Chapter 78 Braised Pork Belly, Glutinous Rice Chicken, and the Little Thief
When Lin Yougong arrived in his donkey cart to deliver the chopped pork, Lin Yao was grilling fish balls at the door. Oil sizzled on the charcoal, mingling with the fresh aroma of fish that wafted far and wide. "These fish balls smell so much better grilled than boiled! Give me a skewer too!"
"Brother Yougong, why are you here so early today?" Lin Yao was a little surprised. The amount of meatballs to be made these days is large, and it usually takes until the afternoon to prepare enough for the next day. It's only noon now, and Lin Yougong has already arrived in town.
Lin Yougong patted the wooden railing of the donkey cart, causing the wooden bucket on the cart to sway: "It's almost Chinese New Year, so I came to town to buy some New Year's goods. Many people in the village have also asked me to bring them things. I came early on purpose so that if I buy too much, the donkey will walk slowly and I won't make it back in time for dinner."
Lin Yao understood what he meant. It seemed that the villagers had taken the village headman's words to heart. She didn't linger. She told someone to unload the goods from the donkey cart and stuffed two skewers of crispy roasted pork belly into his hand: "Go quickly and come back soon."
"Master, why didn't you make meatballs from the minced pork today?" When Wang Xiaoyu was checking the ingredients, she saw a large bucket of minced pork and thought Lin Yougong had sent the wrong thing.
Lin Yao stirred the minced meat in the bucket, chopping it into a fine, even paste: "This isn't for making meatballs, it's for making sausages." She picked up a ceramic urn from the stove, lifted the lid, and scooped out half a bowl of dark red sauce. "Look at this sauce, it's made from ground Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon, mixed with salt and strong liquor." As she spoke, she poured the sauce into the minced meat and stirred it over. "The meat needs to be coated with the sauce to be flavorful."
Wang Xiaoyu leaned closer and took a deep breath, the spicy aroma of the spices hitting her head: "It smells so good! Is this what the sausage casings in the backyard are used to hold?"
“Exactly.” Lin Yao took out the sausage casing, had Wang Xiaoyu open it, and then scooped the minced meat into the bamboo tube herself, while smoothing it down the casing with her other hand. The marbled minced meat gradually swelled into a round, long strip inside the casing. “Tie a knot with cotton thread every foot.” She cut the thread in her hand. “Hang it in a well-ventilated place to dry for half a month. When you want to eat it, steam it thoroughly, slice it, and it will be an excellent appetizer.”
After stuffing the sausages, Lin Yao prepared to make cured pork. She didn't actually like smoked cured pork; although some people loved the smoky flavor, she just couldn't appreciate it. She had once tried braised cured pork and was quite amazed. She hadn't expected that cured pork could be prepared in ways other than smoking, so she planned to make braised cured pork today.
Lin Yao lifted the pork belly hanging in the well, spread it on the cutting board, and used a cleaver to cut it into strips two fingers wide along the grain. "This width is just right, so it can be aired out when drying, and the flavor can penetrate evenly when marinating."
Then she used a knife to make a small hole at one end of each piece of meat, and twisted the hole with her fingertip. "This small hole is for threading cotton. After the meat is marinated, it needs to be hung up to dry for half a month before it's ready."
A row of ceramic bowls and jars had already been laid out on the table. Lin Yao first picked up the wine jar and poured half a bowl of baijiu (Chinese white liquor). "This meat can't be exposed to water; it spoils easily if washed. It needs to be soaked in this liquor." The high-proof liquor was meant to kill bacteria, but she couldn't explain what bacteria were, so she didn't elaborate.
She then ladled soy sauce into a large porcelain basin, grabbed a handful of rock sugar, crushed it, and threw it in. The golden sugar cubes slowly dissolved in the soy sauce: "The meat marinated with rock sugar has a slightly sweet aftertaste and a bright color."
