Chapter 86 Steamed Fish Belly with Fermented Black Beans and Eggplant with Minced Meat
It's a pity that the fish stall didn't have any fish heads, otherwise she would definitely have bought some to make a fish head tofu soup.
Yu Miaoyin added crushed fermented black beans, minced ginger, and other ingredients to the pot and stir-fried them, allowing the aroma and oil of the fermented black beans to be fully released during the stir-frying process. Then she added the first batch of soy sauce. The aroma of the first batch of soy sauce is particularly pronounced; it is the first batch of soy sauce extracted during the fermentation and maturation process, and it has the strongest umami flavor. She also added some cornstarch and sugar to enhance the flavor.
Ginger shreds were laid out on the bottom of a plate, and the marinated fish belly was then laid out flat in a steamer to steam. There was also a dish of eggplant with minced meat. Under Yu Miaoyin's skillful knife work, the eggplant was cut into evenly sized pieces. The minced meat was stir-fried until it changed color, then she added scallions, ginger, garlic, and fermented bean paste to bring out its aroma. The eggplant had been pre-salted to draw out moisture, coated with starch, and pan-fried until golden brown on both sides before being stir-fried together with the fragrant minced meat.
Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. This was Xiaoyu's first time eating at the small restaurant. She was quite excited to smell the food the owner made and pulled Xiaotangbao aside, saying, "Your older sister's food smells so good! No wonder so many people like it."
She often watches Yunhe's videos, especially the "Little Restaurant" series, which she has rewatched many times. Every night, she craved the food, and now she can finally eat it.
Little Tangbao giggled, cupping her face in her hands, and whispered to her older sister, "My older sister has magic; she can make lots of delicious food!"
Xiao Yu knew what she meant, so she went along with her words, "Wow, your older sister is amazing!"
As she spoke, she became even more eager for the delicious food that Boss Yu would make.
The minced meat and eggplant dish was ready, and so was the steamed fish belly with fermented black beans. Yu Miaoyin brought out the steamed fish belly with fermented black beans, added the chopped scallions, and drizzled hot oil over it. The hot oil made the aroma even more pronounced.
Qin Zaiyang smelled the aroma and was tempted, but he was still a little unconvinced. Was it really that delicious?
Little Tangbao jumped off the chair and followed the aroma to the kitchen. She took out a bowl the same size as her older sister's and served them both a bowl of rice. She also served Aunt Zheng, Little Sister Xiao, and the quiet uncle a bowl of rice.
"Thank you," Qin Zaiyang said.
Two dishes were served, along with a plate of stir-fried sweet potato leaves with fermented bean curd, garnished with a few bits of minced garlic, and a thin layer of sauce covering each green leaf.
Fearing that Xiao Yu and Qin Zaiyang would feel uncomfortable, Yu Miaoyin took the initiative to start a conversation about the program "Yuncheng Fireworks".
Qin Zaiyang picked up a piece of fish belly, saying, "The TV station and the Culture and Tourism Bureau both attach great importance to this program."
This can be considered a kind of cultural tourism promotional video. It's fortunate that Yu Miaoyin agreed to participate; after all, ninety-nine out of a hundred programs with cultural tourism promotional elements are ultimately pointless. Even locals might not watch them, let alone outsiders.
Therefore, we need Mr. Yu, who acts as a walking traffic generator, to help attract customers.
Yu Miaoyin placed a piece of fish belly on Xiao Tangbao's plate, naturally understanding the Yuncheng Culture and Tourism Bureau's intention. Xiao Tangbao tilted her head to look at her older sister, her heart filled with endless admiration.
She felt that her older sister was radiant!
Qin Zaiyang put the fish belly into his mouth. The fish belly was steamed to an exceptionally tender and incredibly delicious state, with the flavors of fermented black beans and light soy sauce perfectly infused into it. It retained the original flavor of the fish belly without being bland; the fish belly was both tender and firm.
It's really that delicious!
The aroma of fermented black beans seeped into the fish belly. Picking up a piece with chopsticks, the tender white fish meat tasted incredibly delicious. The top layer of fish skin was steamed until soft and smooth with a chewy texture. The fermented black beans on top dyed the fish skin a dark brown color. When you touched the fish skin with your teeth, you could feel the soft and glutinous texture of the fish skin itself.
After swallowing, you can still smell a faint sweetness.
