Chapter 56 Green Peppercorns (Update 1) Zhou Ye took the wooden shovel: Let me do it...
Zhou Ye didn't turn around, and it was not known whether he heard Lin Xiaopu's words clearly.
Lin Shu secretly glared at Lin Xiaopu and whispered, "You clever little devil, please stop talking."
Today, her mother and sister, one acting as a matchmaker, asked her to meet Zhou Ye, while the other played matchmaker, bringing her and Zhou Ye together. Thinking about it this way, Zhou Ye, this simple boy, is truly blessed!
Lin Xiaopu observed her expression and saw that she wasn't displeased, but rather embarrassed and annoyed. Then he smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister. Brother Aye isn't as smart as me and doesn't understand the meaning of your words."
But if her elder sister doesn't like her saying these things, she won't say them anymore. She and her elder sister said it secretly, hehe.
After hearing her words, Lin Shu immediately retorted, "Your brother Aye is only clumsy in words, not in heart. He is a man of clear mind and sharp eyes, very smart."
Recalling something, she poked her chin with her fingertips, her eyes slightly curved. "No, I've discovered he's not a bad talker. If he wants to, he can say something nice."
After saying that, Lin Shu hummed a tune and continued to work at the stove.
In addition to being delicious for making chicken mushroom soup, chicken mushroom oil is also a great choice because chicken mushrooms not only contain protein but also fat. If you slowly fry them repeatedly with rapeseed oil, the fried chicken mushroom oil will have a crispy texture and be more fragrant than meat!
Unfortunately, there was only a little rapeseed oil left at home. Lard could be used instead, as there was still a lot at home, but Lin Shu didn't dare to spend it lavishly.
The oil pressing technology of the Dayan Dynasty was already very mature. Sesame oil and rapeseed oil were the most common. The former was consumed more by the nobles, while the latter was relatively cheap and consumed more by ordinary people.
But in a poor rural village like Tianshui, even rapeseed oil is unaffordable, as a pound of rapeseed oil costs forty or fifty coins, more than four times the price of rice.
In years with poor harvests, people would not even bother to make oil, and would only eat boiled vegetables. In years with better harvests, people would make oil to eat, but they would only make a small amount each time, being extremely frugal.
When Lin Shu came, there was not much rapeseed oil left at home after buying it at the market. Fortunately, He Guixiang had saved some lard, so the dishes could have some oil. Later, Zhou Ye hunted a wild boar and when dividing the pork, he deliberately kept the lard around the pig's abdominal organs.
This lard is the fat in the pig's stomach. It is a large piece and wrapped in a thin film. The lard refined from this lard is finer in texture and whiter in color than the lard refined from fat.
Because it is a large piece of fat, it produces more oil than ordinary fat. One pound of pork fat can produce about 7 ounces of oil!
Moreover, lard is easy to store. It does not have to be boiled into oil for storage. Just wrap it in a film and store it. It can be kept for a long time.
He Guixiang cut the large piece of pork fat that Zhou Ye had cut into pieces. Last time, she only took two pieces to make fine-textured white pork fat paste, and boiled a large bowl of it. She wrapped the rest with tung leaves, tied them up, and hung them on the beam of the house, waiting to be taken out when she wanted to eat them later.
But Lin Shu was greedy and didn't skimp on the oil when cooking. He Guixiang would ask her to scoop out a spoonful or two of lard from each dish, and within a few days, half of the lard was gone. She decided to save the remaining lard for later use.
This chicken mushroom oil is a waste of oil, so Lin Shu doesn't plan to make it, but she can make chicken mushroom sauce.
Use less oil in chicken mushroom sauce, um, a little less.
She only planned to make a small bowl to try it out.
"It's a pity that there is no pepper at home." Lin Shu sighed regretfully.
Logically speaking, if there is no chili pepper, there should be Sichuan peppercorns, but she has never seen her mother use Sichuan peppercorns, and she has never seen a Sichuan peppercorn tree on the back mountain. It is said that people in the southwest love spicy food, and if there is no chili pepper, they can only use other things instead, but how can this spicy taste be separated from Sichuan peppercorns?
No matter whether it is stewed or stir-fried to enhance the flavor, the taste can be improved with the addition of peppercorns.
