A new dish indeed.
In the kitchen, Cheng Xi was putting a bunch of crabs that had been briefly processed and cut into small pieces into a pot and oiled them. Wang Shu, who was standing next to him, had long been stunned.
"Madam, are these water bugs really not poisonous? Can they be eaten?"
"It's edible and not poisonous."
Not only is it edible, it tastes particularly delicious.
Now is the end of September, which is the season for plump crabs. It’s the best time to eat spicy crabs.
However, people in Dayan don’t eat this. This kind of river crab, which has only a few ounces of meat but is extremely vicious, has not been on the dining tables of people in Dayan. Even the poorer people mostly don’t get it. If they want to eat it, they have to go to Dahe on the outskirts of Beijing. Look inside.
Cheng Xi sent Su Zhan to catch these things in the pot early in the morning. The latter's indescribable expression when he received the task is still fresh in everyone's memory.
After catching the crab, Cheng Xi soaked it in the clear spring water in the space for a while. It was still alive and kicking when he cut it. It was absolutely fresh.
"You called her water bug?"
The name Water Bug... I didn't really think much of it.
You must know that the creatures that live on water are gone.
"Well, actually there is no unified name for it. Everyone doesn't like this big bug that bites people."
No one even tried to eat it.
Wang Shu silently added in his mind, his expression becoming more and more numb.
Cheng Xi watched her expression in his eyes while flipping the crab pieces in the pot neatly with a shovel.
"Don't worry, we've made this stuff to make sure you want to eat it again."
"..."
"Watch it, you can do it after you learn it."
Wangshu nodded. If it weren't for the lack of pen, ink, paper and inkstone beside her, she might have picked up a small notebook to take notes.
When the crabs cut into pieces are passed through the hot oil, the original greenish-brown color suddenly turns red when heated. Because of the layer of oil, the color becomes brighter and brighter, and it also has a bit of an alluring fragrance.
"hiss--"
This river insect is so fragrant?
That ugly, blind river insect that likes to walk sideways is so delicious!
It's incredible.
Wang Shu swallowed unconsciously, and his cold eyes became a little more fiery.
After following Madam for such a long time, she has seen a lot of ingredients turned into delicacies, but she is still shocked every time a completely different dish from the Great Yan Dynasty comes out.
"Madam, what should we do next?"
“After we’ve passed the oil, we’re going to get down to business.”
Cheng Xi put the red crab pieces aside, heated up the oil in another pot, and when the oil reached a certain temperature, put the chopped garlic into the pot and set the heat to medium-low.
After a while, the garlic turned slightly yellow.
She took out a spoonful of bean paste from the small jar, then added Sichuan peppercorns, chopped bright red chili peppers, green onions, and ginger in order to stir-fry. After the aroma was removed from the air, a bit of the pungent smell of chili peppers was added.
The pot quickly turned red and shiny because of the bean paste and chopped chili peppers. Seeing that the red oil had boiled out, Cheng Xi poured the crab pieces in and re-fried them, sprinkled a circle of fruit wine to enhance the flavor, and finally added an appropriate amount of water to stew.
Cover the pot.
"Okay, just collect the juice later."
The aroma in the kitchen is getting stronger and stronger. During the simmering process, several other vegetables are fried and put on the plate one by one, making Feng'er sniff at the side.
"It smells so good, the food cooked by Sister Xi tastes so good~"
"Are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry. Feng'er's belly was growling just now."
"..." Who has been eating chestnut cake all morning?
Cheng Xi squatted down in surprise, touched his soft belly, and heard a gurgling sound in his ears.
"?"
Are you really hungry?
"The little guy is quite edible, but this crab is cold in nature, so you can only eat one piece later."
"Okay~(*^▽^*)~"
What happened to one piece? Sister Xi has cooked a lot of dishes, and each plate is enough to fill his little belly.
The spicy crab juice was quickly reduced under the fire. Because there were too many crab pieces, it was divided into three plates. After Su Zhan and Wang Shu brought it to the living room, two groups of guests also walked in.
Since there were too many guests to entertain today, Cheng Xi and Shen Xingluo discussed and divided them into two groups. The outer living room was used to entertain male guests, and the inner small living room was used for female guests.
It was also at this time that everyone saw Mr. Xu, the elder of Shen's family who was said to be reclusive.
The guests and hosts were seated and dinner was served.
Except for the brothers Qin Zheng and Yu Heting, it was the first time for everyone else to face the impact of the Shen family's delicacies. As soon as they sat down, they felt all kinds of aromas going straight into their noses.
The beautifully arranged dishes on the rectangular dining table are full of color, aroma and flavor. Just by looking at them, you can tell that they taste the same.
Qu Shaojing only found it strange, "It's in vain that our capital city is the most prosperous place in Dayan, but today this guy has been reduced to a bumpkin."
Qin Zheng smiled so hard that his teeth were exposed.
Isn't he just a country bumpkin? He had lived in the capital for several years when he was a child, so he knew what dishes were served in the restaurants in the capital, and they were not even the slightest bit different from those of the Shen family.
"Brother Qu, the taste of this braised pork is the most unforgettable. Trust me, it's right."
"That's not right. Didn't you say that which kind of ribs is your favorite?"
"It's all!"
Qin Zheng's eyes rolled, he picked up the express and took the lead in giving Qu Shaojing a small piece of braised pig's trotters.
"Come and try this. It's delicious. I'm sure you'll want to eat it once."
