Xu Jiang was persuaded, so she counted the money and bought the wild boar head.
Buying just the wild boar's head was not enough, she went to Kuiwazi's shop to buy more than a dozen spices.
Kuiwazi was shocked when he first saw her holding a pig's head. But when he heard that she wanted to stew the pig's head, even though he knew that she loved food and was good at it, he couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.
A heroine.
"Here are some Litsea cubeba flowers that my aunt brought this morning. They're perfect for stewing pig's head. I'll grab a handful for you."
"There's such a good thing?" Xu Jiang said in surprise. "Please tell Auntie that if these Litsea cubeba seeds are ripe, please keep them for me."
"Madam Xu is used to eating it." Litsea cubeba has a special taste, just like Houttuynia cordata, you love it to the extreme, and hate it to the extreme.
"I've been eating it since I was a kid." Litsea cubeba oil is used to mix with vegetables and make cold noodles, which are the favorites of the master and his apprentice.
"If I take it, I'll keep it for you."
"Thank you very much."
Xu Jiang first burned the pig's head to remove the stray hairs, then soaked it in hot water for half an hour. Then she borrowed a scraper from Manager Wang and carefully scraped and cleaned the fur.
Then they took out the pig's brain, pulled out the pig's tongue, cut off the pig's ears, peeled the pig's face, and then split the pig's head in half with a hatchet.
Wild boar bones are hard, so this job was given to Liang Mo.
Xu Jiang washed all the removed parts, blanched them with green onions, ginger, garlic and rice wine, and then stewed them in a deep pot with clean water.
After the meat is cooked until fragrant, add a spice bag containing more than a dozen spices such as tsaoko, star anise, ginger, cardamom, and Sichuan peppercorns, and simmer over low heat for another hour.
Wild boars have rough skin, and if they are not cooked enough, their cheeks will swell up after a meal.
After stewing the pork, Xu Jiang rinsed the chopped pig tusks with boiling water and hung them under the eaves to dry. After they were completely dry, they could be carved into accessories.
While stewing the pork, she set up another stove and simmered a pot of rice. After a while, she poured the stewed meat broth over the rice, which was a unique dish.
The meat was cooking on the stove when someone on the other side of the door couldn't sit still and came in carrying green plums and new wheat.
Xu Jiang was checking the boards that Liang Mo had carved these days, and was not surprised at all to see Manager Wang come in.
He has not been idle these days. The countryside is harvesting new wheat, and he runs out of the city every day. He has only had time to relax in the past two days.
"Sister, I'll bring you some fresh food."
Xu Jiang saw through it but didn't say anything. She stood up, took it with a smile and said, "Thank you very much. I have some meat in the pot, and it's more than enough for the two of us. You can take some back later and give it to your sister-in-law and the children to try."
Shopkeeper Wang narrowed his eyes and smiled, "How can that be good?"
"I can't set it off in this weather, so just help me burn it. It would be a shame if I had so much firewood and spices if they went bad."
"Judging from the smell, a lot of spices must have been used. What kind of meat is being stewed?"
Liang Mo couldn't help but say: "Pig head, what a big wild boar head."
Shopkeeper Wang was stunned for a moment, then praised sincerely, "As expected of my sister, there's no food you can't conquer. Even the food smells delicious."
After saying this, seeing that the two men still had work to do, he didn't want to disturb them any longer and went back to his shop.
Xu Jiang continued to examine the engravings. Finally, he said to Liang Mo, "The first set was a little unfamiliar, but the second set was much better. The more you carve, the better your hands will become."
Liang Mo said humbly, "Please give me more guidance in the future."
"No problem, just print these two sets first and continue later."
"Do you really want to publish it? Will it ruin our bookstore's reputation?"
"No problem, let's just make the price cheaper."
Although these two sets of plates and knives contain many different kinds of text, the content is clear and correct, without any errors. They are bound with the cheapest paper and ink, so it is no problem to sell each copy for one or two hundred coins.
At least it's better than the first one I carved and printed, but no one wanted it even though it was sold at a discount or given away for free.
"I'll buy some paper tomorrow."
Liang Mo's eyes lit up, "Okay!"
This was his first time publishing a book he had engraved himself, so he had to give it his all to impress the old man!
Seeing his energetic appearance, Xu Jiang was also encouraged and said, "Let's stop by the government office tomorrow to review another batch of books. While the business is good now, we should publish a few more books to maintain the momentum."
Liang Mo asked, "Is there anything I carved?"
Xu Jiang smiled and nodded, "Of course."
This work is not finished yet, but I am thinking about the future. Hardworking people are good. I don’t need to urge them, which saves me a lot of trouble and effort. It’s worth it.
Xu Jiang not only praised Liang Mo in her heart, but also wrapped half a pig's face for him before he went home as an encouragement.
By the way, he was asked to take the other half of the pig's tongue and a pig's ear to Manager Wang.
The remaining pig ear, half of the pig face, and the pig's mouth are all cut into thin slices and can be eaten with garlic and mustard sauce. Even without the sauce, it is still delicious.
The meat left on the skull is the most tender. You can tear it off with your bare hands and eat it with the paste made from pounded Litsea cubeba flowers. It is so delicious.
The remaining pig brain is the most troublesome, as its fishy smell is difficult to avoid whether it is stewed or boiled.
Xu Jiang picked out the fascia, marinated and seasoned it with ginger juice, garlic water, rice wine, bean paste, vegetable oil, lard, and beans, then sealed it in a jar with celery leaves as the base, and finally buried it in the embers of wood ash and simmered it until cooked.
After being cooked, it has an oily and smooth taste with a unique flavor.
In the twilight, Lou Yunchun came walking over with an arm full of lotus flowers and the fragrance of lotus in her sleeves.
Seeing Xu Jiang coming out, he leaned over and handed the flowers to her, saying softly, "For you."
Xu Jiang Hexiang kissed him on the cheek, her heart filled with joy. "Did you pick them from the lotus pond?"
Lou Yunchun's eyes were filled with tenderness: "I just plucked some hair and gave it to you as a gift."
"Put some clean water on it and it will bloom tomorrow." Xu Jiang carefully protected the flowers as he went into the shop.
Lou Yunchun stared at her as she entered the house, pressed his chest, and after a while went to the backyard to tie up the horse.
The night is like fine floating gauze, the stars are like sprinkled gold, the lights in one house are on, and the floating white is carrying food.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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