Chapter 2 (Spicy Crab)



As a cook, when Yan Qiushu heard about river fish, she thought of countless delicious foods that could be made.

But it was getting late now, so she could only try her luck. When she went out, she told the soldiers guarding her, and they would take the initiative to follow her to find a vegetable vendor on the street.

Fortunately, God still gave Yan Qiushu a chance to survive. After walking a few steps to the vegetable market, she saw what she wanted.

I bought some crabs, some fish, and some river shrimps. Finally, I actually found some clams. Not many, but better than nothing.

Yan Qiushu bought them all, and even went to drug stores and other shops on the way to buy some cinnamon, bay leaves and the like. Then she came back excitedly, packed up some money and borrowed the kitchen of the post station.

The kitchen of the post station is divided into a big kitchen and a small kitchen. The guests here are all dignitaries, so the small kitchen is often needed. It has all kinds of ingredients such as oil, salt, ginger and vinegar.

Add the seasonings Yan Qiushu bought, and it will be no problem to make spicy crab.

But before that, these things still need to be dealt with.

The crabs need to be cleaned and the shrimps need to have their threads removed. The clams cannot be eaten, so we have to wait for them to spit out the sand and then put them aside. Fish are not suitable to be kept here either. Yan Qiushu was thinking while cleaning.

In this fictional dynasty, there were no potatoes and sweet potatoes, but if there were no staple foods, would the food be too salty?

Thinking about this, Yan Qiushu suddenly thought of the braised flower rolls from Northeast China.

After determining what she wanted, she began to prepare in an orderly manner.

After preparing the shrimps and crabs, wash your hands and knead the dough.

While the noodles were forming into balls and waiting to ferment, she started cooking. The first step was to heat the oil in a wok.

She was thankful that she knew how to use an earthen stove in her previous life in the countryside, otherwise she would be at a loss now. She successfully started the fire, waited for the pot to heat up, added oil, and poured it from the edge of the clean large iron pot. Suddenly, the inside of the pot was shiny and smooth, which looked very comfortable.

When the oil is hot, the crab bodies cut in half are picked up, dipped in flour one by one, and quickly pressed sideways into the oil pan. Immediately, a "sizzling..." sound is heard in the kitchen.

The pot was glistening with oil, but Yan Qiushu was already accustomed to this kind of scene. Her pretty face, which was a little childish, was calm at this moment, and her hands moved with ease. After all the crabs were put in and the crab shells turned red, she picked them up for later use and changed the oil again.

This time, when the oil is heated, the first things to be put in are the already prepared seasonings such as cornel, pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, salt, etc.

These all had very strong smells, and when they were fried, the aroma burst out directly. Yan Qiushu's body was not used to such a pungent smell, and her face changed. Fortunately, she poured the crabs into the pot and stir-fried them in time, and the smell was immediately suppressed a lot by the crabs.

But even so, there was still a series of rapid sneezes coming from the door of the kitchenette.

“A-choo, a-choo…”

After a while, the man looked very uncomfortable.

Yan Qiushu looked at him in surprise.

Being accidentally discovered, Yan Xiang's pretty face showed a little embarrassment, and she said with a wry smile: "Miss Yan, I was just passing by to take a look. Why is it so smelly? What are you cooking?"

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, "Make something delicious. Lord Yan will also try it later?"

"That's fine, thank you very much. How about I do something for you?" Yan Xiang immediately walked into the kitchen and asked enthusiastically.

Yan Qiushu did not resist and pointed to the stove in front of her: "Can you light a fire?"

"Yes! You tell me whether you want a high or low heat, and I'll make sure it's cooked well for you!" Yan Xiang said loudly and sat down.

Yan Qiushu then really began to instruct him to light the fire.

Yan Xiang also did not have the temper of an official. He looked very open and confident, but he would always sneak a peek at Yan Qiushu's movements when she wasn't noticing. However, there was not curiosity in his eyes, but... vigilance.

Of course, he didn't pass by the kitchen on purpose just now, and this is not a place where one can pass by.

He was simply afraid that this girl had some special identity, so he followed her out of curiosity to see what was going on. After all, he thought at first that she wanted to eat river food, but the fight was quite intense. He could smell a strange odor from a distance, so he rushed over to check it out. As soon as he got close, he couldn't help sneezing, which exposed himself early.

Fortunately, the other party probably didn't realize what he was doing.

Yan Xiang tried to stare at her with a pair of eyes full of wonder. What on earth was this girl doing? Aren't river fish mainly cooked by steaming? I heard that steamed crabs were a favorite of His Majesty in the palace, and they were very delicious!

Instead, she made it taste so pungent, didn't that suppress the umami taste?

Just as Yan Xiang was surprised and puzzled, he suddenly discovered that the pungent smell was gradually changing.

From simply spicy to pungent, and then to a hint of appetite-stimulating fragrance, and then, the fragrance became stronger and stronger, mixed with a faint fishy smell.

But soon, as a spoonful of water was poured in and the lid was put on the pot, the fragrance disappeared, and Yan Xiang felt a little disappointed.

How come it's gone?

That smell is so nice!

