Xu Han instructed Li Dasao, who was standing nearby, "Go to the kitchen and scoop some cornmeal over; we'll use it to wash the mutton offal later."
Although Sister-in-law Li was puzzled as to why grain could be used to clean sheep offal, she still followed Xu Han's instructions and scooped a bowl of cornmeal from the kitchen.
Xu Han took the cornmeal from Dan Niang and Sister-in-law Li and said, "First, peel off the grease on this, then rinse it thoroughly with clean water. Finally, pour the cornmeal in and knead it repeatedly until all the sticky liquid comes out. Then rinse it clean with water."
The sheep intestines and tripe cleaned in this way have no odor and are exceptionally white.
Dan Niang nodded thoughtfully, "I've learned something. I've never heard of washing offal like this before. If I had known this method, I wouldn't have had to throw away all the offal I made, wasting so much food."
Sister-in-law Li chimed in, "Yes, who would have thought that removing the smell from the offal could be so simple? A little cornmeal is all it takes to clean it up, it's amazing!"
Zhou, who had returned at some unknown time, also said, "In previous years, when we couldn't afford meat, I asked my husband to buy some offal, thinking that at least it would be some meat and that it would satisfy everyone's cravings. But what we made was so smelly and fishy that it was inedible. We wasted several coins."
"If I had known earlier that cornmeal could be used to clean offal, I wouldn't have thrown all these offal away all these years."
Dan Niang continued, "The offal at the market can't be sold. I suppose no one knows this method. I don't know how Madam is so clever to come up with this idea. No wonder she cooks so well."
After listening to Dan Niang's words, Xu Han seemed to be deep in thought, and before she knew it, she had discovered something extraordinary.
It has to be said that over the years, because her family doesn't like to eat pork, she has never been to a pork stall, so she naturally didn't know that the people here don't eat offal.
Lu Chuan and the Taoist priest had eaten the offal prepared by Xu Han, but she had never heard them mention these things and had always assumed that the people here ate offal.
If I hadn't asked that question today, I doubt Xu Han would have known about this.
Xu Han smiled and said, "Offal is delicious when cooked properly. It tastes even better than meat. Daoist and Lu Chuan both love to eat sheep tripe and intestines, especially when they are stir-fried."
I'll make it for you to try next time I have the chance; I guarantee you'll all love it.
Zhou laughed and said, "Hahaha, then we'll be waiting."
Although they had eaten offal before and the taste was absolutely unforgettable, upon hearing the lady say that offal was delicious, the others inexplicably chose Xu Han's words.
The reason is simple: everyone has eaten Xu Han's cooking, and it really does taste great. Since the host says it's delicious, the offal must taste just as good.
Having lived in this family for so long, everyone has gotten to know them. The Taoist priest is known for being picky about food, and if even the Taoist priest says it's delicious, then the taste must be really good.
Xu Han instructed, "You all clean these first. Dan Niang, go chop some lamb chops. There are so many of us, just lamb offal won't be enough. Chop some other meats too; just chop as much as you see fit. Remember, make sure everyone is full."
After she finished speaking, she went to prepare other side dishes. There were many people in her family, and even if they cooked the whole sheep, they still wouldn't have enough to eat.
Besides, mutton soup can't just be mutton; vermicelli and cabbage are also essential. These two ingredients are the essence of mutton soup, so how can you drink mutton soup without them?
Xu Han took a bundle of sweet potato vermicelli from the warehouse, soaked half of it, and then went to the field to pick a few cabbages.
After all the side dishes were prepared, the lamb offal and lamb meat were also processed.
Xu Han first blanched the lamb offal and mutton in a large iron pot outside the courtyard, then took them out, cut them, and cleaned them thoroughly.
After stir-frying all the cleaned lamb offal and lamb meat in a pot, pour in the pre-boiled water.
Once boiling water is added, the mutton offal soup in the pot immediately turns milky white, looking incredibly tempting.
She added some scallions, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns to the pot, then brought it to a boil over high heat, before turning it down to a simmer.
After entrusting the task of stewing mutton offal soup to Zhou, Xu Han turned and went to the valley. They were supposed to raise the roof beam in the morning, and she wondered how their work was going. She had to go and check on them.
As for Sister-in-law Li and Dan Niang, they went to work after preparing the materials for Xu Han. Even Ze'er and Mu'er were in the valley at that time.
When she arrived at the valley, the ceremony had already ended, and everyone was working enthusiastically, each one putting in more effort than the last.
Everyone's clothes were soaked with sweat, which slid down their foreheads and soaked into their clothes.
Everyone seemed oblivious to the heat, continuing to work diligently. Even when Xu Han came over, no one stopped.
Finally, Ze'er, who was playing nearby, saw Xu Han and immediately dropped the small wooden stick in his hand and ran over.
"Mommy, Mommy, we're building a house! Daddy just gave me some pears that were used for building the house, they were so sweet."
Xu Han took her youngest son who ran over and said, "Alright, alright, that's enough. Look how hot you are, you look like a little mud monkey. Where did you go again? You're covered in dirt and your clothes are all dirty."
As she spoke, she helped Ze'er straighten his clothes. After patting them for a while, she found that none of the dirt had come off. It turned out that the clothes were covered in sweat and mud.
Helpless, Xu Han could only stop tidying Ze'er's clothes, looking at her youngest son with disgust, thinking to herself, "So dirty, what should I do? I suddenly don't want him anymore."
Ze'er probably sensed his mother's disdain, and grinned with his big teeth showing.
Lu Chuan, who was standing nearby, finally noticed Xu Han's arrival and quickly came over. "Is dinner ready?"
"It'll be ready soon. The mutton offal soup is already cooked. You can just add some vermicelli and cabbage when you get back and it'll be ready to eat."
He took the fan from Xu Han's hand and fanned himself while saying, "Well, let's wait a while. Everyone is working hard, and it's still early. Let's work a little longer before going back to eat."
"Okay, keep an eye on the time. It's still quite hot today, so don't work for too long. Go back when the sun gets too strong, or you'll easily get heatstroke."
Lu Chuan handed the large fan back to Xu Han and said, "Okay, I understand. You should go back now; it's too hot here."
When we're about to head back for dinner, I'll have someone let you know in advance so you don't have to come over.
"Okay, I'll take these kids back. Only half a day has passed, and their clothes are already in terrible condition."
"Let's give them a bath while the midday sun is still strong. Otherwise, they won't be able to go to bed for their afternoon nap."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
