ebookland Chapter 186 Su Ran Comes
Chapter 186 Su Ran Comes
Shen Li had been doing well recently, and it was a rare opportunity for her to take a break. Suddenly, she had an idea to prepare some delicious food to reward herself and everyone else who had been busy these days.
Once the news got out, the servants in the mansion did not dare to slack off in the slightest and all provided their full assistance.
Shen Li first came to the kitchen, her eyes scanning the ingredients, and added some of the seasonings she had bought from the system mall, having already decided on the dish in her mind.
She decided to cook a dry-fried chicken dish and ordered her servant to go to the backyard to quickly get a fat and tender local chicken. After slaughtering and cleaning it, she cut the chicken into even-sized pieces.
Then, heat oil in a pan and when the oil temperature gradually rises, add ginger slices and scallion segments and stir-fry until fragrant. The scallion and ginger will sizzle in the hot oil and the fragrance will spread instantly.
Next, pour the chicken pieces into the pot, and the chicken will make a crackling sound when it comes into contact with the hot oil.
Shen Li held the spatula and stir-fried the chicken slowly. The chicken pieces gradually changed color and the skin turned slightly golden.
She then added peppercorns, dried chilies, salt, light soy sauce and other seasonings in turn. Each seasoning put into the pot brought out a unique aroma, and the aromas blended and entangled with each other.
Controlling the heat is extremely critical. Sometimes she stir-fries the chicken quickly over high heat to allow it to quickly lock in moisture, making it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; sometimes she stir-fries it slowly over low heat to allow the flavor of the seasoning to fully penetrate every texture of the chicken.
When the chicken is bright red in color and fragrant, the dry-fried chicken is ready. Serve on a plate. The chicken has an attractive sheen and is mouth-watering.
Look at the preparation of the roast duck. A fat duck has already been washed and drained.
Shen Li first evenly coated the duck body with the secret sauce. This sauce was carefully prepared by her, combining a variety of spices and seasonings, and it was salty and fragrant with a hint of sweetness.
After applying the sauce, place the duck in a cool and ventilated place and marinate for a while to allow it to fully absorb the flavor of the sauce.
Then, a special grill is set up on the stove, and the fruit wood is lit. When the fire is stable and the smoke is everywhere, the duck is hung on the grill.
Under the licking of the flame, the duck's skin gradually became golden and crispy, and the fat under the skin slowly seeped out and dripped onto the charcoal fire, making a sizzling sound and emitting bursts of tempting aroma.
Shen Li turned the duck from time to time to ensure that it was evenly heated and that every part of the duck was roasted to perfection. As time went by, the color of the roast duck became more and more attractive, and the rich aroma filled the entire kitchen and penetrated everyone's nose.
When the skin of the roast duck becomes shiny, oily and crispy, it is ready.
Shen Li took the roast duck off the table, let it cool slightly, then skillfully sliced it into thin slices and placed it on a plate. She then topped it with chopped green onions, cucumbers, and sweet bean sauce. The delicate appearance whetted people's appetites.
Next is the cooking of the sweet and sour pork. Choose a piece of tenderloin with alternating fat and lean parts, cut it into thin slices, put it in a bowl, add appropriate amounts of salt, cooking wine, and pepper, mix it gently with your hands, and marinate it for a while to make it flavorful.
Prepare another bowl of sauce, mix sugar, white vinegar and rice vinegar in proportion, add a little light soy sauce to enhance the flavor, stir well and set aside.
Take another bowl, add an appropriate amount of potato starch and water to make a thick starch paste.
Put the marinated meat slices into the starch paste and coat them evenly.
Pour oil into the pot and heat it to 70%. Put the meat slices coated with starch paste into the pot one by one. The meat slices will sink quickly after entering the oil, and then slowly float up. Fry until the surface is golden and crispy, then remove and control the oil.
When the oil temperature rises to 80% hot, put the fried meat slices back into the pot and fry them again. This time the time should not be too long, just to make the meat slices more crispy.
