The cook is very busy

Chapter 43
In the morning, everyone made do with it, and then got to work.

Zhang Meng's family called three women and told them to bring a new set of bowls and plates with 56 blue-and-white and gold-rimmed lotus, washed them clean, scalded them in boiling water, picked them up and drained them for later use.

Ziqing and Dongcui were busy fighting, washing vegetables and shredding, and so on. When they were together, Ziqing could catch fish and steal a teacher by the way.

In front of Ziqing, two women were picking up four kinds of cold dishes, including shredded salted duck, sliced ​​lotus root mixed with vinegar, marinated phoenix goose, and fermented candied dates.

There are also three old women who are "stabbing and stabbing" in front of the stove, frying in full swing, calling for Er Ya and a few little girls to hand this to that.

The few of them were busy with the row of stoves at the back, and gave up the spacious field in front to Zhang Meng's family and Mrs. Chen. These two seemed to be messing around with something.

Just as Mrs. Chen asked to bring the soaked mushrooms, Ziqing took the opportunity to take Erya's hand and told her to do other things. A wooden basin, with several large eels shuttled inside.

Ziqing probed and looked. She knew this thing. There was a mountain outside Hegou Village. Every summer, her second cousin would follow a few from the same village up the mountain to catch eels. Just go with a sack, and sometimes catch a few stone frogs, and if you're unlucky, often slip a water snake down the mountain.

That's right, this month is the time to eat eel, it is very fat.

Ziqing regained her energy, and even went up to the top. This eel can be caught anywhere on the mountain, and it doesn't cost money. Mother, after learning this way, her small restaurant will have another appetizer.

Zhang Meng's family rolled up their sleeves, opened their posture, took a dry rag, lifted the eel up and put it on the cutting board, slapped it a few times with the big knife, cut open the skin with one knife, held it with one hand, and tore it , Peel off the skin.

This sequence of events made Ziqing speechless. Seriously, this old woman from Zhang Meng's family is really good at swordsmanship. If it were her, she would never dare to kill her.

Mrs. Chen opened the lid of the pot, turned around and shouted that the water was boiling, and Zhang Meng's family put the eel with its head and skin peeled off in the pot for a while. go.

Ziqing looked at it and couldn't help pestering Mrs. Chen to ask, what is the eel going to do today?

Mrs. Chen went around Ziqing to bring the mushrooms and green peppers to the knife, without turning her head, she said impatiently, "Oh, I'm so bored, making eel three shreds, eel three shreds, go aside, don't let this get in the way!"

Ziqing groaned, stepped aside, and watched Zhang Meng's family fish out the blanched eel, remove the bones, and cut the meat into filaments like chopsticks.

Then she took another big bowl, knocked the egg white into it, stirred it up with chopsticks, put potato flour (starch) and salt, mixed it thoroughly, and slashed the shredded eel.

Everyone was busy, suddenly a dozen boys came in, all carrying food boxes in their hands, making the back kitchen even more crowded, and the leader even said, the master called Chuanshan.

"Hey, I'm so busy," Zhang Meng's family slapped the paste on the waist with one hand, and said anxiously to Mrs. Chen, "Old sister, don't be so busy, quickly pack up four cold dishes and four fruit plates. go up."

Mrs. Chen responded, called four servants, and asked them to carry the food boxes to go in. Zhang Meng's family took over and shredded the green peppers, and took the time to yell for the others to wait outside first.

Waiting for Mrs. Chen to put the appetizers into the food box, she asked the servants to carry them out first, and then she untied her apron and followed, but at the end she turned around and said, "Hey, old Zhang's, you should hurry over here, master in a while." Still waiting for you to report the name of the dish."

Zhang Mengjia raised his head, "Oh, I haven't spared my hand yet, you can go for me, I still have to keep an eye on the kitchen!"

