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Dongji Mountain is a dangerous place, but it is also a place with abundant resources. Just to the west of Yun Zheng's cave, there are various fruit trees stretching for dozens of miles. It is the harvest season, and the fruits in the orchard are dazzling to Du Heng's eyes.
There were dates longer than fingers, dark red hawthorns that bent the branches, green and red apples the size of fists, and many more fruits that Du Heng had never seen before.
Once they arrived at the orchard, Xiaoxiao never stopped talking. His storage bag was filled with various fruits, and he could be heard crunching fruits wherever he went.
Du Heng carried Xiao Xiao on his back, and the sound of Xiao Xiao chewing fruit filled his ears. He turned to Xiao Xiao and said, "We'll have a crab dinner tonight. You've eaten so many fruits now, so you won't be able to eat much tonight."
Xiaoxiao laughed and patted his belly with his wings: "Chirp."
Xuan Yu translated: "Xiaoxiao said it's okay." These fruits are all grown naturally and have not been made delicious by Du Heng. Even if he eats too much, he can just let his uncle use his spiritual energy to help him dissolve them.
Du Heng was helpless: "Okay, but wasting food will be punished by the God of Food." Xiaoxiao held a long, gnawed date pit in his mouth, proving that he did not waste food.
Nianniansuisui and Xiaowonton followed Du Heng, leaving the trail with the sound of geese quacking. Du Heng smiled: "Every time I go out, I feel like a local emperor. Look, I am surrounded by people."
Xuan Yu also laughed after a quick scan with his spiritual sense: "It proves that you have a kind heart. Small animals like to be with simple and kind people."
Du Heng narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Yes, yes, our cat gave me a lot of eels. I have to find a time to eat them all. I can't waste the cat's kindness."
Xuan Yu pulled two dates from a roadside tree and handed them to Du Heng: "I thought you didn't notice."
Du Heng proudly took the date and took a bite. "I noticed it a long time ago! It's hard not to see it in such a big barrel. At first I thought it was you or the generals who caught it, but later I saw teeth marks on some of the eels and realized it was the kitten who did it."
The dates from Dongji Mountain are not as crisp, sweet and juicy as the winter dates from my hometown, but they are larger in size. The color of the date skin is still bluish-white, and it will probably taste better after a while when it turns red.
Just as Du Heng was throwing the date pits to the side of the road, he saw a yellow figure flash through the bushes not far away. He was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"
Xuan Yu saw Du Heng's surprised face, he stopped and asked, "What's wrong?" Du Heng said in a trance, "I seemed to see Da Huang just now."
Du Heng was deeply impressed by the big chaos. He could tell the difference between his small wonton and the big chaos at a glance. Although the figure just flashed by, Du Heng felt that it was Da Huang.
On the hillside, Lao Dao was lying lazily. The afternoon sun shone warmly through the orchard onto him. Lao Dao crossed his legs and hummed a little tune: "Hey hey~"
When Du Heng stood in front of Lao Dao, Lao Dao stood up from the ground: "Mr. Du, you are here to pick fruits? Do you need my help?"
Du Heng looked around: "Hmm..." Lao Dao asked doubtfully: "Mr. Du, what are you looking at?"
Du Heng scratched his hair in confusion: "I seemed to see Da Huang just now." But when he walked over here, where was Da Huang? It was clearly only Lao Dao.
Lao Dao smiled innocently: "You must have seen it wrong. Did you mistake the wonton for rhubarb?"
Du Heng looked at Wonton who was looking around on the hillside, and said embarrassedly: "Yeah, maybe I really saw it wrong."
Du Heng sighed and went back to the cave with the backpack on his back. Lao Dao wiped the sweat off his face. His secret was almost discovered by Du Heng.
In the large wooden basin on the platform, black hairy crabs were blowing bubbles. If you walked closer, you could hear the bubbles bursting. Du Heng squatted in front of the basin with a brush in his hand: "Hey, these are steamed, these are boiled, and these... let's make a crab stew!"
Crab meat pot is a dish that Du Heng is good at and loves to eat. It contains both meat and vegetables. A big pot of it in the autumn and winter seasons is both stomach-warming and heart-warming.
