Thinking of what Yu Yao had just said about the two of them playing chess, Hu Lingyu couldn't help but shake her head.
"Old Zhu has mentioned his grandson more than once, saying that his chess skills are superb, and that your dad, that terrible chess player, would definitely not be able to beat little Zhu."
Xiao Hong and Yu Yao looked at each other after hearing Hu Lingyu's complaints, and couldn't help but laugh.
Yu Yao looked at the row of small bowls next to her and said, "Sister-in-law, are we going to make the filling for the qingtuan next? I'll do it."
Xiao Hong: "Okay, the filling you made will definitely taste delicious."
Yu Yao is no stranger to making qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling).
Her mother was from the south. Every year during the Qingming Festival, she would take her to the fields or ditches to pick fresh cudweed or sweet mugwort to make qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling).
She hasn't eaten qingtuan since her parents passed away.
At first, there were no conditions, but later when there were, she didn't want to eat it anymore, afraid that the sight would trigger her memories.
Now, she is no longer afraid of being alone. In this unfamiliar era, she has family and friends.
This year, she also made and ate qingtuan with her family and friends.
There are several ways to make qingtuan in the south, the most common being using mugwort and artemisia.
The mugwort they used was sweet mugwort, which is somewhat different from the mugwort used for moxibustion.
The stems of this type of mugwort are red, and the back of the leaves has some white hairs. Green rice dumplings made with this type of mugwort have the fragrance of mugwort without being bitter.
The water in the pot had boiled. Yu Yao added some baking soda, then put in fresh, tender cudweed and mugwort.
Adding baking soda can effectively preserve the green color of cudweed and mugwort.
After blanching, the color of the cudweed and mugwort changed from its original light green to dark green. Yu Yao used a strainer to scoop them out and rinse them with well water to better preserve their green color.
Once the temperature dropped, Yu Yao used her hands to scoop up the cudweed and mugwort from the ceramic basin, rolled them into balls, and squeezed out the water.
In those days, there were no high-speed blenders, so Yu Yao could only use primitive methods, which was quite strenuous.
Just as she rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work, Lu Ze came in and said, "Let me do it."
"Let me chop the vegetable balls first."
As she spoke, Yu Yao picked up the vegetable dumplings one by one, chopped them into small pieces with a kitchen knife, put them into a bowl next to her, and handed them to Lu Ze: "Pound them into a paste."
"good."
After giving instructions to Lu Ze, Yu Yao went to prepare the filling for the stir-fried qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings).
One person gives instructions, and the other does the work. Working together as a couple makes the work easier. This is the true way for couples to get along and live a good life together.
Hu Lingyu and Xiao Hong looked at each other, their eyes filled with smiles, as they watched the two working together skillfully.
That's how a young couple should be; only then can their lives remain sweet and happy.
There are many kinds of fillings for qingtuan, but now that resources are scarce, it is not possible to make too many different kinds. Yu Yao plans to make something simple, just one sweet and one savory flavor.
The savory version features a filling unique to the island: bamboo shoots and minced meat.
She used pickled bamboo shoots and spring bamboo shoots.
The pickled bamboo shoots were made from the Lei Gong bamboo shoots she had sent before. The fresh Lei Gong bamboo shoots were pickled with sea salt, as if they had been pickled in an earthen jar for seven days, giving them a salty and fragrant flavor that fresh vegetables don't have.
The fresh spring bamboo shoots are the tenderest batch this year. Peel off the fuzzy outer shell, leaving only the tenderest core. Blanch them several times in boiling water to remove the bitterness, leaving only the fresh, crisp taste of the spring bamboo shoots.
Cut the two different flavored ingredients into small cubes and set aside.
Next up is the secret-recipe minced meat.
This recipe was collected by Yu Yao from a local food blogger, and the preparation steps are relatively complicated.
Besides the usual chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic, the key to delicious minced meat is the preparation of the flavored oil.
With limited seasonings left at home, Yu Yao selected a few suitable ones, poured a little rapeseed oil into a cold pan, added the prepared spices to the cold oil, and simmered them over low heat.
While waiting, Yu Yao chopped the pork belly that Hu Lingyu had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative that morning into small pieces.
After chopping the meat, heat oil in a wok, add the fatty meat, and stir-fry over high heat until fragrant.
The entire kitchen was filled with an enticing aroma of oil. Tianya stood to the side, watching the oil being rendered in the pan and the remaining fried food, and couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
"Auntie, it smells so good!"
Yu Yao smiled as she scooped a small portion of the fried pork cracklings into a small bowl, sprinkled some white sugar on top, and it became the most popular snack among children in this era: sugar-coated fried pork cracklings. (Photo included)
"Sweetie, take this and eat it."
Sweetie held the bowl, and although she really wanted to eat, she resisted and handed the fried food to them: "Grandma, Aunt, Aunt, you've worked hard, please eat first."
They refused, and the little girl threw a tantrum, saying that if they wouldn't eat, she wouldn't eat either.
With no other option, Yu Yao and the others had to open their mouths and wait for Tian Ya to feed them.
Seeing that they had all eaten, Tianya couldn't wait to pick up a piece of fried pork crackling and stuff it into her mouth, savoring it with relish.
Yu Yao and the others were enjoying the sweet and fragrant fried food, feeling happy inside and out.
Sweetie held the small bowl of fried food tightly, saying, "Grandma, Auntie and Uncle, I'm going to let Grandpa and Uncle have a taste."
Hu Lingyu nodded: "Go ahead."
Yu Yao watched Tianya's retreating figure and said with a smile, "Tianya is so sensible."
Xiao Hong joked, "Since you like children so much, you and Lu Ze should have a few more kids in the future."
Speaking of children, Yu Yao touched her belly; her period seemed to be late this month.
It can't be that much of a coincidence.
I guess it's because I've been under too much pressure from the Canton Fair lately, and my endocrine system is a bit out of balance.
Yu Yao shook off the thoughts in her head and put the remaining fatty meat into the pot in a uniform minced form.
This time, don't stir-fry for too long, or it won't taste good if all the oil comes out.
Mix the stir-fried minced meat and diced bamboo shoots together, then add the prepared seasoned oil. The filling of minced meat and bamboo shoots is now ready.
The subsequent sweet filling is also not complicated; it is the most classic black sesame, peanut, and white sugar filling.
Roasted peanuts should be rubbed to remove the skins and then crushed, preferably with some small pieces remaining, as this will make them taste better.
After the two fillings were prepared, Lu Ze and Hu Lingyu had already prepared the dough for the qingtuan.
The rest was easy. Hu Lingyu and the others were used to making qingtuan, so they wrapped them with ease. Even Lu Ze wrapped them quite well.
As the two fillings improved, the number of plump dumplings in the steamer increased.
Lu Ze suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to take something from the trunk, so he told Yu Yao and the others, grabbed a bamboo strip, and went out.
Yu Yao asked curiously, "What is it?"
Lu Ze said, "You'll see when I bring it over; it's something you like."
Seeing his mysterious expression, Yu Yao became even more curious.
I made dozens of qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings), filling the steamer basket, and there were still five or six left.
Yu Yao thought of the smokeless stove Zhu Xinmin had made, "I'll steam the rest in a small steamer on the stove. It'll be a good opportunity to test the stove's performance."
As soon as she brought the stove into the kitchen, she smelled a rich aroma coming from behind her.
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