"Good Luck Sister, what are you doing setting up a stall here?"
How did you two meet, Niannian?
"What are you doing here, superstitious girl? And who's this guy next to you?"
For a moment, everyone was talking over each other and asking their own questions.
"Good luck sister, this is my grandfather."
“Grandpa, this sister has helped me twice. Every time I meet her, I have good luck, so I call her Sister Lucky.” Yu Niannian introduced enthusiastically.
"I recently moved to this neighborhood and rented a place, so I can set up my stall nearby," Qin Yi said briefly.
Grandpa Yu was about to turn away when he saw the girl who sold boxed lunches yesterday, but after his granddaughter told him that the girl had helped her twice, he immediately had a better impression of Qin Yi.
Although his cooking skills aren't great, his character is pretty good.
Listening to his granddaughter and Qin Yi reminiscing, he skillfully found a stool and sat down.
When Qin Yi saw the old man from yesterday sit down, she quickly leaned over to the front desk, took out a plate of sunflower seeds from the cabinet, and placed it in front of him.
Yu Niannian was surprised that the two seemed to know each other quite well.
"You two know each other?"
They said in unison, "We don't know them."
Qin Yi felt helpless, but she was deeply impressed by the first person who gave her a bad review.
"Sister, I haven't eaten yet, let me try my luck with a blind box!" Yu Niannian looked at the screen excitedly. "Grandpa, why don't you get one too?"
Grandpa Yu quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, I just ate at home."
Qin Yi pouted. It's not like she'll always be drawn a dish she can't cook.
The recipe scrolled across the screen, and the colorful box started spinning. Yu Niannian gently pressed the stop button.
[Congratulations on winning the hidden purple box! You will receive a bento box containing sauerkraut fish, braised chicken with chestnuts, and blanched bok choy!]
Wow! You're such a lucky charm! I even managed to pull the hidden item, haha!
"You can get these three dishes for 100 yuan? Are you sure you won't lose money, Sister Lucky?" Yu Niannian asked, taking the menu ticket printed on the light board.
Grandpa Yu swallowed hard when he heard the name of the dish, but when he thought of Qin Yi's two dishes yesterday, the little flame of excitement that had been burning within him was extinguished.
"No, please give it to me quickly." Qin Yi was about to reach out and grab the food ticket.
All three dishes were correct! All correct! They were all dishes she knew how to make. She was incredibly lucky. Now she couldn't wait to show off her skills in front of the old man and make up for the losses she made yesterday.
Qin Yi grabbed another handful of melon seeds for Grandpa Yu and Yu Niannian.
He rolled up his sleeves and went into the train's kitchen to work diligently.
Pickled fish is a soup dish, so the key is that the soup must be slightly sour, salty and savory.
First, slice the fish and marinate it.
The fish head, tail, and bones are all used to make the broth for this dish.
Heat oil in a large pot, first fry the fish head, tail, and bones, then add ginger and scallions to enhance the flavor.
Next, add the chopped pickled cabbage and pickled peppers and stir-fry until steaming hot and fragrant.
Pour in hot water and cook the fish soup until it emulsifies, forming a natural milky white color.
At this point, the fish fillets are filtered out, leaving only this bowl of rich and flavorful broth.
Then you can add the marinated fish fillets one by one to avoid them sticking together.
Take the fish out after about a minute, when the soup is just simmering; don't overcook it.
The last step is crucial.
Prepare fresh Sichuan peppercorns, as fresh ones have a refreshing citrus aroma and a sweeter, fresher taste.
Place it on top of the fish soup.
Heat oil in a wok, sauté dried chilies until fragrant, then pour the fragrant oil and chilies over the Sichuan peppercorns.
The bowl made a hissing sound, and the aroma was immediately released.
Grandpa Yu, sitting on the stool, immediately turned around upon smelling the odor.
The chef in the carriage hasn't changed, has he?
Is it the same girl from yesterday?
But the sour, sweet, spicy and pungent aroma is really authentic. Just smelling it makes my mouth water before I even taste it.
Qin Yi set the pickled fish aside and then prepared the second dish—braised chicken with chestnuts.
This dish belongs to the home-style braised dishes category. The usual method is to coat the main ingredients with starch, fry them until golden brown, and then braise them.
Peel the chestnuts and set aside. Cut the chicken into pieces about the same size as the chestnuts for better flavor absorption.
Then, the chestnuts are fried until golden brown, and the chicken is stir-fried with various seasonings until fragrant.
Finally, pour in a can of Soul Beer and simmer over high heat until the sauce thickens. Plate the dish and drizzle with a little sesame oil for added aroma.
"Grandpa, this smells so good, it's making me hungry."
Yu Niannian dared not eat sunflower seeds, fearing she would gain weight; she wanted to save room for Sister Lucky's big meal.
Sigh, actresses should eat as little as possible.
If I'm going to eat something, it has to be something truly worthwhile, otherwise it would be a disservice to all the hard work I've put into exercising and losing weight.
"It smells really good. Judging from the smell, the chicken must have been cooked in beer, and the chicken must have been caramelized with sugar, otherwise it wouldn't smell so good." Grandpa Yu crossed his legs, chewed on sunflower seeds, but closed his eyes, focusing all his senses on his nose.
"Wow, Grandpa, you can smell that?" Yu Niannian exclaimed. "You really are a member of the Gourmet Alliance, your nose is incredibly sharp!"
A mature granddaughter knows when to flatter her grandfather.
Grandpa Yu became even more smug, his face glowing and his expression slightly excited.
He straightened up and put his legs down, then explained to Yu Niannian in a serious tone: "The amino acids in beer can form aromatic aldehydes when they combine with sugar, which will make the dish more fragrant. Moreover, adding beer to this dish will make the chicken more tender, and the alcohol can penetrate the meat and dissolve trace amounts of organic matter."
"Woo~~~~~~Grandpa is awesome!" Although she couldn't understand, Yu Niannian clapped her hands quickly to show her support.
On Qin Yi's side.
Pour the prepared blanching sauce from the pot over the blanched and neatly arranged bok choy hearts, which are then softened and resemble saplings.
Add a handful of shredded scallions, drizzle with a spoonful of hot oil for a fragrant aroma, and finally sprinkle with golden fried garlic.
The simple yet elegant blanched bok choy is also plated and prepared.
Qin Yi placed the three dishes on the lunchbox, glanced outside, scooped out two bowls of rice, took two pairs of chopsticks, and brought them to their table.
"Superstitious girl! The food is ready. I saw you couldn't finish it all by yourself, so I brought an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl. Eat it while it's hot."
After saying that, Qin Yi crawled back into the carriage, picked up the book "1000 Recipes" to cover her face, and pretended to be reading.
"Sister is so hardworking! Just two weeks ago she was working in the dessert industry, and this week she's learning traditional Chinese cuisine. Oh! I think she even sold rice noodles before! She really knows everything." Yu Niannian had an overly flattering view of Qin Yi.
"Learning too many different things is useless; the key is that they taste good." Grandpa Yu looked at the three dishes in front of him, somewhat unsure.
They all looked legitimate, but he was fooled once yesterday, and he usually doesn't give a second chance to a restaurant that doesn't serve good food.
"You eat, Grandpa isn't hungry."
In the end, Grandpa Yu didn't pick up the chopsticks, but instead ate with his granddaughter while cracking sunflower seeds.
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