"Mommy, what delicious food are you making?" Angie stood behind his mother and asked, craning his neck.
"Braised pork, Anji, do you want some?" Yuan Doudou teased him with a smile, knowing full well that Anji liked braised pork.
Angie, thinking about the meat he would have for dinner, happily spun around and cheered, "Great! We'll have meat to eat!"
He hasn't eaten meat since his grandmother passed away.
Yuan Doudou lit a fire, heated the pot, placed the pork skin-side down in the pot, pressed the pork down and turned it around in the pot a few times to roast the pork skin until it was charred black.
The pork was placed in cold water, and Yuan Doudou used a knife to scrape the skin, removing all the pig hair. Some hairs were difficult to remove, so she pinched them with her hand and pulled hard, and the hairs came off.
Scrape the pork skin clean, cut the square piece of pork into thick strips, and then cut the strips into cubes, about the size of two mahjong tiles.
Add cold water to a pot, put in the chopped meat, and then add the three essential ingredients for removing the gamey smell: cooking wine, ginger, and scallions.
Once the pot boils, skim off the foam with a spoon, cook for a while, and then remove with chopsticks.
The aroma of meat filled the kitchen, attracting Angie, the little glutton.
"Wow, it smells so good."
Yuan Doudou was amused by his exaggerated expression, "Little glutton, the best food is yet to come."
Heat the pan, place the meat pieces one by one, skin side down, and fry over low heat until the skin is golden brown. Continue to flip them over to ensure that each side is cooked through, and a lot of the pork fat will be rendered out.
Yuan Doudou picked up a spoon and ladled the hot oil from the pan into a bowl, saving it for later use in stir-frying vegetables.
Leave a little oil in the pot, add rock sugar, and stir constantly with a spoon. Once the rock sugar melts and starts to bubble, add the meat pieces and stir-fry evenly to ensure that each piece of meat is coated with the sugar.
Pour in the prepared hot water to cover the pork, add a piece of cinnamon, two bay leaves, two star anise, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook slowly.
As the steam rose, the aroma of braised pork spread.
Passersby stopped in their tracks, drawn by the aroma, wondering which restaurant could make such fragrant meat.
"Mommy, I can smell the aroma! Is it ready to eat?" Angie asked anxiously, pacing back and forth.
Yuan Doudou controlled the heat well, got up to get a large bowl, scooped out half a bowl of rice, and cooked the rice on the small stove.
"Don't rush, it will become soft and flavorful if you simmer it slowly."
To make delicious braised pork belly, you must not rush it. Add enough water, simmer for half an hour, and then reduce the sauce over high heat.
Yuan Doudou was very careful with the last step, making sure there was neither too much nor too little broth. She promptly scooped the meat out, poured the broth from the pot over it, and sprinkled a pinch of chopped green onions on top. The braised pork, with its perfect color, aroma, and flavor, was then ready.
"My goodness, DouDou, what delicious food are you making? It smells so good." Zhang Aiju walked in from outside, carrying a plate in her hand.
Yuan Doudou came out to greet her with a smile, "Auntie, you've come."
"This is candied meat, it's delicious. You should take some back and try it," Yuan Doudou said, going to get a plate to put it in.
When Zhang Aiju saw that it was meat, she quickly waved her hand and said, "Oh, don't be so polite with me, I'm used to eating vegetarian food and I don't like meat."
Yuan Doudou didn't believe it; who wouldn't like to eat meat?
“You wouldn’t say that once you’ve tasted it,” Yuan Doudou said, full of confidence in the dish.
Her mother was a master cook. In high school, in order to please the boy she liked, she begged her mother to teach her how to cook.
Zhang Aiju couldn't bear to part with it, so she put the plate on the table and lifted the lid of the bowl on top.
Boiled crucian carp in plain water.
Looking at the white crucian carp, Yuan Doudou frowned.
"DouDou, QiQiang caught this in the river this morning. I'm not very good at cooking, so please make do with this."
Yuan Doudou really wanted to say, "Auntie, if you don't know how to cook it, you can bring a live one. She's also very good at making braised fish."
"Thank you, Auntie." Yuan Doudou happily accepted the gift, after all, it was a kind gesture from her.
Yuan Doudou took out about ten pieces of braised pork from a large plate, put them in a small dish, and handed them to Zhang Aiju.
Zhang Aiju backed away towards the courtyard gate, refusing to accept anything.
Good heavens, pork is so expensive, and she went through so much trouble, how could she possibly accept it?
Yuan Doudou pretended to be angry, "Auntie, if you don't want my meat, then I don't want your fish either."
Seeing that she was angry, Zhang Aiju hesitated again, wondering whether to accept it or not.
"Auntie, are you disgusted with me?" Yuan Doudou asked pitifully, her eyes almost red.
"No, Dou Dou, how could your auntie dislike you?" Zhang Aiju had no choice but to take the plate. "If your auntie likes this meat, then your auntie won't be polite with you."
Yuan Doudou smiled as she saw Zhang Aiju off and then closed the courtyard gate.
The rice was cooked, and Yuan Doudou picked some lettuce and stir-fried it with minced garlic, making one meat dish and one vegetable dish.
Oh, and fish too.
Since it's boiled, let's add some water and make fish soup.
Alright, with the fish soup, a nutritious and complete dinner is ready.
Anji washed his hands, sat upright at the table, and waited for his mother to serve him food.
Looking at the sensible Anji, Yuan Doudou thought of her mother-in-law. She was truly a good grandmother, providing Anji with warmth while also focusing on setting rules for her.
She was a little worried; how could someone as carefree as her raise Angie well?
Thinking it over, Yuan Doudou picked up a piece of bright red, glistening braised pork and placed it in Anji's bowl, saying gently, "Anji, eat."
"Mommy, you eat first." Angie tried to stop himself from drooling.
Children cannot eat if adults do not start using chopsticks.
Yuan Doudou knew she couldn't refuse, so she picked up the braised pork, took a small bite, and smiled at Anji.
"Mommy, is it delicious?" Angie asked impatiently, waiting to eat.
Yuan Doudou nodded, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile.
Anji buried his head, picked up a piece of braised pork, and took a big bite.
"So delicious." Angie was reluctant to chew, so she took a small bite. The fat and skin melted in her mouth, while the lean meat remained chewy.
He had never eaten such delicious braised pork before. It was strange; his mother used to be such a terrible cook, but now she was so good at it.
"Mommy, how did you manage to cook so well? Angie remembers that Mommy isn't very good at cooking."
Yuan Doudou saw Anji tilting his head, looking very curious, but she couldn't tell the truth, so she could only make up an excuse.
“I learned it from your grandma.”
Grandma? Angie thought for a moment, and realized that it seemed so; Grandma was the best cook.
"I miss my grandma." Thinking of his grandma, he suddenly felt that the braised pork in his bowl didn't taste good anymore.
Just as Yuan Doudou was about to offer some comfort, she heard someone knocking on the door.
Yuan Doudou opened the door, and there was An Bihuai.
"Second Uncle, what brings you here?" This was the first time Second Uncle had come to visit since Grandma passed away.
An Bihuai looked embarrassed. He felt ashamed, but he had a debt collector at home, so he had no choice but to come with a thick skin.
"Here's the thing, DouDou, your second aunt is sick and lying in bed wanting to eat meat, but there's not even a scrap of meat in the house, let alone any. I heard that your family is cooking meat, so your second uncle shamelessly came to ask you for some. DouDou, do you think you can get your second uncle a few pieces of meat?"
Yuan Doudou was so shocked that her jaw dropped when she heard this.
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