Chapter 151 Today, He Zhao plans to make braised pork, the dish his grandmother mentioned in the early morning. ...
Today, He Zhao plans to make braised pork, the dish that Grandma mentioned in the early hours of the morning.
She had barely gotten up when the system transported her to its space to learn, specifically the very dish her grandmother had been longing for. Braised pork belly is a very common home-style dish found in various places, though the methods may differ slightly. He Zhao was learning the version with rock sugar added.
Yes, it suits her taste perfectly.
It just doesn't have to be the version with red chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Although Qiao Yanyu would probably like that version, He Zhao sometimes wants to cook dishes she likes. She really, really likes Qiao Yanyu, but in daily life, you can't always give in to the other person without considering yourself. This kind of love is destined not to go far; giving too much will eventually lead to expecting something in return.
Moreover, a person who loses themselves in love will make that love particularly heavy.
Therefore, He Zhao would also consider his own feelings and would not try to eat spicy food or adapt to Qiao Yanyu just because Qiao Yanyu likes spicy food, so as to become like Qiao Yanyu.
Of course, many people would consider this kind of braised pork with added sugar to be a crooked or unorthodox method.
After washing up and changing her clothes, He Zhao went out for dinner, buying the groceries for the evening's meal. She also went to a shopping mall and found a pet supply store to buy some things for her dog. Dog food wasn't necessary, but she still needed to buy other essentials.
Especially pet wipes and cleaning supplies. She couldn't stand Xiao Hei using its paws, which it used to run around everywhere, to step directly into the house. Even though He Zhao didn't do much housework, and Qiao Yanyu's apartment was mostly cleaned by a robot vacuum, He Zhao was still quite clean.
As she picked out these items, she couldn't help but chuckle, thinking: Everyone says that once Reiko gets together with someone, they'll get a cat. He Zhao clearly had no such plans, but unexpectedly, a dog has come to their door. Two Reikos sharing one pet—that's one part of the must-do list completed.
He Zhao smiled; she had indeed bought quite a lot of things and spent a considerable amount of money. Dog kennels, dog bowls, and all sorts of other items were stuffed into her shopping cart. Perhaps because He Zhao bought everything she needed at once, it became clear that she was a first-time pet owner, so a salesperson came over to introduce her to a variety of pet supplies.
Aside from dog food and pet medicine, He Zhao bought everything. The only thing the salesperson disagreed with was not buying pet supplies: "You should buy some of these, especially now... there have been random poisoning incidents in many places, so we need to protect our pets even more."
“I know all that…” He Zhao didn’t intend to explain, he just said, “We already have some at home.”
That's when the waiter let him go.
Actually, there isn't, but Xiao Hei is different from ordinary pets. If it's really injured, it can only be taken to the Countermeasures Bureau's vet. Besides, it probably wouldn't eat random things and poison itself, nor would it sniff around outside. Most importantly, He Zhao strongly doubts whether there really is something capable of poisoning Xiaotian Dog.
He Zhao carried bags of things home, first putting the groceries in the kitchen, then taking out all the dog supplies and setting up the house. The doghouse was placed on the balcony, where it could bask in the warm sunshine every day; the dog bowl was placed in the living room, right next to the dining table; and the dog toilet was placed in the bathroom next to the living room, which was a guest bathroom that He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu didn't use very often, so it was perfect for Xiao Hei to use.
After arranging everything properly, He Zhao tidied up the trash, clapped her hands, and prepared to cook. Before heading into the kitchen, she sent a message to Qiao Yanyu, telling her to come home for dinner and get some rest, otherwise she would really get angry.
Qiao Yanyu didn't sleep at all last night, and she worked outside all day today. Even someone made of iron couldn't take it if this continued.
The other end quickly displayed "typing in progress," perhaps because Qiao Yanyu wanted to find another reason, but after typing for a while, she only sent one word: "Okay."
He Zhao was satisfied, then went into the kitchen and took out the pork belly he had carefully selected. For braised pork belly, pork belly is definitely the first choice. He specifically chose the middle section of pork belly, that is, the meat between the ribs and the abdomen. This cut of meat has a good balance of fat and lean, and thin, tender skin, making it the best choice.
Yes, when making braised pork, you have to choose pork with skin on.
However, the pork belly with skin at the market wasn't cleaned very well, and some pig hair was inevitably left on it. So the first thing to do was to remove the pig hair from the skin. He Zhao lit a fire, heated the pot, and then brought over the whole piece of pork belly. Considering that Xiao Hei was there, He Zhao took a fairly large piece of pork belly, weighing a full two pounds, which would definitely be enough for them.
He Zhao pressed the pork belly skin-side down into the pan, holding it down with his hand. The heat from the pan caused the pork to steam. Once the skin was seared to a golden brown, it was ready to be taken out of the pan.
This step not only removes any remaining pig hair but also eliminates the pork belly's unpleasant skin odor and gamey smell, achieving multiple benefits in one step. Then, place the pork belly in a bowl and pour in water. The hot pork belly will sizzle when it hits the cold water.
After rinsing the pork thoroughly in a basin of water, it's ready to be cut into pieces. It's best to cut the pork into small, equal-sized cubes for a more appealing appearance. In some places, to ensure the braised pork retains its shape, it's even tied with straw; the straw also imparts a unique aroma to the dish.
