Don't underestimate the three cents saved per pound. This brewing requires about seventy pounds of rock sugar, which will save more than twenty yuan.
Twenty-odd yuan may not seem like much, but it's enough to buy salt that would last a family of three for two years.
The old folks always say that you have to be careful with your money. You won't go broke from eating or drinking, but you will if you don't plan ahead. Chen Hong is a master at managing money.
Look at that Hong Kong tycoon's matriarch, she's still a world champion with over seventy gold medals.
Even though you receive a monthly pension and subsidies from the government, do you still frequently buy things from street vendors?
Compared to others, Chen Hong felt there was a huge gap, and she still had a lot to work on!
It's almost midnight, the food is almost on the table, but the children haven't come home yet.
Director Jin called Fang Xiaoying, and Chen Hong learned that they had gone to raid cicada burrows.
Chen Hong helped Director Jin and the others carry the food into the restaurant and set it on the table.
The lunch today was very plentiful, featuring both Beijing and Shandong cuisines. It was a collaborative effort between Director Jin, Mrs. Guan, and Xiaoyun, who prepared their signature dishes.
There are Beijing dishes served at the restaurant owned by Mrs. Guan, the head of the Jin Garden: Shredded pork with sweet bean sauce, stir-fried fish fillets, Kung Pao chicken, braised tripe, and braised pork belly in a clay pot.
There are dishes that Xiaoyun learned from Chen Hong, such as braised sea cucumber with scallions, sweet and sour pork, braised prawns, and fish head tofu soup.
Beijing cuisine, also known as Beijing-style cuisine, is based on northern cuisine and incorporates flavors from other regions. Its taste is particularly similar to that of Shandong cuisine.
Director Jin's shredded pork with sweet bean sauce is made by quickly stir-frying the shredded pork with cooked yellow bean sauce, giving the dish a golden-red color.
The sauce perfectly coats the shredded meat, releasing an enticing aroma. Paired with shredded scallions and tofu skin, it's a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. Chen Hong gives it an 85 out of 100.
Kung Pao Chicken was originally a Shandong dish, called Oil-fried Chicken. It was created by Ding Baozhen, the governor of Shandong during the Qing Dynasty, who was once awarded the title of "Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince". Therefore, the dish was named Kung Pao Chicken.
Kung Pao Chicken is included in the cuisines of Shandong, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Beijing. Over time, the preparation methods vary slightly from place to place.
It is generally made with chicken as the main ingredient, and cucumber, peanuts, chili peppers and other side ingredients. The meat is tender and crisp, and has a strong spicy flavor.
However, Chen Hong likes to add some diced carrots when she makes it, feeling that it best complements the taste and texture.
Chen Hong gave Director Jin a score of 75 for this dish, noting that the peanuts were not cooked properly and were not very fragrant or crispy.
However, the braised pork belly in casserole made by Director Jin tasted particularly good, even though it looked quite greasy.
The pork belly was cooked to perfection, and with the addition of Chen Hong's homemade pickled cabbage, vermicelli, and other ingredients, the flavor was tangy, fresh, tender, and not at all greasy.
This dish looks ordinary, but it's surprisingly delicious. Chen Hong gives it a score of 90.
The other two dishes, stir-fried fish fillets and tripe, were just average in taste, but better than what most people would make. Chen Hong also gave them a score of 65.
Compared to Director Jin, Madam Guan's cooking skills were not very good. Her job was to help Director Jin and Xiaoyun wash and chop vegetables.
Xiaoyun has been quite diligent this past year, often going to the kitchen to learn while Chen Hong cooks, asking questions whenever she doesn't understand, and has mastered several techniques for handling seafood.
Her braised sea cucumber with scallions, braised prawns, and fish head tofu soup are already six or seven tenths of the recipes she learned from her older sister.
It tastes good, but I don't make it often. My knife skills need improvement, especially the fish head in the fish head tofu soup.
She wasn't strong enough and chopped a perfectly good grouper head into tiny pieces, which turned into fish scraps after cooking and plating.
However, this did not affect the deliciousness and richness of the fish soup at all. The creamy deep-sea fish head soup was white, fragrant and fresh, and the children drank quite a lot of it.
When the children came back, they were covered in dust and dirt. When asked, we found out they had gone into the woods.
It hadn't rained for several days, and the leaves and weeds were covered in dust. As the children went in and out of the woods, their faces and white t-shirts were covered in black streaks.
Everyone was dressed like little devils. The five of them dug in the woods for more than two hours before they managed to dig out about ten cicada nymphs.
Actually, they still lacked experience. Experts like Chen Hong could tell at a glance which were ant holes, which were hollows eroded by wind and rain, and which were real cicada holes.
Yu Yang and his two companions simply followed behind the village children, watching from afar as others searched for holes and caught cicada nymphs in the open space under the trees.
They really didn't know the exact shape of the small hole where the cicadas hid.
Around nine o'clock, the five of them went off to dig for cicada nymphs, boasting that they would be able to eat the cicada nymphs they caught that evening.
When Chen Hong got home, she was nearly doubled over with laughter. Not only were they covered in dust, but each child's index finger was red and raw from scratching.
Xiaoying even split her fingernails in the process. Guan Tao and Yu Yang, whose nails were short, didn't split them, but they still developed hangnails.
After telling them to wash their hands, Chen Hong gave Yu Yang and the other two three scissors to cut meat skewer before inviting everyone to sit down and eat.
After a busy morning, both adults and children were hungry. After half an hour of wolfing down the food, the table was soon empty.
Director Jin and Mrs. Guan couldn't stop smiling. "It seems the children really like our cooking. They finished everything on the plate!"
Now things are much easier; cleaning up is simpler. The only problem is that Black Tiger and Eyes won't get any leftovers, so we'll have to cook them a separate pot of dog food.
After lunch, Xiaoyun and Director Jin and Mrs. Guan both need to take a nap.
Chen Hong and the children, who didn't like to take afternoon naps, continued to sit under the cherry tree in the yard and pick grapes.
She also specially prepared rubber gloves for all five children, because their hands had developed hangnails in the morning, and without gloves, they would easily get sore from being soaked in grape juice.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com