Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Stir-fried large intestine with pickled mustard greens.
The large intestine was cleaned and cut into slices, the peppers were washed, and Ji Xu peeled some garlic he brought from home.
She also discovered that there was a jar of extremely sour pickled vegetables at the foot of the wall in the Feng family's kitchen. Once the lid was opened, the sour smell would make people salivate.
In the Wu and Chu areas, pickled vegetables are popular every winter. Vegetables like turnips, sunflower greens, and mustard greens can all be pickled. When the sun is good, they are dried and wilted. The green leaves are removed, leaving only the stems. They are mixed with salt and placed in a jar. Don't forget to press it tightly with stones. The vegetables will become sour and salty in half a month.
The Feng family, who have the means, will also boil glutinous rice into a paste and grind some sesame juice into it to enhance the flavor.
She scooped out two pieces with dry chopsticks, and saw that they were a beautiful golden hairpin color, not inferior to those sold by young men in the country market.
Also cut into thin slices.
Heat the oil in the iron pot, add garlic and pepper, stir-fry until fragrant, then pour the large intestine into the hot oil and stir-fry, add some pickled vegetables, and finally adjust the seasoning.
During the process, the steam from the wok emits a sour, spicy and fragrant aroma, which is blown out of the house by the wind and is extremely tempting.
The men and women in the rice fields all stretched their necks to smell, their faces filled with ecstasy.
“It smells so good…”
"It smells this good again? That's really weird."
Everyone had been busy working in the fields for a long time, so how could they not be hungry? The aroma stimulated their stomachs, and everyone was hungry.
"Fuzhen, what are you doing at home? It smells so good."
Cui Si completely forgot how smelly and disgusting it was just now, and now he wanted to smell it a few more times.
Feng Fuzhen finally spoke the truth: "It should be the Xu girl who is cooking the pig intestines."
Ji Yuan sneered:
"You actually asked Nu to work in the kitchen? Nu is so stupid that she would cook such filthy food."
Although her family background was only middle class in Bengu, she was good-looking and smart, and was about to be married. Her father-in-law was still preparing a carriage in the county, and he might marry her to the county town. Even the Feng family was looked down upon by her, as she considered them to be the descendant of a family slave.
Therefore, he muttered, "No wonder everyone in Shengchang says that the Feng family, as a wealthy family here, is not presentable..."
Bao insisted, "I will never eat that large intestine. The thought of it makes me hard to swallow."
Feng Xingba had no idea what was dirty and cheap. He only knew that the smell was so delicious that he wanted to fly home instead of staying in the field to catch grasshoppers.
He chased after Aunt Xu and asked countless times, "Auntie, when will you be home? I'm hungry."
Aunt Xu looked at the sky and saw that it was already noon, so she decided to do it: "The sun is getting hot. Let's go home and have lunch first, then rest for the afternoon before returning to work."
After hearing this, the Feng family packed up their baskets, sickles, shoulder poles and other things and went home.
In the Feng family kitchen, on the two-tiered wooden table, prepared dishes were placed in ceramic plates. There were amber-colored braised pork, golden and crispy pepper and salt ribs, leeks and pork shreds with a combination of soy sauce and meat aroma, a plate of stir-fried large intestine with pickled vegetables, and a bowl of pork, bone and lotus root soup that had just been taken out of the pot.
There were also two plates of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, which were green and tender.
It can be said that it is suitable for both meat and vegetables, and soups and vegetables.
It was hot at noon, so the Feng family had lunch in the small pavilion in the courtyard. There were rush mats on the ground and there were trees to shade them.
Feng Da, Feng Er, and Feng Yun each brought a food tray from the hall and placed it in the pavilion.
The Feng family did not have so many rules, and did not follow the example of the wealthy families in Shengchang, eating at separate tables.
The food tables were connected end to end, and the whole family, from the chief one to the last one in order of seniority, would kneel at the table and eat around it.
The younger ones like Feng Fuzhen came into the kitchen to serve the dishes. When they smelled the fragrance, they even scooped water to wash their hands more hastily than usual.
Aunt Xu also came in and saw that Ji Xu had cleaned the cooking utensils and put them back to their original state. Except for the extra steaming dishes, it was impossible to tell that anything had been touched.
She couldn't help but feel relieved, and gave Ji Xu the twenty coins she had prepared long ago, and said politely:
"Miss Xu will also stay and have lunch with us."
Ji Xu knew this was just a courtesy. After all, the two rice-cutting servants hired by the Feng family also went back to their own homes for meals.
"Mother Xu is so kind, but my sister is waiting for me to go back and prepare dinner, so I can't stay any longer."
Mrs. Xu thought that since she had been away from home for three years, she had become more understanding of human nature, so she decided not to keep her any longer and gave her a piece of fresh lean meat left at home.
"I saw you bring a bamboo tube back home. I'm afraid we don't have enough seasonings at home, so I'm sorry you're wasting money. Take this meat."
Xu is not the kind of person who takes advantage of others. She just cares about her reputation.
When Mrs. Bao heard this, she came forward and said, "Mother, please give the pig intestines to Xu's daughter. She is a good cook, so it won't be a waste if you give it to her."
Butcher Li came to the house in the middle of the night and slaughtered two pigs, leaving out two sets of large intestines. Ji Xu cooked one set, and the other set was still hanging on the crossbar.
In her opinion, large intestines cannot be delicious.
Butcher Li took the meat to the country market to sell, and the price was extremely low, no more than five cents. Ordinary people would rather spend a few more dollars to eat real meat, so those who would buy it would mostly cook it for their servants, or some cooks would cook it for the servants.