After taking out the meat slices, leave a little oil in the pot, add shredded green onion and ginger, stir-fry until fragrant, pour in the prepared sauce, bring to a boil over high heat, and the sauce will quickly become thick.
Finally, pour the fried meat slices into the pot and stir-fry quickly so that each piece of meat is evenly coated with the sauce. The pot-baked pork is ready.
The golden color, sweet and sour taste, and crispy texture are so addictive.
The preparation of roasted lamb legs is not simple.
Choose a fresh and tender lamb leg, wash it and make a few cuts on the surface to make it more flavorful.
Shen Li mixed minced garlic, chopped onion, cumin powder, chili powder, salt, olive oil and other seasonings together to make the marinade.
Apply the marinade evenly on the lamb legs, then wrap them with a few vegetable leaves and put them in a bowl to marinate, allowing the lamb legs to fully absorb the aroma of the seasoning.
After marinating, take out the lamb legs, place them on a tray, and place them in the preheated earthenware oven. During the roasting process, you need to take out the lamb legs from time to time and turn them over. At the same time, brush a layer of olive oil and honey on the surface. This will keep the lamb legs moist and make the skin more golden and crispy.
As the roasting time goes by, the color of the lamb leg gradually turns golden, and the aroma fills the entire kitchen.
When the lamb legs are cooked through and the skin takes on an attractive burnt color, take out the baking tray, place the roasted lamb legs on a large plate, and sprinkle some chopped green onions and coriander as garnish. The rich aroma of meat and spices blend perfectly, making people intoxicated.
The preparation for stewed corn ribs is also proceeding in an orderly manner.
Wash and chop fresh ribs into small pieces. Pour into a pot with cold water, add ginger slices, scallions, and cooking wine, and blanch to remove the fishy smell. Remove the blanched ribs, drain and set aside.
Cut the corn into sections and peel and dice the carrots. Pour oil into a pan and add rock sugar. Stir-fry over low heat until the sugar color turns brown. Once the sugar melts and turns caramelized, add the pork ribs and stir-fry until they are evenly coated with the sugar color.
Then add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon and other seasonings and stir-fry until fragrant.
Then pour in an appropriate amount of water to cover the ribs, bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer over low heat.
When the ribs are about 70% cooked, add corn segments and pumpkin cubes and continue stewing.
During the stewing process, the soup gradually becomes thicker, and the meaty aroma of the ribs, the sweetness of the corn, and the deliciousness of the pumpkin permeate each other.
This stewed corn and ribs dish is ready when the ribs are soft, the corn is cooked through, and the pumpkin melts in your mouth.
The rich broth coats the ribs and vegetables, and every bite is full of the taste of home.
The preparation of stir-fried yam focuses on the original flavor and refreshing taste of the ingredients. Shen Li carefully picks the yam from the mountain and stir-fries it.
Select a yam of uniform thickness, peel it, wash it, cut it into thin slices, and soak it in clean water to prevent oxidation and discoloration.
Boil water in a pot, add a little salt and a few drops of cooking oil, take out the yam slices and put them into the pot to blanch. The blanching time should not be too long, just a few tens of seconds. After taking them out, quickly soak them in cold water. This will keep the yam crispy and tender.
Pour oil into the pot, add minced garlic when the oil is hot and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour the drained yam slices into the pot and stir-fry quickly, add appropriate amount of salt and chicken essence to season, stir-fry evenly and then serve.
The stir-fried yam is as white as jade, crispy and refreshing, and the faint fragrance spreads in the mouth, adding a touch of freshness to the table of delicacies.
Stir-fried shredded potatoes is also a homely delicacy. The space is now piled high. Potatoes have become an indispensable dish for Shen Li.
Shen Li picked a few potatoes, peeled them, washed them, cut them into thin strips, and rinsed them twice in clean water to wash away the starch on the surface of the potato strips.
