Chapter 37 Iron Pot Stew—Pork Ribs Stewed with Dried Green Beans
After the heavy snow covered the windows, we couldn't feel any light from outside inside the house.
Time naturally passed somewhat chaotically, but I tried my best to maintain the habit of going to bed early and waking up early.
Aside from the basic tasks of tending the stove and the kang (heated brick bed), feeding the chickens and dogs, there was basically nothing else to do. All they did was eat and lie around all day.
Because of the chaotic schedule and limited activity, I ate less.
So I started a plan to eat two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
But eating less doesn't affect my appetite; when I crave food, I still crave it terribly.
For example, today I really want to eat some meat.
I'm going to make myself a pork rib stew with dried green beans, which used to be my mom's specialty. I could always eat more than half a bowl of pork ribs and dried green beans and two bowls of rice with it.
When I get up in the morning to heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed), I soak the pork ribs in warm water.
Once the stove and kang (heated brick bed) were heated up, the chicks started eating, and the pork ribs had melted and released their blood.
Use a bone-chopping axe to chop the pork ribs into pieces the size of mahjong tiles.
Then increase the intensity of the firewood burning, and once the water in the iron pot boils, put the pork ribs and various spices in to blanch them.
Once the pork ribs change color and a layer of foam floats on the surface of the water, they can be scooped out.
After taking them out, rinse the water out of the iron pot, wait for the water in the pot to evaporate completely, and then pour hot oil into the pot.
Once the oil is hot, add scallions, ginger, and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add the special Tongliao soybean paste and continue to stir-fry until the aroma of the soybean paste is released.
Add the ribs and stir-fry until they are fully colored and evenly coated with soybean paste. Then, add enough water to cover the ribs.
Add appropriate amounts of chicken bouillon, thirteen-spice powder, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc.
At this point, rinse the dried green beans in clean water and put them directly into the pot.
Since the dried green beans are already dried and will take a long time to cook, they are stewed together with the pork ribs.
Cover the pot and wait 40 minutes for a fragrant stew to be ready to eat.
While waiting, I steamed another pot of rice.
I don't like eating dry food stuck to the side of the pot; I prefer rice soaked in pork rib soup.
A dozen minutes later, the aroma from the iron pot began to waft out.
How to describe it? The rich aroma of pork ribs, the unique fragrance of dried green beans, and the flavor of stir-fried soybean paste all blend together.
The three flavors combined create an indescribable, yet incredibly powerful, aroma.
Not only do I find it very fragrant, but the puppy also finds it especially fragrant.
They started whimpering and fidgeting in the cage again, trying to figure out where the scent was coming from.
After 40 minutes, I couldn't wait to lift the lid.
When the lid was lifted, a lot of steam came out of the pot, accompanied by the aroma of pork ribs stewed with dried green beans.
When the aroma filled the whole house, I could hear the sizzling sound of oil boiling around the edge of the pot.
I took out a large spatula and vigorously stir-fried the ribs and green beans in the iron pot a few times.
Then pour it directly into a large porcelain bowl that has been prepared in advance, and finally pour a few spoonfuls of rich soup on top.
I couldn't wait to bring a big bowl of stewed green beans from an iron pot into the house, and also serve myself a bowl of rice.
The whole bowl of braised pork ribs with dried green beans looks very tempting. The pork ribs are rich in color, the dried green beans are bright green, and the thick soup coats both the pork ribs and dried green beans, making it look mouthwatering.
The first bite should naturally be taken from the ribs.
The spare ribs, about the size of a mahjong tile, are very neatly arranged, with a uniform layer of spare rib meat on the outside and a smooth spare rib inside.
With a gentle bite, the entire piece of pork rib meat falls off the bone.
After that one bite, I suddenly understood what rich, dark sauce meant, and what it meant to be tender and fall off the bone.
The meat was full of the flavor of sauce and dried green beans. The lean meat was tender and the fat was fragrant but not greasy. Before you could even taste it, it slid down your throat.
As I swallowed it, I suddenly realized how delicious the meat was.
One piece wasn't enough, so I added a second and a third, and it wasn't until the fifth piece that I finally satisfied my craving.
Finally, I got a chance to eat some dried green beans, and I ate a whole big mouthful in one bite.
Even if the dried green beans aren't cooked until they're soft, they'll still make a crunchy sound when you bite into them.
The dried green beans were infused with the flavor of meat gravy, making it hard to tell whether you were eating meat or green beans.
With a bite of dried green beans and a bite of pork rib, I finished more than half a bowl of food.
Seeing that there wasn't much left, I removed the bones from all three remaining ribs and mashed the meat with chopsticks.
Then mix in the broth and rice, and pour it directly into the puppy's bowl.
These are two incredibly greedy puppies. They pounced on the small bowl like the wind and started munching away.
I glanced at them and then ignored them; I hadn't finished my meal yet.
The large bowl now contains only thick broth and a small amount of dried green beans. Pour the remaining rice into the large bowl.
Then stir it with an iron spoon until it becomes a sticky rice paste.
Then, spoonful by spoonful, he put it into his mouth and ate it all.
The taste is similar to watching a mukbang video of someone eating hot rice; it's sticky and you swallow big mouthfuls of it, which is both fragrant and satisfying.
After finishing the meal and washing the dishes, I took a hot shower.
I got covered in cooking fumes while cooking, and I don't want to go to sleep smelling like cooking fumes.
After washing up and feeling refreshed, I went to the small west room and got a literary novel.
Sitting on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), leaning against the wall, I placed the book on the kang table and began to turn the pages one by one.
She read while fiddling with her slightly damp hair.
By the time my hair was completely dry and I had turned six or seven pages, I was getting sleepy.
I carefully closed the book, took out a pillow from the bed, and lay down directly on the kang mat.
Covered with a soft, fluffy blanket, I drifted off to sleep.
I think there are many kinds of sleep. One kind is when you are very tired and fall into a deep sleep.
One type is more anxious, telling themselves they must fall asleep, then forcing their brain to shut down and falling asleep stiffly.
Another kind of sleep is this gentle falling asleep, with little emotional fluctuation, but a feeling of comfort and softness in the heart, accompanied by a slight weariness, and naturally drifting into dreamland.
My favorite thing is to fall asleep gently, with everything around me making me feel at ease, without anything particularly sad or happy happening. I just drift off to sleep peacefully like that.
It gives people a sense of a comfortable life and a hopeful future, but I'm not in a hurry and am content with the present.
I think falling asleep so easily is the best affirmation of my current doomsday life.
There is no panic or fear, no pain or cold, no need for intrigue or backstabbing; there is only the necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter.
When I woke up, it was already 3 p.m.
First, add honeycomb briquettes to each stove to ensure the temperature inside the room.
Then I made myself a cup of coffee to perk myself up, and while drinking it, I strolled around on the floor.
Having enough to eat, wear, and sleep in feels so relaxing. Although those two months of stockpiling seem like a nightmare now, I'm so happy now and I've really made it through.
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