Du Heng and Xuan Yu cleaned the crabs one by one, and Du Heng took out some straw ropes to tie up the crabs that needed to be steamed. The tied crabs tucked their legs in obediently, and even if Du Heng placed them belly up in the steamer with ginger slices, they could not move.
Steamed crabs are easy to handle. After the water boils, they can be eaten after being steamed for a stick of incense. Du Heng closed the lid of the steamer and put it aside. He opened the refrigerator and started to work busily. A pile of side dishes soon piled up on the chopping board.
Xiaoxiao jumped onto the chopping board and took a look at the side dishes. In the basket were ground eggs, rice cakes, tofu, prawns, squid and chicken feet. Two baskets were full of ingredients, plus the crabs next to them. Du Heng was preparing to cook a big pot.
Seeing the chicken feet, Xiaoxiao started to ask questions. Du Heng knew what Xiaoxiao was asking. He was asking Du Heng if he wanted braised chicken feet. Du Heng's braised chicken feet were his favorite, and he could eat a lot every time.
Du Heng cut the nails off the chicken feet and replied with a smile: "Yes, it's braised chicken feet. You must have never eaten braised chicken feet this time."
Hearing that there was something he had never eaten before, Xiaoxiao immediately became excited. He sat on the stove and refused to move. When Xuan Yu came out and saw this scene, he laughed out loud: "Since you came to the village, Xiaoxiao has been staying at your stove most of the time."
Du Heng was calm: "Let him stay there. It will be difficult to jump up once he transforms." Du Heng has always believed that Xiaoxiao can transform, just as he firmly believes that every side dish in the crab pot can burst into unparalleled deliciousness.
After the nails of the chicken feet were trimmed, they were cut into pieces. Du Heng cut each chicken foot twice, and the chicken foot was divided into three parts, which looked about the same size. Du Heng soaked them in water, and took advantage of this gap to deal with other ingredients.
Du Heng cut the rice cake into round pieces. Seeing Xiao Xiao staring at him intently, Du Heng had an idea: "Xiao Xiao, do you want some roasted rice cake?"
Baked rice cake? Xiaoxiao didn't know what it was, but it was definitely right to nod her head first.
Du Heng took out a piece of rice cake the size of a palm, and cut it in half with a knife. He took the casserole off the stove and put a piece of wire mesh on the stove.
He adjusted the fire to the lowest setting and placed two rice cakes on the wire mesh. The rice cakes were kept in water by Du Heng, and the water on the surface dried up quickly when they were roasted by the hot fire. Soon, a bulge appeared on the downward side, and after turning it over, yellow charred skin could be seen on the bulge.
After being turned over several times, the rice cakes were no longer as hard and even as when they were put on the wire mesh. They were all swollen and had yellow burnt spots on them. Du Heng tapped the burnt spots with chopsticks, and the burnt spots fell under the wire mesh.
Du Heng asked Xiao Xiao who was standing beside him, "Do you like sweet or salty food?"
Feng Gui's voice came: "It's spicy."
Du Heng turned around and saw that Jing Nan and Feng Gui had squatted behind him. Xiao Xiao, who was sitting next to the stove, had been squeezed away to some place. Xiao Xiao was so angry that he jumped up and down, but he still couldn't beat his uncle and Jing Nan. He could only watch his rice cakes being taken away!
Xiaoxiao was so angry that he almost died. He fell to the ground with his feet up in the air and gave up struggling.
Feng Gui looked down at Xiao Xiao, holding a small plate with roasted rice cakes on it, and squatted beside him to tempt him: "Oh, it smells so good."
Isn't it really delicious? After the rice cake is baked, a hard rice shell appears on the outside, but the inside is still soft and can be pulled very long with one bite. Feng Gui and Jing Nan squatted beside Xiao Xiao, one dipped in chili and the other in sugar. Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes in anger.
Du Heng didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "That's enough, you two. How can you be an elder like this?"
Feng Gui chewed a piece of rice cake and said, "What's wrong with the elders? I don't have the habit of asking elders to give way to me. If Feng Lin has this ability, he should let his elders give way to him." Feng Gui started to make trouble and Xiao Xiao was so angry that he got hurt.
