Just as they were discussing it, the brigade leader's grandson, Tiezhu, knocked on the door: "Aunt Siya, my grandpa is asking if you want to make fish cakes? If you do, bring your fish to our house and we'll make them together!"
Xu Ningyan's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly: "We need to take a taxi! We'll go right away!"
As he spoke, he grabbed a handful of dried fish and stuffed them into Tie Zhu's hand for him to eat.
He fished the big grass carp out of the water tank, strung it up with grass, then took out about ten eggs and a packet of brown sugar, gesturing for Gu Zhiyuan to come with him to the brigade leader's house.
The brigade leader is a renowned master fish cake maker in the Unity Brigade, with a family tradition of making it.
In the past, whenever a family in the brigade needed to make fish cakes, they would ask the brigade leader for help.
Fish cake used to be a must-have dish for every family's reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. It was troublesome to make, and it was also very wasteful of firewood, ingredients, and labor.
These past few years haven't been very good, so fewer people are doing this anymore.
It's rare that the brigade distributed fish this year. Even if one family does it, it's still a lot of work. It's more convenient if two or three families work together.
The brigade leader discussed with a few families who were on good terms and had enough money to make fish cakes together to satisfy their cravings.
He knew that Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan were not short of money or such things, so he asked Tiezhu to inquire.
When we arrived at the brigade leader's house, the courtyard was bustling with activity.
A cutting board was set up in the yard, and the team leader and his sons were scaling the fish, rinsing them clean, and then cutting the meat off the fish.
Starting from the tail, use a knife to carefully scrape along the fish's spine all the way down to the gills.
The fish skin needs to be removed from the meat, and the meat attached to the skin and bones needs to be carefully scraped off with a knife.
The fish meat that had been removed was piled up together, and then the captain was seen holding a knife in each hand, rhythmically chopping the fish meat into fish paste.
This was the moment of glory for the captain, and also the main battlefield for the men, while the women assisted from the sidelines.
The brigade leader's wife, Qian Chunlan, was using chopsticks to peel ginger, while her eldest daughter-in-law was picking scallions.
The ginger should also be minced.
Only the white part of the scallion should be used, and it should be chopped finely.
At that time, there was no food processor, so everything was chopped out slowly by hand with two knives.
After mincing the fish, cut a piece of fatty pork and mince it into minced meat as well.
This is grass carp fish cake made with minced fatty pork. If it's fish cake made with silver carp, you would add lard, which would make it more fragrant and smoother.
Mix fish paste and minced meat together, add salt, egg white, cornstarch, chopped ginger and scallions.
Knead the fish meat in a bowl until it becomes a smooth paste. Take a small amount of the paste and drop it into water; if it floats, it's ready.
The large pot of water in the kitchen has already boiled.
Line a steamer with a damp cloth, spread the fish paste evenly on the cloth, smooth it out gently with a knife, and then steam over high heat for at least 30 minutes.
Next, uncover the steamer, wipe the water off the fish cake with a clean steamer cloth, spread the egg yolk evenly on the fish cake, cover the steamer with the lid, wait a while, and then take the steamer out.
The women helping out had already torn off a piece of red paper and soaked it in the wine, which had now turned a bright red color.
Take a clean scallion, dip it in red wine, and sprinkle it on the solidified egg yolk on the surface of the fish cake. The red and yellow colors are very beautiful.
After it has cooled slightly, turn it upside down onto the clean cutting board.
Cut the fish cake into long strips, let it cool for a while, then flip it over.
For aesthetic purposes, two finger-thick strips of fish cake will be cut off from the very side.
The children had been waiting for this delicious treat.
Freshly steamed fish cake is the most fragrant, soft, and delicious.
The captain swiftly sliced the two fish cake strips into small pieces with a knife, giving one piece to each child.
The children quickly put it in their mouths, so hot that they just inhaled and didn't want to spit it out.
