Chapter 174: Eating braised pork, steamed pork with rice flour, pickled fish, stir-fried...
In the courtyard, fewer and fewer villagers came to exchange pork.
Although Lin Dashan was generous and always gave more pork when weighing it, the villagers had to give something of almost equal value in exchange for the pork. Therefore, except for the rich families in the village, most families were reluctant to exchange too much pork.
The most is only two or three pounds, and the least is a few ounces.
After distributing half a pig to the villagers, there was still quite a bit left. Since the family had saltpeter to make ice, the pork could easily be stored for two or three days. But Lin Shu didn't plan to keep it that way. She just wanted to eat it fresh and cooked it all. Ah Ye had a big appetite anyway, so it was just the right time for him to eat his fill.
Lin Dashan looked at the remaining pork and grumbled that there was too much meat. He thought that it would not last long in the hot weather, so he might as well prepare a banquet and invite some acquaintances to come and have fun together. If they became closer, they could look after each other if anything happened in the future.
He Guixiang rolled her eyes secretly and let him be.
"Mother, who do you think we should invite?"
"Boss, you make the decision." He Guixiang agreed with him.
Lin Dashan counted on his fingers.
The entire family of the third brother must be called, followed by Zhao Laosan and Lin Zhaodi, and then Old Man Liao.
Lin Dashan also called out to the headman and his family as a token of his respect.
Of course, the village head didn't come. As a village official, he was usually very careful about these things. When someone called him to eat, he would usually not respond unless it was a wedding or funeral.
After breakfast, Lin Dashan slowly went to the fields. Although his family was well-off, the fields still needed to be carefully tended.
At home, He Guixiang and Lin Shu started preparing dinner early because they were going to entertain guests.
Lin Shu cooked several meat dishes herself. This time, when distributing the pork, she specially set aside the best pork belly. A small portion of the pork belly was used to make steamed pork with rice flour, and the rest was used to make braised pork.
The rice flour used for steamed pork with rice flour was freshly ground last night.
Because she was only thinking about eating at home when she fried rice last night, Lin Shu didn't make much and only used a bowl of polished rice.
Heat the iron pan, pour in the polished rice and stir-fry over low heat for a while, until the rice grains turn yellow, then add spices such as cinnamon, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Spices are expensive, and Lin Shu was reluctant to buy them before, but now that her family is rich, she asked A Ye to go to the town and buy some spices.
After adding the spices, stir-fry for a while before removing from the heat. Don't throw away the spices; they can be used again. I happened to have a small stone mortar at home. After the fried rice has cooled, I put it in the mortar and grind it into rice flour with a stone pestle. It doesn't need to be ground too finely, just the size of fish roe. That's how I make five-spice rice flour.
Lin Shu naturally didn't need to grind the flour herself. Zhou Ye was strong, so he took over the job without Lin Shu telling him. It didn't take long for him to finish grinding a bowl of rice.
It doesn’t matter if the steamed pork with rice flour gets cold after it’s made, it tastes better if you heat it up, so Lin Shu makes the steamed pork with rice flour first.
Sear the pork skin of the pork belly in a hot iron pan and then cut it into thin slices. Add sugar, salt, soy sauce and other seasonings and marinate for a quarter of an hour. Then mix it with five-spice rice flour. If it is too dry, add a small amount of water.
I happened to have some dried purslane at home, so I put a layer of it on the bottom of the steamer, placed the meat slices on it, and steamed it over high heat for half an hour until the meat was tender. The steamed pork with rice flour was then ready.
The aroma of the steamed pork with rice flour was not overbearing, but when Lin Shu brought out the freshly cooked steamed pork with rice flour, she took out two pieces and fed one to He Guixiang and Lin Xiaopu respectively. They ate so much that they couldn't even straighten their tongues.
"Mmm, it's delicious, so delicious! It's glutinous, fragrant, crispy, tender and refreshing. The steamed pork with rice flour in the restaurant is not as delicious as the one made by my sister!" Lin Xiaopu kept praising it.
