Er Ya shook her head and said, "How can that be? Not to mention we still need to look after the restaurant, even if we do go, it will be based on our own abilities. What would it mean if we went with you?"
Lin Xiao is her biological father. Although she also yearns for life in the big city, it is based on their own abilities. Going with Lin Xiao would make her feel like a burden to him. Living under someone else's roof is not the life Er Ya likes.
Seeing that Er Ya refused, Lin Xiao knew what she was thinking. Oh well, if she didn't want to go, she didn't have to. He didn't know what would happen to her after she left this time. He would wait until things were settled on his end and then bring Er Ya over to enjoy a good life.
While they were talking, the dishes arrived. This morning, Jiang's mother had ordered some elaborate dishes to be prepared: chicken stew with mushrooms, braised pork ribs, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, and a pigeon soup. It was still early, otherwise, she would have liked to serve a plate of barbecue.
Seeing that there were other people carrying two plates of food walking towards them, Lin Hai quickly stopped them, saying, "That's enough, that's enough, we can't eat that much."
Er Ya said mischievously, "Uncle, you've come all this way and given us a big red envelope, so we have to let you try our specialty, spicy crayfish."
Seeing the bright red vegetables in front of him, Lin Hai's mouth watered.
"That's enough, it's just a waste if we can't finish it."
"That's all for now, there's nothing else. Lin Xiao, hurry up and call your dad to eat. You must be starving after all this journey."
Not to be outdone, Xiao Bao started making a fuss, so Jiang's mother could only say something apologetically and carry him back into the house.
Lin Hai looked at the table laden with dishes, the aroma of which was very enticing and made him very hungry.
"Your mother is too kind. We'll just have a simple meal. Look, you've gone to so much trouble."
"Uncle, don't worry, just eat. I own shares in this restaurant, so I can give you a discount."
I was already in a hurry to find Lin Xiao, and I hadn't eaten properly along the way. After finding him, I went to Lin Shitou's house and then climbed the mountain to the cemetery. My stomach was really getting hungry, and the aroma made it rumble even louder.
Amused by Lin Hai's rumbling stomach, Er Ya quickly picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and handed it to him: "Uncle, try this! It's a specialty dish at the restaurant. See how it tastes!"
Lin Hai picked up a piece of chicken from the bowl and put it in his mouth. This chicken was different from the chicken he usually ate; the meat was firm and elastic, and it was chewy.
"This meat is different from what I usually eat; it tastes delicious."
Er Ya explained carefully: "The chicken used to make this dish is not a small chicken or a chick, but an old rooster, so 'small' means young."
Chicks hatched in spring can be eaten around the Mid-Autumn Festival; they are tender and juicy.
By the time they are raised until the Lunar New Year, they will have grown into a majestic rooster weighing over three pounds, with firm and plump meat. Of course, the chicks are also raised in a "simple and honest" way, meaning that they cannot be fed commercial feed, but only eat cornmeal, dig for insects in the soil, and drink spring water.
People would also chop up vegetable leaves and mix them into the chicken feed, which makes the chicken meat taste incredibly delicious.
The mushrooms used in this dish are mostly hazel mushrooms, but higher-end varieties include matsutake mushrooms and monkey head mushrooms. Regardless of the type of mushroom, they are all wild-caught from the mountains and forests, making them true delicacies. And regardless of the type of mushroom, they must be dried and then soaked before use to achieve their unique flavor.
After the chicken dies, it is scalded with boiling water, plucked, gutted, and its small intestines are removed. It is then cut into several pieces. After all this is done, it is blanched in boiling water before stewing to remove the foam and chicken fat.
Add cooking wine and ginger slices to the water when blanching the chicken. Boil the chicken in boiling water for three to five minutes, then remove it to a bowl to drain and set aside.
A roaring fire was lit under the earthen stove, and yellow soybean oil was poured into the pot. The oil heated until it smoked, and then a whole bowl of chicken pieces was poured into the pot with a "whoosh," immediately producing a loud sizzling sound.
Stir-fry quickly with a spatula until all the chicken pieces are coated with oil, then cover the pot and listen to the pan sizzle. After a while, open the pot and stir-fry the chicken pieces again, then cover the pot again until you hear the pot making an almost hoarse sound as it sizzles in the oil, indicating that the water has evaporated (this process is called stir-frying chicken; the heat should be high and fast so that the meat is firmer).
Then pour white wine, light soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, salt, scallions, and ginger into the pot, add water to cover the chicken, and start stewing the chicken.
Turn off the heat a little. If you're not in a hurry to eat, use a very low flame to simmer it slowly. When the chicken is about 70-80% cooked, the broth in the pot will have reduced significantly and become noticeably thicker.
Add the soaked mushrooms and simmer until the broth is reduced to just a little bit. The dish is now ready.
The mushrooms, having absorbed all the oil from the chicken broth, had become soft, plump, and fragrant; the small pieces on the mushroom caps resembled the lines on a young girl's lips.
Chicken stew with mushrooms is served in a bowl, with each person having a bowl in front of them. You can get more as you go, so you really have to "eat what's in your bowl while keeping an eye on what's in the bowl."
Even if there's so much chicken that it can't fit in one bowl, the first bowl of chicken served must include the chicken head, chicken feet, and chicken giblets, symbolizing "eating the whole chicken."
There are specific customs associated with eating different parts of a chicken. The head of the household eats the chicken head, symbolizing the highest status; the chicken feet are for those who earn money in the family, bringing wealth into the household; the chicken heart is for children, meant to teach them to be more shrewd; and chicken wings are for girls, hoping they will be skillful and good at combing hair.
Of course, for young children or the elderly at home, people still take the chicken thigh, as it is generally believed to be the most active part of the chicken.
The praise people give to chicken thigh meat is enough to prove the saying that life lies in movement. Women prefer to eat mushrooms, which have the umami flavor of chicken soup but avoid the greasiness of chicken. People still believe that only mushrooms can help chickens become famous.
In short, when people from my hometown entertain guests or celebrate festivals, they always serve chicken stew with mushrooms.
Lin Hai exclaimed, "I never knew there was so much to learn about this dish! Er Ya, you know so much!"
Lin Xiao said proudly, "Er Ya is so smart, there's nothing she doesn't understand. It's because of her that my life has gotten better and better since I moved out of that house."
Er Ya said modestly, "No, I just love to eat, that's why I'm quite knowledgeable about food. Uncle, please eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Speaking of which, this chicken stew with mushrooms is best enjoyed in winter, but it tastes quite good in this early autumn weather.
Lin Hai ate two bowls of rice with the dishes on the table. The food tasted just right for him, even better than what he had eaten at a five-star hotel.
I've tried all the other dishes, but I haven't eaten the crayfish yet.
"This is the crayfish you were talking about, right? How do you eat it?"
To be continued!
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