Song Qing went home, put down the canned food, and hurried into the kitchen. Lu Yang had already cleaned the fish and was boiling water to kill the chicken.
Song Qing quickly took out the pork fat she had bought, cut it into small pieces, blanched it in water, and then added two slices of ginger to the water to remove the fishy smell.
After blanching, the pork fat will turn snow-white. Heat the pot, pour in the pork fat, add half a bowl of water, and simmer over low heat. Adding water will make the rendered pork fat even whiter.
While she was rendering the oil, she quickly soaked the vermicelli in hot water, then scooped out two bowls of cornmeal and buckwheat flour, added two bowls of wheat flour, and started adding water to knead the dough.
When people here stew fish, they put flatbread around the pot. After the fish is cooked, the flatbread absorbs the broth and tastes delicious.
Before the dough was even kneaded properly, the oil was almost ready. After carefully turning it over a few times, she took out a larger enamel mug, which she used specifically to store the oil.
The pork cracklings were fried until golden and crispy. They were delicious after being sprinkled with salt and mixed. An'an, the little glutton, had been waiting by the stove for a long time. Song Qing picked up a piece, blew on it, and put it to her mouth.
"How about it?"
“Delicious, delicious.”
An'an nodded repeatedly. She could only eat pork cracklings once a month when they were rendering oil, and they were a rare delicacy for her.
Lu Yang had already killed the chicken and was walking into the kitchen to ask Song Qing what she planned to do with it. Song Qing, without stopping, picked up a piece with her chopsticks and gave it to him.
Lu Yang paused for a few seconds, then calmly took the pork cracklings, chewed them a few times, and swallowed them.
"Is it delicious?"
"tasty"
"Chop the chicken in half to make soup, and stir-fry the other half. After that, peel the potatoes and radishes, and take some dried vegetables out of the cupboard to soak."
Two pounds of pork fat yielded more than one pound of lard. The lard was stored in a lard jar. A little oil was left to sauté ginger slices, and half of the chicken was poured in and stir-fried until fragrant. Then, it was transferred to a small pot in the back and simmered with boiling water.
"There are shiitake mushrooms in the cupboard, go get a few bunches to make soup." Song Qing covered the kneaded dough with a curtain and quickly called out to Lu Yang outside.
"I understand. Do you want some dried bamboo shoots in the cupboard?"
“Yes, yes, yes.”
The remaining half of the chicken was used to stir-fry dried vegetables. After the chicken was sautéed in the pan until the moisture evaporated, a small bowl of water was added and simmered. Lu Yang then brought in the chopped dried vegetables, added them in, and cooked them for a while.
It quickly releases its unique aroma, and when you add chopped dried chili peppers, it looks beautiful and goes well with rice.
Then I made a cabbage and tofu stew, adding some sliced meat to enhance the flavor.
The highlight of tonight is stewed fish in an iron pot. They don't know the authentic way to make it, so they just follow the method they heard from Uncle Lao Gen.
The fish was quite large, and after Lu Yang chopped all the side dishes, he took over the work at the stove.
First, pour lard into a pot. Once the oil is hot, add a few slices of ginger to remove the fishy smell. Then, add a few spoonfuls of homemade soybean paste and sauté until fragrant. Next, put the whole fish in, add a little white wine to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma, and then add enough boiling water to cover the fish.
Then add the radishes and potatoes, and finally the soaked glass noodles, then cover and cook.
They were also a little uneasy, afraid of ruining this big fish.
Lu Yang sat in front of the stove watching the fire. When the aroma of fresh food wafted from the pot, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief. It smelled so good, it must be delicious.
Speaking of which, we have to thank Uncle Laogen's homemade soybean paste. They made it themselves and sent them a small jar.
When the fish was almost cooked, we put the kneaded dough in. At this time, Uncle Lao Gen and Lao Ma Zi had already arrived.
"grandfather!"
An'an was delighted to see them coming and called out. The two of them smiled and patted An'an's head, then handed the things they were carrying to Song Qing.
"You guys even went out of your way to treat us to a meal."
"If it weren't for your help, we would have been groping around for quite a while. You guys wait here, there's only one last dish left. By the way, why isn't Aunt Lao Gen here?"
"She ate at home." Food is so important these days, it's already embarrassing for Uncle Lao Gen and his family to come over for a meal, but Aunt Lao Gen absolutely refuses to come.
Old Ma brought a bag of dried wood ear mushrooms and dried hazel mushrooms, as well as a net bag of popcorn. The sweet aroma made An'an's mouth water.
"Kids love popcorn made from corn."
Old Ma knew the kids liked this, so he specially packed a bowl of corn, mixed it with white sugar, and went to find someone in the village who knew how to make it. Uncle Lao Gen brought a jar of canned yellow peaches and a pound of rice sausage.
"This rice sausage can be steamed or cut into small pieces, coated with egg, and pan-fried."
"You've already come all this way, and you've brought so much stuff."
After a brief exchange of polite refusals, Song Qing accepted the gifts. "An'an, quickly thank your two grandfathers."
"Thank you, Grandpa."
It was cold outside, but the kitchen was warm, so they moved the original kitchen table outside and brought in the octagonal table from the main room so that there would be enough seats for everyone.
There were only four stools in the house, so Song Qing went to Chen Yuehong and borrowed stools from another family next door.
The chicken soup was ready, and Lu Yang poured it into a soup bowl. At this moment, Song Fuming and the others also arrived, each carrying a gift.
"We invited you to dinner to thank you for helping us so much over the past few months. Why did you bring a gift as well?"
Fearing that Song Qing would refuse, the four of them said directly that it was for An'an, and then quickly rushed into the kitchen.
"Go wash your hands and help me bring the food."
The cooked food was placed on the stove. If it had been placed on the table in the cold weather, it would have gotten cold by now. At this time, the stewed fish was also ready. Lu Yang directed them to bring the dishes to the table and then transferred the stewed fish to a large basin.
The aroma filled the entire kitchen, and everyone was salivating. An'an was already peering into the kitchen through the door.
Song Qing led her outside to wash her hands, and Lu Yang invited the others to sit down. The table was laden with food, especially the stewed fish, which was a large portion, filling two large bowls with the side dishes.
In addition to chicken soup and stir-fried chicken, there was also a pot of stewed cabbage and tofu. The group was so engrossed in eating that they didn't have time to talk.
The radishes and potatoes in the stewed fish were soaked in the broth and fell apart at the slightest touch. The glass noodles were smooth, savory, and fragrant. The flatbreads were also delicious, with the side touching the pot crispy and the side soaked in the broth.
Don't be fooled by the large portions of food on the table. Apart from Song Qing and An An, everyone else was a hard-working man. In particular, Song Fuming and the other three had just finished training. The food was delicious, and they not only finished all the dishes but also drank the soup.
By the time they finished eating, it was already quite dark outside. Fortunately, Lu Yang had already turned on the light in the kitchen. Uncle Lao Gen and Lao Ma Zi went back, supporting their bellies, while Song Fuming and the other three stayed behind to help.
"Don't just stand there, come and help me pack my things," Lu Yang instructed them.
The five of them filled the kitchen completely. When Song Qing realized she couldn't squeeze in, she returned the stool and gave both families a handful of candy.
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