Jing Nan called Du Heng: "This is good, bake a few more!"
Du Heng had just that in mind. He was afraid that if he was too slow, Xiao Xiao would get angry and cry. Looking at the generals who were looking around in the cave, Du Heng simply took out a few more rice cakes. Since they were all baked, why not let everyone have a taste?
Du Heng called Xuan Yu: "Xiao Yu, take out my grill!" Xuan Yu received the order: "Okay."
Soon, Du Heng put the white rice cakes on the grill. Du Heng took out his barbecue seasoning and said, "Tell me what flavor you want! There are sweet, salty, and spicy flavors."
Under the charcoal fire, the surface of the rice cakes appeared slightly white bubbles, and soon the white bubbles began to grow. The baked rice cakes are also good to eat plain, and they will taste even better when dipped in sugar or chili. Du Heng likes the baked rice cakes from his hometown, which are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Brush them with a layer of barbecue sauce and a layer of sweet noodle sauce, and you will be satisfied after eating one.
Xuan Yu and Xiao Xiao soon received the rice cakes baked by Du Heng. The original taste of the rice cakes was immediately sublimated by the seasoning sauce. Xiao Xiao loved this sweet, salty and fresh rice cake. If the fried rice cakes and brown sugar rice cakes during the Chinese New Year can be rated 90 points by Xiao Xiao, the fragrant and crispy baked rice cakes after brushing with oil are full marks!
The generals also liked the taste. Yun Zheng and his men even requested that a layer of chili powder be sprinkled on the outside of the rice cake to make it taste richer.
Everyone was still not satisfied, so Du Heng decided to stop while he was ahead. Rice cakes are very solid, and if you eat a few more pieces, your stomach will be full. How can he let everyone eat rice cakes to their heart's content when he hasn't even performed his main act?
Chicken feet were put into the pot, Du Heng threw the spice bag into the chicken feet and started to stew them. Seeing him stewing the chicken feet, Chonghua and the others gathered around the stove and said, "Mr. Du, why don't you stew them a little more? This is a good dish to go with wine."
Du Heng asked doubtfully, "Aren't there some more in the refrigerator?" He braised so many chicken wings and duck feet, could it be that Chonghua and the others didn't find them?
Chonghua pointed at his finger embarrassedly: "Well, isn't this because you are too embarrassed to open the refrigerator?"
Du Heng was happy: "It's not a big deal, just eat what you want. When you leave Dongji Mountain, I'll leave all the cooked food in the refrigerator for you. I can cook it anyway, so it's not difficult to make whatever you want. You just have to make a refrigerator like mine, so that the food won't go bad."
Xuan Yu said: "You can customize this refrigerator in Wan Workshop, but don't order the same one when you order it, it will be easy to be exposed. Just ask them to customize a few containers that can stop time."
Chonghua and the others knew that their eyes narrowed into two slits: "Hey, let's go and order it tomorrow!"
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The chicken feet in the pot need to be braised for two incense sticks. The chicken feet in the crab pot need to be stewed until the skin is crispy and the meat is tender and melts in the mouth. If you stew them according to the braising time, the chicken feet will be too chewy.
While the chicken feet were being stewed in the pot, Du Heng put soybean oil in another pot. He cut the crabs in half with a knife. Looking at the cross section of the crabs, Du Heng was very satisfied: "So fat!"
The cross section was full of yellow, and Du Heng carefully removed the crab stomach. He rolled the crab cross section in starch, then dipped the starched crab cross section into the oil pan.
The crabs didn't need to be fried for too long. Du Heng just wanted to keep the crab roe from falling apart during the stewing process. After frying for a while, the crabs turned orange-red. Du Heng scooped them out onto a plate for later use.
Feng Gui said to Du Heng, "I found that ground eggs dipped in chili peppers are also delicious. Chili peppers really are omnipotent."
Du Heng was stunned for a moment. Ground eggs? Where did Feng Gui get the ground eggs? He suddenly had some bad thoughts in his mind. Sure enough, when he turned around, he saw Feng Gui and the others standing next to the stove.
