Before long, the two siblings had processed a small basin of snails.
There are plenty of snails by the sea, and Pei Yao thought that once she made them, she would send some to the villagers to try and gather their opinions.
She asked Pei Yichen to stay home and clean the snails, even after removing their tails, several more times.
She went to the hillside where she usually picked chili peppers and picked some green and red ones.
Then she picked some peppercorns from a nearby pepper tree, which she had been eyeing for a long time.
One of her favorite condiments used to be this Sichuan peppercorn oil.
No matter what dish I'm making, I love to add some Sichuan peppercorns to it; the numbing sensation is very satisfying.
I happened to run into Liu Yan, who was digging for wild vegetables.
Liu Yan glanced at her, her eyes full of confusion.
Why does Xiao Yao keep picking things that can't be eaten?
They had picked those chili peppers once before; they were so spicy they were hard to eat. You could put a little bit in a dish to add some spiciness, but too much wouldn't do.
And that little round one she picked was not only poisonous but also inedible.
She picked one last time and put it in her mouth. It was so poisonous that she lost all feeling in her mouth. She was so scared that she cried for a long time until the tingling sensation subsided and she stopped crying.
No, she had to tell Xiaoyao that this thing couldn't be eaten.
"Xiao Yao, I picked some wild vegetables, there are too many, let me share some with you." Liu Yan intended to subtly persuade Pei Yao to give up the wild vegetables.
Pei Yao glanced at the wild vegetables Liu Yan had given her; they were all common wild vegetables that tasted pretty good.
He glanced at her basket again; it wasn't much. What he had given her was almost two-thirds of what was in her basket.
Pei Yao quickly returned it: "Sister Yan, no need, you can keep it for yourself."
Seeing that she didn't understand, Liu Yan said directly, "Xiao Yao, the little green fruit you picked is poisonous and you can't eat it. My mouth was numb after I ate it last time, and it was very uncomfortable."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yao pointed to the Sichuan peppercorns in her basket, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Sichuan peppercorns do cause a numbing sensation in the mouth, but that's not poisonous; the numbing sensation is what makes them delicious.
However, Sichuan peppercorns are just like other vegetables such as houttuynia cordata and cilantro.
Some people love it to death while others hate it, and that's normal.
Pei Yao looked at Liu Yan with a smile: "Sister Yan, I'm not going to eat this. I just think it smells so good. I'm planning to make a sachet and hang it by my bedside."
Pei Yao felt that explaining it would be too troublesome, and besides, this peppercorn was a good ingredient for making spicy snails. There was only one peppercorn nearby, and she planned to pick all of them and dry them so she could use them slowly.
Liu Yan: "Ah..."
Does this smell good?
She suspiciously picked one and sniffed it.
...
Is there something wrong with her nose? She thinks this stuff has an indescribable smell, a bit pungent.
However, everyone has different preferences for fragrances, and Xiaoyao might just like this pungent smell.
Liu Yan: I don't understand, but I respect it...
When Pei Yao returned, she dug up some wild garlic and onions with a stick before going home.
Give everything a quick wash. These vegetables haven't been sprayed with pesticides like modern ones, so a little dusting is enough.
Pei Yao cut the ginger into thick shreds, the green and red peppers into small pieces, the lemon into slices, the wild garlic into minced garlic, and the wild scallions into chopped scallions.
With everything prepared, boil water with ginger slices in the earthenware pot, add the snails and cook for one minute, then remove and rinse with cold water.
After cooling, pour the snails into a winnowing basket to drain off excess water.
If the moisture content isn't controlled, the water inside the snails will dilute the flavor of the ingredients, making it difficult for the flavor to adhere.
Then Pei Yao started preparing the seasonings.
Add some green and red chili peppers, lemon slices, wild garlic slices, chopped green onions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt, then mix well.
Since there was no oyster sauce to enhance the flavor, Pei Yao came up with a solution: she boiled a lot of oysters in water, let them cool, and then used them instead of purified water to add to the mixed ingredients.
Finally, pour the snails with the water controlled into the mixture and stir.
The most important factor in making this spicy snail dish is the sauce. If the sauce is not good, the snails will also not taste good.
After doing all this, Pei Yao filled the wooden basin with well water, which was very cold.
Soak the two earthenware jars containing the snails in well water, then move them to the cellar behind the kitchen.
This step is to mimic the step of chilling in the refrigerator, which will make the snails more refreshing and flavorful.
It tastes better.
It's still early after all this is done, so it's best to let the snails sit for a few hours before eating them. This will allow them to absorb more flavor and taste even better.
Pei Yao went to return the scissors to Niu Qingshan. She had originally intended to borrow them for a few days, but after discovering that Pei Yichen's method of smashing them with a rock was simpler, she resolutely gave up using the scissors.
When Pei Yao returned, she passed by the small river in the village where people wash clothes and happened to see Yun Niang washing clothes, so she went over to her.
Pei Yao: "Mother, let me help you."
Seeing her daughter busy with chores these past few days, Yunniang couldn't bear to let her do the laundry.
She quickly snatched the clothes from her hands: "Yao'er, these are all the clothes your mother has. I'll be done washing them soon. You play over there for a while, I'll be done in no time."
Seeing Yunniang's insistence, Pei Yao didn't say anything. She walked around the river for a while and soon found a small patch of water celery and mint leaves growing on the bank.
Mint leaves!
She was worried that even if the cellar was cool, the temperature wouldn't be able to be carried out, and the snails would get hot in the sun within half an hour of leaving the cellar.
But with this mint leaf, things are different.
You can cook it with oysters, let it cool, and then mix it into the whelk sauce.
The sauce will have a naturally refreshing, minty flavor.
She squatted down and quickly plucked a bit of mint, then a handful of watercress.
She also found some small river shrimp in the ditch, but she didn't catch them today since she didn't bring any tools.
I'll go back and grab my tools, then come back and scoop some more out.
River shrimp is also a delicious food.
All we have today is watercress and mint leaves.
Actually, stir-frying water celery with cured pork is the best way to eat it, but their family can't even afford a single penny right now, let alone cured pork.
Back home, you can only put it in clam soup or pickle it and stir-fry it.
Pei Yao picked some clothes, and just then Yun Niang finished washing them, so the two of them went home together.
Dinner was simple tonight. Pei Yao washed the water celery she had just picked and cooked it into a clam soup.
I also cooked kudzu root as a main dish, and today I made a spicy cold dish of snails. When I was getting the snails, I also patted some mint leaves and threw them in.
The weather was extremely hot today, and everyone was a bit listless after finishing their work. Even Pei Yichen, who usually had the best appetite, didn't have much of an appetite.
Sitting at the dining table, I no longer felt the excitement I had before.
Everyone else looked rather uninterested.
When Pei Yao finally brought out the jar of spicy snails, a pleasant lemony aroma immediately filled everyone's nostrils, awakening their cravings.
Pei Yao spread some banana leaves on the table and poured the spicy snails on them. Instantly, the tangy aroma spread even more widely, and everyone felt more energized by the sour smell.
Saliva was being produced rapidly in the mouth.
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