Chapter 45 Casserole Crispy Pork and Vermicelli Casserole
The two starving people saw Yu Miaoyin and ran over as if they had seen a savior, excitedly asking, "Boss, are you opening the shop?"
With very earnest words and expectant eyes, Yu Miaoyin smiled awkwardly and said, "Sorry, I'm off today and won't be open."
The person, who was already starving, suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, wailing, "Boss, will you be open tomorrow?"
Before Yu Miaoyin could speak, the girl said, "I'm from out of town. My friend said your food is delicious, so I came. You won't be closed for three days during the Mid-Autumn Festival, will you...?"
"If that's the case, then we've come all this way for nothing," another voice said softly, with a hint of regret.
Yu Miaoyin paused again. When she heard that the girl was from out of town, Yu Miaoyin felt a pang of reluctance. She was reluctant to let the girl go back with regrets. After all, holidays are precious time for working people. There are actually many tourist attractions near Yuncheng, but this girl seemed to have come for the food she made, not for sightseeing.
Yu Miaoyin thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll open for business in the afternoons two days after the Mid-Autumn Festival. You can come over if you want to eat there."
Upon hearing this, the little girl's eyes lit up, and she said, "Really? Thank you, boss."
“Really?” Yu Miaoyin said.
Having received a positive answer, the two girls happily returned to the hotel.
After listening to their conversation, Xiao Tangbao said in a very low voice, full of surprise, "Big sister is so amazing!"
Yu Miaoyin patted her head and smiled gently.
The Mid-Autumn Festival market has many limited-edition Mid-Autumn Festival dishes, such as snails and clams. Having just eaten stir-fried snails yesterday, Yu Miaoyin bought some clams, shrimp, and pork tenderloin. She plans to cook one dish for lunch; lunch will be simple, and she'll have a bigger meal in the evening. In Yuncheng, the most sumptuous meal during the festival is the evening meal.
"Big sister bought so many vegetables today! We're going to eat lots and lots of delicious food today!" Little Tangbao said excitedly.
"Yes, I can eat lots and lots of delicious food," Yu Miaoyin said. Outside the market, there were also stalls selling all sorts of small toys, toy dogs that could run and sing, and glow sticks, etc. "Little Tangbao, which one do you like? I'll buy it for you, okay?"
Little Tangbao's eyes darted around, then she pointed to a small, exquisite rabbit figurine, "I want this."
"Okay." Yu Miaoyin bought her a little rabbit. "The little rabbit is just as cute as you."
Little Tangbao hugged the little rabbit and smiled shyly.
After returning home, Yu Miaoyin put the clams in water with some salt, suitable for their living conditions. Then she cut the pork into strips, marinated them, coated them with a paste, and quickly put the pork strips into the oil.
As soon as the crispy pork touched the scalding hot oil, it sizzled and burst open with tiny, dense droplets of oil, gradually becoming golden and crispy, the aroma of oil mingling with the fragrance of meat becoming increasingly rich. Yu Miaoyin scooped the crispy pork out and shook it.
Slice the ginger, smash the garlic, and stir-fry it in a clay pot with millet peppers, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Pour in warm water and the prepared sauce, and then add your favorite vegetables. The crispy pork pieces are packed tightly together. Yu Miaoyin also added some tofu puffs, baby bok choy, and soaked glass noodles.
Little Tangbao helped tidy up the living room and wiped the marble table until it shone.
Yu Miaoyin leaned against the doorframe, watching the little girl's movements. Sometimes she found it amazing how such a small child could grow up so quickly. After raising her for so long, Yu Miaoyin felt that the little girl seemed to have grown a little taller...
After a moment of distraction, the pot soon began to bubble and bubble. Yu Miaoyin opened the lid and saw the sauce bubbling and rolling under the high heat, seeping into the gaps of the crispy pork. The tofu puffs, soaked with the broth, had puffed up slightly, and the crispy pork was half-softened in the hot soup. The glass noodles and baby bok choy lay on top...
The whole house smelled of the braised pork and vermicelli casserole. Yu Miaoyin was also hungry. She turned off the stove, stirred it with a ladle, and used a rag to hold the two handles of the casserole and put it on a wooden heat-resistant mat.
"Wow, it smells so good!" said Xiao Tangbao. "Thank you for your hard work, Sister."
The crispy pork and vermicelli hot pot was still steaming, the broth inside was still bubbling hot, and the vermicelli was somewhat transparent, soaked in the broth, making it look especially tempting.
Yu Miaoyin brought out two bowls of rice, then went back to the kitchen and took out her homemade osmanthus honey to make a cup of osmanthus honey oolong tea. Thinking that it was better for children to drink less ice, Yu Miaoyin added two or three ice cubes to Xiaotangbao's cup, but she scooped out half a cup of ice for herself.
Some water droplets seeped from the cup wall. When you get close, you can feel the cool air coming out, which is mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus and the aroma of tea. There are also some osmanthus flowers stuck around the cup.
"Dinner's ready," Yu Miaoyin said, handing Xiaotangbao her the cup of osmanthus oolong tea that belonged to her. "Try it and see how it tastes."
Xiao Tangbao held the cup with both hands, widened her eyes, tilted her head back and took a small sip. As soon as she picked it up, she smelled the very fragrant osmanthus fragrance. When she drank it, the aroma was even stronger, as if she had eaten a lot of osmanthus flowers!
"It's delicious, sweet, and fragrant."
Yu Miaoyin also took a sip. The mellow flavor of the oolong tea emerged on her tongue, while the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossomed in her mouth, blending with the aroma of the tea. She also found it delicious.
Yu Miaoyin picked up a piece of crispy pork for her, and also picked up a piece for herself.
The crispy pork belly becomes slightly chewy after soaking in the soup, while the meat inside remains soft. Because it was cooked in a clay pot, the pork belly absorbs the broth and carries its savory flavor.
"This is so delicious!" Xiao Tangbao said excitedly. When she eats something delicious, she shakes her head to express her liking, like a roly-poly toy that has been pushed.
"Try this tofu puff too." Yu Miaoyin picked up a tofu puff for her. The tofu puff was swollen after absorbing the soup, and its surface was shiny and darker in color than before. You could see the weight of the tofu puff after it had absorbed the soup.
If you take a bite, it'll burst with juice...
Yu Miaoyin also picked up a tofu puff for herself. The first bite released a burst of juicy flavor. She first tasted the salty umami of the broth, then seemed to savor the flavors of the crispy pork and baby bok choy that the tofu puff had absorbed. The tofu puff itself had a very mild beany taste, soft and tender, coated in the broth. Eating it with rice, the salty umami clung to the rice, the rice grains becoming moist from the broth, the flavors blending perfectly.
The baby bok choy in the pot is exceptionally sweet and delicious. When you pick up a strand of glass noodles, the soup will flow down the slippery noodles.
"These tofu puffs are delicious, and the vegetables are sweet too."
...
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