Making a plate of steamed fish belly with fermented black beans isn't difficult; many people in Yuncheng know how to make it—simply steam the fish until it's cooked. However, to make such a perfect steamed fish belly with fermented black beans truly tests a chef's skill. Overcooking the fish belly makes it too tender, adding too much fermented black beans overpowers the flavor, and even the ginger shreds at the bottom are crucial—too much or too little won't do. Boss Yu has mastered all these aspects perfectly; this steamed fish belly with fermented black beans is truly exceptional.
He was blind and arrogant; Qin Zaiyang accepted his defeat wholeheartedly. There's a knack to cooking; he'd entered the field, but Boss Yu had already reached the top. Right now, Qin Zaiyang was completely focused on becoming Yu Miaoyin's apprentice. He picked up a piece of beef brisket and bravely pressed on: "Boss Yu, do you have any plans to take on apprentices? I'm very eager to learn and willing to start from the bottom!"
He spoke with great emotion, his face turning red from the choking.
Yu Miaoyin doesn't accept apprentices. She smiled and said tactfully, "I only accept one apprentice, and I already have a candidate. She asked me first. The young lady is quite serious and eager to learn."
This little girl is Jiajia. She earnestly asked Yu Miaoyin if she could take her as a disciple and make her her last disciple.
Although it was a joke, Yu Miaoyin agreed and told her, "Come be my eldest disciple after you get into university."
Qin Zaiyang nodded regretfully, then picked up another piece of fish belly to comfort his wounded heart. If he had come earlier, he might have become Boss Yu's last disciple.
Xiao Yu picked up a piece of eggplant with minced meat. The eggplant was covered with dark brown minced meat, and the sauce slid down the eggplant. When she put it in her mouth, a rich, salty aroma exploded in her mouth. The eggplant absorbed the oily and meaty fragrance of the minced meat, and it was so tender that it melted in her mouth, but it didn't turn into a mushy mess. It was oily but not greasy.
Xiao Yu also wanted to become Boss Yu's apprentice, but she still had a dream of becoming a journalist.
While eating the steamed fish belly with fermented black beans, Xiao Yu couldn't help but praise, "Boss Yu, your dishes smell so good, no wonder everyone likes them so much."
She ate happily, saying, "I initially thought it was quite exaggerated, but now that I think about it, it's not exaggerated at all."
Hearing someone praise her older sister, Xiao Tangbao felt proud as well.
After finishing their meal and cleaning up, the pork stall owner came over with fresh ribs. This time she bought much more than she had in the morning, so that no one would tearfully say to Yu Miaoyin, "Boss, you didn't make enough!"
Moreover, she marinated it a day in advance, which not only made it flavorful but also allowed everyone to eat it at noon. Isn't that wonderful?
After marinating the ribs, Yu Miaoyin pulled down the shutter. Before leaving, she glanced at He Li's noodle shop and realized that she hadn't been there in a long time.
After returning home, Yu Miaoyin took out Xiaotangbao's long-sleeved shirt and whispered to her, "Wear long sleeves in the morning. If you feel hot, go to the bathroom to change into short sleeves. I'll put them in your schoolbag for you."
In mid-October, some cities were already wearing thick fleece-lined sweatshirts, but in Yuncheng, people often said that it was only October, and it was still a long way from wearing long sleeves. But the weather in Yuncheng was just that unreasonable, with alternating hot and cold temperatures entirely dependent on the whims of the heavens.
In Grandma's words, it was like encountering a ghost.
This kind of weather won't last long, and it's not too cold; just bear with it. But children are prone to catching colds if they get chilled, so we still need to be extra careful.
Little Tangbao listened attentively and memorized the words. At the same time, Grandma Chen was also talking to Yiling. The two families lived close by, so they could hear each other clearly.
"What time in the afternoon? Bring an extra set of clothes so you can change if you sweat. Also bring water, and some sugar water too." Grandma seemed to go on and on, repeating the same few instructions over and over again.
Yi Ling smiled helplessly and said, "Okay, I'll remember."
Grandma felt like it was her granddaughter's first time starting kindergarten, and she wanted to take care of everything perfectly.
Jiajia followed Yiling to get the things, and when she heard this, she laughed and joked with her grandmother, "Grandma, don't worry, Yiling will definitely be able to do it."
Grandma is also looking forward to it. Tomorrow her granddaughter will participate in the high jump. High jump! She can't even jump high now, but her granddaughter can still participate in the high jump. That's amazing!
Xiao Tangbao overheard their conversation and asked curiously, "Where is Sister Yiling going?"
