"What's this, second uncle?" Meng Fei asked with a puzzled look.
The second uncle grinned and said, "Hey, this was your favorite when you were a kid. Every New Year you would come to my house and bring back a bag of it."
Hearing his uncle's words, Meng Fei's eyes suddenly lit up and he said excitedly, "Oh my god! Radish meatballs! Quick! Give me one."
After saying that, Meng Fei took the plastic bag from his second uncle's hand, opened it, and a stream of hot air floated out of the bag.
Meng Fei didn't care about the heat, he reached out and grabbed a golden carrot ball and stuffed it into his mouth. Ding Dong, the reader eats first. There was a crisp "click" sound.
The crispy skin of the radish meatballs broke instantly, revealing the soft and dense radish filling inside, which has the unique sweetness and delicateness of radish and spreads gently between the lips and teeth.
The crispy outer layer and the delicate inner layer blend together, giving you the satisfaction of fried food while retaining the freshness of vegetables.
With every bite, you can feel the rich layers jumping on the tip of your tongue.
Meng Fei ate several in a row, and when he wanted to eat more, his second uncle snatched the bag back.
"Don't eat anymore, kid. There won't be enough to serve on the plate soon. If you want to eat more, ask your second aunt to fry you another pot in the afternoon so you can eat as much as you want."
Meng Fei nodded repeatedly.
These radish balls were Meng Fei's favorite when he was a child. His family was poor, and Mengjiagou was located in a remote area, with not even a small store in the village. Every winter before the New Year, his second uncle's family would fry a large basin of radish balls and ask Meng Fei to take a bag back to eat during the New Year.
But how could Meng Fei let this good thing live until the New Year?
Every time he went out to play, Meng Fei would take a few pills out of the bag and put them in his pocket, then run out to play.
Even though the radish balls were frozen hard, Meng Fei didn't care. He threw them in his mouth and bit them, making a crunchy sound.
"Uncle, please come into the house and warm up. I have one more dish to cook."
"Okay, then we won't be polite to you."
After that, everyone went into the house.
This last dish, salt-baked chili pot, is a real test of the chef's skills.
If the fire is too low, the larvae inside will not be cooked and eating them will cause diarrhea.
If the fire is too strong, the larvae will be burnt.
Therefore, controlling the temperature is of utmost importance.
Meng Fei first placed the chili can on the chopping board and gently smashed the hard shell on its surface with a kitchen knife. This would make the chili can more flavorful and also prevent the larvae inside the chili can from expanding and contracting due to heat and cold, causing the can to explode.
After finishing the filming, Meng Fei took a bag of salt, poured it into the pot, then added peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and finally poured the filmed chili peppers into the pot and baked them slowly over low heat.
As Meng Fei continued to stir-fry, a rich aroma wafted out of the pot, a bit like the smell of chicken.
“Alright!! It’s out of the pot!!”
Meng Fei shouted, took out a colander, put a plate underneath, and poured all the delicious food in the pot into the colander.
All the tiny salt particles flowed down the colander into the plate below, while the chili jar and a variety of spices remained in the colander.
Meng Fei took another plate, put the can of chili on it, and brought it into the house.
"Come on! Today's toughest dish!"
Hearing Meng Fei's words, everyone looked at the plate. It looked quite dissuading, but it tasted really good! When they saw the larvae fried to golden brown on the plate, several people had different reactions.
Second Uncle, Second Master, and Meng Long's eyes all lit up. This thing would be perfect as a side dish for drinking!
But Second Aunt, Grandma Shuyi and Old Li frowned with some disgust.
As for Feng Shuyi, he was constantly wavering between the two.
Meng Fei told him that this thing was super delicious, so he naturally believed it and even had some expectations. But when he saw the soft and hairy little bugs, he really couldn't bring himself to eat it.
At this time, Erye said excitedly: "Great, Gouzi! You can get such good stuff. I haven't eaten this stuff for several years."
"Yeah, this stuff used to be everywhere in the mountains. I don't know what happened in recent years, but it's hard to find it in the mountains. Okay, we're all family, so let's not be polite. It won't taste good if it gets cold." said the second uncle.
Several people nodded and picked up their chopsticks to start eating.
Second Aunt and her friends naturally avoided the chili jar, and even went around it when picking up food.
But Second Uncle, Second Master and Meng Fei were eating with great relish, one bite at a time, savoring the sweet taste happily.
Feng Shuyi, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel curious when he saw how delicious the food was. He looked at Meng Fei and asked, "Brother Meng, is this really that delicious? Will it prick your mouth?"
"Haha, kid, just eat it with confidence. It's not only delicious, but also very nutritious." The second uncle laughed.
Feng Shuyi suppressed his inner fear, carefully picked up one, closed his eyes and put it into his mouth.
The teeth are gently closed.
The first thing I felt was the slight resistance of the thin and crispy shell, and then with a "crack", the shell broke.
Then, the pupa meat inside touches the tip of the tongue, as delicate and smooth as the finest silk, with a natural, light sweet fragrance.
As you chew, its unique taste spreads in your mouth. It has a dense and solid texture similar to nuts, while retaining the unique flexibility of insect protein. The taste is rich and novel, leaving a lingering aftertaste between your lips and teeth.
Feng Shuyi's eyes suddenly lit up and he exclaimed:
"Mmmmm! Delicious!! It's so delicious!!"
The grandmother standing by was a little resistant at first, but when she saw her eldest grandson said so, she suppressed her inner fear, picked up one and tasted it.
But Lao Li did have a look of disdain on his face. When he was in the special forces in his early years, he had eaten a lot of snakes, ants, rats and insects. The taste was so bitter and hard to swallow that only those who had really eaten it knew it. Even after it was cooked, the bitter taste could not be covered up.
"Young master is really ignorant. What delicious food can a broken insect cocoon have..." Old Li smiled helplessly in his heart.
However, the next second, Lao Li was stunned. He saw Grandma Shuyi bite off the cocoon, and a stream of milky white juice spurted out, right into Lao Li's mouth.
Old Li was stunned for a moment, and then he felt the sweetness between his lips and teeth. It was a taste he had never tasted before.
It tastes a bit like beef, and a bit like fried golden enoki mushrooms, and it tastes extremely delicious.
Old Li slowly lowered his gaze back to the plate of salt-baked chili peppers, and the chopsticks in his hand uncontrollably reached for them.
Seeing this, Meng Fei, Second Master, and Second Uncle looked at each other and all burst into laughter.
Everyone enjoyed the meal happily and several guests enjoyed their meals with gusto.
"Dog! Don't just focus on eating, prepare the wine too!"
After hearing this, Meng Fei slapped his thigh.
"Oh! I was so busy eating that I forgot about it! Please wait a moment!"
After saying that, Meng Fei stood up and was about to get some wine, but this time his grandmother stopped him again.
"Xiao Meng, you should keep that good wine for yourself. Don't waste it. Just drink the one we brought."
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