Wang Xiaoyu watched as she poured a bunch of spices, including bay leaves, cinnamon, and star anise, into the stone mortar, pounding them with a rustling sound. She couldn't help but count them: "There are almost ten kinds, aren't there?"
"This marinade is the most important; it'll make all the difference if you miss a single ingredient." Lin Yao sifted the ground spice powder into the porcelain basin, then sprinkled in a handful of five-spice powder, and finally tossed in a few cracked gardenia fruits. "These gardenia fruits are for coloring; they make the marinated meat a bright red." She picked up a spatula and stirred it, the sweet aroma mixed with the spicy fragrance filling her nostrils.
"Put the meat strips in." Lin Yao directed Wang Xiaoyu to help. The two of them worked together to soak the meat strips in the sauce. She repeatedly rubbed the meat in the bowl to make sure that each piece of meat was coated with sauce. "Remember, for the next three days, you have to turn them over every half day. When you turn them over in the morning, turn the bottom ones up, and turn them over again in the evening, otherwise the color of the meat will be uneven and the taste will be off."
~
Three days later, Lin Yao lifted the damp cloth covering the basin. The dark brown meat strips had turned a translucent red. She picked up a strip to drain the sauce and tied it tightly with cotton thread through the pre-cut holes. "Take it to the porch to dry. Once the sauce has reduced enough, you can hang it out to dry."
She looked at the cured meat and sausages swaying gently in the wind under the beam, and a smile appeared in her eyes. She could feel the joy of a farmer's bountiful harvest and thriving livestock. "In a few more days, we'll take them down and make Cantonese claypot rice. The aroma will be so enticing it will lift the roof off."
Speaking of claypot rice, she suddenly remembered that she had promised to make glutinous rice chicken for Lin Song. Glutinous rice chicken is also a common dim sum dish in Cantonese morning tea. She happened to have some free time today, so she made it as well.
Sticky rice chicken is easy to make. There's always sticky rice on hand in the kitchen, so she soaked a large basin of it for later use. Then she took out a few pieces of chicken breast, tenderized them with the back of a knife, and cut them into small cubes. "Not too much meat, just a little bit of flavor is enough."
Watching her sprinkle salt and drizzle soy sauce over the diced meat, then grab a handful of chopped shiitake mushrooms and mix them in, Wang Xiaoyu couldn't help but ask, "Don't you need to add anything else?"
"This stuff is all about being light and refreshing." Lin Yao smiled as she added a spoonful of oil and half a spoonful of salt to the soaked glutinous rice, mixed it well, and set it aside. "Wrap it in lotus leaves later, and the aroma will come out naturally."
In the dead of winter, fresh lotus leaves were long gone, so Lin Yao took dried lotus leaves, soaked them in warm water until soft, and spread them out on the cutting board. First, she scooped a spoonful of glutinous rice as a base, then placed diced chicken and shiitake mushrooms in the middle, covered them with another layer of glutinous rice, folded the four sides of the lotus leaf up like a bundle, and tied it into a neat little square with cotton thread.
The two worked together and quickly made dozens of them. Lin Yao counted the number of people at the martial arts school, kept only twenty, and put the rest into baskets.
When she arrived at the martial arts school, the children were finishing their training. Jin Yu saw that she was carrying two large baskets of food and quickly ran over to take them: "They're quite heavy, are these zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)?"
Lin Yao loosened her sore and numb hands: "No, it's sticky rice chicken. Brother Jinyu, take it and share it with the children."
Upon hearing his older sister's voice, Lin Song grabbed his schoolbag and ran over. As he approached, he smelled the aroma and, looking left and right, only saw the basket in Jin Yu's hands. He looked up and asked, "Why are we eating zongzi?"
After Lin Song ran over, the other little ones gathered around in twos and threes. Lin Yao raised her voice, "This is called glutinous rice chicken. It tastes very good, but each person can only eat one. Glutinous rice is hard to digest, and eating too much will cause indigestion." She deliberately put on a stern face to scare them, "If you have indigestion, you'll have to drink bitter medicine for several days to get better." Seeing that the children nodded in agreement, she led Lin Song home.