They all had a piece of potato on their chopsticks, which had been cooked until soft. Du Heng blushed: "I forgot the time!"
He had only thought about boiling the potatoes until they were cooked through, but he forgot about it when he was busy frying the crabs. Then Feng Gui and the others found out... Du Heng's potatoes were gone.
Du Heng was very helpless: "Those are the last few potatoes."
Feng Gui chuckled: "Are you kidding me? I saw you planted a lot yesterday. Do you need me to help you ripen them?" Du Heng insisted on his principles: "Potatoes that have not been exposed to the sun and rain have no soul!"
Feng Gui remained calm: "Xiaoxiao ate so many soulless potato chips before, but she was fine, right?"
Du Heng was completely defeated, so he could only accept his fate and go to ripen the potatoes. After a while, he came out with a basket of large potatoes.
He complained, "My potato field is incomplete." Even if the potatoes he replanted later were not from the same batch as the other potatoes, the other potatoes would laugh at them!
Du Heng peeled the potatoes and cut them into large pieces, then poured them into cold water. This time he had to watch carefully and not let this group of people eat the cooked potatoes with chili peppers.
The potato cubes can be cooked in two cups of tea. Du Heng watched the stove and when the time was up, he scooped them out and put them on a plate.
While waiting, he also cut the squid into pieces, removed the shrimp threads and cut the shrimp claws. When he finished processing all the ingredients, the chicken feet in the pot were also stewed until soft.
Du Heng left some oil in the pan where the crabs had been fried. He threw in some chopped green onions, shredded ginger and crushed garlic to sauté until fragrant, then he took out a handful of dried chilies and dried Sichuan peppercorns and threw them into the pan, then scooped in two tablespoons of bean paste and poured it into the pan.
The pot suddenly turned red, and Jing Nan began to mutter again: "Ah, so spicy..."
Du Heng assured again and again: "It's not spicy, really, you believe me." Jing Nan continued to mutter: "Ah, you should put less spicy..."
Du Heng had no choice but to use Xiaoyu: "Xiaoyu, let Jingnan be quiet."
Xuan Yu looked at Jing Nan: "Do you want to shut up yourself or do you need my help?"
Jing Nan sniffed and threw himself into Feng Gui's arms: "It's so unfair, bullying a fox!" However, this time Feng Gui couldn't stand on the same front with Jing Nan. Feng Gui sniffed and said: "I don't think it's spicy."
There was a split among the three demon gods, and they were about to come to blows.
Du Heng quickly put in the ingredients he had prepared long ago. He pushed the cooked chicken feet into the pot and continued to stir-fry, then added the raw potatoes. After the potatoes and chicken feet were dyed, he took out the soup from cooking the chicken feet.
When the soup slightly exceeded the chicken feet and potatoes, Du Heng put a handful of rock sugar into the pot. Then, he put the processed crabs into the soup to stew. In the gap next to the crabs, he also inserted the chopped tofu. The bubbling sound was a kind of enjoyment to the ears, and the fresh fragrance wafting from the pot was a supreme sense of accomplishment.
When the soup in the pot was reduced by half, Du Heng put in the remaining ingredients. The remaining ingredients can be cooked by just a little stir-frying, and overcooking will make them lose their original flavor.
Half a cup of tea later, Du Heng sprinkled a large amount of pepper and a handful of white sesame seeds into the pot. After stir-frying it a little, he took out the largest pot in the house and said, "The crab pot is ready~"
There were too many crabs in the pot to fit in one pot, so Du Heng used three large pots to take out all the food in the pot. He only brought one pot to the table, and temporarily put the remaining two pots in the refrigerator, so that even if he took them out later, they would still be fragrant and not cold.
At this time, the crabs in the pot were about to start steaming. He added two spoons of white wine to the pot and closed the lid: "Xiaoxiao, call me after an incense stick of time after the water boils."
Du Heng discovered that Xiaoxiao had a keen intuition about time. Sometimes, even if he put an hourglass next to her, Xiaoxiao still couldn't remind him. Xiaoxiao was eating the crab pot, and he only had time to utter half a "chiu".