Like the chicken mushroom sauce she is making, if it contains Sichuan peppercorns, frying it in oil like this will add a spicy flavor to the oil and make it very fragrant.
He Guixiang was stunned when she heard her words and said, "Peppercorns? We have peppercorns at home, but not much."
Lin Shu was surprised and said, "What? We have Sichuan peppercorns at home?! If we have Sichuan peppercorns, why do we never see Mommy using them when cooking?"
He Guixiang then explained, "The green Sichuan peppercorns grown in our Jingxi Town have a pungent, numbing smell. Your grandmother, your father, and your three brothers can't get used to the taste. We don't put Sichuan peppercorns in any of our dishes, whether they're meat or vegetables, and we don't eat them either."
Lin Shu thought to herself that it was no wonder. Just like in later generations, in those provinces where people think people can eat spicy food, not everyone can eat spicy food. Grandma and Dad are probably just exceptions.
But thinking about how she had missed out on several delicious meals with Sichuan peppercorns, Lin Shu said coquettishly, "Mother, since we have green Sichuan peppercorns at home, why didn't you tell me earlier? For dishes like the ones we're eating together, we won't put Sichuan peppercorns in them for Dad's sake. But those cold dishes can be seasoned separately. Since Dad doesn't want them, why don't we just make him a separate portion without the Sichuan peppercorns?"
"Let's not talk about anything else, just take the Guanyin tofu we just finished eating. Adding some of it when seasoning will make it taste even better. Green Sichuan peppercorns are best for cold salads and stir-fries. They are great for enhancing the flavor. I love the numbing taste of this peppercorn!"
He Guixiang was at a loss for words. "It's not that Mother is hiding it from me. It's just that Mother just forgot about it. For so many years, I've only cooked with a little oil and salt. How could I have thought of this? The green peppercorns in the house are not for eating. They are used to remove odors and repel rats and ants. They are no longer edible. If you want them now, Mother will ask the neighbors for some."
Lin Shu was not shy, and immediately followed up with, "Mother, sure!"
Then he thought about it and asked, "Mother, does every household in Tianshui Village have this green peppercorn?"
He Guixiang replied, "More or less. Many people in our village like this. Some families even dig up wild Sichuan peppercorns and plant them in their vegetable plots, so they can eat fresh green Sichuan peppercorns every day."
"Where did you dig it from? Why didn't I see it in the back mountain?" Lin Shu's eyes lit up. She didn't need to say it, others could see what she was planning.
He Guixiang smiled, "When your grandmother was still alive, there were several large green pepper trees on the back hill. They were dug up by some greedy villagers. As a result, the transplanted pepper trees didn't survive at all. When the village head found out, he scolded her for a long time."
Lin Shu felt sorry for what she heard. "Transplanting trees isn't easy. The bigger they get, the harder they are to keep alive. It's better to transplant smaller ones. At worst, you can plant them from seeds. They'll grow in three to five years. When these wild green pepper trees grew in the back hills, everyone could pick a handful. But now that they've been dug up, there's no picking left."
"That's right, but some people don't think that way. They just want to get a bargain. They think that if the pepper tree can be transplanted and survive, they can save themselves three to five years."
As He Guixiang spoke, she had already tidied herself up, smoothed her messy hair, and straightened her collar and cuffs. After she was ready, she was ready to go out and help her daughter collect peppercorns.
Lin Shu's eyes passed over Lin Xiaopu, and suddenly she remembered something. She said to her, "Mother, let's go to Aunt Li's house and borrow some. I think Aunt Li loves spicy food, so she must have a lot of peppercorns at home. Ah Ye just went there today and borrowed a big, broken jar. It's a familiar feeling after the first time. If we go again, the two families will get to know each other better. I'm not in a hurry to use the peppercorns, so it's okay if you take your time borrowing them."
He Guixiang exclaimed, "Ashu really guessed it right. There's a Sichuan pepper tree planted next to your Aunt Li's house. It's been there for six or seven years! But our Tianshui Village is not big, so we don't know each other well. When we meet on the street, we have to say hello. It depends on which family interacts more often."
"Our Xiao Pu is about the same age as her Wang Yingen. We used to interact quite a lot, but her son is tough and Xiao Pu is shy outside. I was afraid that Xiao Pu would be bullied, so I visited less often."
