Chapter 23 Mingyue prepares pork, taro and braised pork
"Alright then," Zhu Mingyue didn't try to dissuade him further. He figured the piglets were someone else's doing, so if they wanted to keep them, they could. At least he could at least have a sip of soup. He volunteered, "I can cook. You butcher the pig, and I'll cook dinner!"
Xie Pei nodded, went to the kitchen and ate the taro left in the pot, then carried the pig to the backyard, picked up a cleaver and was about to butcher it.
"Wait a minute!" Zhu Mingyue suddenly called out to stop her. "I'll go get a basin."
Xie Pei's hand, holding the kitchen knife, froze in mid-air, puzzled but ultimately did not continue with his next move.
Before long, Zhu Mingyue came running back from the house, panting, carrying a large earthenware bowl in each hand.
He gently placed the earthenware bowl on the wild boar's neck before saying, "That's enough. Remember to put the blood in the bowl."
"Why?" Xie Pei asked, frowning in confusion.
Zhu Mingyue then realized that the people here might not even know that pig's blood could be eaten, or perhaps Xie Pei had almost never eaten meat before, so he didn't know.
He smiled and pointed to the bloodstains on the ground, saying, "Pig's blood is edible, and it can be very delicious if cooked properly."
Zhu Mingyue wasn't just talking nonsense; he was confident he could make a good pig's blood dish. He started learning to cook when he lived alone during junior high school. At first, he didn't cook well, either making it too salty or too bland. Later, he gradually figured it out and one day he suddenly got it. He could even control the "appropriate amount of seasoning" that the chefs in the cooking videos mentioned very well.
He prides himself on having some talent in cooking, and now that he's here, he's standing on the shoulders of giants, carrying with him the profound and extensive culinary culture of China.
Xie Pei really didn't know what was so delicious about pig's blood, which was neither meat nor vegetable and had a very fishy smell. But since Zhu Mingyue wanted it, he figured he might as well give it to her. He also wanted to see what kind of delicious food she could make with this stuff.
Thick, bright red blood trickled down the blade and into the bowls, eventually filling both earthenware bowls halfway.
Xie Pei looked down and asked, "Want more?"
"No, thank you." Zhu Mingyue shook her head. Two bowls of pig's blood were enough for them to eat for several meals, and besides, it seemed that the pig could not bleed much more.
He carefully carried the pig's blood back to the kitchen, took out some salt from the salt jar, crushed it, and sprinkled it into the bowl.
He vaguely remembered that adding some water would make it solidify more easily, so he turned around and ran to the water tank.
He opened the tank lid and found a thin layer of ice on the water surface. He shivered and sighed inwardly, realizing that the saying "frost comes before cold and snow comes after cold" was indeed true. Even the bright sunshine outside couldn't stop the low temperature from penetrating!
Using a ladle, Zhu Mingyue broke the ice and then scooped two small spoonfuls of water into the bowl.
After finishing these steps, Zhu Mingyue clapped her hands and said, "Okay, now we just need to sit back and wait for it to solidify."
The sound of Xie Pei chopping meat echoed in the backyard. Zhu Mingyue, having nothing better to do, went to the backyard to join in the fun. But as soon as she entered the yard and took a closer look, she was both amused and exasperated.
He had forgotten that Xie Pei didn't know how to butcher pork.
When Zhu Mingyue arrived, Xie Pei was chopping up a pig's head. When the last bit of skin and flesh attached to the pig's neck was cut off, four pig legs, a pig's head, and a pig's main body were neatly arranged on the ground, looking as if the pig had been torn apart by five horses. The scene was quite gruesome.
Xie Pei was full of energy and only paused for half a minute before raising his knife to cut the pig's body into pieces, but was stopped by Zhu Mingyue once again.
As a seasoned, poor but food-loving woman, Zhu Mingyue may not know much about abalone and sea cucumber, but she is very knowledgeable about the various parts of a pig. There is a lot to know about cutting pork. For one thing, different parts such as pork belly, tenderloin, and rump meat have different textures and cooking methods. Cutting the meat haphazardly will greatly reduce the taste of the meat dishes.