Just like Du Heng said, there is no supporting role in the crab pot. All ingredients have their own amazing side. The first thing to talk about is the chicken feet.
Everyone is used to eating Du Heng's braised chicken feet, whether spiced, white or spicy. Du Heng's chicken feet are soft and sticky when eaten hot, and chewy when eaten cold. They have never eaten such tender chicken feet. Just pick up a chicken foot and put it in your mouth and suck it. The skin of the chicken foot will slide into your mouth, and a slight sip will turn it into a mouthful of sticky and sticky food.
Du Heng seasoned the chicken feet properly, and the taste was moderately salty and sweet. Even Jing Nan, who was very averse to chili peppers, enjoyed the meal. Not to mention Xiao Xiao, a foodie, who started humming again.
Look at the tofu soaked in the soup, fresh and tender, gently pinch it open, the thick soup in the holes of the tofu flows out. If you have a bowl of spiritual rice at this time, the tofu and the spiritual rice will dance in your mouth.
Look at the potatoes that Du Heng strongly recommends. They are so cooked that they break easily when touched and snap easily when pinched. If you want to eat them, you can only use chopsticks to gently lift them into the bowl. The new potatoes are soft and soft, wrapped in the thick soup. When you gently press your tongue, they become full of freshness and fragrance.
The prawns and squids are not far behind. They are firm and chewy after being cooked a little bit, and you can taste the freshness of the ingredients. If you find it troublesome, you can just chew the whole prawn. The freshness of the prawn meat mixed with the salty and sweet soup is irresistible. The cut squid rolls are also very meaningful. Their flesh hides a secret and can hold more soup.
Finally, we have to talk about the crabs. The crabs were cooked to perfection, with delicate roe and sweet meat. When you take a bite of the crab, the crab meat and roe fill your mouth. You can see the meat stained with sauce on the crabs with crescent-shaped bite marks.
After eating the crab body, there are also hidden secrets inside the crab legs. Patient people will break them off one by one and suck the meat inside. The impatient ones will just chew them and spit out a bunch of residue. There are even more impatient ones who just chew and swallow them!
The strict and respectful Yun Zheng ate three crabs in a row before stopping. He said happily, "It's delicious. I've never eaten crabs like this before. Mr. Du, can I catch more crabs tomorrow? Please make more for us. After you leave, Chonghua and I can taste your cooking skills."
Yun Zheng rarely makes requests, so Du Heng certainly wouldn't refuse. He smiled generously, "Okay! Actually, I'm telling you, you can put anything in the crab pot. You can mix it with chicken, or add spareribs or something like that. You can put whatever ingredients you like in it and cook it."
Chonghua's eyes sparkled: "Then... can you make some of them?" Du Heng promised: "No problem!"
After everyone ate the crab stew for a while, they felt that the dish was a little cold. Du Heng said, "For dishes like stew, you can put a stove underneath and cook them while you eat them. Even if you finish eating them, they will still be hot. It's just that the soup will dry up easily and become a little salty, but adding some boiling water will not be a big problem. Why don't we try it now?"
Du Heng poured the crab meat in the pot into his hot pot. Sure enough, the slightly cool dish began to heat up again.
Feng Gui took out the green plum wine: "Didn't Du Heng say last time that green plum wine can be boiled? How about boiling some?" Jing Nan also had the same idea: "Okay, don't you have a wine cup that can be used to warm the wine? Take it out."
Du Heng had no interest in green plum wine. He was waiting for Xiao Xiao to remind him to go get the steamed crabs. Xiao Xiao reminded Du Heng just as Feng Gui and the others poured the wine.
The steamed crabs lay neatly belly up in the steamer. They were orange-yellow in color, and the bottom of the steamer was soaked with yellow grease. Du Heng exclaimed: "What fat crabs!"
In Du Heng's hometown, crabs are a luxury. Even in Du Heng's private restaurant, the crab reserve is not very large every day. A crab costs dozens of dollars, and Du Heng feels painful every time he eats it.
Every time we eat crabs, there is an important festival - Mid-Autumn Festival. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, families gather together to taste crabs, watch the moon and eat moon cakes. More elegant families also drink some realgar wine.
