Chapter 170 Braised Eel Strips in Hot Oil, Five-Yellow Noodles, Eel Rice Noodles with Dried Tofu [...]
The excitement surrounding the zongzi festival has only just begun.
After the news was released that Wenji had started selling zongzi gift boxes, customers who rushed to the store that day still couldn't place an order.
"Didn't you say there would be a gift box?"
Mrs. Wen said regretfully, "They're all sold out."
Originally, the shop didn't plan to offer gift boxes, but with the crayfish shortage, the neighborhood women who worked part-time lost their income. So, Wen's mother simply handed over the zongzi-making to them, since making zongzi is the most labor-intensive task anyway. The shop only needed to prepare the ingredients, and everything else was outsourced.
These part-time workers pack their orders right at the entrance. Early-arriving customers find it intriguing, take photos, and post them online.
This photo made many people realize that Wenji was serving zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
Before Wenji could even issue a notification, its discerning loyal customers snapped up all the gift boxes.
Disappointed diners have no choice but to settle for second best. If they can't buy gift boxes, can't they pack them themselves?
Buy a few zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and vacuum seal them yourself. Whether you send them to family or friends, it's always a small token of your affection during the festival.
Savory rice dumplings are oily and savory, while sweet rice dumplings are especially delicious with apricot jam.
Even the newly added braised crucian carp with minced meat is so delicious that you almost want to swallow it whole.
"Damn it, I can't make it taste like this at home!"
Wenji uses two types of crucian carp: large crucian carp, which often have roe inside, and small crucian carp, which are eaten for their roe. There are also those who don't like fish, who will come in and order a crucian carp with minced meat, eat all the minced meat, mix the broth with rice, and then pick out the best parts of the meat before packing up the remaining head and bones.
After exiting Wenji's restaurant, a left turn leads to a dead end. At the street corner, someone had left a few unwanted cat beds for stray cats. After placing the remaining fish and meat down, some cats quietly came to eat.
Wen Fan also noticed that there were more and more cats around his shop.
This is inevitable. Now that the weather is warmer, stray cats are mating, and litters of kittens are forming. Plus, with Wenji's outdoor food stalls in the evenings, there are more people, so stray cats will come to try their luck. If customers drop leftovers on the ground, the cats will pounce and snatch them away.
Han Lulu's family received a lot of sample cat food from distributors. She also liked to go out and feed the cats. So, she and a few classmates, along with Wen Fan, put several cat beds on the street corner and regularly changed the cat food and water.
The stray cats used to be quite enthusiastic about cat food, but ever since Wenji's braised crucian carp with minced meat started appearing on the shelves, they've become restless. Customers, seeing the cats meowing around their trouser legs, couldn't resist and simply left all their leftover crucian carp on the street corner to feed the cats.
Wen Fan stared expressionlessly at the street corner, where a large, golden orange cat licked its fur before jumping down from the wall.
With a "thump".
Mi Xiao exclaimed, "This semi-trailer is quite sturdy."
Isn't it just that it's sturdy?
In just a few days, the cats around the area have become incredibly sleek and plump, looking as if they've been inflated.
Wen Fan muttered to himself, "I've been sterilized."
With so many stray cats gathered in one place, if they aren't spayed/neutered, there will be dozens more kittens in three months.
It's easy to care for now, but what about in winter?
Mi Xiao: "Wow, little boss, are you going to sterilize the egg yolk?"
Wen Fan:......
Mi Xiao: "Then remember to act, or Egg Yolk will get angry."
...
With a headache over getting cats and dogs spayed or neutered, Wen Fan walked into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, there was a large bucket with a pot lid on top. Lifting the lid revealed eels in a strainer basket.
Du Min was making radish flowers nearby when she glanced at the eel and her hand trembled.
She sighed, changed to a piece of white radish, and continued cooking, saying softly, "I still don't quite get used to it."
When Zhang Hainiu, the seafood vendor, brought over some eels, she took a handful, and one of them slipped out. She frantically tried to grab it, and the slimy, sticky texture made her heart race.
Looking at Wen Fan, he showed no fear whatsoever. He scooped up an eel, quickly cut it open, severed the spine, leaving only the fish meat, and discarded the rest.
Wen Fan quickly finished processing all the eels, separating the eel meat from the eel bones.
That evening, the diners who came to the private kitchen enjoyed braised eel shreds and eel soup.
The eel shreds are first stir-fried and then thickened with cornstarch. When served, they are still coated with a thin layer of glistening sauce. A spoonful of hot oil is then poured over them, the sizzling sound like a knife cutting through the air, releasing all the aromas. The originally smooth eel surface becomes crispy due to the hot oil, creating a layered, rich flavor profile. The oily, smooth yet chewy eel meat and the slightly charred skin combine to create a delightful combination of flavors, making this dish perfect with either rice or noodles.