Lin Shu laughed at her, "You sound like you've eaten in a restaurant before."
Lin Xiaopu said cheerfully, "Only wealthy families can afford such a rich meat dish. How can we afford it? Just putting a few slices of meat in the dish is considered New Year's Eve. Ever since my sister came back, we've been celebrating New Year's Eve every few days!"
Lin Shu was amused by her.
Although he wanted to eat more, his family was having a dinner party today, so Lin Xiaopu did not ask for food anymore. He just stared at the big plate of steamed pork with rice flour, and only looked away after he had satisfied his desire.
She's not exaggerating, with her cooking skills, she's definitely good enough to be the head chef in a restaurant!
After steamed pork with rice flour, comes braised pork.
Lin Shu uses the traditional method of frying sugar color to make braised pork.
The first step is to blanch the pork belly into pieces to remove the fishy smell and set the shape.
The second step is to fry the drained pork belly slowly over low heat until the oil comes out and the meat pieces shrink slightly and the edges are browned.
This step is absolutely essential, as it is the key to making the braised pork fat but not greasy. Drain the excess lard from the stir-fry and save it for cooking, which will be very fragrant.
The third step is to stir-fry the sugar color, which is the same method as the braised loach she made last time.
Leave some oil in the pan, add a handful of rock honey and stir-fry over low heat. To speed up the melting, you can crush the rock honey with a spatula. When the rock honey melts into sugar liquid and the color slowly changes to amber or jujube color, and small bubbles appear, immediately pour in the stir-fried meat and stir-fry. The pork belly pieces are evenly coated with a translucent caramel color.
Lin Shu had been craving this braised pork for a long time, so she specifically asked Zhou Ye to buy some rice wine when he went to town to sell pork. Adding rice wine to stewing pork belly can enhance the flavor and reduce the greasiness!
Cover the meat with rice wine, add the ginger slices and scallions, and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer, keeping the pot slightly simmering. This will ensure the meat remains crispy but not falling apart. Simmer for about two hours. If the meat is almost boiling, add more hot water.
When the braised pork was halfway through, the overbearing aroma of meat could be smelled in the courtyard, making Lin Xiaopu, who was doing homework in the main room, drool with envy.
"Sister, it's been more than an hour. Are you almost done?" Lin Xiaopu asked for the third time.
Seeing her greedy look, Lin Shu couldn't help but laugh, "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. This wild boar meat is different from domestic pork. It needs to be stewed longer to make it tender and tasty."
After stewing for a while, Lin Shu tried it with chopsticks. The chopsticks could easily insert into the fat in the meat. It was almost done!
Lin Shu used chopsticks to pick out the onions, ginger and other spices in it, added some firewood to the stove and began to collect the juice. The juice became thicker and thicker, and she kept stirring it with a spatula to prevent the skin from sticking to the pan.
"Oh my, I can smell it from a long distance away. What is this? It smells so good!" Because he had to treat guests to dinner tonight, the host Lin Dashan came back early. He smelled the overbearing aroma of meat before he even entered the door.
After Zhou Ye came back from selling wild boar meat, he took a short rest and then went to the fields to help. At this time, he was also carrying farm tools and following Lin Dashan.
Lin Shu looked up at him, but when he looked back at her, she quickly looked away, as if she was too busy stewing the meat to care about anything else.
Zhou Ye did not avoid others, and his eyes fell on Lin Shu as soon as he came back.
Everyone knew that Ah Shu was going to marry him, and he stared at his wife, and no one could criticize him.
Lin Shu: ...
A Ye's gaze on her was becoming more and more excessive, as if he was afraid that others wouldn't know that they were getting married.
While Lin Shu was stewing the meat, He Guixiang was also preparing other ingredients. She started stir-frying when she thought the meat was almost done stewing.
When Lin Dashan and Zhou Ye came back, both the big and small kitchens were busy.
