Chapter 34: Fried peanuts and golden corn pancakes. This is the first time I've heard of them...
The first thing to do after buying more than ten pounds of peanuts in shells is to peel them. This is simply Song Jin's nightmare. When he was a child, he often peeled them until his thumbs hurt.
The peanut shells were thick and hard, and they were dried, making them even more crispy and hard. If it weren't for the fact that the peanuts looked good when fried, Song Jin would have wanted to put them under the legs of a bench and crush them.
However, with these people at Shidinglou, it was much faster than if she peeled the fruits alone.
The first time Song Jin fried peanuts, he didn't dare to make too many. He stopped after peeling a large bowl of peanuts.
The peanuts were very clean and did not need to be washed. Pour enough oil into the hot pan and pour the peanuts in when it started to smoke. The old woman next to them saw this and asked:
"Frying peanuts at this time? Why don't you fry them in the morning? Aren't they fresher?"
Song Jin said: "If you want peanuts to be crispy, you have to leave them overnight."
In fact, it would be better to have a refrigerator, but Song Jin doesn’t have that condition now, so he can only cover it at night and wait for it to become crispy the next day.
The old woman didn't quite understand this principle, but Song Jin kept coming up with new tricks, and each time they had good results, so gradually no one asked about it anymore.
When the peanuts are in the frying pan, stir them constantly with a spatula to ensure that the oil is heated evenly.
There is really no technical skill involved in frying peanuts. There are only two tips: one is leaving them overnight, and the other is the time to scoop them out.
Peanuts cannot be fried in the frying pan. You have to take them out and let the remaining oil heat slowly fry the peanuts. If you leave them in the frying pan waiting to be fried, you will have to take out a bowl of black charcoal.
Less than half a cup of tea after the peanuts were put into the pot, Song Jin heard a slight crackling sound in the pot. He knew that the time had come, so he scooped up the peanuts with a colander, filtered out the oil and put them in a bowl.
The peanuts did not stop making that noise after leaving the frying pan, but it became louder. It was the residual heat of the oil that caused the noise, which lasted for a long time. If you wait until they are fried before taking them out, the residual heat will make the peanuts turn black and burnt, and they will be inedible.
The freshly fried peanuts were extremely hot and inedible, and not crispy enough. Song Jin put the bowl aside and asked Chunyun to grind some salt.
The salt grains here are a little bigger, so Song Jin asked them to grind them into fine pieces so that when you mix them together and eat them, it won't be choking.
Chunyun was very obedient and did whatever she was told. She had enough to eat every day, it wasn't cold in the summer, no one beat her or scolded her, and she didn't have to do any heavy work. Although she was a little busy, she felt like she was living a fairy-like life, so she was extremely obedient to Song Jin.
Fine white salt grains were ground out, and the peanuts basically stopped making noises. Song Jin sprinkled the salt evenly on the peanuts, grabbed the bowl with both hands, and gently tossed the peanuts upwards to make them evenly coated.
The girls were curious and grabbed one and chewed it.
"It smells nice, but it's neither sticky nor crispy. I can't tell what it tastes like. It's not as good as when it's cooked."
Song Jin smiled and said, "Let's wait a night. Maybe it will become brittle if left for too long."
An old woman laughed and said, "Your method is quite novel. I've heard of freshly made ones being crispy, but this is the first time I've heard of ones being crispy after being stored for a long time. Hahahaha——"
Song Jin ignored her. She just decided what dish to cook.
The next day, everyone tasted the peanuts again and found that they were indeed delicious. The waiter enthusiastically recommended them at noon and sold quite a few of them. As a result, the fried peanuts became a regular dish.
Fried peanuts are a side dish for drinking. One copper coin is enough for a small plate and a pot of liquor, and guests can sit there for most of the hour.
When Song Jin had nothing to do, he would stand in the store and watch the customers who lingered there, and he came to some understanding.
It is difficult for poor people to make money in business. If they want to make big money, they have to do business with rich people, such as Chai Heng, who could give them a reward of one or two taels of silver.
The customers in front of me only have some peanuts and a pot of wine, which costs only a dozen cents at most, but they can sit there for half a day. The turnover rate is too low.
Just when Song Jin was wondering where to find so many rich people to do business with, a rich man walked in.
Lu Junnian brought Ji Shubai to Shidinglou.
Song Jin saw Ji Shubai look up at the sign: Shidinglou.
Sleeping on thick mats and eating from numerous dishes, it is a life of luxury.
When Song Jin saw Ji Shubai's handsome brows frowned, his heart couldn't help but frown as well.
But please don't come here to cause trouble.
"My two lords, please come in."
Song Jin went out with the waiter to greet him. He was an official and he could not be neglected.
"Shopkeeper Wen." Lu Junnian's voice was loud and clear. He greeted Song Jin as soon as he saw him. "I had the dishes you cooked at Chai's house the other day. They were really delicious. I'm bringing Master Ji here to try them today. Do you have any new dishes?"
Song Jin said, "Since the Lord is here to eat, how can there be nothing?"
Lu Junnian said, "Please don't have any fried eel slices this time. It will be bad if our Master Ji cries again."
Ji Shubai frowned at this sentence: "Brother Lu——"
Song Jin wanted to laugh, but he held it back: "I understand, I won't make this dish today."
As he spoke, he led the two of them upstairs, and they sat down by a secluded window.