Among the diners were many health-conscious people who also enjoyed the eel bone soup after finishing the eel shreds.
Wen Fan kept quite a few eel bones. After thinking about it, she gave half of them to Old Master Duan next door.
Since the beginning of this semester, Grandpa Duan has been busy teaching students. Although he has seen many patients, most of them are from out of town and have come specifically to see him. Few locals actually know him.
Grandpa Duan was happy to be at ease, sending medicinal meals to Wen's whenever patients needed them. The portions were always moderate, enough for three to five people, so Wen Fan would prepare everything and have Xiao Ge stew it, adding a little extra to the family's meals each month.
Ever since he received the three prescriptions, Old Master Duan kept asking if there were any others, but the person who delivered the prescriptions seemed to have suddenly disappeared, and no similar prescriptions were ever sent again.
Wen Fan gave the eel bones to Grandpa Duan, who was delighted at the sight.
"This is a good thing."
Eel bone soup not only boosts immunity but can also be used to whiten the skin of patients.
At Wen Fan's eel bone soup shop, each employee gets a bowl.
In the past, during the Dragon Boat Festival, people in the palace would eat "five yellow vegetables".
The so-called "Five Yellow Dishes" are eel, yellow croaker, cucumber, salted duck egg, and realgar wine.
Looking around, Wen Fan noticed that few people were drinking alcohol, but there were salted duck eggs and cucumbers available, and they had even eaten eels.
"Dad, shall we ask Uncle Zhang Hainiu to deliver some small yellow croakers tomorrow?"
****
It was midday, and smoke was rising from every household in Guohe Village.
Nowadays, the fields are full of all kinds of harvesters, and Aunt Liu's house is no exception.
She and her husband cultivate these few acres of land, tending to the crops every year as if they were their grandchildren. This year, however, there has been little rain, and they have had to irrigate the land five or six times.
Fortunately, the wheat ears were all heavy, and as the harvester passed by, Aunt Liu and her husband picked up all the scattered wheat grains.
"Once this acre is harvested, there's nothing left."
The thought of bringing the wheat home filled Aunt Liu with joy.
"Go back and call Xiaomei, and tell her that I will send her some fresh noodles after this week."
The freshly harvested wheat flour has a slightly yellow tinge, but the steamed buns made from it are incredibly fragrant.
Grandma Liu has two daughters. Her eldest daughter has started a family in the city, and her second daughter is in college, but she can't bear to leave her hometown.
As soon as the wheat arrived at the house, Aunt Liu was delighted and made a bowl of noodles with the new wheat that very evening.
As dusk settled, she sat at her doorstep, holding a bowl of rice.
The area in front of her house was also an empty space, and over time, older people liked to come here.
They glanced at the food in each other's bowls, remarked on this year's harvest, and chatted about their children.
"Aunt Liu, aren't your children coming home for the Dragon Boat Festival this year?"
Aunt Liu raised her eyebrows: "My eldest son is at work, and my second son doesn't go to school locally. It's just one day off, why make such a fuss?"
"Tsk tsk, if you ask me, you still haven't thought things through. You only have two daughters, and you still want them to go to school and marry someone from the city. Wouldn't it be better if they married someone from our town? They could come back to visit you from time to time."
Aunt Liu looked at the rice in her bowl, reluctant to throw it away, and cursed at the villager who couldn't utter a kind word: "Can't I do what I want? What's it to you? Your daughter and son are both here with you, what, are you planning to squeeze money out of the children during the holiday?"
"Look at you, why are you in such a hurry? My two kids are good-for-nothings, but it's good to be close to them. Look, my daughter bought me shoes, and she also bought meat and chicken the day before yesterday."
Aunt Liu really didn't like hearing this, but the villagers were jealous of her two successful daughters, and at the same time, they always showed off their own children's gifts, intentionally or unintentionally.
Tsk, I don't know what's the point of all this comparing?
Just as I was about to say something sarcastic, I saw a car parked not far away.
A man got out of the car: "Is Liu Fengxia here?"
Aunt Liu put the bowl down: "Here it is!"
The man walked over cheerfully: "Oh, it's lunchtime now. The elderly folks are having a good meal."
After exchanging greetings, the man spoke to Aunt Liu very loudly.
"Aunt Liu, your daughter Zhao Qiaoling bought you some things and asked me to bring them to you!"
Aunt Liu stood up abruptly, her eyes shining.
The man chuckled and opened the trunk: "Let me tell you the numbers, and you can check them with your daughter later!"
Aunt Liu shouted, "Slow down, slow down!" and hurriedly called for her husband to come out of the house.