Xuan Yu picked up a crab and put it in Du Heng's bowl. He asked, "Do you need me to help you cut the crab?" Du Heng waved his hand, "No, no, the fun of eating crabs is to chew them."
Du Heng didn't need it, but Xiaoxiao did. Xiaoxiao pushed the plate in front of her to Xuanyu without any hesitation. Fenggui and the others laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt: "Xiaoyu, just obey Xiaoxiao."
Xuan Yu was really good at peeling crabs. With a turn of his spiritual energy, the crab meat appeared on the plate. Du Heng didn't know how Xuan Yu did it. He looked at the crab on the plate that looked like it had been shed from its shell and was stunned: "Is this possible?"
Of course that’s fine. Xuan Yu opened another one for Du Heng, and Du Heng was reluctant to eat it.
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After drinking a little, everyone started talking. Jing Nan looked at the moon above his head and said, "In the blink of an eye, we have been in Dongji Mountain for more than half a month, right? It's just autumn in the village now, and the leaves have already started to fall in Dongji Mountain."
Yun Zheng said: "Yes, the winter in Dongji Mountain is very long. It will snow in another month."
Hearing Yun Zheng say this, Du Heng looked up at the sky. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the moon was exceptionally bright during this period. Thinking carefully, it wasn't far from the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. The Mid-Autumn Festival was coming soon, and it was time to make mooncakes.
There are all kinds of mooncakes in his hometown. Du Heng can make Cantonese and Su's mooncakes. He began to think about what kind of fillings to make. First of all, mooncakes with fresh meat filling must be indispensable, and the scorned five-nut filling must also be available. If possible, you can also make salted egg yolk meat floss or lotus paste...
Thinking of this, Du Heng's thoughts drifted away, and he didn't even notice that Xuan Yu had opened two crabs in his bowl.
Xuan Yu did not disturb him, he thought Du Heng was particularly cute when he was in a daze. However, Xiao Xiao refused to give in, and chirped at Du Heng for a long time. Seeing that Du Heng did not respond, Xiao Xiao even patted the back of Du Heng's hand with her wings.
Du Heng suddenly came back to his senses and asked embarrassedly, "What is Xiaoxiao saying?" His bird language was not yet up to standard, so he couldn't understand Xiaoxiao if she spoke a little longer.
Xuan Yu explained: "Xiaoxiao said that you haven't made the fried chicken and candied taro that you promised to make for him yet."
Du Heng's face turned red. Oops, Xiaoxiao hadn't mentioned it, but he actually forgot about it. There were a lot of chickens, ducks, and geese in the refrigerator. Fried chicken was easy to make, but the last taro was made into taro braised pork. If you want to eat taro, you have to ripen the taro that has not grown yet in the field.
Those taro were dug from Dongji Mountain. Du Heng hadn't eaten them yet, so he didn't know if their texture and taste were similar to those bought from Zhou's shop. Taro is very picky. The climate and hydrology of the place of origin... As long as there are slight differences, the taro grown will be very different.
Du Heng said to Xiao Xiao: "Fried chicken is fine, but I'll have to try taro to know." Xiao Xiao was very satisfied. Du Heng looked at the crab casserole in Xiao Xiao's bowl and said, "You are really thinking about the pot while you are eating from the bowl."
Xiaoxiaoxiao's eyes narrowed: "Chirp." Since he picked up Du Heng, he has eaten a lot of delicious food. He wanted to try all the delicious food that Du Heng mentioned.
Everyone was enjoying steamed crabs and eating crab stew, and before they knew it the moon had climbed above their heads. Yun Zheng and Chonghua had drunk too much, and Yun Zheng blushed as he held Lao Dao's hand, "After all these years in Dongji Mountain, this period of time is the happiest and most relaxing for me."
In the past, even though Dongji Mountain was full of beautiful scenery, people would get tired of it after seeing it too much. He and Chonghua guarded Dongji Mountain together, and they saw too many people who went up the mountain to dig for treasure to cheat each other for a spiritual plant. Unconsciously, they looked down on human cultivation and human nature.
