Chapter 111 What is sweet and sour pork ribs?
Jiang Nuanzhi: "It wasn't my decision. A prince surnamed Yan will invite you to stay at his residence."
The old man: "."
After enduring it for a while, he suddenly scratched his head and said, "How about this, I'll eat less, and if I get poisoned again, you'll have to go through the trouble of saving me again?"
Jiang Nuanzhi snapped out of her daze, glanced at his still swollen lips, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "You really deserve it. I have to admire your courage for risking your life like that."
The old man choked, his eyes wide: "Really, we can't eat it anymore?"
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and said, "What do you think?"
The old man looked dejected, squatted there for a while in silence, then came closer and asked, "So, what are we having for lunch today?"
Jiang Nuanzhi: "."
"Isn't it obvious? Eat meat."
Thinking it wasn't appropriate to talk to an old man like this, she added, "This meat is for making sweet and sour pork ribs."
What is sweet and sour pork ribs?
"Just wait and eat in a bit."
As they spoke, Jiang Nuanzhi prepared the caramel color and then added the washed and stir-fried pork ribs to the pot. She seared them until the skin was slightly charred and the whole ribs turned amber. She then added vinegar twice more to the side of the pot to remove any unpleasant odor and enhance the aroma before adding water. After simmering for a few minutes to further remove the ribs' fishy smell, she covered the pot and simmered them.
She then set about mixing the batter, as Baozhu particularly liked the egg pancakes she had made before.
I was thinking of making some more at noon today; it would be quick and easy.
I prepared the batter, cracked three or four eggs into it, added chopped green onions, and sprinkled salt and pepper for a simple seasoning. I set it aside for later use; when the ribs are almost done cooking, I can make the egg pancakes.
I also shredded some potatoes, which I plan to use to make wraps in pancakes later. I also washed some fresh vegetables, and I'm going to make some egg drop and vegetable soup later.
The pork was quite firm at this stage and needed to be stewed for a while to become tender. Jiang Nuanzhi wasn't in a hurry to make the pancakes; she just prepared the vegetables and left them there. She would cook them when the pancakes were almost done.
Taking advantage of this short break, she took out the corn seeds she had soaked earlier, intending to plant some in the yard.
Every farmhouse has a small garden behind it.
Jiang Nuan's garden was much smaller than the others. But it was well-maintained by the waiter, and all the weeds were gone.
Jiang Nuanzhi naturally showered the waiter with compliments, making the waiter's face flush red, and he stuck out his little bottom to work alongside her. She even patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, Nuanzhi, my leg is really fine now, I can work again."
After saying that, he stared at Jiang Nuanzhi expectantly, as if he had been injected with chicken blood, as if he was afraid that Jiang Nuanzhi would not need him to do any work.
Jiang Nuanzhi let him follow along. As he said, his legs were fine now that he could move around, and she led him around in the fields.
In fact, Xiao Er had cleared away almost all the weeds in the garden. Now all that was needed was to throw in the corn seeds, cover them with soil, and water them.
I counted ten rows in the garden, which were about forty meters long.
Jiang Nuanzhi only planted two rows of corn; she planned to plant potatoes, eggplants, and cabbages on the rest. She left two rows empty to plant some readily available medicinal herbs.
However, she didn't have any seeds yet. She thought about going to Aunt Wang's place again to see if she could find some seeds. She also needed to hurry up and plant vegetables, but she was already much later than everyone else. Aunt Niu's vegetables next door had already sprouted.
The two rows of corn were sown in no time.
It rained a couple of days ago, so the soil isn't too dry, but it still needs more watering.
The water in the tank at home is definitely not enough. Xiao Er patted his chest and assured him, "Anuan, don't worry, leave it to me! I'll fetch water for you in a bit."
Then, he half-dragged and half-pulled his brother Lu away.
"Remember to borrow a cart from Aunt Niu next door and bring some pork cracklings to your grandma Niu."
"Okay."
Seeing that the two had disappeared, Jiang Nuanzhi shook her head with amusement and continued to bury the seeds.
Young Master Lü and his waiter made three trips, carrying more than a dozen buckets of water, before they could finally irrigate the two rows of land thoroughly.
The young master was so exhausted that he felt somewhat hollow.
Fortunately, the old man was actually a hard worker, and he followed behind, huffing and puffing as he watered the plants.
To be honest, he was quite capable at his job. This made Jiang Nuanzhi find him much more agreeable.
"This land is so good, so dark."
After the old man finished planting, he squatted down, scooped up a handful of soil, examined it closely, and smiled, revealing his teeth.
Jiang Nuanzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead, looked at the land, and nodded involuntarily.
The soil in this desolate place is truly delightful. It's so soft and loose that it almost feels like it's dripping with oil when you squeeze it in your hand. You could probably grow anything you threw into this soil.
"This land is good, but not everything can grow here. What did you just plant... what is that?"
The old man looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with some suspicion.
Jiang Nuanzhi raised an eyebrow: "It's a secret."
The old man immediately started scratching his head in frustration.
Jiang Nuanzhi, however, remained silent and instead greeted everyone with a smile: "The ribs should be ready by now, let's go! Let's eat!"
While they were watering the plants, Jiang Nuanzhi had already cooked the egg pancakes, shredded potatoes, and soup. She also prepared a small side of pickled vegetables. Now they were just waiting for the ribs.
This process of preparing the ribs took more than an hour. The ribs were stewed for a full time, and when the pot was opened, they were tender and fall off the bone with a gentle poke of chopsticks. After reducing the broth over high heat, it was ready to eat.
Before lunch, everyone was exhausted, and now that they were sitting at the table eating, they were all wolfing down their food. Apart from the sounds of chewing and swallowing, not a single person spoke.
Only the waiter would occasionally shout that the food was delicious when he was enjoying it, and everyone would respond with a sound of agreement before continuing to eat.
Jiang Nuanzhi made over three pounds of sweet and sour pork ribs, thinking that with so many people and so many children who are all growing up, they naturally need plenty of meat. She made extra on purpose.
To everyone's surprise, the ribs were gone in no time.
Even the soup at the bottom of the plate was eaten clean by Young Master Lü, who dipped the flatbread in it.
She ate about four or five pieces of pork ribs, and then a omelet rolled with shredded potatoes, and was full. After that, she took small sips of soup.
The others weren't full yet, and seeing that the ribs were finished, they started eating egg pancakes and shredded potatoes. Before long, the shredded potatoes were also gone.
Xiao Xuanting reached for the shredded potatoes a little late, and when he wanted to pick them up, he found that there were no shredded potatoes left.
He pouted, looking a little aggrieved, but ultimately put his chopsticks into the pickled vegetable dish. He ate it with an egg pancake wrapped around the pickled vegetables.
He started eating slowly, but then, seeing the large bowl of egg pancakes gradually disappearing, his eyes widened, and he stuffed a big mouthful into his mouth, chewing anxiously. He only seemed to relax when he picked up another egg pancake and held it in his hand.
Jiang Nuanzhi found it amusing. This kid hadn't been eating much these past two days, but he seemed to have gained some weight compared to before.
(End of this chapter)
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