Pour oil into the pan, add dried chili segments and Sichuan peppercorns when the oil is hot, then add shredded potatoes and stir-fry quickly.
The shredded potatoes are tossed in the pan until they become transparent. Add appropriate amounts of salt, white vinegar, and light soy sauce to season and continue to stir-fry evenly.
Stir-frying shredded potatoes requires careful control and speed. The potatoes should be removed from the pan before they soften to maintain their crisp texture. A plate of golden shredded potatoes, each distinctly golden, has a sour and spicy flavor that whets your appetite.
It just so happened that Shen Yu got a fish from somewhere, and everyone thought it was too fishy and wanted to feed it to the ducks.
Shen Li suddenly had an idea and decided to take this opportunity to show off his skills.
She cleaned the fish and scored a few times to make it easier for the seasoning to soak in. She then stuffed ginger slices and scallions into the fish's belly, rubbed salt and cooking wine on the fish, and marinated it for a while.
Pour oil into the pan, put the fish in when the oil is hot and fry. When frying the fish, you must control the heat well. First fry one side of the fish until golden brown, then turn it over and fry the other side, until both sides are attractive golden yellow.
Remove the fried fish and set aside. Leave a little oil in the pan, add minced garlic and broad bean paste and stir-fry until the oil turns red. Add an appropriate amount of water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and other seasonings. Once the oil is boiling, add the fried fish to the pan and simmer over low heat to allow the fish to fully absorb the flavor of the broth.
During the stewing process, pour the soup over the fish from time to time to make the fish more flavorful.
When the soup thickens, take the fish out and place it on a plate. Pour the remaining soup in the pot over the fish and sprinkle with chopped green onions and coriander as garnish. Although this fish dish was not originally favored, after Shen Li's hands, it became a delicious dish with excellent color, aroma and taste.
The moment Su Ran stepped into the courtyard, the rich, alluring aroma of meat and vegetables filled his nose like a surging wave. Even though it was still some time before mealtime, the aroma had a magical power, causing his Adam's apple to rise and fall, and he swallowed repeatedly.
He has always been an extremely restrained person, and in the past he had experienced harsh training in a secluded room for seven consecutive days, being given only water but no food.
Since then, his appetite has been poor for a long time, and he has long lost his desire and interest in food. For him, eating is just to maintain the basic needs of the body and fill his stomach.
Unexpectedly, in this small courtyard, his deep desire for food was once again aroused.
Su Ran was extremely anxious. He quickened his pace with the help of his crutch, eager to find out what was going on.
When he saw the petite Shen Li busy cooking in front of the stove on a low stool, he stood there in a daze.
While Shen Li skillfully stir-fried the dishes, she patiently explained the key points and steps of cooking to Zhang and Lin.
By this time, the dishes were almost done. With a gentle flip of her hand, she poured the simmered fish soup steadily into a small basin. Then she wiped her hands, her face brimming with joy as she said, "Mom, it's done! It's a generous portion. Aunt Lin, please arrange for some to be sent to the construction site, leave a portion for this courtyard, and send a portion to Grandpa and Grandma's courtyard as well. Once the rice is steamed, we can eat!"
Zhang smiled fondly, walked over to wipe the sweat off her forehead, and scolded her, "Look at you, you're not even as high as the stove, yet you insist on cooking for yourself. Look how exhausted you are."
Shen Li shook her little head with a smile, rubbing against her mother's handkerchief. She looked so adorable that for a moment, the whole yard was filled with a warm and joyful atmosphere.
Su Ran witnessed this happy scene and was stunned for a moment, as if time had stopped.
After a moment, he turned around silently with his cane and quietly left the yard. After a while, he returned to his house.
The house was shadowed by layers of trees, and even in broad daylight, it looked particularly dark and eerie, as if isolated from the world.
Su Ran sat quietly in the house, his eyes deep and complex, his thoughts surging in his heart like waves, yet elusive, and no one knew what he was thinking about.