Lou Yunchun helped to watch the fire and picked vegetables with Zeng Zhui. He frowned the whole time and always felt a strange taste in his mouth.
Seeing this, Xu Jiang washed a dish of white imperata roots for him to clean his mouth. However, when Lou Yunchun smelled the muddy smell of the white imperata roots, he immediately recalled the unbearable pain of having his throat and tongue abused by the hedgehog, and his face turned even greener.
He wasn't lucky enough to enjoy it, but Zeng Zhui got a treat. As he chewed, he said with emotion, "This is a good thing. I still remember when I was a child, my family was poor and we couldn't get any candy. We'd go out to the fields to dig up white grass roots or pick reed buds to satisfy our cravings. Now, although I don't have to worry about food and drink, and I no longer need a piece of candy, I still miss this sweet thing grown in the mud and earth."
Xu Jiang also sighed, "Who says it's not?" Although she didn't pursue poverty in her childhood and was purely greedy, she still missed it.
What I miss is not only the hard-earned sweetness of childhood, but also the bitterness, and more importantly, the recollection of the flowing water in the east.
After hearing this, Lou Yunchun picked up a piece of Imperata root and put it in his mouth. After enduring the earthy smell, he actually tasted a hint of sweetness.
Xu Jiang smiled when she saw this.
After the wild vegetables were cleaned up and the meal was ready, Zeng Zhui went to cut the fish, and Xu Jiang set up the pot again and started steaming the mugwort.
Artemisia selengensis is also known as Qingming vegetable and sagebrush. It is usually used to make green rice balls during the Qingming Festival. It can also be steamed after seasoning with flour and salt.
Xu Jiang first drains the water from the Qingming vegetables, then sprinkles them with flour and a little salt and mixes them evenly. After the steamer starts to steam, she spreads them loosely in the steamer and steams them for a cup of tea before they are ready to be served.
While steaming the mugwort, Xu Jiang's hands were not idle. She mixed the remaining flour from steaming the mugwort with eggs, water and salt to make a batter, which she would use to fry Chinese toon later.
Steam spread, and the fragrance of mugwort filled the kitchen, like a graceful girl from the mountains, dancing in the dark mist. Xu Jiang took a deep breath, feeling that his lungs were clear, "Almost done."
When she opened the steamer, the room was filled with white mist. Xu Jiang was blinded by the steam, but her hands were very accurate. She easily lifted the steamer aside and quickly shook off the steamed mugwort with chopsticks.
"Zhaoyue, bring me a bamboo sieve."
Hearing her call, Lou Yunchun, who was fascinated by the scene, came back to his senses, stood up, took down a bamboo sieve from the wall and handed it to her.
Xu Jiang heard Zeng Zhui gasping for air as he was pricked by a yellow thorn bug outside. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she picked up a piece of mugwort with her chopsticks and fed it to Lou Yunchun, whispering, "Is it delicious?"
Lou Yunchun nodded and replied quietly, "It's delicious."
Xu Jiang smiled with her eyes curved.
Next is fried toon.
Pour cooking oil into a wok and heat it over low heat until it reaches 50% to 60% hot. Then, coat the drained toon buds with the toon batter and deep-fry until the batter turns golden brown. Do not over-fry, as this will make them bitter.
“Can Chinese toon be eaten?”
Lou Yunchun shook his head first, then nodded, "You can try."
Xu Jiang handed him a piece of chrysanthemum and said, "Be careful, it's hot."
Lou Yunchun took it, tasted it, and frowned slightly.
Seeing that he couldn't stand the taste, Xu Jiang secretly took note and stretched out her hand, saying, "If you can't eat it, don't be so stubborn. Give it to me."
Lou Yunchun fed the Chinese toon to her mouth.
The two of them were enjoying themselves in front of the stove, and Zeng Zhui's eyes were filled with sorrow. He coughed lightly, and when he saw the two of them quickly separate, he walked back in with the filleted fish.
"The fish is ready,"
The mugwort and Chinese toon were also ready. Xu Jiang filtered out the clear oil in the pot, leaving only a little base oil, and made a dish of scrambled eggs with wild onions.
Xu Jiang was in charge of cooking, while Zeng Zhui found another stove, lit it with borrowed fire, and put a clay pot on it to cook the soup.
When stewing reed shoots with yellow thorn fish, there must not be even a hint of fishy smell, as it spoils the flavor. Therefore, when the fish is cut open, the black film inside the belly must be removed, and the surface mucous membrane must be scalded in boiling water before cooking to remove the fishy smell.
After the fish is cooked, add cold water to the pot, and add reed shoots after the water boils. Do not add other seasonings. The sweetness of the reed shoots and the freshness of the fish will blend into one pot, bringing you the tranquil beauty of the water.
Xu Jiang also had carp in the pot, two different flavors: one braised, the other a fish with fried noodles. The braised carp was quick to prepare, and Xu Jiang was quick and efficient, so it was ready to be served in no time.
The fish-stir-fried baked noodles are a more complex recipe. First, the dough is kneaded until elastic, divided into small pieces, and then stretched into noodles. Deep-fry the carp until golden brown. Then, fry the carp thoroughly but not burnt. Then, simmer it in a sauce of sugar, vinegar, scallions, and ginger. Heat the oil over high heat until it thickens. Finally, remove from the pan and top with the baked noodles.
This dish is sweet, sour, fragrant and crispy, and is best enjoyed with wine.
"The last dish of fried bacon and bamboo shoots is given to you." Xu Jiang gave up her seat to Zeng Zhui and went out to ask Liang Mo and Hu Xu to set the table for dinner.
As soon as I got outside, I saw that the table and chairs were neatly placed under the tree.
Seeing her come out, Hu Xu asked with a smile, "Is dinner ready?"
This question seems to be a recurrence of the past.
Xu Jiang smiled and clapped her hands, saying, "Serve the meal!"
The spring is still chilly, but wine and food can warm you up.
Beneath the tree, five people sat around a table, cups and chopsticks interlaced, and they talked about poetry, literature, prose, and experiences from ancient and modern times, spontaneously and freely, which was very exciting.
Liang Mo was so engrossed in listening that he even forgot to eat the food and didn't even dare to add more wine, for fear of missing a word.
This was something he had never experienced before, a collision of knowledge. The books on the shelves seemed to transform into the four people before him, enlivening the dull and tedious worldly affairs, turning into sweet springs flowing into his heart, soaking the dry land and bringing new life to it.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zeng Zhui's cheeks flushed. He waved at Hu Xu and Lou Yunchun, "Forget it, forget it. I can't win the argument with you two." Then he poured himself a glass and raised it, saying, "I'll drink a punishment myself."
Hu Xu held down his hand and exposed him, "I think you just want to drink, and you're using us as an excuse. Be careful not to get drunk and get punished."
Zeng Zhui smiled slyly, "Teacher has been busy preparing for the scientific examination recently, so he has no time to punish me."
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