No! He wouldn't allow such disrespect for pigs to happen under his nose!
Zhu Mingyue wanted to snatch the cleaver and do it herself. Just as the ancient master butcher Ding dissected an ox, Mingyue was about to dissect a pig. However, her ambitious pig-dissecting project was stillborn before it even began, as Xie Pei's cleaver skillfully dodged her outstretched hand.
Knowing he hadn't done a good job, Xie Pei said in a somber tone, "You tell me, I'll do it."
Zhu Mingyue: ...
Okay, as long as the pork isn't wasted.
Fortunately, Xie Pei was very smart and understood immediately. Zhu Mingyue gestured a few times in the air and the meat was divided and piled into a basin.
There was still a pile of entrails left on the ground. Zhu Mingyue pondered for a moment, then hesitated, tapping the pig intestines with her toes before asking, "Do you know how to prepare pig intestines?"
"No," Xie Pei replied honestly.
"Oh, then just throw it away!" Zhu Mingyue's tone was seven parts disgust and three parts regret. Actually, he also knew how to cook large intestines, but they had a strong smell that needed a lot of spices to cover it up. Besides, in his previous life, he always bought clean large intestines and had to wash them repeatedly with starch. The one on the ground clearly had poop inside, so he really couldn't bring himself to do it.
As for the pig liver, heart, lungs, and kidneys, Zhu Mingyue couldn't bear to throw them away. They wouldn't spoil in this freezing weather, so she could store them for a while and stir-fry them with chili peppers; they would make a decent side dish.
After working for a long time, the sun had already set.
Zhu Mingyue picked out a piece of pork belly about the length of her palm from the basin, and after thinking for a moment, she also picked out all the slippery pork fat.
The two men and their partner built a snowdrift in the backyard, stuffed the meat inside, and froze it for preservation.
Zhu Mingyue had agreed to cook for him that evening, and Xie Pei, not wanting to take the job away from him, took the initiative to start the fire.
Zhu Mingyue cut the lard into small pieces. Since there were no scallions or ginger at home, he searched around and finally found a small jar of unopened Shaoxing wine to use as a substitute. He added water to the pot and blanched the lard in the Shaoxing wine.
The pork belly that had been fished out was bouncy, smooth, white, tender, and translucent, making it very appealing. Zhu Mingyue picked up a piece, brought it to her nose, and smelled it. There was no strange smell, so she was finally satisfied.
He was very skilled at rendering lard. Lard was cheap and made a wonderful flavor when stir-fried with vegetables. In his previous life, whenever he ate at home during winter or summer vacation, he would render a pot of lard to keep on hand.
The fatty meat was put back into the pot, submerged in enough water to cover it. Xie Pei added a thick piece of firewood to the stove, and the fire crackled and popped as it burned. Zhu Mingyue stood in front of the pot, patiently stirring it.
Slowly, oil began to seep out of the pan, and a strong, unmistakable aroma of oil filled the air.
Zhu Mingyue swallowed, just as her stomach received the hunger signal and began to protest.
Don't let the small size of this piglet fool you; it has quite a bit of fat. Zhu Mingyue rendered all the pork fat in one go, resulting in a pot that was more than half full.
The pork cracklings were scooped out and filled a plate. Zhu Mingyue popped one into her mouth while it was still hot.
Mmm! It smells so good!
Zhu Mingyue ate one and immediately felt his mouth water. He wanted more. He had been hungry for so long and his stomach was really lacking in oil and fat. He wished he could hug the pork cracklings and feast on them.
However, reason prevailed in the end, and he added a pair of chopsticks, along with the fried pork cracklings, and handed them to Xie Pei, who was tending the fire.
"You eat."
Xie Pei did not refuse. After taking the bowl, he did not eat it immediately, but took another bowl from the cupboard, ate half of it, and handed it to him.
Zhu Mingyue's eyes sparkled, her gaze fixed on the bowl, unable to look away.
Zhu Mingyue: "Is this for me to eat?" He wasn't sure; he needed to ask.
"Hmm." Xie Pei nodded. Seeing that he was stunned, he casually put the bowl on the stove and went back to the stove to eat by himself.
Pork cracklings are so delicious!
