For lunch, the family had a simple noodle dish with eggs and vegetables. After eating, Lin Yanben planned to start kneading dough to make dumplings, but Zhao Shiyun pushed him to take a nap for half an hour, and he also lay down with him for a while.
The bed was covered with a thick mattress. Lin Yan covered himself with the quilt, feeling soft and warm, feeling incredibly comfortable. Soon, his eyelids began to droop. Zhao Shiyun turned sideways, propping up his head with his hands as he watched Lin Yan. Lin Yan had fallen asleep, his cheeks starting to flush. His face would turn red as soon as it got warmer. In winter, he had to apply more facial cream. He wondered if last year's was gone. If it was, he'd have to buy him a new one. Today, Zhao Shiyun was so focused on looking at Lin Yan in the mirror that he didn't pay any attention to what he was saying.
After Lin Yan got up, he planned to make the radish and pork ribs soup first, and then knead the dough to make dumplings while the soup was boiling, so there would be no delay.
Li Yuemei and Yu Ge'er were admiring the new dressing table in the room together. Li Yuemei kept praising it and touching it here and there. She also had a dressing table in her room, but it was not as exquisite. This new thing was just great.
After she finished looking at the fresh food, she prepared to go to the kitchen to knead the dough for dumplings. Lin Yan and Zhao Shiyun were already there. Zhao Shiyun, who was stronger, was responsible for chopping the ribs into small pieces. Lin Yan added water to the pot, added ginger slices and white wine, and prepared to blanch them. Li Yuemei saw this and hurried to help light the fire.
Li Yuemei brought a fish back today. She had visited her aunt's house, and her aunt forced the fish on her. Li Yuemei couldn't refuse, so she had to accept it. Lin Yan thought that since there was soup, he would braise the fish and then mix it with bean curd.
Speaking of tofu skin, they'd previously tested how long it could last. In early winter, after about four or five days, the flavor changed, taking on a sour, rancid smell. Lin Yan had a good idea: tofu skin, like tofu, wouldn't last long. They'd probably only last a day in the summer, and four or five in the winter.
At that time, we will add a new dish to the shop, and let Zhou Chunlan put some on the stall to sell together with tofu, and also sell some from our own tofu shop.
Zhao Shiyun chopped the ribs and threw them into the pot. When the water boiled, he blanched them for about half a minute and then took them out. Lin Yan took out the blanched ribs and rinsed them carefully.
Zhao Shiyun, standing by, began to prepare the fish. He brought it into the yard, deftly scraped off the scales, removed the internal organs, cleaned it, and then scored the fish a few times to make it easier to season. After preparing the fish, he began to chop the dumpling filling.
After washing the ribs, Lin Yan began chopping the radish into evenly sized dice. He heated a wok, added a little oil, and sautéed the ginger slices. He then added the ribs and stir-fried them until lightly golden brown. He then added just enough water, added the radish cubes, covered the pot, and simmered them over low heat.
Seeing she had nothing else to do, Li Yuemei took some flour and began kneading the dough. Her technique was adept, and soon the dough became smooth and elastic. She placed the dough on the chopping board, covered it with a damp cloth, and let it rise. Then she began preparing the filling. Zhao Shiyun chopped the lean and fatty pork into minced meat, adding a handful of cabbage, chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, salt, soy sauce, baijiu (white wine), and oil, stirring thoroughly.
The radish and pork ribs soup was ready. Lin Yan added ginger slices, white wine and salt to the killed fish and spread them evenly to marinate.
The dishes were all ready, waiting to be cooked in the afternoon. Zhao Shiyun saw that he had nothing to do, so he picked up his hatchet and prepared to go to the mountain to chop some firewood. Yu Ge'er saw this and picked up his small backpack, intending to go with him so that he could pick up some pine needles to start the fire.
Half an hour later, the aroma of the radish and pork ribs soup came out. Lin Yan opened the lid and was greeted by the sweet smell of radish.
During every festival, it's customary for them to eat early, usually around 3 p.m. So it's not too early to start cooking now.
The dough had already risen. Lin Yan took it out, rolled it into long strips, cut it into small pieces, and then rolled it into dumpling wrappers. Li Yuemei also came over to help make the dumplings. She made them quickly and beautifully, each one looking like a small ingot.
Zhao Shiyun and Yu Ge'er came back from chopping wood. Yu Ge'er excitedly showed off the pine needles he had gathered. Seeing Ah Mo and Ge Fu making dumplings, he washed his hands and joined in. Lin Yan, seeing that someone was helping, decided to go cook the fish.
Lin Yan poured oil into the pot, waited for the oil to heat up, added onions, ginger and garlic and stir-fried them, then put the fish into the pot and fry until both sides were golden brown, then added soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and other seasonings, added water to cover the fish, covered the pot and simmered, and the kitchen was filled with the aroma of various delicacies.
Zhao Shiyun washed his hands and joined in making dumplings. While his wasn't as elaborate as Li Yuemei's, they still looked pretty good. Everyone chatted as they made dumplings, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Soon, the dumplings were ready, and the fish was simmered until well-seasoned. The only thing left was the tofu skin. Blanch the tofu skin, add minced garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili sauce, oil, and cilantro, and mix well. Then, it was ready to eat.
The wrapped dumplings were neatly arranged on the chopping board. Li Yuemei added water to another pot, put the dumplings in one by one when the water boiled, and the dumplings rolled in the pot, steaming hot. Lin Yan served the stewed fish and brought the mixed bean curd to the table. Yu Ge'er looked at it eagerly, his saliva almost flowing down. Lin Yan smiled and touched his head, "Don't worry, you can eat it soon." Li Yuemei skillfully used a colander to scoop the cooked dumplings into the plate. Each dumpling was plump and round like a fat baby.
The family gathered around the table, gazing at the delicious spread. Zhao Shiyun served each person a bowl of radish and pork rib soup. The rich broth, tender pork ribs, and sweet radish whetted their appetites. Everyone picked up their chopsticks, first tasting the fish, which was tender and rich in flavor. Then they picked up the dumplings, taking a bite, and the delicious meat filling spread in their mouths.
"Delicious!" Yu Ge'er gave a thumbs-up. Lin Yan also ate his fill for the first time in a long time, eating fifteen dumplings in a row, where he used to only be able to eat ten. He admired Zhao Shiyun the most, who easily ate thirty dumplings and still said he wasn't full.
"There's still some in the pot. If you want some, go get some yourself." Li Yuemei rolled her eyes at him. No wonder they said, "You little brat, you're eating me out of money." His appetite is still as big as ever.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