"But your Aunt Li is a wonderful person. When we first separated, things were tough at home. During that most difficult period, I asked several relatives in the village for money. Your father was hardworking and diligent, and many of them were willing to lend me money, but they could only borrow a few copper coins. On the contrary, your Aunt Li was generous and lent me half of the money!"
As she spoke, He Guixiang sighed softly, "Actually, Wang Yingen isn't a bad kid. He's just mischievous. He doesn't control his strength when playing with others, and he's also a bit rude."
Lin Xiaopu on the side snorted but said nothing.
Lin Shu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "Few children are truly bad-hearted. I'm afraid Aunt Li is usually too fierce and aggressive, and the child has learned some of her traits from her. But from what Auntie said, Aunt Li is indeed a righteous woman."
Anyone who is willing to lend a helping hand when others are in trouble is definitely worth making friends with. As for her naughty child, it's a small problem. She has a bunch of ways to deal with this kind of naughty child.
"Xiao Pu, go with your mother to Aunt Li's house and borrow two handfuls of freshly picked green peppercorns."
Lin Xiaopu exclaimed, "Ah?" "Sister, am I going too?"
"Mother, how boring it would be to be alone. Please stay with her. I'm busy here and can't spare the time."
Lin Xiaopu thought so too. Just go. Although she hated Wang Yingen's mouth, she didn't dare say those unpleasant words in front of Aunt Li.
After the two left, Lin Shu continued to work.
The porridge was cooked in a small stove, and the iron pot on the big stove was empty. Lin Shu took the fire from the small stove, first stuffed a handful of easily ignited hay into the big stove, and then slowly added fine firewood, and then coarse firewood.
Wait until the fire is lit and the iron pan is heated, then pour out all the remaining rapeseed oil in the oil tank, and then scoop two spoonfuls of white and delicate lard into the rapeseed oil.
The heat should be controlled well, and the oil temperature should not be too high. Use low-temperature oil that is only about 30% to 40% hot. When the oil surface is slightly turbulent but no green smoke appears, add the diced chicken mushrooms. Fry slowly over low heat for half an hour to fully dry out the moisture in the chicken mushrooms.
Lin Shu kept stirring the diced chicken mushrooms with a wooden spatula. She didn't put much oil in, so she poured the diced chicken mushrooms in little by little. When the oil in the pot just covered the diced chicken mushrooms, she stopped adding more.
Because there is not much oil, she needs to stir it constantly to prevent the chicken mushrooms from sticking to the pan. If they stick to the pan, the chicken mushrooms will not taste good.
Lin Shu had been busy at the stove for a while and was already sweating. She wiped her sweat with her sleeves several times.
It is a nice thing to work by the stove in winter, as you can warm yourself by the fire at the same time, but in summer, the heat by the stove is really unbearable.
Hearing a noise outside, Lin Shu looked up and saw Zhou Ye walking into the yard with an empty basket after delivering snacks.
She hurriedly called out, "Aye, you're back just in time. Please help me get a palm-leaf fan from the main room. I can't leave here—"
Zhou Ye walked straight over, put the empty vegetable basket aside, opened the cloth stopper of the bamboo pipe beside the stove, rubbed his hands carefully, and then put the stopper back on.
After shaking off the water droplets, he walked over to Lin Shu and took the wooden shovel directly. "Let me do it. Tell me how to do it."
Lin Shu didn't bother to be polite and said with a smile, "At the beginning, you need to stir the diced chicken mushrooms constantly. But after a while, when they are fried a little dry, they won't stick to the pan so easily. Then you can stir them every once in a while. But you still need someone to keep an eye on them the whole time."
Zhou Ye nodded, "Okay, I'll do it. You go sit on that bench and rest for a while."
Lin Shu stepped aside, her lips curled up slightly, "I'm just standing for a while, but you're tired. Do you think I'm so delicate that I can't do any work?"
Zhou Ye didn't look at her, staring intently at the diced chicken mushrooms in the pot. "Don't your feet hurt? You have a long way to go to the market tomorrow."
Lin Shu sat on the long bench, her heels on the ground, and swayed her toes from side to side. She smiled and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore. I can go back and forth twice tomorrow without any problem."
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