Compared to such cheap things, the lean meat can be kept at home to make soup. In order to keep the lean meat, Mrs. Bao even praised Ji Xu against her will.
After saying that, he pinched his nose and lifted up the large intestine tied with a straw rope, fearing that Ji Xu would take the lean meat, so he handed the large intestine to her first.
Ji Xu thanked him, took it with a smile, and went home.
Along the way, people covered their noses and avoided them. Ji Yuan was even more amused when he saw this. Not afraid of Ji Xu hearing, he said to Jin in the kitchen in the yard:
"Miss Xu got a pair of pig intestines from the Feng family and brought them home as a treasure."
The farming work has been very busy recently, so Jin bought two pounds of meat to cook, which is more expensive than pig intestines.
She used two iron knives, and the sound of chopping meat could be heard outside.
The villagers passing by would know, "Mrs. Jin, do you have meat soup? The food is really good..."
Ji Yuan was very pleased with it. He even drove Ji Zhi, who was tiring the fire, out and stayed under the stove to add firewood.
Usually, she relied on her age and Jin's favoritism to avoid doing these odd jobs.
Speaking of the Feng family,
Feng Xingba had tasted Ji Xu's cooking and was thinking about it very much. He first tried the braised pork, which melted in his mouth and was extremely satisfying.
Don't forget to chew on the salt and pepper ribs, and carefully clean the bones before putting them aside.
Feng Er shook his head when he saw this. "How could Xingba even eat the ribs so carefully? If anyone sees this in the future, they'll think our Feng family is shabby."
Feng Xingba was so busy chewing his ribs that he didn't even have time to say anything. It was still Xu who was protecting her grandson. Seeing the incense her grandson used, she loved it very much in her heart. How could she be surprised?
"It's a good thing not to be extravagant. And today we're in front of our family, so let him eat as much as he wants and everyone else will eat too."
Feng Er still smacked his lips and shook his head, thinking that the mother spoiled her child too much.
When he picked up a piece to eat, he was surprised by the crispy outside and tender inside. He took one bite after another and unknowingly put the bone in his mouth, savoring the taste.
He reacted quickly and spat it out.
Fortunately, no one laughed at him because everyone was busy eating.
The shiny and tender braised meat, soaked in gravy and crushed into the rice, is so delicious that it will make your mouth water.
Feng Ermong ate his rice, thinking, "There's no shortage of meat at home, so why am I so greedy?" Then he looked down and saw that his bowl of rice was almost empty.
He immediately stood up to add another bowl, and did not forget to respectfully take Xu's bowl and help her add more rice.
Feng Da found the meat very soft and tender, so he decided to put the braised pork in front of Xu, who had bad teeth. However, Xu put the pork in front of her grandchildren and let them eat it.
"Mom, this large intestine tastes great too."
No one touched the pig intestine at first, but Feng Xingba had eaten something else before, so he couldn't wait to pick up a piece of pig intestine with his chopsticks to taste it, his eyes wide open, and then he told Aunt Xu about it.
You know, Feng Xingba, the member of the Feng family, has the most picky mouth.
Upon hearing this, his uncle Feng Da also took some to taste, and immediately nodded and said it was good. It was fresh, spicy, sour and crispy, especially good with rice, and it was very refreshing when paired with the refreshing pickled vegetables.
Next came Feng Fuzhen, Xu Ai and Feng Er, who all picked up their chopsticks and praised the food after tasting it.
Bao had originally decided to eat some rice to fill her stomach, so she could talk it over and have her fourth brother cook in the kitchen tomorrow.
As a result, they ate so deliciously that even her husband, Feng Er, forgot his promise to criticize Ji Xu's cooking skills. He ate beside her and was so engrossed that he didn't respond even when she kept poking him with her arm. He even put a piece of pig intestine into her bowl.
"Eat it. If it doesn't taste good, I'll give you my head as a pillow."
Bao looked disgusted, but the food was already in the bowl, so she couldn't take it back. She endured the nausea and ate it in small bites.
As soon as the taste entered his mouth, his eyes opened suddenly, and he regretted it so much. He regretted giving that large intestine to Xu Nu!
The spicy, sour and fragrant stir-fried large intestine with pickled mustard greens was extremely popular and was the first to be cleared away. The last bit of soup was poured into the bowl by Bao to mix with the rice. Not even a piece of garlic or a piece of pickled mustard greens was left out. The plate was cleaner than his face.
Feng Fuzhen also wanted to pour the soup over her rice, but Bao Shi beat her to the punch. She couldn't help but curl her lips and said, "Didn't Auntie say she wouldn't eat a single bite?"
Bao was enjoying the spicy and delicious food. When she heard this, she wiped the sweat from her nose with a towel. She didn't feel embarrassed at all. She had her own explanation.
"I'm exhausted after working in the fields for half a day. I'm just in need of something spicy and sour to go with my meal."
In comparison, Feng Yun, who was sitting opposite her, ate in a very polite manner, making it impossible to tell what he thought of food. Not to mention the large intestine, he didn't even touch the plate of ribs from beginning to end, always treating it as a cheap thing.
If she doesn't eat well, she will eat more.
Bao was thinking about it, and after eating her fill, she murmured to Feng Er, "This intestine is cheap, but it tastes very good. Miss Xu really has some cooking skills..."
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Zū, a pickling method.
Pickles, pickled vegetables, sauerkraut.
Please comment and collect [scatter flowers]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