"At the No. 1 Middle School Games, Sister Yiling participated in the high jump event."
Little Tangbao jumped up and down, "I also want to see Sister Yiling."
Children love excitement, and Yu Miaoyin understood that. Besides, with two older sisters around, she was sure to be thrilled. Since Xiaotangbao wanted to go to kindergarten anyway, she figured she might as well let her go and join in the fun.
A group of vibrant high school students must be very interesting.
"Then I'll ask you for half a day off tomorrow, and we can go see Sister Yiling together, okay?"
Xiao Tangbao was very excited, "Okay, let's cheer for Sister Yiling together, and hope that Sister Yiling will win first place."
Upon hearing this, Yi Ling suddenly felt like she would let everyone down if she didn't get first place tomorrow.
...
In the early morning, Xiao Tangbao thought about going to Yiling's high school and watching Yiling jump high. She was as excited as a bird that had regained its freedom, and she was singing a song.
"Go, go, I'm cheering for you..." This is a cheering song she learned in kindergarten. On her way to school, she was still singing it earnestly, intending to sing it for her older sister, Yiling.
The child's voice was too innocent, and singing this song was a bit too cute, so Yu Miaoyin gently reminded her, "If you sing this song, Sister Yiling might be attracted by your singing. Why don't you choose another one?"
Alright! Little Tangbao decided to ask Sister Jiajia for advice.
"Bye-bye, listen to your teacher, your older sister will pick you up again at noon," Yu Miaoyin said.
"good."
After seeing the students off on the school bus, Yu Miaoyin returned to the kitchen to check on the ribs she had marinated the night before. After checking, she immediately went to prepare the meal.
The athletes' march, various rousing songs, cheers, and whistles flew out from the low walls of the school, making people feel energetic and excited even early in the morning, and making them more efficient and cheerful in their work.
"My daughter also participated in the competition, the 50-meter race," Aunt Zheng said, hearing the voice. She added that she would go see her daughter after get off work.
Yu Miaoyin chatted with her for a few minutes, mentioning that she also wanted to visit Yiling's project. Anticipating limited time for preparing ingredients in the afternoon, Yu Miaoyin crossed out the more difficult dishes from the menu and hurried to prepare the food.
Before 11:30, Jiajia and Yiling climbed down the wall, with Xiao Du, who was keeping watch, following closely behind.
"You're here so early today?" Yu Miaoyin was just about to pick up Xiao Tangbao.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Jiajia shouted, "Sister Ayin, where are you going?"
"I went to pick up Xiaotangbao, I'll be back in ten minutes, very quick." Yu Miaoyin was both amused and exasperated. Had Jiajia run away from her?
Jiajia took out her keys and spun them around twice. "Sister Ayin, you go make something delicious. I'll pick up Xiaotangbao for you. Don't worry, I've been driving for four years, I can definitely get Xiaotangbao there safely!"
"Okay, thank you Jiajia." Yu Miaoyin went back to the kitchen to check on the honey-glazed pork ribs.
Jiajia and Xiaotang Baoguo are both very lively. When they came back, they were laughing like little bells. Yu Miaoyin could hear them from the kitchen.
"Come eat with us, Xiao Tangbao." Xu Jiajia ordered a claypot rice and honey-glazed pork ribs to boost her energy for the afternoon.
Yi Ling didn't eat much, since she was going to do a high jump later and eating too much would affect her performance.
"Sister Jiajia, can you sing the cheering song?" Xiaotangbao asked.
"No." Jiajia mixed the rice well, then placed the honey-glazed pork ribs on top, and then slurped up the claypot rice. The claypot rice gained a touch of sweetness from the honey, making the flavor even richer. She then poured in the remaining honey-glazed pork ribs, turning the claypot rice into honey-glazed pork rib claypot rice.
The pork ribs, glistening with a sweet honey glaze, tasted exceptionally tender and delicious. This claypot rice was simply the essence of the essence, the most delicious of all; Jiajia even ate a little more.
“I’ll teach you to sing, and we’ll cheer for Sister Yiling together,” Xiaotangbao said, and then she started singing again.
Yi Ling lowered her head and covered her face, while Xiao Du and Jia Jia began to learn seriously from Teacher Xiao Tang.
...
During her lunch break, Yu Miaoyin took out some flour; she planned to make a pineapple bun. Yiling hadn't eaten much, and she was also easily hungry after exercising, so a pineapple bun would be perfect to fill her stomach.
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