"Two cartons of milk, ten pounds of beef, two pieces of clothing, two chickens..."
The person who was just bragging about the gifts their child gave them for the holiday is now completely embarrassed.
Aunt Liu happily carried the food into the house, and the man finally took out four boxes of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
Aunt Liu was already overjoyed, her complaints tinged with sweetness: "This child, why did you buy so much? Her father and I can't possibly eat all of this!"
The delivery man said a few nice words and drove off briskly.
Aunt Liu held her head high, feeling an indescribable sense of joy, and made a phone call to her daughter while standing in the crowd.
"You, you didn't even tell me you were buying things!"
The daughter on the other end laughed and said, "I just wanted to make you proud."
Her mother had a fiery temper and often argued with people, which was especially true for the villagers.
Zhao Qiaoling saw that someone was delivering goods online. The delivery person had created his own account and would film videos of himself delivering things. Zhao Qiaoling had an idea and contacted him.
"Mom, please don't be reluctant to eat those things. I really can't leave work this year and can't go back."
Aunt Liu quickly replied, "If you're busy with work, then focus on work first. I'll have your dad send you some fresh flour tomorrow, along with some salted duck eggs from home... I've got my eye on the grapes you like; come back and eat them when they're ripe..."
Zhao Qiaoling hung up the phone, but her heart was still warm.
Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn't told my mother not to share the zongzi with anyone. She had gone to great lengths to ask a few colleagues to help her order them, and thinking that six zongzi in a box wouldn't be enough, she sent four boxes back.
"...Never mind, my mom is so stingy, she probably won't split it."
Unfortunately, Zhao Qiaoling was wrong.
Aunt Liu looked at the things her daughter had given her. She couldn't bear to share the meat, and she couldn't share the other things either, so she finally set her sights on the zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
"This stuff is dry, let's share it and let some people try it."
Aunt Liu unpacked the rice dumpling and heated it up: "It smells really good."
Twelve zongzi were taken out of the two boxes, and Aunt Liu generously shared them: "Qiaoling bought these for me, everyone should have a taste."
Everyone who tried it praised it.
"These duck egg yolks smell really good, just as good as the ones we pickle at home."
"Wow, this candy is delicious too. Ask your Qiaozhen where she bought it."
Aunt Liu was so busy serving others that she didn't eat a single bite herself. Only after finally sitting down did she reply, "Alright, I'll ask about the zongzi in the city later..."
Aunt Liu took a bite, and her eyes widened.
She knew she'd been ripped off as soon as she tasted the savory and fragrant rice dumpling.
The person who ate her zongzi left reluctantly, saying, "Aunt Liu, don't forget to ask Qiaozhen about it!"
These zongzi are so delicious, even if they're expensive, I have to buy them and try them.
Aunt Liu: ...You still ask? She's filled with regret now!
****
This same scenario wasn't limited to just one establishment.
Wenji's account has seen a surge in complaints.
[French Fries: I'm so angry! The zongzi gift box I ordered was sent home, but my mom said she gave it to my uncle's family! Ugh, I even queued up to buy it!]
[Zhu Zhu: Who says otherwise? My mom gave mine away as a holiday gift too, which caused us to have a fight. I even paid extra for it!]
[Lucky me! Hehe, only I secretly hid the gift box and didn't take it out until this morning. My mom was initially scolding me for buying such expensive zongzi, but after eating them one by one, she didn't say a word, guys.]
[Wonton: She eats them one by one without making a sound +1. My dad even told me to keep an eye out and buy a few more boxes next year. I mean, just this one box is enough to exhaust your daughter, okay?]
[Lazybones: Wait, isn't anyone going to rave about the Five Poison Cake? It's such an amazing cake! I even want to ask why they don't sell it in stores!]
[Y-: It really is delicious! The red bean paste inside seems to be homemade, it's super fragrant and sweet. The only problem is the picture on top looks a bit scary; my son refused to eat it when he saw it. Then I gave him the last bite, and he cried from envy…]
[Xiaoman's Mom: What you guys said makes me so hungry I could cry! I'm begging you to sell the Five Poison Cakes in your shop!]
[Blue Lan: Begging for +1]
[Praying for a happy ending: Please add 2]
...
The Five Poison Cakes, which everyone was curious about, were now placed on Wen Fan's table.
Five cakes were placed together. Wen's father picked up one, took a bite, and said it was delicious: "Homemade red bean paste is still the best."
The ones sold outside are always too sweet and not fragrant enough.
The Five Poison Cake contains walnuts, pine nuts, and melon seeds. The nuts are roasted and fragrant, and the red bean paste is sweet and moist. One cake per person in the morning is enough to fill us up halfway.