"..." Why do I always feel like this guy has bad intentions?
Qu Shaojing felt a gust of autumn wind blowing on his back. After thinking about it carefully, he didn't know what the problem was, so he simply picked up the small bowl with a piece of meat that he couldn't tell what kind of meat it was and tried to eat it.
The next moment, he was stunned on the spot, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
"!"
A breath of surprise.
Fragrant, really fragrant!
How can food be so delicious?
The pork that is braised crispy with marinade has its own chewy texture. The meat is tight, soft, glutinous and elastic. One bite will fill your mouth with saliva. The pork trotters are chewy and not sticky at all. It perfectly absorbs the richness of the marinade. Just one bite. Captivating everyone's senses and tastes.
"It's delicious. It tastes so fragrant. This is the delicacy of the world!"
Qu Shaojing suddenly felt that the previous 20 years had been wasted, "By the way, what kind of meat is this?"
Qin Zheng, who had been observing him beside him, grinned and uttered two words with a hint of ill-intention.
"Pig's trotters."
"..."
Pig's trotters.
Pig's trotters?
Pig's trotters!
"...Is it the pig's trotter I thought about?"
The kind of lazy pig's hooves that never take a shower even though it has nothing to do but grunt and eat!
"Yes, yes, it's the pig's trotters you were thinking of. Isn't it delicious?"
"..."
Qu Shaojing was stiff for a moment, then calmed down again, and said sadly:
"I just said something was wrong just now. So you wanted to see my joke?"
When he couldn't see the elder of the Shen family named Xu holding a piece of pig's trotters of the same style and chewing happily?
After saying that, he took a vicious bite of the elastic tendons of the pig's trotters - ah~ delicious!
It doesn’t matter what kind of pig trotters or tail it is, delicious is king!
Qin Zheng: "..."
Why is it different from what he thought?
"Is this braised pork?"
On the women's table in the inner hall, Jiang Yuyao, who was holding a bowl, made a surprised sound.
"Grandpa brought back a braised pork recipe when he passed by Lin'an Mansion last year. Did he buy it from Sister Xi'er?"
"yes."
Cheng Xi nodded, "It's really fate. I was there at that time
Setting up a stall at Huaishui Pier, I happened to meet Butler Jiang who was getting off the ship. "
She briefly told the story to everyone. In fact, even Shen Xingqi didn't know about it. Everyone was amazed when they heard the words. They didn't expect it to be such a coincidence.
"It's fate."
Jiang Yuyao's smile made her eyebrows arch, and she became even more gentle and charming, "Since the braised pork dish was introduced to the family, grandpa's students and dad's colleagues have been visiting us frequently."
"fate!"
Although Feng'er, who was sitting on the pony, didn't quite understand, he couldn't stop him from interjecting.
Shen Xingqi gently stroked the hair on his head and picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs.
"What else does Feng'er want to eat?"
"That crab."
"Yes, but you are still young and cannot eat more."
A plate of golden spicy crab is placed in the middle of the dining table. Even if it is surrounded by dishes that are full of color and flavor, it is the most unique existence.
[In view of the general environment,
Otherwise, the special shape with pliers and several legs is too unique.
Song Yan couldn't wait to put Kuaizi into the spicy crab plate, picked up a piece and took a deep breath.
"The taste is so refreshing, a little pungent and spicy, but it makes you want to stop eating it."
It’s definitely delicious!
The fact was exactly as she imagined. When a piece of crab meat entered her mouth, the fresh taste immediately swept over her taste buds. It was fragrant, spicy, fresh and crispy.
"Tsk, it's just going to blow my tongue off!"
There are just a lot of shells, so it is a bit difficult to eat even now when the crabs are at their most plump.
The others were moved when they saw the satisfied expression on her face, and one after another extended their kuaizi to the plate in the middle, and soon their eyes lit up.
Qu Shaoya was originally calm and leisurely, but after eating two bites and seeing Song Yan letting herself go, she abandoned her usual etiquette and ate with gusto.
In order to take care of the ladies, Cheng Xi had cut the crab pieces into small pieces as much as possible so that she could taste its deliciousness without having to touch it.
The yellow crab paste took up most of the food, and it was so delicious that everyone was moved by it. Even Jiang Yuyao and Qin Nan, who usually don't like spicy food, ate a few more pieces.
Nü Juan was very reserved when eating here, and the atmosphere in the hall outside had changed early due to the presence of Mr. Xu and Qin Zheng.
"This piece is mine, boy, and you don't respect your elders!"
"Mr. Xu, I am a guest, a guest."
"Humph, we don't have guests climbing over the wall all the time."
"..." He didn't climb over the wall!
"Hahahaha~~ It turns out Qin Zheng, you are so worthless, you are so young, you are laughing so hard hhhh——"
Xu Lao and Qu Shaojing VS Qin Zheng, a complete victory.
The latter was just depressed for a moment, and then came back to life with full health, "Why are you laughing? What's so funny? At least I can eat my sister-in-law's cooking every day, huh-"
It's not like someone who, after knowing Brother Shen for so long, not only came to his home for dinner for the first time, but was also rescued twice.
Make a fortune.
Qu Shaojing's laughter stopped abruptly.
"Qin, Zheng!"
Du and Qin looked at each other and sighed, how could things become like this?
What about the demeanor of a literati? What about the image of the young Marquis who is usually handsome and elegant?
It only took a quarter of an hour, and it was all gone.