Back at the restaurant, Lin Song's first demand was for sticky rice chicken. Afu quickly took one from the steamer and carefully peeled back the lotus leaf for him. Lin Song used a small spoon to scoop out a piece; the sticky rice mixed with chicken and mushrooms was savory and fresh, and its unique aroma attracted the frequent glances of diners at the next table.
During dinner time, the kitchen staff were so busy they barely had time to breathe. Lin Yao usually left Lin Song at the counter in the front hall for Wang Zhi to look after. Lin Song was well-behaved; knowing his older sister was busy, he never wandered off. Right now, he was standing on a chair, eating his meal in small bites with relish.
He was already chubby, and his focused eating posture made him seem to be savoring some heavenly delicacy. A customer at the next table couldn't resist any longer and pulled aside Ah Fu, who was passing by, to ask, "What's that little kid eating?" His question prompted many others to inquire as well, as everyone had been tempted by Lin Song's eager eating. Ah Fu replied with a smile, "It's sticky rice chicken, a new dish the owner made; it hasn't been served yet."
The diner pressed, "When will it be served? Watching this little kid eat makes my mouth water."
Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "Yeah, it's torture to just look at it and not be able to eat it!"
Lin Yao overheard this as she came out and quickly said with a smile, "Thank you all for your support. This glutinous rice chicken will be officially on sale starting tomorrow. We'll have as many as you want."
The guests who received the answer readily agreed. Lin Yao turned to look at Lin Song, who was still engrossed in eating. This little guy was really good material for a food vlogger; he had only eaten a sticky rice chicken, yet it had already aroused the curiosity of so many people.
Lin Song finally finished eating and looked up to meet Lin Yao's gaze. There were still a few grains of glutinous rice on his face, and he grinned, revealing a row of tiny teeth. Lin Yao could tell from his fawning expression that he hadn't had enough: "No, it's agreed that you can only have one, no discussion."
Seeing that pleading with his older sister was useless, Lin Song turned to Wang Zhi beside him, blinking his big eyes: "Uncle Wang~"
Wang Zhi shifted the abacus and ledger, turning his back to him. Lin Song, that clever kid, knew he was most susceptible to being pampered and always managed to get something from him. The last few times he secretly gave him food, Lin Yao caught him, and he was so embarrassed he almost had nowhere to put his face: "Begging me won't help. Listen to your older sister, or you'll get a stomachache like last time if you eat too much."
Seeing that even Wang Zhi wouldn't help him, Lin Song felt abandoned by the whole world. He pouted, huffed, and pulled out his toy carousel from his backpack to fiddle with. Wang Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Lin Song wasn't going to cheat. Lin Song was usually well-behaved and cute, but he lost all sense of proportion when it came to food. He used to find his chubby appearance endearing, but now that he was getting fatter, he was worried. Therefore, he always wholeheartedly supported Lin Yao's diet control.
Lin Song's gluttony was stopped in time, but the martial arts school wasn't so lucky. A figure with a small braid slipped into the kitchen and stole two glutinous rice chickens that had already gone cold.
Song Mi's heart was pounding. She had never done anything like this before, but she was just so hungry...
Clutching the sticky rice chicken, she hurriedly hid under the covers and quickly swallowed both pieces in a few bites. She ate hastily, afraid of being discovered. Although the cold sticky rice chicken wasn't as fragrant as when it was hot, it still satisfied her craving. Having eaten both sticky rice chickens, Song Mi had her fill and prepared to sleep. However, in the middle of the night, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Her stomach pain grew increasingly severe. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she forced herself out of bed and, crying, pounded on Xu Zhiheng's door.
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Author's Note: [Let me see] Could you, kind and beautiful person, please add this to your favorites? [Peeking while covering face]
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