I'll also save a few pieces for the elderly in my family to try. The fish cake is soft and tender, so even elderly people with bad teeth can eat it.
Several families' children were watching over the place, and with each child receiving a piece of the food, it was almost gone.
Xu Ningyan held back for a while, and after her family's pot of fish cakes was ready, she casually went up and took two pieces.
She provided the ingredients, and she's still a baby who's only a few hundred months old. Why can't she eat it?
Not only did she eat it herself, but she also fed a piece to Gu Zhiyuan.
Although Gu Zhiyuan was a little embarrassed, he habitually lowered his head and opened his mouth to take Xu Ningyan's hand when she reached out.
As expected, the fish cake was delicious right out of the pot. After eating one piece, Xu Ningyan's appetite was whetted even more.
After thinking for a moment, they winked at Gu Zhiyuan. The two thanked the brigade leader and left behind a dozen eggs and half a pound of brown sugar as a token of appreciation for the brigade leader's hard work.
Then he carried home a basket of fish cakes cut into long strips, along with a cleaned fish skeleton.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, the two of them carried the fish cakes into the kitchen, scooped out a fish cake, cut it in half, and each of them held one half and ate it.
Only the two of them could pull off such an extravagant act.
The lackey, drawn by the smell, followed us in, whimpering and circling around, wanting some too. Xu Ningyan tenderly tore off a small piece and tossed it to the dog: "Just try it! You have strong teeth, so you can eat the frozen fish later, and all the fish bones are yours!"
Every household does it this way. The fish heads, skins, and skeletons left over from making fish cakes are used to cook frozen fish. A large pot of fish is cooked and left to freeze overnight. The next day, the fish soup solidifies into a jelly-like consistency, which is chewy and bouncy. It is one of the locals' favorite ways to cook fish.
Wealthy families would cook pure fish jelly, containing only fish, perhaps with some seasonings and garlic sprouts.
However, if there are many people in the family, some side dishes, such as radishes, will be added.
Cut the radish into strips about the thickness of a finger, cook them until they are tender and flavorful, and they taste even better than fish.
Xu Ningyan likes to eat it with radish.
For lunch, I had a bowl of radish stewed with fish, a bowl of fried dried fish, and a stir-fried red mustard greens.
As expected, Xu Ningyan kept her word, taking out the fish skeleton and tail and giving them to the dog's henchman, and even mixing a bowl of rice with the fish soup for him.
After lunch, the two of them couldn't just sit idle. Tomorrow was Lunar New Year's Eve, and they needed to prepare a lot of dishes.
Gu Zhiyuan went out for a while and came back carrying a big rooster. It looked like it had been slaughtered and frozen in the snow, to be stewed and eaten on New Year's Eve.
I don't know whose it was, but Gu Zhiyuan bought it.
Xu Ningyan was planning the menu in her mind. Although it should be a more substantial meal for the two of them, it didn't have to be too much.
However, you need to cook the cured pork, cured ribs, and dried chicken first. When guests come during the Lunar New Year, you can just heat them up briefly and they're ready to eat. It's very convenient.
After rinsing the dried mushrooms with warm water, soak them in water until they rehydrate. They can be used to stew chicken and braise turtle tomorrow morning.
There was a tofu shop in the Tuanjie Brigade. Gu Zhiyuan was asked to buy a few pieces of tofu. He was to keep one piece to fry and eat, and cut the rest into small cubes, fry them in oil, and set them aside to cool. They would be added to chicken soup later, which would be very delicious.
Among the fish we were given was a bream. We'll kill it, freeze it, and braise it tomorrow morning. This dish is a must for our New Year's Eve dinner, symbolizing abundance year after year.
We also prepared a dish of braised pork with preserved mustard greens, a dish of stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured pork, a dish of steamed fish cake topped with daylily and vermicelli, a dish of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and a dish of spicy and sour rapeseed. Eight dishes for two people, it was a very generous meal.
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