"What kind of milk did you eat that day? And what was the yellow egg-milk called?"
Song Jin hurriedly explained: "Double skin milk and caramel pudding."
"Yes, yes, that's it. Are there any more?"
"Oh, sir, this is very difficult for me. My shop cannot store beef, and I don't have any today. But if you like sweets, I have another dish to recommend."
"What's the dish?"
Song Jin said: "Golden corn pancakes, made with fresh corn and sugar, are tender and sweet, would you like to try it?"
After listening to the introduction, Lu Junnian scratched his head and looked at Ji Shubai who had been staring out the window: "You like sweet food, so you should have this corn pancake."
"Brother Lu, just make the decision."
Song Jin was just thinking that a tall and strong man actually loves sweets when a cold voice came over.
"What do you mean I make the decision? I brought you here to eat. I'm almost getting wrinkles from seeing you frown every day." After complaining, he looked at Song Jin and said, "Boss, corn cakes, and the steamed fish we made the other day, and two more of our signature dishes, and a pot of wine, that's all."
Song Jin agreed with a smile, asked the waiter to serve tea, and went downstairs to prepare the dishes.
"Don't worry about it. I know you have a special relationship with the Prime Minister, but this..."
It was the first time that Song Jin heard someone mention Zhang Juzheng since he came into this world. He stepped on the stairs and almost fell down, so he didn't hear what was said afterwards.
This year is the seventh year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng died of illness in the tenth year of Wanli, and Lu Junnian just said that Ji Shubai had an unusual relationship with Zhang Juzheng...
Song Jin's heart was pounding. She remembered the impeachments and the confiscation of property two years later. What about Ji Shubai? What about Lu Junnian?
She didn't remember seeing the names of these two people in history books.
There are two possibilities. One is that they were part of the purge and died early, without having the chance to make many contributions and leave their names. The other is that they were suppressed to the point where they could not raise their heads, and perhaps they were depressed and lost their names.
A feeling of sadness came over him, and the July weather gave Song Jin goose bumps all over his body.
She had no feelings for Ji Shubai or Lu Junnian. She just saw them as people she had met before. From now on, she would witness their fate as a bystander, and the ending was unknown. This feeling of being out of control made her feel uneasy.
"Shopkeeper? Shopkeeper? Why are you standing here in a daze? I still need you to prepare the specialties."
The waiter passed by Song Jin with tea and reminded her to go to the kitchen to cook. Song Jin then came to her senses and hurried to the kitchen.
Song Jin was nervous and his hands were unsteady, so he had to direct Hong Xing and the others to help peel the corn.
The corn must be fresh and tender, so that it will be sweet and delicious after being fried.
After peeling the corn, rinse it with cold water, add water to the pot and add a large spoonful of sugar.
Song Jin was worried that the corn from the 16th century was not sweet enough, so he gave it enough sugar. Fortunately, sugar was not a rare commodity in the Ming Dynasty.
Add corn after the water boils, cook until cooked, remove with a strainer, drain and let cool. Add flour and mix well, add plenty so the corn can stick together.
It has a little too much water, so it's a little sticky after adding flour.
Pour a lot of oil into the hot pan. When Song Jin was pouring the oil, the people around him were shocked. Song Jin had to explain: "This is the oil for frying peanuts. It has to be used up."
There's no need to be so particular, as long as it tastes good. If that big bowl of oil is poured out, Song Jin will have to count on his fingers how many coins have been poured out.
She will be heartbroken.
After the oil is heated, it has to be poured out, leaving only a little oil at the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat, and use only the little oil on the pot to fry the corn until it is shaped.
Grab a handful of corn balls with your bare hands, press them against the edge of the pan to form a pancake, and keep pressing handfuls on. Fill any gaps with corn. In a word, spread out a large corn pancake and finally use a spatula to push inward from the edge to make it firm.
The oil poured out is not just used once. When the corn is made into tortillas, continue to heat the stove and pour it little by little along the edge of the pot with a spatula to make sure every grain of corn is fried. In the end, half of the tortilla is soaked in oil.
"Oh, no matter how delicious this corn pancake is, most people can't afford it."
The old woman sighed on the side, and Song Jin smiled: "It's okay, as long as we can sell it at a high price."
Soak the corn in oil and fry it on low heat for half an incense stick's time. Push the spatula in the oil and the corn tortilla moves as a whole. Song Jin knows that it is completely shaped and can be fished out.
Remove the whole tortilla from the oil, cut it into six pieces with a kitchen knife and place it on a plate. Finally, sprinkle some white sugar on it and it's done.
Song Jin walked upstairs carrying the corn cake. The sweet aroma of the corn went straight into her nostrils, and she felt a little greedy.
The two of them were still sitting by the window, and this time even Lu Junnian frowned. Song Jin wondered if something happened to Zhang Juzheng?
"My Lords, the golden corn cakes are here."
Song Jin served the food with a warm smile. A plate of corn cakes was placed on the table. It was golden in color and had a sweet aroma. Lu Junnian was no longer worried.
"Hey, this is the first time I've seen people make corn cakes like this. Come on, don't think about taxes, let's eat. After this leisurely meal, we still have to go to the county to collect taxes."
When Song Jin heard the word "tax collection", he paused slightly. Unexpectedly, Lu Junnian seized this short opportunity.
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