Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 250 Tiger Skin Chicken Feet, Pickled Pepper Chicken Feet

"I was hoping Mr. Shen could stay a couple more days. Yunyi hasn't seen him for a long time, and he's very fond of him." Madam He was already packing things for Mr. Shen.

"Fortunately, you'll be staying in the prefectural city from now on, not far away. You'll be all alone, so I'll pack a few extra things for you to take there." Then, remembering something, she added:
"By the way, Mengniang, the master likes to have a little wine. Do you know if there's anything that's easy to store and can be eaten with the wine?"

Xu Qingmeng immediately agreed and then called the servants to the kitchen. First, she made simple and convenient fried peanuts and fish skin peanuts, and of course, she also made what she thought were the best appetizers: tiger skin chicken feet and pickled pepper chicken feet.

Remove the nails from the chicken feet, put them in a pot of cold water to blanch, add ginger slices and rice wine to remove the fishy smell, skim off the foam after the water boils, take them out and soak them in cold water for a while.

After draining the water, brush on a layer of honey water and place in a ventilated place to dry until the skin of the chicken feet is dry.

Finally, heat oil in a wok until it reaches 60% of its maximum temperature. Then, lightly fry the chicken feet until fine golden bubbles appear on the skin. Remove them from the oil and immediately soak them in cold water for 15 minutes. The tiger-skin pattern will then appear.

Then, in a separate pot, sauté scallions, ginger, star anise, and other seasonings until fragrant. Next, add water, soy sauce, and rock sugar and simmer until it becomes an amber-colored broth. Then, add the soaked chicken feet, bring to a boil over high heat, and then simmer over low heat for half an hour.

After the time is up, turn off the heat and let it simmer overnight. The next day, the chicken feet will have crispy skin, tender meat, and a rich, flavorful braised texture.

After finishing this, Xu Qingmeng started making pickled pepper chicken feet. Mr. Shen also likes spicy food, and Gu Yunyi especially loves it. From this point of view, they really have the same taste. However, Mr. Shen's love is one thing, but because he is getting older, Gu Yunyi has been controlling himself.

The preparation methods for tiger-skin chicken feet and pickled pepper chicken feet are different, and the time required is also different. Tiger-skin chicken feet can be eaten the next day, while pickled pepper chicken feet need to wait for three days.

Cut the chicken feet in half and put them in a pot of cold water, but this time add Sichuan peppercorns to blanch them until just cooked. Then take them out and rinse them in cold water to keep them crisp.

Then she took a ceramic jar and put in shredded ginger, sliced ​​garlic, and celery segments, followed by drained chicken feet. Since there were no lemons available, Xu Qingmeng added white vinegar instead.

Finally, there's the sauce. Add pickled pepper juice to rice vinegar, then add some rock sugar and salt, stir until dissolved, and then pour in cooled boiled water to make an amber-colored broth.

Pour the sauce into a ceramic jar until it covers the chicken feet, weigh it down with a bluestone weight, and place it in a cool, shady place.

Xu Qingmeng instructed her servants to stir it once in the morning and once in the evening each day, and it would be ready to eat after three days.

While Xu Qingmeng was preparing food, Madam He was also busy tidying up a lot of things.

While having breakfast, Gu Yunyi went to Elm Street to invite Mr. Shen over to eat with them.

Xu Qingmeng also went to the small storage room next to the kitchen, where the pickled vegetables she made last time were ready.

Xu Qingmeng's baskets of radishes were used to make pickled radish peels and dried radish flesh.

The dried radish has already been sun-dried and stored; you can simply take it out, soak it in water, and season it.

Xu Qingmeng worked quickly. In addition to pickling radish peels, she also made spicy and sour radish with fresh radishes, and of course, her favorite spicy cabbage.

After Gu Yunyi brought Mr. Shen in, he noticed the items on the table and then raised his eyebrows.

"Can we eat the pickled vegetables now?"

"Yes, we just opened the jar. It's perfect that you're here, sir. Let's have a taste together." Mr. Shen looked at the large table of breakfast. Although it was simple, it was anything but ordinary and was very lavishly prepared.

Everyone sat around the table, but the two little ones showed no interest in the pickled vegetables at all. It had been a long time since the family had made steamed buns, and they were each eating a steamed bun with braised pork.

Gu Yunyi and Mr. Shen sat down. Mr. Shen first picked up a piece of radish peel. The first bite was crisp, and then it was chewy.

The crisp texture was so unexpected that he didn't notice anything else for a moment, which made him admire Xu Qingmeng even more.

Gu Yunyi picked up a slice of radish. It was crisp and not as salty, bitter, or hard as he had imagined. The saltiness was just right, with a hint of sweetness from the radish. It was quite delicious. Even if eaten as is, it would be a suitable side dish.

"This is delicious!" Mr. Shen said.

Xinting's eyes widened instantly as she ate the spicy kimchi.

The bright red chili sauce coated the snow-white cabbage stalks, and as the teeth broke through the crisp cabbage leaves, a clear juice splashed onto the tip of the tongue.

The spiciness is accompanied by a hint of fruitiness, because Xu Qingmeng added fruit to it. The fermentation process made the fruity aroma even more intense. When you taste it, you first experience a honey-like sweetness, but upon closer tasting, the spiciness suddenly spreads to your cheekbones, causing a layer of fine sweat to appear on your nose.

He ate spicy and sour dried radish, which is more chewy than radish peel and is very appetizing.

Everyone kept saying how delicious the pickled vegetables were.

After the meal, even with so much food prepared, everyone had finished it all. There wasn't enough radish peel left, so they had someone scoop out another half basin of it.

After everyone finished breakfast, no one wanted to move. They sat in their chairs and chatted for a while. Then Mr. Shen said he had to go back and pack up. Xu Qingmeng told Xinting to stay home and look after the little one today.

She and Mrs. He followed, carrying large and small bags, and Mr. Shen looked on with a helpless expression.

"Isn't this too much? I'm all alone, how can I eat so much? It would be such a waste if it went bad."

"It's the dead of winter, how can it go bad? Just eat, sir. If you like it, just let me know, and I'll make more later. I also made some other things, I'll have Yunyi take them over then," Xu Qingmeng said to her husband with a smile.

Mr. Shen looked at her, smiled, and shook his head.

"Alright, alright, as long as you don't mind the trouble, I'm just waiting for my food, what objection could I possibly have!"

After saying that, she had Gu Yunyi help her walk outside.

Mr. Shen's courtyard was still missing quite a few things. After sending Mr. Shen back to his courtyard, Xu Qingmeng and Gu Yunyi went to buy a lot of things.

After everything was packed and ready, it was already evening. Of course, Xu Qingmeng went back a few times to feed the two little ones.

That evening, the master ate dinner at the Gu family's house again. After dinner, Gu Yunyi escorted the master back to his courtyard and then returned to discuss with Xu Qingmeng about finding someone to serve the master.

“My lady, the gentleman’s legs are not very mobile, and he lives alone on Elm Street. I’m really worried about him. Besides, it’s not very convenient for him to come over for meals every time, and the gentleman will also find it troublesome.”