Freshly fried pork cracklings are golden and crispy, bursting with oily aroma with every bite, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.
It's a pity we didn't have any white sugar at home, otherwise pork cracklings dipped in white sugar would be an absolute delicacy.
This was the best meal Zhu Mingyue had eaten before coming to the Xie family. He stuffed another piece into his mouth, squinted his eyes in enjoyment, and looked at Xie Pei with gratitude in his eyes.
Xie Pei was probably extremely hungry. By the time Zhu Mingyue had ladled all the oil out of the pot, Xie Pei had already stopped eating, and the plates on the stove were now empty.
Zhu Mingyue didn't eat it all; he left more than half a bowl of pork cracklings in his bowl to stir-fry with cabbage that night.
"Xie Pei, have you ever had taro and pork stew?"
"No," Xie Pei said. He eats taro every day, but he had never heard of braised pork with taro before. These two things are like clouds in the sky and soil on the ground to ordinary people. One is the food of the poor and the other is the food of the rich. How can they be put together?
Zhu Mingyue thought to herself that made sense. Xie Pei probably hadn't tasted meat much in his life, so how could he have eaten this stuff?
He grinned and said, "I'll make braised pork with taro tonight, so you can try my cooking."
Xie Pei didn't say a word, but stuffed a handful of thin firewood into the stove. The roaring flames inside seemed to urge him—stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and do it!
Zhu Mingyue's smile widened, and without resting her hands, she stir-fried the pork belly over high heat, added taro chunks, covered it with a wooden lid, and simmered it for a full twenty minutes.
When the lid was opened again, a wave of steam rushed out. Zhu Mingyue wiped her face and was immediately overwhelmed by the fragrance.
The perfectly sized pieces of pork belly, mixed with taro and a rich broth, are bubbling away, looking incredibly delicious.
Zhu Mingyue decisively picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of meat, blew on it, and was about to put it in her mouth when she suddenly changed her mind.
The piece of meat, with its perfect balance of fat and lean, finally stopped in front of Xie Pei. Behind it was Zhu Mingyue's slightly obsequious face: "You eat first."
Xie Pei took the chopsticks and ate the meat.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Xie Pei chewed very slowly, as if he wanted to keep the meat in his mouth and was reluctant to swallow it.
"There's still quite a bit left in the pot!" Zhu Mingyue couldn't help but remind him.
"It's delicious." Xie Pei tasted it for a long time before finally speaking, and her first words were an affirmation of his work.
Zhu Mingyue was happy and turned to the pot to pick up a piece of taro for herself.
Taro soaked in oil is no longer an ordinary taro; it transforms into Niu Gulu taro, with a delicate and smooth texture and a sweet and savory flavor that is irresistible.
With no rice at home, he had originally planned to eat taro as his staple food, but now it seems like a waste of his talent, as he could eat two bowls of rice with it!
Zhu Mingyue was eager to eat, and in no time, the pork cracklings and cabbage were ready.
"Dinner's ready!"
There were only two dishes on the table, but it was more lavish than what an ordinary family would eat during the Lunar New Year.
Xie Pei was taciturn, and the two of them didn't say a word, focusing on eating the whole time.
Halfway through the meal, Zhu Mingyue finished eating and leaned back in her chair, not wanting to move.
He was stuffed, but Xie Pei continued to eat. It's normal for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy to have a big appetite since he's still growing and developing.
Xie Pei cherished every bite he ate, as if he wanted to make up for the lack of oil and fat he had consumed over the past ten years.
Seeing that he was eating with relish, Zhu Mingyue voiced her doubts: "Xie Pei, you're such a good hunter, why don't you get some meat for yourself?"
It's no wonder he overthinks things. If he had that skill, he would definitely be secretly eating his fill and fattening himself up. But Xie Pei is such a skilled hunter, yet he's ended up looking so slender.
Xie Pei was probably enjoying his meal, and answered him in a calm tone: "This is the first time I've hunted a wild boar. In the past, I mostly hunted rabbits and pheasants, and I sold them all."
What Xie Pei didn't say was that actually being able to hunt wild rabbits and pheasants was already considered quite good.
A note from the author:
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