Mrs. Chen gave a "tsk" and quickly waved her hands, "I see you are so busy and confused. Today, the table on the stone platform is set, and I have to watch the food. How can I report it by myself? Hurry up, those people in the kitchen Aren’t the hot dishes cooked, and Lao Luo and the others are watching.”

Those women by the stove listened to the two singing the double reed, and they all muttered a few words with their mouths curled up, but they didn't make a sound.

Zhang Meng’s family made things difficult, so they finally untied their waistbands and pointed to the uninvolved person beside them, “Hurry up, put the shredded eels in the pot and fry them, and serve them on two plates…”

Ziqing paused, pointing at himself, "I, I'm here to fry?"

Seeing that it was her, Zhang Meng's family was also taken aback. Why was it this girl? She looked around and saw Erya and Dongcui went to the woodshed, and came back with a bundle of firewood.

Mrs. Chen urged again and gave her a wink, Zhang Meng's family pursed their lips, that's all, this girl is in the old lady's room, if the master gets angry and drives her out, it will save her a lot of trouble.

Zhang Meng's family threw the apron to Ziqing, casually mentioned how to make the eel and three shredded rice, and said that it was a side dish for dinner, so Ziqing could just fry it.

Then she left without waiting for Ziqing's reaction. When she reached the door, she and Mrs. Chen exchanged glances and hurriedly left.

Ziqing grabbed the apron at a loss, looked back and forth, none of the remaining women looked this way, they all lowered their heads and went about their own business.

Erya and Dongcui saw that something was wrong, put down the firewood and came over, asking what happened to Ziqing?

Ziqing frowned, looking at the bowl of shredded eel, mother, she really thought she was so stupid, if it was just a side dish for dinner, would the two of them need to be busy here!
She thought about it for a while, and didn't say much, and only asked Erya Dongcui to help her. Since this matter has fallen on her own shoulders, she has to fire it no matter what.

However, Ziqing doesn't intend to follow Zhang Meng's instructions. There is a dish she has eaten before, and it tastes good, but it has not been cooked. Well, anyway, she can cook a dish for dinner!
"Sister Dongcui, help me find some magnolia slices and perilla leaves, Erya, help me keep an eye on the heat." Ziqing said, and he took out the iron pot and poured out the water, rinsed it and put it on the stove. on the stove.

Erya Dongcui looked at each other, and without saying anything, they got busy first.

Ziqing scooped the lard into the pot, told Erya to build a big fire, watched the oil burn to [-]% heat, then put the shredded eel in, broke it up with chopsticks, fried it for a while, and scooped it into the colander Come drain the oil.

"Sister," Dong Cui brought magnolia slices and basil leaves, and Aunt Luo who was in the stove had some soup dishes to use, and they had been soaked in advance, but fortunately there were some leftovers.

Ziqing smiled at her, took the hand, left some base oil in the pot, and asked her to bring the mushroom shreds and green pepper shreds on the chopping board, put them in the pot together with the magnolia slices, add salt and stir-fry for a while to taste, then pour the eel Silk, scoop some rice wine and stir-fry.

Finally, put the chopped perilla leaves in, add some rice vinegar, broth, thicken it, stir-fry a few times, and pour some light oil, so that the vegetables will be shiny.

Dong Cui took two plates to serve them out, and put them on the table, Ziqing put down the big spoon and came over to take a look, grabbed a rag to wipe off the soup on the side of the plate, and then pulled a handful in a hurry. Coriander, thinking about decorating it.

Aunt Song, who had been carving flowers on the back, couldn't stand it, and silently gave the two carved carrots.

Ziqing's eyes lit up when he saw the two, and he grinned gratefully at Aunt Song, and put the two carrots on the plate, so that they wouldn't look like a miserable mess.

Hurry up, the person who served the cold dish came back and said it was serving hot dishes...

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(1)

氽: put into the pot and keep burning, waiting for the water to boil.

Blanch: Cut things into thin slices and scald them out of the pan.

I took a little bit of time to understand the difference between the two words, I hope it will be helpful for my friends to cook in the future.

(End of this chapter)