"Haha, if you want the braised pork to be delicious, you need to marinate it first, and also the brine...www Ingredients and cooking methods”

Zhou Yi took out all the ingredients and piled them on the dish table: "I based the ingredients on the mouth of your pot. If the pot mouth is full, the ingredients can be reduced according to the proportion. If it is big, you can increase it; use two green onions. , eight slices of ginger, six slices of bay leaves, a piece of cinnamon bark, a piece of tangerine peel, as well as star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, red pepper, cloves, kaempferol, and kombucha. You have to write down the portions and my method of cutting the ingredients. Because I use this pot of brine. It will all be used up, and you have to rely on yourself to save the old stew in the future."

"Brother, please slow down. Goose remembers to be slow."

Zhou Dazhu took a yellow notebook and diligently took notes. He had been thinking about the craftsmanship inherited from the old Zhou family for countless years.

"Yi, don't you use gauze to wrap these materials?"

Zhou Maotong watched on the side, also recalling the brine-making method taught to him by his father. But he remembered this step, which should be to wrap the ingredients with Qianjing gauze, and then use water, sugar, salt, dark soy sauce The brine was boiled, but after Zhou Yifen piled up the ingredients, he began to wash Zhou Dazhu's iron pot with hot water. He didn't seem to have any intention of wrapping up the ingredients, so he couldn't help but be very curious.

"Dad, I have improved my ancestor's craftsmanship during this period. Only by boiling the pork in this way can the ingredients be perfectly matched, so that the cooked brine can turn fishy fish into freshness and fragrance! How else could I blanch the pork just now? Because the so-called meaty smell is, in my opinion, the source of the most delicious and fragrant meat!”

Zhou Yi is talking nonsense. But the old man likes to hear it. If he forgets all the craftsmanship passed down by his ancestors, is there any face left? The old man nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "Yeah, good, not bad! Young people must have this kind of study. The spirit of a child can be taught." He held up his thick legs, which made Zhou Dazhu's blood boil even more.

After the iron pot was cleaned, pure snow water was poured into it. Although tap water was provided in the village, people who lived on the Loess Plateau all year round still had the habit of digging and storing snow water. During the second snowfall every year, Remove the snow skin and store the clean snow in the cellar. When you use it, the ice is bright and refreshing. The farmer's product is a bit sweet. It is first-class when used for making tea and cooking. It is much better than tap water.

The pine wood, which was as thick as an arm and as long as a ruler, was put into the stove. When it was licked by the flames, oil seeped out of the pine wood. The smell of pine suddenly filled the kitchen, and the big iron pot began to sizzle. There was a loud noise; as the water temperature gradually increased, blisters began to appear on the inner wall, densely packed and neatly arranged, as if they were waiting for an inspection of the army.

"Brother Dazhu, you have to see clearly. The blisters are hanging on the wall now. The ones that need to be sprayed at this time are clove, kaempferia, and kofta. Because these three traditional Chinese medicines are most afraid of strong fire, the current water temperature is just right. If you wrap them in advance In the gauze bag, although the medicinal properties and flavors can be released as the water temperature gradually rises, it will be heated unevenly due to the influence of other ingredients, and its flavor cannot be fully utilized. See how I do it!"

Then, Zhou Yi picked up these three herbs, slipped in close to the edge of the pot, picked up the frying spoon, and gently stirred them clockwise. When the first water pod appeared, he immediately removed the firewood and only used it in the stove. The embers continued to heat. After stirring like this for two minutes, I lifted the frying spoon to let the water surface calm down. Then I used a straw colander to take the three herbs out of the pot and put them into the sandbags I had prepared earlier.

Then he put the pine wood into the bottom of the stove again, but this time he burned the fire vigorously. When the water came out, he threw the green onion and ginger into it, but it was immediately fished out of the water.

In this way, while controlling the firepower, Zhou Yi stared at the water and put in different ingredients at different stages. The methods of adding them were also different. Sometimes he threw them directly into the water and just let the boiling water cook; sometimes he slowly slipped them into the water.

Put it into the water, and at the same time use a frying spoon to break the water to cool down, and stir clockwise or counterclockwise. There are many tricks and changes, and if you are distracted for a moment, you will miss important steps.

Zhou Dazhu stared, not missing a single step in the procedure, and asked questions at any time when he encountered something he didn't understand. Zhou Yi patiently answered him one by one. Unknowingly, all the ingredients and Chinese medicines were gone through the pot of snow water.

The pot of snow water gradually turned into a yellowish brown color, emitting a faint fragrance.

Although the marinade has not yet been boiled, Zhou Dazhu is in a state of admiration. Although the aroma is not strong enough, the taste is so good. If you wait until the marinade is boiled, what will the aroma be like?

After Zhou Yixin skimmed off some impurities in the snow water, he poured it into Zhou Dazhu's large casserole, added sugar and dark soy sauce in turn, and put the package wrapped in Qianjing gauze back into the pot. Zhou Dazhu wrote down

After adjusting the amount of sugar and dark soy sauce, he asked curiously: "Brother, why don't you add salt?"

