When Han Fei saw that Xiao Rou was going to soak the lotus root starch directly in boiling water, he quickly stopped her, smiling as he tapped the girl's forehead: "You shouldn't soak it like that, watch carefully."
Han Fei took two spoonfuls from the jar and put them in a bowl. He added a small amount of cold water, just enough to cover the lotus root starch, and stirred the lotus root starch into a liquid.
Pure lotus root starch is plain and unsweetened. You can add white or brown sugar while stirring, according to your personal taste, until you can no longer see any granules.
Then, quickly and smoothly pour boiling water (100 degrees Celsius) into the lotus root starch solution. Do not stop pouring water until the lotus root starch has formed and become transparent.
The lotus root starch is considered ready only when it has solidified and become transparent.
"It's so pretty! Mine... is a white blob." Han Rou looked down at what she had just made, then at what her grandfather had made, and her face turned red.
Han Fei handed her the soaked lotus root starch and said with a smile, "Lotus root starch is rich in iron and calcium. It's a goddess-level starch. Xiao Rou, eat more of it."
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
"Grandpa, we want some too!" Han Chengshan shouted.
Han Fei glanced at the brat, his gentleness fading: "Make it yourself!"
"Grandpa, you have to treat everyone equally. You personally brewed my second sister's soup, so you have to brew mine too!"
"Grandpa, yours tastes even better. I want Grandpa to make it too!" Han Chengsi said with a grin.
Han Fei looked at Han Chengda: "And you?"
Han Chengda scratched his head sheepishly: "I also want to drink Grandpa's brew."
Alright! Looks like I'll have to be fair today!
Han Fei sighed. Having many children is a sweet trouble!
"Watch closely, next time you'll have to make it yourselves!"
Han Fei demonstrated three more times, giving three bowls of soaked lotus root starch to his three grandsons, and only then was the water level considered even.
Han Chengshan sipped his lotus root starch with relish: "This homemade lotus root starch is indeed different from the ones you buy outside. The taste is so authentic!"
Han Chengsi nodded: "Even without sugar, it tastes sweet and refreshing, and it feels very soothing to the throat."
"You finished drinking so quickly?" Han Chengda felt the heat and had only taken two sips when he saw that his two younger brothers' bowls were already empty.
Han Chengshan wiped his mouth: "Not enough to drink!"
He stared longingly at Han Fei, who waved his hand: "Go make it yourself!"
Han Chengshan sighed: "Fine, I'll make it myself! I've already learned how!"
Full of confidence, he first took two spoonfuls and stirred them with cold water. These two steps were not difficult. But when it came to adding boiling water, he was dumbfounded.
"How could this be?" He stirred the very thin, rice-soup-like lotus root starch. "How come it's completely different from what Grandpa made?"
Han Fei glanced at it and concluded, "There's too much water."
"Third brother, you're so stupid! You can't even learn this!"
"If you're so capable, then you go and try it!"
Han Chengsi said with a relaxed expression, "Okay, I'll do it!"
Han Chengsi was equally confident. He first took two spoonfuls and then stirred them with cold water. These two steps were not difficult. But when it came to adding boiling water, he was dumbfounded!
Perhaps because the former added too much water, Han Chengsi was more cautious and added very little boiling water at the beginning, causing the lotus root starch to clump together.
After finishing his lotus root starch drink, Han Chengda saw how clumsy his two younger brothers were, so he stepped in to teach them.
"Watch closely, I'm going to teach you."
Han Chengda was equally confident. He took two spoonfuls of lotus root starch, stirred it with cold water, and then added water.
"Why hasn't the color changed at all?" Han Chengshan asked in surprise.
Han Chengsi pouted: "They're not even as good as the two of us!"
Han Chengda frowned: "It seems the water has cooled down and isn't boiling anymore."
"Grandpa, what should we do with these three bowls of failed lotus root starch? Should we throw them away?" Han Chengda was very distressed: "This bowl contains a pound of fresh lotus root. It would be such a waste to throw it away."
"It's not like there's no other way," Han Fei asked the staff, "Do you have a microwave?"
The staff borrowed a microwave oven from the neighbor's house.
Han Fei took the lotus root starch handed over by Han Chengda: "The reason your bowl failed is indeed because the boiling water cooled down and the temperature did not reach 100 degrees. In this case, you can heat it in the microwave or steam it in a pot. Steaming is relatively more troublesome, as it requires boiling water and steaming for 10 to 20 minutes."
Han Fei put the bowl of lotus root starch into the microwave: "Using a microwave will be much faster. Different models of microwaves may have temperature differences, so start by trying for 1 minute."
"Ding!" One minute was up. Han Fei opened the microwave to check the lotus root starch. At this moment, the lotus root starch had not yet become transparent. He closed the door and added another minute.
"Ding!" The second minute is up. This time, when you open the door, you can see that the lotus root starch has become transparent.
"That's enough, but be careful not to burn yourself."
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Han Chengda happily took the lotus root starch and went to the side.
"Grandpa, please take a look. Is there any way to fix this?" Han Chengsi came over carrying his bowl of lotus root starch that had clumped together.
Han Fei glanced at it and judged, "There's too little water, add more."
Han Chengsi added water carefully, not daring to add too much or too little.
"That's fine."
At Han Fei's command, Han Chengsi quickly stopped.
"Stir it up and try putting it in the microwave."
"Okay, Grandpa!"
Even after adding water, the lotus root starch still clumped together. Han Chengsi stirred it for a long time, and some of the clumps became smaller, but they were still individual grains. With a try-it-and-see attitude, he put the bowl of lumpy lotus root starch into the microwave and microwaved it for 1 minute.
When the minute was up and he opened the door to check, he found that all the clumps of lotus root starch had dissolved. At this moment, the lotus root starch was exactly the same as the state his grandfather had prepared before, which was perfect.
"How amazing!" Han Chengsi held the lotus root starch and examined it closely, almost reluctant to drink it.
Han Chengshan grew anxious and asked urgently, "Grandpa, what about mine? What should we do?"
"Yours has too much water, making it more complicated than theirs."
"Grandpa, please teach me quickly, I want to try no matter how complicated it is."
"Take a bowl, take a spoonful of lotus root starch, and stir it with cold water."
"Okay!" Han Chengshan immediately did as instructed. "Grandpa, what's next?"
"Pour the mixed lotus root starch solution into the bowl with too much water in your bowl."
"Once it's poured in, it turns white." Han Chengshan looked at the lotus root starch in his hand with a troubled expression.
"Put it in the microwave and heat it up, adding it minute by minute."
"Okay!" Han Chengshan hurriedly did as instructed. First, he heated it for one minute, but there was no change. Then, after another minute, it became half transparent and half white. He heated it for another minute.
After a total of three minutes of microwaving, the lotus root starch finally reached its perfect state, transparent with a pinkish-purple hue, a very tempting color.
"We did it!" Han Chengshan cheered. "Grandpa, it seems like nothing can stump you!"
"After you finish drinking, practice more and make some for the staff."
"Okay!"
After the four children finished drinking the lotus root starch, they took turns making lotus root starch for the staff. Having learned from their failures and how to salvage them, this time they almost always made it perfectly. If they failed once, they could use the microwave to heat it up and help them finish.
"Grandpa, can we have lotus root sandwiches today?" Han Chengshan looked on with a hungry expression, almost drooling.
"I'll make it for you right now." Han Fei took the meat that the staff had bought from outside.
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