He had just been injured and was clearly not suited for such strenuous activity. He swayed, the white gauze was stained even more blood, and his face was deathly pale; he looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
Fang Rong quickly put down the groceries and went to help him up. "Are you alright?"
Fang Hua sat on the sofa, his eyes half-closed, and shook his head slightly.
Fang Rong was worried and repeatedly told him not to move around and to rest before carrying the groceries into the kitchen to wash and stew the ribs.
Making sweet and sour pork ribs is a bit complicated. The first step is to boil them to remove impurities and kill bacteria. The second step is to bring the pot to a boil over high heat and skim off all the foam.
The third step is to add crushed ginger, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cooking wine, and scallions, and simmer over low heat with the lid on for 40 minutes, or until the ribs are fully cooked.
The fourth step is to take the ribs out and rinse the broth, then put them in a bowl and sprinkle them with dry starch. Hold the bowl with both hands and toss it up and down to coat the ribs evenly with a thin layer of dry starch.
Finally, and most importantly, heat the pan and pour in salad oil or other cooking oil until it just starts to smoke. Then put the ribs in and fry until they change color. Remove them and drain the oil. Don't fry them too dry.
Finally, pour out the oil from the pot, leaving a little at the bottom. Add about 20 grams of rock sugar and turn the heat to low to melt it slowly. After the rock sugar has melted, add some of the broth from cooking the ribs, just enough to cover them.
Then add salt, 50 grams of rock sugar or white sugar, and a little Sichuan peppercorn powder. Simmer over low heat. If you feel that the ribs are not dark enough, you can add a few drops of dark soy sauce or some vinegar. A plate of sweet and sour ribs is ready.
Stewing pork ribs is much simpler and doesn't require as many fancy steps; just rinse them twice with water.
Fang Rong prefers strong flavors, so he added a lot of seasoning. He was afraid Fang Hua wouldn't like it, so he specially picked out the scallions, cilantro, and ginger slices before serving it to Fang Hua.
He was obviously overthinking it. Fang Hua not only loves to eat, but he eats everything, especially sweet and sour pork ribs with rock sugar, probably because the sweet and sour taste suits his palate.
Fang Rong barely touched that plate; it mostly ended up in his stomach.
After he finished eating, he didn't say whether it was good or bad. He just stared at Fang Rong with his beautiful eyes without saying a word, watching him wherever he went.
"Is there something on my face?" Once, twice, three times, Fang Rong finally couldn't help but ask.
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