"Don't worry. Adding salt is the most critical step. It's called the finishing touch. It can't be added until the dark soy sauce is completely blended with all the ingredients. If you add it too early, it will inevitably destroy all the salty flavor of the dark soy sauce and destroy the

'Fresh and salty' layered feel”

Zhou Yi took a yellow mud stove and put some charcoal in it. After lighting it, he did not rush to put the pot in. Instead, he waited until the open flame of the charcoal disappeared before placing the casserole on it. He said with a smile: "Brother Dazhu, you are next.

It’s a matter of time. We are going to use charcoal to bake this pot of brine over a dark fire. You are responsible for adding charcoal, but no open flames are allowed. Whenever you find steam coming out of the casserole or hear a squeaking sound, come back and call me.”

"Oh, big brother, what are you going to do?"

Looking at the casserole without even a trace of heat, Zhou Dazhu was secretly worried. He was completely using charcoal to bake the pot of brine, but he couldn't use an open flame? How long would it take? Brother A, isn't this a tiring thing for stupid children? He expressed doubts.

"Oh? I've been running all the way, and you drank more than two kilograms of wine just now, so I have to go to sleep for a while. Brother Dazhu, you have to watch carefully. If an open flame or brine is used, you can't do it.

If you find out in time, this pot of brine will be ruined."

Zhou Yi yawned and said, "Dad, Mom, let's go have a rest."

"Why"

Zhou Maotong followed Zhou Yi out of the kitchen, pulled his old son's sleeve and said, "Yi, your Dazhu brother didn't offend you, did he?"

"No o?" Zhou Yi was stunned: "Why do you ask that?"

"No?"

Zhou Maotong glared: "Isn't it tiring for you to be a stupid kid playing with o? For such a thick casserole, it is better to use wood for a dark fire. I guess the pot of brine will be difficult to bake even when the sun sets. Aren't you bullying me?"

"Haha, dad, you misunderstood. I am not bullying him, but teaching him." Zhou Yi smiled and said: "The so-called thousand-year brine is like a fairy's finger, which can turn stones into gold. The brine brewed according to my method may not be better than the thousand-year brine.

If the brine is bad, the most important thing is the previous technique, and the second is to master the heat of cooking. How can he remember it firmly without experiencing it personally? "

“So that’s how it is”

Zhou Maotong frowned and looked at his son in confusion: "Who did you learn this from? Your grandfather never taught me."

"Isn't that right? I live in Yunshui Mountain and have nothing to do. I am left with Tongtu to eat. This is what I figured out myself." Zhou Yi blushed.

"Forget it, it's my son's skill anyway, so I don't bother to ask." Zhou Maotong chuckled.

He knows his son better than his father. How can he still not see that there is something unspeakable in Zhou Yi? His cooking skills are not his medical skills. After acupuncture massage for his old couple, he feels younger and younger. What a young couple and old companions. He and his old wife are now husband and wife again. The magical thing about his son is that he sees it in his eyes but hides it in his heart, and he can pretend to be stupid.

The cave dwelling had been tidied up a long time ago, and even the bedding on the bed was new, warm, soft, and very comfortable. Zhou Yi fell into sleep for a while, and in his dream all women appeared, sometimes catkins, sometimes Yang Cai, Finally, a pair of slender legs wearing floral exercise pants with foundation appeared in front of him, kicking him hard.

Zhou Yi spread his arms to greet him, but heard a cry of pain, "Ouch". When he opened his eyes, it was Zhou Dazhu who looked at him with panda eyes and said aggrievedly: "Brother, why are you still doing Dream Boxing?"

"Uh, sorry, Brother A Dazhu, is the brine boiling?"

Zhou Yi also found it strange that since Almighty Xian entered the system, his physical condition was far beyond compare. He had less nightmares than nightmares. What is going on today?

He raised his head and looked outside the cave dwelling, and saw a sky full of stars. The bright moonlight shone on the yellow earth as if it were coated with a layer of silver frost. It was already night, so it was probably time to boil the pot of brine.

"That's right. White gas came out and started to squeak." Zhou Dazhu sighed: "Brother, I'm really tired."

"Haha, isn't this the end of all hardships? Come on, Brother Dazhu, let's go to the kitchen."

When he entered the kitchen, he saw that the casserole on the yellow clay stove was already squeaking, and bursts of white gas made the lid of the pot rise and fall. Sure enough, it was already open. Zhou Yi didn't need to wrap his hands with a cloth and opened the pot directly. Cover, wait for the heat to dissipate, use chopsticks to explore, and find that one-third of the pot of brine has been broken off, so he nods, grabs the salt, and sprinkles it into the pot: "This pot of brine weighs about a pound and a half. , use salt one tael to the penny, brother Dazhu, you have to remember."

Zhou Dazhu, on the other hand, opened his mouth and breathed heavily, as if he didn't listen to his words at all.

Brother, aren't you bragging? This is really the finishing touch! Why does this pot of brine become so fragrant as soon as the salt is put in?

In the hot mist, an indescribable fragrance hit his face. Zhou Dazhu took a few greedy breaths and felt that all his pores were opened. Suddenly he felt his nose itchy. He quickly turned away and felt heavy. The ground sneezed: "It's so fresh and fragrant."

"Why does it smell so good? It's so fresh!"

"Old man, it smells so good! I don't have you!"

The lights in the cave where He Xiuxiu is are turned on

The lights in the cave where Zhou Maotong and his wife live are also on.
Chapter completed!