Seeing that Ah Shu pretended to be busy and ignored them, He Guixiang responded, "Ah Shu made braised pork, with sugar color fried with rock honey and stewed with rice wine. You can imagine how delicious it is!"
Now not only Lin Xiaopu was drooling with greed, but Lin Dashan was also swallowing his saliva with greed.
Lin Shu said to him, "Dad, the sauce has started to collect and it will be ready soon. This braised pork must be eaten while it's hot."
She didn't look at Zhou Ye, but only shouted at Lin Dashan.
Lin Dashan understood. "Okay, I'll go and urge your uncle and aunt, and Xiao Pu will go to Uncle Zhao's house across the street to urge him. There's no need to urge Brother Liao. I just saw him from a distance, and he's walking slowly towards this side."
The grandfather and grandson acted separately. Zhao Laosan and Lin Zhaodi were close by, so they came immediately after Lin Xiaopu called out.
In fact, they had smelled the aroma of meat a long time ago, but it was not a good idea to go there early when visiting someone else's house. They had to wait until the male host Lin Dashan came back before they could come.
When everyone arrived, Lin Shu's pot of braised pork was just ready.
The pieces of meat are covered with bright red syrup, which makes people hungry just by looking at it, not to mention the aroma of meat that hits you in the face!
After He Guixiang prepared the other side dishes, she filled two tables with them.
Two tables were placed in the courtyard, one for men and one for women.
After everyone sat down, they took a closer look.
Wow, what a rich feast!
The meat dishes alone include braised pork, steamed pork with rice flour, pickled fish, stir-fried large intestine, stir-fried pork liver...
There was some leftover rice wine at home, and Old Man Liao also brought some wine, so the men ate and drank at the same time.
"It smells so good! The braised pork made by Ah Shu is so delicious. The meat is very soft and glutinous, just right for my old teeth." Old man Liao praised.
It was the first time for Lin Dashui to eat the food cooked by his niece Lin Shu. He was so surprised and amazed that he could only say a few words "delicious".
His son, Lin Yushu, was much more knowledgeable. "Sister Shu, this braised pork is bright red, soft and fragrant, with a long aftertaste. It's absolutely amazing! And this steamed pork with rice flour is glutinous and fragrant, crispy and refreshing, tender but not mushy!"
Lin Shu accepted the diners' compliments with a smile.
Zhou Ye didn't say anything, but he ate with great relish, and Lin Shu was very satisfied seeing this.
Although the wine was ordinary, the group of men were satisfied drinking it with these delicious dishes.
When things get exciting, it's inevitable that they will pour out their grievances.
Lin Dashui was worried about the cost of Lin Yushu going to school in town.
Zhao Laosan was worried that the grain harvested this autumn would not last until next year after paying taxes, and that the money borrowed from various families could not be repaid soon.
Old man Liao was also feeling depressed after visiting relatives. Although his cousin was older than him, she was only eight or nine years older than him and had many children and grandchildren. She said that her family could not afford to raise them all, so she wanted to adopt the second grandson from the third room to him.
Over the years, Old Man Liao had encountered other distant relatives with similar intentions, but he had always rejected them. But this time, he hesitated.
"...I've seen that child. She's a good, sensible one. She's already eleven, but she looks skinny and looks like she's only seven or eight. Her family has been in financial difficulty these past few years. They've already sent two of their daughters to work as maids in wealthy families in town, but life is still tough."
Lin Shu frowned slightly when she heard this. She thought to herself, if you know you can't afford to raise them, why would you have so many children?
But people in the world consider having many children and grandchildren a blessing, and always think that having more children means more security. If one or two of these children and grandchildren can become successful, their lives in the future will be much better.
Unfortunately, things often go against our wishes, and most people in the world are mediocre.
Lin Dashan was already drunk after drinking half a bowl of wine. Hearing this, he said, "Brother Liao, since you think that child is good, then just raise him. Look at me. I bought Ah Ye back then, and now I live such a comfortable life!"
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