The next day, they continued to do the same work as the day before, digging for three days in a row until the space was finally filled. On the fourth day, the two decided to head back home.
By the time I got home, the sun had already set.
Because he came back after getting up, but Lu Chuan took the dogs hunting on the way home, it was already quite late when he got home.
While Lu Chuan cleaned the house, Xu Han used the fresh lotus roots she had just dug up to cook.
It's been so long since I've eaten lotus root! If it weren't for the inconvenience of cooking in the cave, and the fear that the strong aroma would attract wild animals, I probably would have cooked and eaten it long ago.
Peel the lotus root, wash it thoroughly with clean water, and then you can start cooking.
Xu Han made a stir-fried lotus root dish; it was crispy, sweet, and delicious.
I also made beef bone soup with lotus root, and served it with steamed buns and pickles. That's how I made dinner today.
While eating stir-fried lotus root, Lu Chuan said, "Soaking it in water for these two days was worth it; lotus root is just delicious. I'll make some lotus root starch from the space, and the rest will last a long time."
Xu Han ate the lotus root with a smile and didn't say anything. This time, her space was also full, and there was no place to put it at home. It seemed that she would not be able to go into the mountains again in the near future.
So Xu Han said, "Let's stay home tomorrow and process the kudzu root! Our space is full, we need to use some up first."
"Okay, we've dug everything we needed to. If it's still not enough, we can dig more after the New Year. It's getting cold, so we'll stay home and not go into the mountains for now."
"Okay! Let's make kudzu root powder tomorrow!"
After the two agreed on the plan, since it was still early, Xu Han boiled a pot of water and began to wash the kudzu root in the bathroom.
I already cleaned it roughly last time, and almost all the mud is gone. This time, I just need to patiently scrub the crevices again.
Xu Han was brushing kudzu roots, while Lu Chuan used a guillotine to cut the cleaned kudzu roots into small sections, and then used a machete to split the thicker ones.
The bathroom wasn't very big. It was a bit cramped for two people to process kudzu roots, but it was okay as long as there wasn't too much kudzu root piled up inside.
After washing up, the two tidied up and went to bed.
A good night's sleep...
The next morning, after eating breakfast and feeding the livestock, Lu Chuan began preparing to use a stone trough to crush kudzu roots.
Because kudzu root is very hard, just like tree root, it's not practical to cut it into small pieces and grind it with a stone mill, so Lu Chuan brought out a stone mortar.
The two studied it together and modified it into a stone mortar that could be pounded by stepping on a lever, which was actually made using the lever principle.
No need to swing the wooden stick with your arms anymore. Just step on the other side with your foot, and using the lever principle, with a stone hammer on the lever, you can accurately drop it into the mortar by adjusting the distance.
The two of them worked together for a whole morning to finally get it working. One of them could do it and the other could explain it; without either of them, it wouldn't have been possible. Fortunately, the final result was satisfactory.
This stone mortar is very large. It was carved by Lu's father himself when he was alive, and it has always been placed outside the yard.
She would only bring it back when she needed it. Because it hadn't been used for a long time, it was very dirty. Xu Han took it to the backyard to wash it clean before using it.
Xu Han cleaned the stone mortar and pestle, and Lu Chuan had already finished making the things. He took out the kudzu root and tried it. It was not bad, but the kudzu root kept getting smashed out.
Then Lu Chuan made a cover out of wooden planks, with a large opening on it, about two sizes larger than the stone hammer, so that the stone hammer could just fit inside.
After trying it, it's not bad. It doesn't run around anymore, but you need to turn the kudzu roots inside over frequently, otherwise they'll just run to the top while you're shaking them.
Then Lu Chuan started smashing the kudzu roots, while Xu Han continued washing them. After smashing them all afternoon, they decisively removed the covers from the kudzu roots, finding it too troublesome and preferring to pick them up directly.
Xu Han then used the method for making sweet potato starch to knead the crushed kudzu root to extract the powder. After kneading it once, she put the remaining kudzu root into a stone mortar and pounded it to break it up a bit, ensuring that more kudzu root powder could be extracted.
We can't let what we went through so much trouble to bring back go to waste.
The water from washing kudzu root powder is coffee-colored, which is different from that from sweet potato powder.
After rinsing repeatedly, the kudzu root powder will be clean. Let it settle in the kitchen; it will freeze at night because it's too cold outside.
Light some charcoal in the kitchen to ensure the temperature inside the house doesn't drop too low and freeze.
The process for making kudzu root powder is the same as for sweet potato starch; the general methods for making all starches are similar.
So the two of them washed the kudzu roots after dinner and made kudzu root powder during the day. It took them many days to finally finish processing all the kudzu roots.
Now there's plenty of space in the house, and before we know it, it's December.
There's still a month until Chinese New Year, and I haven't even made the sweet potato vermicelli yet!
The two of them started making sweet potato vermicelli early this morning.
Take out the tools you prepared in advance, put them in the yard, boil water in the big iron pot in the yard, fill two big vats with water and put them next to the pot. Once everything is ready, you can start.
Xu Han first filled a small ceramic jar with some boiling water, then poured in the pre-stirred starch water and began to thicken it.
When you pour starch water into hot water, it will become very thick instantly. After stirring it well, add dry starch and stir continuously, adding dry starch while stirring. Once it's well mixed, you can start extruding the starch.
I took out the new tool I made last night. It was a water ladle with many holes drilled in the bottom, like a colander, but with much larger holes.
Put the mixed powder into a strainer and pound it repeatedly until fine noodles can be passed through. Then, place the strainer over a large iron pot and start cooking the noodles.
The water in the iron pot must be kept boiling, otherwise the vermicelli will not set.
The shaped vermicelli is scooped into a large water vat to cool down, then transferred to another water vat to continue cooling until it is completely cooled. Finally, it is placed on a bamboo pole that has been set up in advance.
Cut off any particularly long pieces and dry them separately in a winnowing basket; separate any pieces that have stuck together.
Lu Chuan was responsible for losing followers, while Xu Han was responsible for cooling down the fanbase.
This was definitely not a job that two people could do alone. There were too many steps involved, and Xu Han and Lu Chuan were so busy that they had to stop after missing a few fans and continue after completing the other steps.
They spent the whole day making rice noodles, and it wasn't until evening that they finally finished making the rice noodles they needed to eat.
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