With plenty of time before lunch, Zhao Qinglan kneaded the dough, washed a few clothes, and after letting the children learn on their own, she began to cook the braised chicken dish.
Since I couldn't buy green peppers, the only ingredients for the braised chicken were chicken and potatoes. Fortunately, these two are the main ingredients that make up the soul of the braised chicken.
After cleaning the chicken, Zhao Qinglan started cutting it up, removing the internal organs and setting them aside so as not to waste them.
The chopped chicken needs to be blanched. Once the chicken changes color, skim off the surface oil and drain all the chicken pieces.
Wash the scallions and ginger. Cut the scallions into sections and the ginger into slices.
Once all the ingredients are prepared, heat the oil. Add the drained chicken pieces to the pan and fry until slightly golden brown. Then add the chopped scallions, ginger slices, star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, dried red chilies, and other spices, and stir-fry for one to two minutes.
Then add soy sauce, cooking wine and other seasonings, add water to the pot to cover all the ingredients, and then cover the pot and cook.
After simmering for about twenty minutes, add potatoes and some salt, and continue cooking for another ten minutes.
The water added to the pot earlier will turn into a rich and fragrant broth as it simmers. At this point, add MSG, stir-fry briefly, and it's ready to serve.
While stewing, Zhao Qinglan was also making hand-pulled noodles.
The aroma wafting from the large pot distracted the children who had been sitting quietly studying.
Wu Mei had already been told by Zhao Qinglan that she would cook something delicious, and when she smelled the aroma wafting over, she began to look forward to the braised chicken dish.
Food is the most important thing for people. The lives of ordinary people are nothing more than eating, drinking, and relieving themselves. Who wouldn't be happy and yearn for the opportunity to eat delicious food?
Erwa waved his hand vigorously, fanning the aroma towards his nose, and said with a blissful expression, "Brother, Mom's cooking must be delicious."
"Hmm." The eldest child didn't speak, only giving a simple response.
By the time the noodles were ready, Li Huai had returned.
He knew that something delicious was being prepared at home when he smelled the aroma, and his mood brightened up as well.
"Commander, I'm going inside for dinner now," he said, a hint of smugness in his voice.
Sun Shengli, who also smelled the fragrance, felt extremely uncomfortable.
Before Comrade Qinglan came, he didn't think his wife's cooking skills were bad; at least among military wives, they were considered quite good.
But now, compared to Zhao Qinglan, who can make all sorts of fancy dishes that taste great, her wife's home-style cooking skills have been completely outclassed.
You mean, letting him smell the aroma every now and then but not being able to eat it, isn't that torture?
Fortunately, as soon as Sun Shengli entered the house, Da Wa came over carrying a large bowl.
"Oh, Da Wa is here. Here, give this to your aunt." Wu Mei took the bowl from Da Wa's hand.
The eldest child just smiled and didn't say anything.
"Don't go yet, let me get you something." With that, Wu Mei turned and left.
"Auntie, no need," the eldest child hurriedly stopped her.
His opening remarks immediately gave him away.
Sun Shengli laughed when he saw the big kid who was missing a front tooth.
"I was wondering why you've become so quiet, huh? Turns out you've lost your baby teeth."
The eldest child looked indignant as he was laughed at.
"You lost a tooth?" Wu Mei turned around curiously.
"Auntie, I'm leaving." After saying this while covering his mouth, Da Wa turned and ran.
A hearty laugh came from behind. "This kid, he's getting shy about losing a tooth."
Looking at the fragrant bowl, Sun Shengli's previously unpleasant mood immediately improved.
When Da Wa returned, Zhao Qinglan had already placed a large basin on the table.
This is the same bowl she used to knead dough; now that it's clean, she can put in the freshly cooked braised chicken.
After pouring the cooked noodles over the noodles, she started stirring with a spoon and chopsticks.
"What kind of way is this to eat it?" Li Huai asked curiously, having never seen it before.
"It's Dapanji (Big Plate Chicken), a Xinjiang-style dish. I happened to hear someone who came back from the Production and Construction Corps mention it before, so I tried making it, and it seems pretty good." Zhao Qinglan immediately started making things up.
"Really? This is the first time I've heard of this kind of food in Xinjiang. I happen to know some people there, so I'll ask them when I have the chance," Li Huai said casually.
Zhao Qinglan's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, why did she have to say so much?
She didn't even know exactly when this "Big Plate Chicken" dish was first made. What if Xinjiang doesn't have this dish yet?
However, seeing that Li Huai did not continue to discuss this issue, she comforted herself.
Communication is so inconvenient these days, who knows when Li Huai will see his comrades in Xinjiang again, so there's no need to worry too much.
Because she has three children, Zhao Qinglan didn't dare to make it too spicy, only mildly spicy.
The noodles soaked in the chicken broth were incredibly delicious. The chicken was tender and spicy, and the potatoes were soft, sweet, and juicy. Overall, the dish was spicy and fragrant.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the slurping of food.
As a northerner, Li Huai still loves noodles. When he first tasted the flavorful noodles in this braised chicken dish, he thought they were even more delicious than the chicken itself.
Zhao Qinglan thought she had made enough noodles, but in the end, she ate them all up, and Li Huai even soaked the remaining broth in cold steamed buns and ate it all.
The three children ate less noodles, preferring the fragrant chicken and soft, tender potatoes.
Anyway, by the time we finished eating, the whole family was stuffed.
The bowl that Zhao Qinglan sent to Wu Mei's family was not small either.
However, Sun Shengli has a large appetite and can easily eat two large bowls of noodles.
He poured out half of the bowl, and he and his wife each ate their own.
Perhaps it smelled too good, because Sun Shengli was enjoying his meal so much that his bowl was empty. When he looked at his wife, her bowl was also empty.
He had eaten something delicious, but he hadn't had enough. If it weren't for reason, he would have liked to run next door and ask for another bowl.
Everyone enjoyed the meal.
In fact, Zhao Qinglan had considered sending a bowl of food to Wei Hong's family, but when she thought of the annoying Battalion Commander Qu, she gave up the idea.
The two families were overjoyed to enjoy the delicious food, but Wei Hong was the only one eating alone at home.
Life goes on, and although she was heartbroken, Wei Hong still rushed home to cook after class.
But after she had finished preparing the meal, her husband still hadn't returned, so she could only eat her meal in silence.
Battalion Commander Qu, who had not returned home, went to Yang Qingmin's house for a meal and drinks.
They had to go to the military camp in the afternoon, so the two of them didn't dare to drink too much, only planning to have a few small drinks.
Actually, I just wanted to talk.
"You don't look too good on the outside. What's wrong? Haven't you made up with your wife yet?" Yang Qingmin asked with a smile.
"Sigh, don't even mention it. I still don't know what kind of magic Zhao Qinglan gave my wife. How come she listens to her so much?" Battalion Commander Qu complained.
Saying that Zhao Qinglan is not good is something Yang Qingmin likes, and his interest in talking suddenly became apparent.
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