For lunch, I made fried bacon with garlic sprouts, white radish with garlic sprouts, egg and cabbage soup, and brown rice.
Lin Yan took a larger piece of bacon, so he only cooked one piece. The remaining piece has been steamed, so we might as well eat it tonight.
After dinner, Li Shengchun said goodbye and went home. Lin Yan returned to the kitchen to check on the pre-dinner soaking. He found it had softened. He pinched a little and tried a bite, but it was tasteless. He thought, "I'll try stir-frying it with bacon tonight. If it's well-seasoned, it should be edible."
＊
Yesterday morning, before leaving the house, Lin Yan poured out the soaking water for the glutinous rice. Last night, after dinner, he took the time to steam the rice. After soaking and dyeing, he placed the rice on a steamer cloth, flattened it by color, and steamed it over high heat until cooked. The steaming time is about an hour, and you can open the lid to check during this time to ensure the rice has not dried out. If the rice is still hard, extend the steaming time appropriately.
After steaming, the color is bright and looks particularly good. Lin Yan picked up a small piece and ate it. It was soft, sticky and chewy. "Not bad, not bad." Lin Yan nodded. If you like sweet, add some brown sugar. If you like salty, add some oil and salt to stir-fry. Both are delicious.
Tomorrow is Qingming Festival. Incense, candles, and gold ingots are all ready. Tomorrow morning, we need to kill a chicken and boil a few eggs to bring to the sacrifice. All of this can be done tomorrow morning. Now that we have a rare moment of free time, Lin Yan plans to go see how the peppers are growing.
Usually, Zhao Shiyun went to water the plants. After all, it was far away and close to a man's house. In order to avoid suspicion, Lin Yan seldom went there.
Pulling Zhao Shiyun along, the two of them walked towards the east end of the village.
Arriving at the chili pepper field, Lin Yan saw a vibrant green, the seedlings growing thrivingly. He squatted down to examine them more closely. The tender green leaves swayed gently in the breeze, and small buds had already sprouted on some branches. Zhao Shiyun said, "These peppers will bear fruit in a few days. Then we can pick them and make chili sauce." Lin Yan smiled and nodded.
The door of Zhao Zhen's house was closed, and no one knew where she was. Lin Yan originally wanted to ask if there was enough food, but he had to do it another day.
Zhao Shiyun brought a hoe and a bucket. He asked Lin Yan to sit beside him while he started to weed and loosen the soil in the pepper field. Lin Yan was not idle either. He picked up the bucket and prepared to go to the river to fetch water.
Zhao Shiyun stopped him immediately, "This is a bit far from the river. I'll go get some water while you weed here."
Lin Yan agreed, took the hoe, and began weeding. Although the work wasn't easy, he was meticulous. The two of them spent over an hour in the pepper patch, keeping it in perfect order. Lin Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Sprinkle some wood ash next time to prevent insects." Zhao Shiyun nodded, mentally planning to come back the day after tomorrow to spread it.
＊
Lin Yan washed the bacon that he had steamed at noon to remove the grease on the surface and cut it into thin slices. He also soaked the soy milk skin until it was soft. Lin Yan took it out and cut it into small strips. He also cut some garlic sprouts and planned to stir-fry them together.
Lin Yan heated up the wok and added the bacon slices, stir-frying until the oil released. The unique aroma of the bacon instantly permeated the air, and the thin, fatty slices of meat curled slightly, their color becoming even more alluring. He then added the chopped soy milk skins to the wok and quickly stir-fried them evenly. The skins absorbed the bacon fat, becoming succulent and smooth. He then added the chopped garlic sprouts, and the aroma of the garlic blended with the aroma of the meat and beans. Lin Yan expertly seasoned the dish with just the right amount of salt and a dash of soy sauce.
Feeling that it was almost done, Lin Yan scooped up a piece of soy milk skin with a spatula to taste it. As soon as he took a sip, he was filled with the aroma of beans, mixed with the aroma of bacon. Lin Yan's eyes lit up, "It's delicious!"
He quickly stir-fried it a few times and began to plate it. He didn't cook tonight, so he heated up some glutinous rice.
Lin Yan brought the bacon and soy milk skin to the table and invited everyone to eat. Yu Ge'er looked at the dishes on the table curiously, "Brother, what is this?"
"This is the soy milk skin you picked up yesterday."
Yu Ge'er looked at Li Yuemei with a guilty conscience, but he couldn't resist his curiosity and took a piece and started eating. His taste buds were instantly conquered. "It's delicious."
The others also started to pick up their chopsticks. Li Yuemei had eaten it before, so she didn't have any expectations. However, once she took a bite, she found that the taste was completely different from before. It was salty, fragrant, soft and sticky, wrapped in the aroma of bacon.
Li Yuemei said in surprise: "Brother Yan, how did you make it? It's so delicious."
"Soak it in water for a few hours before cooking. Once it's softened, you can cook it. This dish itself doesn't have much taste, but it tastes good because it absorbs the meat juice," Lin Yan explained.
Zhao Shiyun tasted a few pieces and said, "It would taste better if you add some chili peppers."
After everyone had tasted it, Lin Yan asked, "Is this difficult to make? Can we make a large quantity and sell it?"
Zhao Qiming said, "It's not difficult, but no one has ever eaten it. Will it sell well?"
"When I open my shop, I plan to use this soy milk skin to make a snack. If people think it tastes good, they will buy it."
Everyone nodded, but, "What is this dish called? Soy milk skin? Isn't it a bit strange?"
"This is made from soy milk, and soy milk is used to make tofu. Why not call it yupi?"
"Strange..."
The others couldn't think of any other name at the moment, so they could only eat first and then talk about it after they were done.
Lin Yan stared at the dish in his bowl in a daze, several names flashing through his mind. Suddenly, an idea struck him, "How about calling it yuba? It's made of tofu and looks like a bamboo stick."
After hearing this, the others agreed and said, "Let's call it yuba. The store will open in a few days. I'll make more tomorrow to ensure it can be used when it opens." Zhao Qiming made the decision.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