In fact, Dongji Mountain is easy to pass. Yun Zheng and Chonghua are not bloodthirsty people. However, there are very few people and monsters who can pass Taowu Road and Qiongqi Road. Even if there are no poisonous snakes, insects, rats and ants in the mountains, their internal conflicts can tear them apart.
The longer they stayed here, the colder they felt. It had been a long time since they had felt so relaxed and comfortable like now, and the key person who brought all this about was Du Heng.
Chonghua hugged Du Heng's waist and hummed: "Don't leave. If you leave, who will cook for us? Please stay. I still like you even if you don't cook. Okay?" The drunk Chonghua was later carried away by Lao Dao. I wonder what his expression would be when he wakes up and knows that he has said so much to Du Heng.
Xuan Yu also drank a little wine today. Under the cool moonlight, he relaxed in his chair and looked at the moon in the sky. For a moment, Du Heng felt that Xuan Yu was particularly lonely, but when he looked at Du Heng, his eyes reflected Du Heng's shadow.
Xuan Yu smiled slightly, and all the scenery in the world lost its color. Xuan Yu's voice was as sweet as syrup: "Du Heng."
Du Heng reached out and touched Xuan Yu's face: "Xuan Yu, are you drunk?" Xuan Yu's face looked normal, but Du Heng always felt that his eyes were blurred.
Xuan Yu grabbed Du Heng's hand and kissed the back of his hand: "Not drunk." Du Heng smiled and said: "I thought you were drunk."
Xuan Yu nodded and looked at Jing Nan and Feng Gui opposite him: "I'm waiting for them to fall so that I can drag them back to the room."
Hearing Xuan Yu's words, Du Heng looked across the table and saw Jing Nan's face flushed. He pulled Feng Gui and kept saying, "You are my brother, good brother, come on, clink glasses!" Feng Gui held a crab shell in his hand and clinked it with Jing Nan's empty cup: "Yes! Clink glasses!"
Du Heng: ...These two are so drunk, why haven't they fallen yet? They have been clinking glasses with each other for half an hour, right? It's endless.
Xiaoxiao was the only one who felt most comfortable at the table. He was just a kid, so it was not his turn to drink. After eating, he ran to the spring to take a bath early, and now he was lying on Du Heng's bed and sleeping soundly.
Finally, Jing Nan fell down first, his body sliding down the table. Du Heng thought he would roll to the ground, but when he looked under the table, he saw that his body was tilted, with his head resting on Feng Gui's thigh. Feng Gui rubbed Jing Nan's hair, he laughed twice, and then fell on the table with a plop.
Du Heng breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally fell down." Xuan Yu stood up and walked towards the two of them: "You go back and rest first, I'll take care of the rest."
As long as Xuan Yu was around, Du Heng never had to wash dishes. It was always Xuan Yu who cleaned up the mess.
After Xuan Yu, Jing Nan and Feng Gui moved into the room, he found Du Heng still sitting on the chair, smiling at Xuan Yu. Xuan Yu smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
Du Heng's smile widened: "My Xiaoyu is so pretty." Xuan Yu walked to Du Heng and squatted down. He held Du Heng's hands and looked at him deeply: "My Xiaoheng is also so pretty."
Du Heng woke up a little late the next day. When he opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Xiao pressing on his chest. Du Heng rubbed Xiao Xiao and said, "I felt shortness of breath in my dream. It turned out to be you." Xiao Xiao rubbed Du Heng's face affectionately: "Chirp chirp~"
Maybe Du Heng promised Xiao Xiao that he would make fried chicken for him, so this guy followed Du Heng closely since morning. When Du Heng was practicing, he could see Xiao Xiao squatting in front of him as soon as he opened his eyes. When he went to the fields with a backpack on his back, Xiao Xiao also squatted inside the backpack.
He didn't even care about the years and years, but today he just relied on Du Heng.
Du Heng had no choice but to ripen two taro plants. If he didn't make fried chicken and candied taro for Xiaoxiao today, I'm afraid tonight would not be as simple as pressing on his chest.
After peeling the fresh taro, Du Heng felt a little nervous. The taro from Dongji Mountain is white, without purple-red patterns. Du Heng was unsure about how the taro would taste. After thinking about it, he found a few sweet potatoes. If the candied taro failed, he could still have the candied sweet potatoes to save the situation.
