Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 321 Spicy and Fragrant Boiled Pork Slices

Shen Yu brought bean sprouts, garlic sprouts, lettuce, green onions, and a piece of pork front leg meat in a small bamboo basket.

She smiled and said, "When I first met the county magistrate, I was as nervous and weak-kneed as my sister."

"Then I thought about it and realized that we hadn't committed any crime and we weren't bad people, so I wasn't that scared."

"Sister, don't think too much. Help me wash and cut the vegetables."

Zheng Sanniang looked at Shen Yu's calm and peaceful expression, and she finally felt at peace.

She nodded: "Miss, you are right. The adults come to the restaurant because you cook delicious food."

"Whatever the girl does, I'll do it. It won't go wrong."

Having said that, he quickly went to wash and cut the vegetables.

Seeing that her complexion looked better, Shen Yu felt relieved and began to concentrate on preparing the dishes.

Because it was a meal for three people and it was the main dish, Shen Yu specially took a piece of front leg meat weighing almost two kilograms.

Cut the meat into evenly thin slices, put it in a small bowl, add a small amount of salt and pepper, pour in sake, and simply mix it with your hands.

Add an appropriate amount of clean water and stir clockwise until enough water is absorbed. This way, the cooked meat slices will be tender and not fishy.

Crack an egg and add only the egg white into a bowl. Stir well to seal the moisture in the meat slices. Sprinkle some starch and mix until it is coated with starch.

Add some vegetable oil to prevent the meat slices from sticking to each other, and then put them aside and wait to be put into the pot.

The chili peppers Shen Yu bought were really tiny. Although he had some dried chili peppers, he was afraid that the seeds after peeling would not germinate next year if they were not properly stored.

The small bag of dried chili peppers had to be put away with great care.

At this time, the boiled pork slices are still cooked with dogwood oil to increase the spicy flavor.

Shen Yu marinated the meat slices, and Zheng Sanniang had also washed and cut the necessary side dishes.

He also took some coal from the big kitchen next door, lit up the small stove that Shen Yu often used to cook alone, and placed the small wok on it.

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Sister Zheng is really quick and efficient. You see, with you here, it takes a lot less time for me to cook."

Zheng Sanniang smiled and said, "Miss and Madam Jiang teach me every day when they have free time. If I am still as clumsy as when I first started cooking, what will happen?"

"Wouldn't that make the young lady, as a master, worry every day, because there is a stupid apprentice at home."

After Zheng Sanniang finished speaking, she deliberately pursed her lips and pretended to look sad.

Seeing that she was joking and laughing as usual, Shen Yu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

As she poured a little vegetable oil into the pot, she asked, "Sister, are you not nervous now?"

Zheng Sanniang couldn't help but be stunned. It was true. As she cooked beside Shen Yu and concentrated on cutting and preparing the dishes, her previous worries disappeared unknowingly.

The oil in the pot heated up. Shen Yu asked Zheng Sanniang to fan the fire and poured the washed bean sprouts and lettuce into the pot.

Stir-fry quickly until cooked, sprinkle a little salt, then add the garlic sprouts which are easy to cook. Stir quickly twice and remove from the pan. Serve in the prepared deep soup bowl as a base dish.

After the soup base and side dishes are fried, add appropriate amount of vegetable oil, minced ginger and garlic into the pot and stir-fry until fragrant.

Pour a spoonful of soybean paste into the pot and stir-fry until the sauce flavor comes out. Then add a tablespoon of prepared dogwood oil and stir-fry until the oil turns red and the sauce flavor is strong.

Pour in an appropriate amount of water and wait for the water to boil.

Boil the water in the pot, add appropriate amount of salt to season, seal the oven door, turn down the heat slightly, and slide the marinated meat slices into the pot one by one.

Wait a moment for the meat slices to set, then push gently with the back of a spoon.

At the same time, use a cloth to pad your hands and gently shake the wok. After the meat slices curl up and change color, add a tablespoon of prepared starch water, cook over high heat until the soup thickens, and then remove from the heat.

Place a cloth over the handles of the wok and lift it up. Pour the cooked meat slices into the soup bowl, sprinkle some coarsely ground Sichuan peppercorns, minced ginger, garlic, and chopped green onions.

Ever since Shen Yu put boiled fish and pickled fish on the menu, the shopkeeper would occasionally order them as the main dish during lunch banquets.

In order to make pouring the oil quick and easy, Shen Yu specially customized a long-handled oil pouring spoon.

The small pot is shaped like a large soup spoon with a long handle, but it is larger and has a deeper mouth than a large soup spoon.

The blacksmith was specially asked to make a spout on one side of the pot, which is especially useful for boiling oil.

While Shen Yu poured oil into the oil spoon, he asked Zheng Sanniang to put the soup and vegetable bowls on the tray.

There were two small bowls next to it, one filled with fried and ground Sichuan pepper powder, and the other filled with fried white sesame seeds.

When the oil in the pot was 80% hot, Zheng Sanniang walked in front holding the tray and Shen Yu followed behind holding the oil spoon, and they walked towards the shop.

After entering the small door, Zhou Dalang saw Zheng Sanniang bringing the dishes and knew that the dishes were ready.

He hurriedly made way for the guests nearby and asked them to make way.

Zheng Sanniang walked over to the table, placed the tray on the square table in front of Lu Lang, took the soup bowl and placed it in the middle of the table, then stepped aside.

Shen Yuze came forward with the oil spoon. At this time, the oil in the spoon was just 70% hot.

As the oil in the oil spoon is poured onto the boiled pork slices sprinkled with seasonings, a "sizzling" sound is heard, and a fresh, fragrant and spicy aroma spreads.

Shen Yu then used a small spoon in the small bowl to scoop up a small spoonful of fine pepper powder and shook it onto the hot oil.

The oil temperature is still hot at this time, and the spicy aroma becomes more intense when stimulated by the hot oil.

Sprinkle some white sesame seeds and the boiled pork slices with bright red soup, rich color, aroma and taste are ready.

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Boiled pork slices, please have some, sir." As he said that, he bowed slightly, picked up the tray on the table, and stepped aside.

Yang Chi looked at the pot of boiled pork slices in front of him. The soup in the snow-white porcelain soup bowl was oily red, and the meat slices were brown-red, with beige sesame seeds and emerald green chives dotted on top. The colors were distinct, and it exuded the unique spicy and fresh fragrance of the spices mixed together.

With an admiring look in his eyes, he said: "The color combination of these side dishes alone is enough to whet your appetite."

"Come on, Brother Lu, we have just had the sweet and sour pork tenderloin and Beijing-style shredded pork."

"Try this spicy meat slice and see how it tastes."

Lu Lang hurriedly picked up the public spoon next to the soup bowl, put some tender meat slices into the small bowl in front of Yang Chi, and was about to serve Lu Zheng.

However, Lu Zheng noticed with his sharp eyes that as the spoon moved, some bean sprouts appeared in the soup.

He said hurriedly: "Aha, there are bean sprouts in the garnish of this soup base. I love to eat this. Give me some to try."

Lu Lang responded by pushing the soup base with a spoon, and the cooked bean sprouts, lettuce, and green garlic sprouts came out.

Lu Lang knew that his father liked vegetarian food, so he held a soup spoon in his left hand and bamboo chopsticks in his right hand. He scooped up a spoonful of crispy bean sprouts and lettuce, put it into the small bowl in front of Lu Zheng, and added a few slices of meat.