"Auntie, this golden color is chicken fat."
"Chicken fat? Chicken fat is actually golden yellow?" He Liu was astonished.
This question softened Su Yun'er's heart.
It is evident that He Liu has basically never eaten chicken over the years. Anyone who has stewed chicken once or twice knows that the chicken oil from stewed chicken of good quality is a bright golden yellow.
Su Yun'er carefully took the chicken stuffed in the pig's stomach out. After the temperature dropped, she took out the ginger slices and gauze bag and began to cut the pig's stomach into thin strips and the chicken into pieces.
"Is it ready to eat?" He Liu asked again.
"Not yet, Auntie," Su Yun'er said, pouring the chicken pieces and pork belly strips back into the pot, adding salt to taste. After the milky white broth in the pot boiled again, there was even more golden chicken oil. The golden oil combined with the milky white broth was very appetizing.
Su Yun'er ladled out a bowl and handed it to He Liu: "Auntie, please try it. How does the soup and meat taste?"
After being tempted for a while, He Liu didn't stand on ceremony with Su Yun'er and started to taste it directly.
"Hmm! This pork tripe and chicken soup isn't fishy at all, and it has a slightly spicy taste that's hard to describe."
"That's pepper."
"Pepper? That's what you stuffed inside the chicken?"
"Yes, it removes fishy smells, enhances aroma, and improves the flavor of food."
"I don't know what's added, but it tastes pretty good to me."
"If you like it, eat more, Auntie. Once the dock closes for the day, there won't be time to eat anymore."
Su Yun'er also served herself a bowl.
This was my first time making pepper pork tripe and chicken soup. The pork tripe was really well stewed; although it was thoroughly stewed, it still retained a chewy and springy texture. The chicken, needless to say, is an easy-to-cook meat—fresh, tender, and juicy.
While eating, Su Yun'er said, "Next time we can make a dipping sauce, something sour and spicy, so we can dip the chicken in it."
"You know what, you have a lot of ideas when it comes to food. The whole village combined doesn't have as many ideas as you."
The two were eating when a guest arrived.
But he wasn't a laborer who had finished work.
There were six people who came. The leader was dressed in fine clothes. His dark green cotton-padded jacket was embroidered with subtle patterns and edged with snow-white rabbit fur. He also wore a thumb ring on his left thumb.
The five men surrounding him were dressed as servants, but their cotton-padded jackets were much better than those worn by the villagers of Daliushu Village.
Standing at the tent entrance, the leader looked around and then nodded.
"I never expected that such a clean restaurant would be found in this simple port and dock."
"You flatter me, sir. It's just a small food stall. Please come in and have a seat," Su Yun'er greeted the guests.
The man in the dark-patterned robe chose a table in the corner and sat down, while the other five people sat two seats away from him.
"What do you sell here, madam? Do you have any water signs?"
He Liu smiled and said, "You flatter us, sir. Our food stall is still small, and we can only make a few dishes. We don't really need a sign. Usually, the people who come and go are the laborers from the docks. Our best-selling item is tofu pudding. Would you like some?"
"Tofu pudding? That's a novel name. Give each of us a bowl." The man in the dark-patterned robe sniffed the aroma in the air.
But when the tofu pudding was served, it didn't smell the same as it did to me.
"Ladies, this smell... isn't from the tofu pudding?"
Su Yun'er replied, "No, this fragrance comes from other food."
Su Yun'er pointed to the other two pots, and the man got up curiously and came over to take a look.
Two pots of chicken, one with a rich, dark sauce, and the other with a light, milky white sauce.
"Aren't these two pots for sale?" The man took a deep breath of the aroma, puzzled as to why they weren't being sold when they smelled so good.
"This is something we cooked ourselves. The ingredients are unusual, so we don't know if our guests will be able to accept it. This pot is called Braised Chicken, but it's for sale," Su Yun'er explained.
"Braised chicken? Hehehe, the dishes and names sold here are quite novel, my lady. I never expected that such a remote county would have such a food stall. Hey, what's in this white pot? What kind of special ingredients are used?"
"Say the name and the guests will know; this pot is called Pepper Pork Tripe Chicken."
Sure enough, the man's expression changed upon hearing the words "pig's stomach."
But perhaps due to the good rest, he was able to suppress his discomfort and quickly regain his composure.
After all, the boss himself said that he made it for his own consumption, not for sale, so there was nothing he could say.
"Hehehe, it is indeed very special." With an awkward yet polite smile, the man ordered several servings of braised chicken. "Wife, please serve some of this to try."
After ordering, he asked again, still a little worried, "Are there any special ingredients in this?"
Su Yun'er smiled: "Don't worry, sir, it's only chicken. But there are side dishes to choose from. Would you like anything?"
The man looked at them and chose mushrooms and potatoes.
The shiitake mushrooms were soaked in advance, and the potatoes were pan-fried until golden brown on several sides. The side dishes were placed at the bottom of the casserole, the broth of the braised chicken was poured over them, and the broth was brought to a boil on the stove. Then the chicken pieces were added and simmered together for a while before serving.
The clay pot reaches an extremely high temperature after heating, and it maintains its temperature even after being removed from the heat. When placed in front of guests, the soup inside is still bubbling away.
The man first tasted a piece of chicken. The chicken was stewed until tender and the aroma of the meat and sauce blended together, with a slight spiciness from the green peppers. It was appetizing and made him want to eat more rice. The unique aroma of the shiitake mushrooms was mixed with the chicken, something the man had never tasted before.
The potatoes, placed at the bottom of the casserole, were pan-fried beforehand, giving them a caramelized aroma and making them easier to cook. By this time, they were already soft and tender, easily crushed with a gentle press of chopsticks. They were both sandy and smooth, and when mixed with the meat broth, they had a unique flavor.
The man ate one pot by himself, while the remaining five servants shared two pots, plus a bowl of tofu pudding and rice for each of them. In the end, they ate everything up.
While the master and his servants were eating, the dockworkers finished their shift.
As regular customers arrived one after another, the tent immediately became lively and bustling with noise.
"I can smell the delicious aroma from far away. What delicious food has Madam Su made today?"
"It's meat! I can smell the aroma of meat!"
"Has Madam Su cooked the meat? Is this meat for sale?"
With everyone asking questions at once, Su Yun'er and He Liu became quite busy.
"Today we're stewing chicken, it's called braised chicken with yellow sauce. If you order it, just heat it up a bit and it's ready to eat."
"This meat must be very expensive. How about we order one serving for the rest of us? It smells so good! Just smelling it makes me even hungrier."
To Su Yun'er's surprise, although the laborers were reluctant to buy a portion themselves, they discussed and agreed to share one portion among themselves. Soon, the remaining portions of braised chicken were sold out.
The tent was bustling with activity. After the braised chicken was sold out, people turned their attention to the pot of peppered pork tripe and chicken.
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