Chapter 387
The roast suckling pig was so attractive that the children took Su Miao to Uncle Qi's house to look for him after breakfast the next day. Unfortunately, Uncle Qi had drunk too much last night and was still unconscious.
Aunt Qi smiled at the children and said, "Why don't you come back at noon? Listen, Grandpa Qi's snoring is still as loud as thunder."
Su Miao nodded and said to the children, "Grandpa Qi needs to get enough sleep before he can cook delicious food. Let's go to the fields and set off firecrackers. I bought a big box and forgot about it a few days ago."
So, a group of people ran towards the end of the village in a hurry.
When they came back, Uncle Seven had already gotten up and went to Uncle Two's house to prepare the roast pig.
Seeing that the roast suckling pig was about to begin, the children were reluctant to leave to have lunch. Each of them took a glutinous rice cake and squatted aside to watch while eating.
Uncle Qi had already cleaned up the piglet. Now the piglet, with its internal organs and brain removed, was lying on its stomach like a bat.
His knife skills were so fast and professional that it was over before Su Miao could understand anything.
"The best roast suckling pig is one that weighs ten pounds. The skin, meat and fat of the piglets at that time are just right, and it is also easy to roast. This one is still a little old, but it doesn't matter. I still have a way to fix it."
Uncle Qi patted the naked piglet and said confidently.
He then rubbed the secret seasoning evenly into the pig's internal cavity to allow the seasoning to penetrate better.
Su Miao took a look and found that the seasonings were probably salt, cumin powder, minced garlic, white wine, sugar, soy sauce, etc. After kneading, the piglets still needed to be marinated for twenty minutes.
Taking advantage of this time, my second uncle and father set up the equipment for roasting the pig.
Using a stove to burn charcoal would result in a more concentrated and even fire than randomly stacking it. Second Uncle dragged out a long, large stove from the utility room. Su Miao looked very familiar and asked,
"Uncle, isn't this... a stove for burning paper money?"
"Yes! Yes! The ones that were previously placed in the ancestral hall were replaced with new ones this year. This is just perfect for roasting piglets."
"Is this... okay?" Su Miao said hesitantly.
"Okay, okay! Now we can eat meat! Our ancestors must be so happy!"
The big stove had been cleaned before, so now we just had to burn charcoal in it.
Uncle Qi used bamboo soaked in water to insert it from the suckling pig's buttocks to the cheeks and fixed it in place. He then used bamboo strips to support the pig's body in the inner cavity, and used a wooden strip to support the front and back legs horizontally. He then tied the pig's hands, and the piglet now appeared to be in a flying posture.
Put racks at both ends of the stove, so that the piglets can rotate continuously during the roasting process and be heated evenly.
Before the piglets are put on the rack, the skin needs to be scalded. The pig head is placed upward at an angle, and boiling water is poured over the pig skin to make the skin tight and the meat hard.
After wiping off the moisture, brush evenly with sugar water and wait for the skin to dry.
Hu Zibang held the bowl of sugar water and asked curiously, "Second Grandpa, why do you need sugar water? Is the roast suckling pig sweet?"
"This syrup isn't that sweet, it really enhances the flavor. And the roasted piglets are bright red after being brushed with the syrup, so they're really pretty. Alright! Now we can roast them!"
It was the first time Uncle Qi was roasting a suckling pig and was surrounded by so many children. He was visibly excited. He turned the roasted pig and kept talking:
"There are some very particular ways to roast a suckling pig. First, roast the belly side for fifteen minutes, then turn it over and roast the back and the meat beside it. After that, you can slowly turn it around.
When the whole body of the suckling pig, especially the neck and waist, is roasted until it turns slightly red, it should be pricked with a large needle to drain and release air.
While we bake, we use a large brush to smooth out the fat that comes out. This way the skin is fragrant, crispy, smooth and feels like it’s made of glass!
Uncle Qi looked like he wanted to teach all the children present. The children kept nodding their heads regardless of whether they understood or not.
Lele looked at the still white piglet and raised his head to ask: "Second Grandpa, how long will it take for this roasted pig to be ready?"
Uncle Qi said cheerfully, "It'll take quite a while. We have to roast the pig skin until it's crispy and fragrant. If you're hungry, little greedy cat, go have lunch first, then go out and play for a while and come back."
Roasting a pig takes a long time, and the children couldn't sit still, so they ran out to play together again, but this time Su Miao didn't go with them.
She sat on a small stool, watching the roast suckling pig turning on the charcoal fire, and thought to herself, roast suckling pig is one of the top ten famous dishes in Guangzhou.
As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was listed as one of the "Eight Delicacies", and was called "Roasted Pig" at that time. Later, in "Qimin Yaoshu", the book described roasted suckling pig as "the color is the same as amber, and it is similar to real gold. It melts in the mouth, is as strong as snow, and is full of juice and fat, which is unique and extraordinary."
During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, it was selected as a famous imperial dish and became the main dish in the "Manchu and Han Banquet". The roast suckling pig looks shiny red and tastes crispy and tender. The Lingnan people, who have always attached great importance to good luck, have given it the beautiful meaning of "good luck". It is an indispensable leading dish in important occasions such as Cantonese banquets, New Year's worship, etc.
This roasted pig is different from simple stir-fry. The seasoning and roasting techniques are very particular. How did Uncle Qi learn it?
So, Su Miao asked directly: "Seventh Uncle, your skill in roasting pigs is really professional. Did you have a master to teach you?"
"There's no such thing as a master. I learned everything on my own. Pork is so rare, I didn't dare to mess around. I only dared to do it after secretly reading two books."
"Fumbling? But were there so many piglets in the village to roast?"
"Roasting suckling pigs is not popular in this village! We just want to raise the pigs as big as possible so we can get more meat!"
Seeing Su Miao's puzzled expression, Uncle Qi thought for a moment and said, "It's okay to tell you secretly. It's not a sin now anyway.
In the past few years, people ate from a big pot and emphasized communism. All the fields belonged to the commune, and everyone earned work points to get food. Even livestock like pigs and cows were shared by everyone. Only when the New Year pig was slaughtered every year could everyone get a little meat.
Later, the family could raise a few chickens for eating during the New Year and other festivals, but the maximum number was three. Any more would be capitalism.
Miaomiao, do you know when the three-year natural disaster occurred?
Su Miao replied: "Are you referring to the three years from 1959 to 1961?"
"That's right! Think about it, we're a rice-producing area, with so many fields producing grain and fruit, but many people starved to death during those three years. Those areas whose farming environments aren't as good as ours are even worse off!
Every household's rice jar was empty. The commune cooked porridge twice a day, once at noon and once at night, and everyone lined up to get it. People were so hungry that they didn't even have the energy to speak.
Second uncle and Su Yuan were listening quietly on the side. Su Yuan was just over 10 years old at that time. Su Miao's grandpa and grandma were both formal employees of the factory. Even so, the family was just barely able to eat enough. Not to mention the village, hunger was a common situation at that time.
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