili oil, and a little salt into each person's bowl.
After tearing off some cilantro and scallions, chopping them into rings, and placing them on top of the noodles, pouring a bowl of noodle soup over them, and finally drizzling a ring of aged vinegar, he smiled and nodded, "Hot and sour noodles, ready!"
After saying that, he brought over a bowl, picked up his chopsticks and stirred the noodles a couple of times. The bright red chili oil instantly spread in the noodle soup, and with the addition of chopped green cilantro and scallions, the classic combination of red and green alone was enough to make one's mouth water.
Not to mention the sour and fragrant aroma, which everyone in the kitchen could no longer resist. They each picked up a bowl and started eating right around the stove.
The moment the first bite was taken, exclamations of praise overflowed from his mouth.
"Wow! My aunt's hot and sour noodles are so delicious! They're numbing and spicy, and they're so chewy!"
"Yes, this sour and spicy flavor is the perfect appetizer in summer!"
"Yes, hot and sour noodles are so much chewier than regular noodles. Sweet potatoes are such a treasure; they can be used to make such delicious food."
"No wonder Hua'er wants to plant a whole estate of sweet potatoes. Just this hot and sour noodles alone can sell like hotcakes in restaurants. It's much more profitable than growing rice..."
Su Hua listened to the laughter and chatter of the crowd, and a smile crept onto her lips.
She hadn't tasted that familiar sour and spicy flavor in a long time. If she hadn't accidentally rescued Da Bai and discovered the sweet potato, she might never have had the chance to eat sour and spicy noodles again.
In her previous life, she was a true southerner who ate rice noodles far more often than regular noodles, especially hot and sour rice noodles, which she would slurp up a bowl of every now and then. But Da Yu only had noodles; as for rice noodles, he had never even heard of them.
As for whether this hot and sour rice noodle dish will sell well at Su Ji Restaurant, we'll have to test the waters first.
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