Yan Qiushu was also busy at this time. She could start making steamed buns with the fermented dough. She took two long pieces of dough, sprinkled with a few chopped green onions and oil, and twisted them with her slender little hands, and the dough became a beautiful petal shape.

She didn't make a lot, just a stack of twelve.

Afterwards, Yan Qiushu untied the lid, and Yan Xiang, who was still burning, was immediately hit by an aroma that was even stronger than before, with a spicy scent. He subconsciously took a breath, and then... swallowed.

Why does it feel delicious?

He watched eagerly, and Yan Qiushu naturally noticed it, and was somewhat pleased. Her hands kept moving, and she soothed him, "Master Yan, wait a little longer, it will be ready soon."

She understood this impatience very well, she didn't even know how much her saliva was secreted, but the crabs had to be handled properly, otherwise it would be easy to have problems when eating, and this could not be careless.

Yan Xiang smiled awkwardly: "No hurry, no hurry..."

He rubbed his face secretly, feeling annoyed that he had been tempted by such delicious food!

After Yan Qiushu stir-fries and makes sure the shrimps are almost cooked, she adds the starch and stir-fries again. When it is almost cooked over high heat, she puts the steamed buns on top one by one and covers the pot with the lid again.

This time, you only need to wait for a cup of tea.

When the lid was opened, the rich fragrance seemed to rush straight to the sky!

Yan Xiang was perked up and stood up involuntarily to look at the things in the pot. When he saw it, his eyes widened.

The big black iron pot is filled with a beautiful and delicious red sauce. The crabs are cut into halves and lie on top of the pot in an alternating pattern like half a gold ingot. A few crabs may not have been properly handled, so the roe is broken, revealing the thick roe, which is particularly tempting.

There are plump beige steamed buns on the top, with a strong spicy aroma and sweet noodle aroma intertwined together. Even though he was not hungry to begin with, he now feels that he can finish this big pot!

This looks so appetizing!

Yan Qiushu first packed two small portions and gave one to Yan Xiang.

"For me?" Yan Xiang didn't expect that he really had it, and was at a loss as he held the bowl.

Will this be a problem?

The general has been conducting strict investigations in recent years and has not let go of anyone who is suspicious. This Miss Yan does look quite suspicious. So, is this food that smells so delicious really edible?

At this moment, Yan Qiushu was already inhaling because of the heat from her anxiousness: "Hiss! It's so hot!"

She kept breathing, trying to blow away the hot air in her mouth, but she was reluctant to spit it out. Her big eyes were filled with tears from the burns.

The main reason was that she had been greedy for too long, so when she was ready to eat it, she just picked up one of the crab's long legs and put her mouth close to it, eating the crab roe that was tightly locked after being fried in starch.

Although it tasted delicious, she ignored the fact that it had just come out of the pot and was very hot, so the crab roe tasted like boiling tofu when it entered her mouth.

However, it was so delicious that Yan Qiushu could only endure it. After the heat finally dissipated, she relaxed, sipped her lips and tongue, and finally tasted the sweet taste of the crab roe.

So delicious!!!

Yan Qiushu really likes to eat these seafood and river fish, but some things have to be in season. Before she came here, she hadn't eaten big-legged crabs for more than half a year. She was thinking about it, but when she wanted to eat it again, it would be a completely different world.

But to be honest, this big crab is not only plump, but the crab meat is also so delicious that even the spicy taste can’t cover it up!

The quality is also excellent!

Yan Qiushu was concentrating on eating. Her fair little hands had already been stained with the brown soup. She peeled the crab shells skillfully, as if she had done it thousands of times. Yan Xiang was drooling and envious at the same time.

After seeing the other person eating, he felt relieved and started eating too.

He was drooling immediately because of the spiciness, but the spicy taste was so addictive that he couldn't stop eating. He ate with tears in his eyes, but you can't eat crabs whenever you want. His technique was not good enough, so the crab shell was mixed with the crab meat, which greatly reduced the deliciousness of the crab. However, just this little taste made him feel happy and he didn't know what day it was. He became even more jealous of Yan Qiushu who was able to enjoy the feast!

"Hiss——" Yan Xiang accidentally bit a Sichuan pepper and his face changed slightly. He slowed down before daring to continue eating. After another mouthful of the rich crab paste, he was healed again and immersed in it.

On the contrary, Yan Qiushu, who was the first to eat, ate two crabs and then stopped temporarily.

I haven't eaten enough, what can I do...

Her belly is too small to hold it.

Yan Qiushu washed her hands with soap, scooped up the remaining crabs and soup in the pot, put the hot steamed buns on top, and walked out with them: "My lord, please enjoy. I have something else to do, so I'll leave now."

"...Okay, walk slowly, walk slowly..." Yan Xiang's brain was no longer able to work, and he mumbled the words, then continued to eat. He only took a moment to wipe the sweat stains on his forehead from the spicy food with his sleeve.

Really delicious!

It was really delicious!

He was wrong. He actually thought that this strong flavor would cover up the deliciousness of the crab. How could it be possible! It clearly enhanced the deliciousness of the crab!!!


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