However, when eating at home, there are no such requirements; as long as the shape doesn't fall apart, it's fine.
He Zhao's knife skills are truly excellent. Even though the meat wasn't fully cooked and looked a bit soft, each piece was the same size, a perfectly square little cube.
After chopping, heat oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot, add the braised pork and stir-fry. At the same time, add the three essential ingredients: scallions, ginger, and garlic to remove any unpleasant odors. You don't need to chop these ingredients very finely. Slice the ginger into wide slices, about ten slices are enough. You don't need to smash the garlic; just peel it and add it directly to the wok. You don't need to chop the scallions either; just tie a few scallions into a knot and add them directly to the wok.
Pan-fry the pork belly pieces roughly in oil to set their shape, then pour in water and add spices. Cinnamon and star anise are essential, and you'll also need to add dark soy sauce for color and light soy sauce for flavor. At this step, you'll also need to add rock sugar.
This is the essence of sweet and savory braised pork. Using white sugar would be too mushy; rock sugar is much better. And you don't need much, just a few pieces. The sweetness isn't just about enhancing the flavor, it's about bringing it to life. Braised pork without those few pieces of rock sugar is like a dish without its soul.
Stir-fry a few more times, then cover and simmer. In the system space, it also requires a clay pot, as this will result in braised pork that is more flavorful and heats more evenly than in an iron pot. However, He Zhao found this troublesome and skipped this step.
Braised pork requires a long simmering process, which gives He Zhao time to do other things. For example, she can fry three eggs—one for herself, Qiao Yanyu, and the newcomer, Xiao Hei. Yes, He Zhao decided to have noodles for dinner. Besides being a great accompaniment to rice, braised pork also goes wonderfully with noodles.
He Zhao even made the noodles by hand, which was much better than the machine-made noodles outside.
It's often said that machine-made noodles lack soul, especially when it comes to noodles; those few simply can't compare to handmade ones. From kneading the dough, every step has to be done by hand. Otherwise, relying solely on a machine to mix the dough, applying force in only one direction, won't adjust itself according to the dough's current state.
In addition, the noodles made by machines nowadays are either pressed or cut with a knife, which are not as chewy as stretched noodles.
While He Zhao was stretching noodles, Qiao Yanyu returned. Hearing the noise, He Zhao glanced at the braised pork that was still simmering, wiped her hands, and went outside. She immediately saw Qiao Yanyu and the little black dog she was holding.
The little black dog looked grumpy, seemingly disliking being held by Qiao Yanyu. As soon as they arrived home, it struggled to get down. Qiao Yanyu, who indeed didn't get along well with the little black dog, quickly put it down.
When Xiao Hei landed on the ground, it suddenly wrinkled its nose and looked sharply in He Zhao's direction.
As it turned out, the dog's nose was indeed accurate.
Suddenly, Xiao Hei changed. Gone was the sour face it had shown to Qiao Yanyu, and gone was the disdain it had shown to He Zhao in the Countermeasures Bureau. Suddenly, it wagged its tail enthusiastically, its little legs twitching as it came toward He Zhao. It even lifted its leg and lay down on He Zhao, making "woof woof woof" sounds, almost like it was being affectionate.
"..." He Zhao lowered her head, not stroking Xiao Hei's head, because although she had wiped her hands, they were still covered in flour. If she were to touch it with her paw, Xiao Hei's black head would immediately turn white.
He Zhao reassured Xiao Hei a couple of times: "Be good, I have flour on my hands, so I can't touch you. There's braised pork stewing in the pot, you can eat it when I'm done. I bought you some things, including a doghouse and a dog toilet, you can look around by yourself first."
Xiao Hei's eyes became even more moist as it looked at He Zhao. At that moment, it knew that Wang Yu had not lied to it and that it had really come here to live a good life!
He Zhao was simmering braised pork in the kitchen, which definitely required the range hood to be on, but because he was also stretching noodles, the airflow wasn't very strong. Even so, the smell was mostly absorbed, but Xiao Hei still smelled that irresistible aroma of braised pork as soon as it entered the house. Although Xiao Hei was a small dog, it knew exactly what braised pork smelled like.
But it had never smelled such delicious braised pork before, and it made its dog's mouth water!
Qiao Yanyu washed her hands and went into the kitchen to ask He Zhao if he needed any help. Xiao Hei followed closely behind, afraid that Qiao Yanyu would sneak away and eat something delicious while he wasn't looking.
He Zhao had already finished cooking the noodles and placed them aside. It was a clear broth noodle soup, containing only white noodles, a few green vegetables, and some scallions. The broth was bland and the flavor was weak. Little Black sniffed it and immediately scoffed. It wanted meat! Lots of meat!
"No need, it'll be ready soon."
He Zhao said this, and then lifted the lid of the braised pork. After a long simmering process, the braised pork was tender and soft, and this was when it was at its most delicious. But there was one more step, which was also very important for the braised pork.
Reduce the sauce.
Under intense heat, the broth quickly thickened, coating each piece of pork belly in a glistening sauce. Then—it's ready!
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