Du Heng peeled the taro and sweet potato and cut them into dice. Although the cut sweet potato and taro are both white, they can be distinguished at a glance. The surface of taro is sticky, while sweet potato is drier. Du Heng put the two ingredients in a colander and waited for cooking.
He took out five small tender chickens from the refrigerator. Each of these chickens weighed only two or three pounds, which was perfect for making fried chicken. Du Heng removed the heads and tails of the small tender chickens and chopped them into large pieces. He placed the chopped chickens in a wooden basin and then added the marinade that had been prepared long ago.
The marinade contains garlic, salt, soy sauce, pepper and a small amount of sugar. After Du Heng mixed the chicken pieces and colored them evenly, he called Xiaoxiao: "Xiaoxiao, go find your uncle and ask him to use the time-flying magic."
Xiaoxiao shook her head regretfully: "Chirp~" Uncle drank too much last night and couldn't get up today.
Du Heng touched Xiaoxiao's head and said, "Then... let's make the candied taro first."
Du Heng threw the diced sweet potatoes and taro into the water. They would be ready after half a cup of boiling water. The taro was still hard after being stewed for a while, but it didn't matter, as they would soon be coated with starch and put into the oil pan.
The taro and sweet potato coated with starch did not look much different, mainly because they were both white. After the oil in the pot was heated, Du Heng slid the two taro into the pot one by one along the edge of the pot.
The fire in the pot should not be too big, it needs to be fried slowly over medium heat. Du Heng was very patient, and he would poke the taro in the pot with chopsticks from time to time.
Xiaoxiao stretched his neck: "Chirp..." Not ready yet? He was waiting so anxiously.
When the tip of the chopsticks could easily pierce the taro, Du Heng took it out of the pot. In the pot next to him, he had already prepared sugar and water. The sugar in the pot had not yet melted, and it was piled up at the bottom of the pot.
As the temperature in the pot slowly rises, the sugar slowly melts. The melted sugar water is not thick at first, but as it boils, large bubbles appear in the water, and then the bubbles turn into small and dense bubbles. Don't be impatient at this time, the sugar is not boiled yet.
Du Heng stirred the sugar water and said to Xiao Xiao: "This dish is delicious, but eating too much will make you fat."
Foods high in oil and sugar can bring satisfaction to people but can also make them hate it. Du Heng couldn't help but touch his belly. He felt that he would never be able to develop abdominal muscles like Xuan Yu and the others in his lifetime.
When the color of the sugar turned slightly yellow, Du Heng dipped the chopsticks in the sugar water and quickly placed the chopsticks in the cold water bowl that had been prepared nearby. A thin layer of sugar coating appeared on the chopsticks. He took it out and took a bite. It was crispy and sweet, but not sticky!
Du Heng boldly poured the taro into the syrup pot and stir-fried it for a few times, then put the taro mixed with the syrup on a plate. If you pick up a piece of food at this time, you will see golden threads appearing between the food.
Xiaoxiao opened his mouth wide and waited for Du Heng to feed him. Du Heng nervously fed him a mouthful of food: "How is it?"
Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly lit up: "Chirp!" Good!
The double taro, which was boiled and then fried, had a crispy outer skin and a soft inner side, which was both crispy and sweet. The ingredients were scalding hot, but the outer layer of silk had already cooled down. Xiaoxiao couldn't tell whether the crispness was from the sugar or the starch coating, he just knew it tasted good.
Du Heng’s hidden menu is amazing! Xiao Xiao was about to eat his meal when he suddenly looked up at Du Heng and greeted him enthusiastically: “Chirp.”
Eat, don’t just watch him eat alone, there’s so much here!
Du Heng took a bite of the food with chopsticks. The outer layer was covered with sugar and starch, and he could no longer tell whether it was sweet potato or taro. But after he put it in his mouth and took a bite, he confirmed that it was sweet potato.
This is a successful double-candied taro. At least Du Heng gave full marks to the taro. The white-hearted taro has more starch than the red-hearted one.
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