After traveling through time, the restaurant I opened became a big hit

Chapter 150 Making Zongzi

At the dinner table, everyone was eating and chatting, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Jiang Xu picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, took a bite, and his eyes lit up.

"I still like the sweet and sour spareribs made by my sister the most. It has just the right amount of sweet and sour, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It's absolutely amazing!"

"Haha, it seems my sweet and sour pork ribs are really good."

Jiang Li smiled even more brightly. No one can stand being praised all the time. She couldn't stop smiling.

"Everyone, come and try this Korean fried chicken. I just learned how to make it. I wonder if it tastes the same as the ones sold outside."

The perfect combination of the crispy fried chicken and the sweet and spicy sauce once again won unanimous praise from everyone.

Zhang Wen laughed as he ate, his mouth full of oil, he was so happy.

"Sister, you are such a treasure girl. Your cooking is so delicious. From now on, you are my real sister!"

As soon as this statement was made, everyone started laughing. Jiang Xu didn't even bother to eat and quickly retorted.

"What are you talking about? This is my sister, don't get involved with her!"

"Hey, we are related. Your sister is my sister, so don't be polite!"

"That's right, we are just friends, right?"

Several people laughed and teased Jiang Xu, and Jiang Li was also amused.

After dinner, the dining table and kitchen were left to these little boys to clean.

Jiang Li originally felt embarrassed. After all, they were guests and how could he let guests work?

But Jiang Li was pushed out by them as soon as she entered the kitchen. They asked her to cook the meal by herself, so they could just take care of the rest.

Anyway, they are good friends with Jiang Xu and they all treat Jiang Li as their own sister, so there is no need to be polite.

Jiang Li then respectfully obeyed the order and left the house to them in the afternoon.

Afraid that they would feel uncomfortable staying at home because of Jiang Li, she went to the restaurant in the university town in the afternoon.

I made an appointment with Li Jing’s mother Song Meiwen to make rice dumplings together. The Dragon Boat Festival is only half a month away, so we should prepare it in advance.

The place for making zongzi was chosen to be Song Meiwen’s family’s rice noodle shop, and they also prepared the glutinous rice and zongzi leaves.

Jiang Li originally planned to give them some money to buy food.

Song Meiwen decisively refused. She happened to have prepared a lot of ingredients, and her family would definitely not be able to finish them all, so she asked Jiang Li and her brother to help share the burden.

And when Jiang Li cooks delicious food, he will also send some to them.

Song Meiwen still can't forget the taste of the beef sauce that was sold in Jiang Li's store.

But her store hasn’t sold it for a long time, so I can’t eat it even if I want to.

After Jiang Li learned about it, she generously said that she would make some and send them to Song Meiwen later.

At this moment, Song Meiwen was completely happy. She didn't know how long she had been thinking about this.

In fact, Jiang Li had made rice dumplings before, so she was very skilled at it.

She was chatting with Song Meiwen while her hands were moving non-stop.

Jiang Li held a few emerald green bamboo leaves in his hand. They were specially picked by Song Meiwen and were the freshest ones she bought at the morning market early in the morning.

Each piece is broad and tough, carrying the morning dew of the mountains and the freshness of nature.

Before wrapping the zongzi, Jiang Li carefully soaked the bamboo leaves in a basin of warm water and gently rubbed them to remove dust and impurities on the surface, making them softer and easier to break. A layer of light green gradually floated on the water, as if the purest color of nature was slowly spreading in the water.

Then, Jiang Li turned around and scooped out the glutinous rice that had been soaked until it was crystal clear from the rice jar.

Song Meiwen had prepared the glutinous rice the night before, and each grain absorbed enough water to become plump and elastic.

She gently poured the glutinous rice into a large bowl, added a little salt and peanut oil, and mixed it gently with her hands so that each grain of rice was coated with a thin layer of oil. This would make the rice dumplings taste more fragrant and smooth.

After completing all the preparations, Jiang Li started to make rice dumplings.

She picked up two bamboo leaves, stacked them side by side, and deftly folded them into a small conical funnel.

This process may seem simple, but it requires great skill and patience. If you are not careful, the bamboo leaves will break or become imperfectly shaped.

But Jiang Li's movements were extremely skillful, as if he had done it thousands of times.

She gently filled a handful of glutinous rice into the conical funnel and pressed it lightly with her fingertips to ensure that the rice was evenly distributed and firm.

Then she picked up a piece of marinated pork belly, which is the soul of the zongzi.

The pork belly is fat and lean, and after being marinated overnight, it has fully absorbed the flavor of the seasoning and is fragrant.

Jiang Li carefully put the pork belly into the glutinous rice, and then covered it with a layer of glutinous rice to completely wrap the pork belly.

Although they are all from the north, they eat both sweet and meat dumplings.

As for Jiang Li herself, she prefers to eat rice dumplings.

Because she is more accustomed to salty food than sweet food.

The next step is the most critical step - sealing.

Jiang Li used the remaining bamboo leaves to tightly wrap the opening of the conical funnel and gently pressed the edges with his fingers to make it fit tightly.

She then used a thin rope to wrap it around the rice dumplings in circles and pulled it tight to ensure that the rice dumplings would not fall apart during the cooking process.

Every knot is tied just right, making it both firm and beautiful.

After wrapping the meat dumplings, the next step is to make sweet dumplings. In fact, the steps for making sweet dumplings are the same as those for meat dumplings, except that the pork belly in the middle is replaced with candied dates.

Yu Meiwen's daughter Li Jing prefers sweet rice dumplings, but she and her husband prefer meat rice dumplings.

So I prepared a little less sweet rice dumplings, after all, children can’t eat much.

After leaving enough for Li Jing to eat, the remaining sweet rice dumplings were given to Jiang Li to take back.

When the last rice dumpling was carefully wrapped and tied with a rope, a satisfied smile appeared on Jiang Li's face.

Yu Meiwen packed two large bags of wrapped rice dumplings for Jiang Li and asked her to take them home. She could freeze the ones she couldn’t finish in the refrigerator.

Then she took out two sweet dumplings and two meat dumplings from her pile and prepared to cook them later.

Zongzi is not only eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival. You can wrap it in advance and eat it anytime when you feel like it.

Yu Meiwen neatly placed the dumplings in a pot and added enough water.

Then she lit the stove and began the long cooking process.

As time passed, the kitchen was gradually filled with the rich aroma of rice dumplings.

Jiang Li could clearly smell the aroma of the rice dumplings, which was mellow and tempting, it was the perfect blend of pork belly and glutinous rice.

As the water temperature rises, the fat from the pork belly gradually seeps into the glutinous rice, making each grain of rice absorb the essence of the gravy, becoming oily and shiny.

This aroma contains both the deliciousness of pork and the unique sweetness of glutinous rice. The two are intertwined together to form an indescribable deliciousness.