Su Qingluan took the opportunity to refine the lard, cut off most of the fat from the pork belly, cut it into thin slices of meat, and threw them into the iron pot for refining.
After a while, the originally pink and white meat slices gradually turned into a slightly transparent color under the influence of frying, and the surrounding areas also became brown and curled due to the heat.
Su Qingluan saw that the heat was almost done, picked out the smelly spices, put the black pepper into the hot lard and sauteed until fragrant, then sauteed it with soy sauce, sugar, refined salt and a small amount of water starch to become a black pepper sauce, and waited until the fire was high. When the sauce is thickened, remove the iron pot to prevent the pot from overheating and causing the sauce to burn.
Next, Su Qingluan peeled off the outer layer of the onion's skin and cut the onion into small pieces at will.
"Young Master...?" The servant surnamed Huang lost her voice, "Why are you crying? But what's wrong with you?" The cook who the young master liked burst into tears. Could it be that there was something wrong somewhere?
Su Qingluan felt the pungent smell of onions and burst into tears. When she heard the other party's exclamation, she quickly narrowed her eyes and tried to look at the other party. Unfortunately, my tears were flowing so much that I couldn't see clearly. I could only wipe my tears and explain: "It's just that the smell of onions hurts my eyes. I never felt wronged..."
It's so embarrassing...
When a little maid next to her heard this, she immediately stepped forward obediently and said, "Xiao Langjun, Xiao Tao, come and cut these onions..."
Xiao Tao quickly took the onion-cutting knife from Su Qingluan's hand...and then she also started crying.
"Okay, these onions are enough." Su Qingluan quickly thanked her, "Close your eyes and let the tears flow for a while. Your eyes will not hurt so much."
"Thank you... thank you..." Xiao Tao's face turned red for some reason, and Su Qingluan didn't pay much attention to it. He turned around and spread the peeled garlic and chopped onions under the casserole, spreading a thick layer. , and then put the sole fish that has been deodorized with ginger slices piece by piece in the order of cutting into the casserole, forming the shape of a whole fish.
Finally, pour the freshly prepared lard and black pepper sauce all over the fish.
Originally, Su Qingluan wanted to sit the entire casserole on the stove, but found that the casserole was a bit small compared to the stove.
"This pot is a bit small. Is there a smaller burner?" Su Qingluan turned around and asked while holding the pot.
Xiao Tao nodded when he heard this: "Yes, yes." As she said that, she turned around and hooked two iron hooks from the shelf in the lower row at the back - iron rings?
Su Qingluan very wisely did not ask what it was for, because it seemed to be a very common thing, and if she was a "chef", she intuitively felt that she would collapse if she asked "what is this" set up.
Fortunately, Xiaotao didn't need Su Qingluan to ask, so she placed the larger iron ring on the stove, which happened to catch the edge of the outermost layer of the stove, making the stove eye completely smaller.
Su Qingluan picked up the casserole and tried it. The burner eye was still a bit big, so Xiao Tao added another iron ring, making the burner eye smaller again.
Su Qingluan thought that this thing was really convenient, and she would get one for her home tomorrow. On the surface, she didn't say anything, just nodded and thanked her.
The cook who had been watching looked at Su Qingluan in a daze: "Xiao Langjun, can this... be done?" So simple? Isn't it a little... careless to treat the precious ingredients that you have worked so hard to obtain?
Of course, Su Qingluan couldn't say that she just chose the more trouble-free public method, so she adjusted her expression, first looked at her with a look like "you don't understand this", and then said calmly: "The more Precious and delicious ingredients, the simpler they are cooked, the more they can retain their original deliciousness."
The cook glanced at Su Qingluan suspiciously: "Really? But black pepper, garlic and onions are all spicy, not bland, and can cover up the taste of any food..."
The corner of Su Qingluan's mouth froze, twitched, and then said: "I heard a doctor said that summer is a good time to get rid of winter cold syndrome, so eating spicy food in summer, sweating and dispelling cold, is good for your health." Of course this is Su Qingluan was just talking nonsense, but surprisingly, everyone in the kitchen believed it.
Su Qingluan thought that she had finally gotten over it. She chopped some green onions and the time was almost up. She put a dry towel on the lid of the pot and opened it. Suddenly, the aroma filled the air with white smoke, and several people nearby couldn't help but inhale. Take a breath, as if this way the fragrance can stay longer.
Su Qingluan sprinkled a handful of freshly chopped green onions and put the lid back on the pot.
"Where's the tray?"
"Here it is." Xiao Tao took the tray, and another servant put the casserole on the tray.
Seeing that the tray was ready, Su Qingluan nodded: "It's time to serve."
As the sun sets in the west and the angle of sunlight changes, Xie Zian has moved from the previous pavilion to another waterside pavilion.
At this time, all the windows of this waterside pavilion were held up with poles, and with the gurgling water and the gentle breeze passing through the window lattice, it was very cool.
Su Qingluan sighed in her heart: Luxury! What a luxury! The three-entry house I saw at Mr. Xu’s house was already very spacious, but behind this five-entry house there was actually a garden pavilion and even running water!
And from what Xie Zhonger and his housekeeper said, this should be just an ordinary outhouse of their family!
All kinds of barrages flooded the screen in her mind, but the movements on Su Qingluan's face were very steady. She handed the chopsticks to Xie Zian and reminded: "This fish is braised in oil. It is very hot and not easy to cool down. Eat it." You have to be careful when doing it." As she said that, she opened the lid.
"So much?!" Xie Zian exclaimed, "How can I eat this pot?!"
Su Qingluan rolled her eyes in her heart, thinking that she would just continue eating the next meal. But she also understood that a person of Xie Zian's background would probably not eat leftovers. The fish would either be given to others as a reward or thrown away.
Xie Zian didn't feel Su Qingluan's slander at all, and only asked curiously: "Where do you think is the best?"
Su Qingluan thought for a while and replied: "The meat around the fish head and gills is delicate and smooth, the fish bones are flexible and elastic, the fish skirt is rich in oil, and the fish skin is fragrant and waxy. They are all excellent choices."
After hearing what she said, Xie Zian was a little suspicious and said, "Didn't you say you've never seen this fish before? How come you know exactly where it tastes?"
Su Qingluan was so upset that she complained so much that she forgot all the nonsense she said before, so she thought about it and said, "I have read about it in books before, but I have never seen a real plaice."
"Flag? Is this fish named Plaice?" Xie Zian was curious.
Su Qingluan didn't know what plaice was called in this era, but she also had a ready-made reason: "It was called plaice in that book. Maybe different regions have different names."