Wen's mother stretched and said, "I just had a break during the May Day holiday, and it's only been less than a month, but I still feel tired."
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Wenmu gave its employees a holiday, and the store was closed.
With no plans for the family, they felt incredibly bored at home.
The zongzi and the five-poison cakes are prepared in advance and can be eaten after being heated up, making the festival activity of making zongzi seem less necessary.
Aside from watching TV, all I did was think about what to eat.
Wen Fan prepared the ingredients needed for lunch.
Wen's mother: "What are we having for lunch?"
Wen Fan picked up a knife: "Five Yellow Noodles".
After much deliberation, Wen Fan decided to celebrate the festival to the fullest. With the colorful rope her mother had bought her hanging from her wrist, she swiftly wielded the knife.
Prepare eel, yellow croaker, and shredded cucumber. Fry the yellow croaker in oil, add a spoonful of Shaoxing wine to stew the fish. Remove the cooked yellow croaker from the pot first, then stir-fry it with salted egg yolks until it bubbles. Add shrimp to the salted egg yolks, stir-fry until done, and then pour it out.
After the hand-pulled noodles are cooked, they are taken out and then topped with fried shrimp with egg yolk, fish stewed in Shaoxing wine, and deep-fried eel pieces. Finally, cucumber is added.
This bowl of Five Yellow Noodles is what we have for lunch.
The eel segments were fried until crispy. Wen Fan deliberately left a few segments that were fried even drier. He pressed the dried eel segments with a spoon, and the eel turned into powder. The black eel powder was sprinkled on the cooked dried bean curd strips, and that made a dish of eel powder dried bean curd strips.
Eel noodles with dried tofu can be served as an appetizer with drinks. The crispy and fragrant eel is transformed into noodles, making it even more delicious than before. The dried tofu is coated with eel noodles, and the taste is indescribably fresh.
Wen's mother was never quite used to eel, but once eel rice noodles and dried bean curd were served, she couldn't stop eating them.
As for the Five Yellow Noodles, the eel segments are dry and chewy, the yellow croaker is fresh and fragrant, the cucumber is crisp, and the shrimp meat is crunchy and bouncy.
The noodles, coated with a layer of sandy egg yolk, have an indescribably wonderful flavor.
The family of three each had a bowl of "Five Yellow Noodles" and a plate of zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) in front of them.
While eating a zongzi, Wen's mother said, "It's always easier to make money during festivals."
The rice dumplings made at home are not expensive in the store, but they are sold at a premium when packaged as gift boxes, and even so, they are still in short supply.
The store sold several hundred gift boxes, and in the following days, Wen's mother was so busy that she spent all her free time packing gift boxes.
Of course, there were quite a few extra gift boxes. These were holiday gifts for the employees, some to be sent to the welfare home, and even some for the neighbors. Mrs. Wen kept a lot for herself.
It has become a habit to exchange gifts on the street. When Wen's mother receives gifts from others, she returns the favor with her own zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
"By the way, your Aunt Song Hui said that Yang Tao sent her some things, but she didn't know what to do with them, so she just sent them all to our house."
Wen Fan asked curiously, "What is it?"
Wen's mother took a large glass bottle out of the cabinet: "It looks like oil."
Wen Fan: "...Fried chicken mushroom."
This is good stuff.
Wen Fan unscrewed the lid, and the aroma of mushroom oil filled the air, making her eager to try it.
"After I finish my college entrance exam, I want to go there to eat mushrooms."
She had eaten many fine foods in the palace, but mushrooms were not commonly used there.
Termitomyces is already one of the few types.
Wen Fan placed the fried chicken mushrooms on the counter, preparing to make fried chicken mushroom noodles for dinner!
When Wen's mother picked up the phone, Wen Fan assumed she was calling Aunt Song Hui, so he didn't listen much.
But after a short while, they heard Wen's mother say in a somewhat confused voice, "Alright, I'm free today, I'll go take a look."
Wen Fan:? ?
After hanging up the phone, Wen's mother put on her coat: "Let's go. Your Aunt Huijuan said that the crayfish shop is now going to lease out the entire pond. Let's go take a look."
Wen Fan was even more puzzled, but she still changed her clothes and went out with her mother.
I heard a brief explanation from Wen's mother along the way.
“The pond was contracted by your Aunt Huijuan’s fourth uncle. Now that the old man has passed away, neither of his two sons wants to run the pond. But since we’re not buying crayfish anymore, the crayfish in the pond are growing bigger every day, and they don’t know how to take care of them, so they’re thinking of selling them.”
"So what are we going to do?"
Wen's mother stopped at the red light, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "I was thinking that since his pond is already there, we could take it over and have Feng Huijuan and her husband manage it... What do you think?"
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