Farmhouse Pastoral Notes

Chapter 13 Braised Carp

After Huzi left with a look of reluctance, Chunqiu turned his head and looked at Sister Chunhua beside her who was ready to eat fish. Chunqiu paused inexplicably, and said, "Second sister, you should go first." Go and put the duck eggs in your arms in Grandma’s house, I’ll just go and find the elder sister by myself.” After Chunqiu finished speaking, he moved the carp in his hands, “Let’s eat braised carp today.”

"Braised carp in braised sauce? Yes, yes." Chunhua paused when she heard the braised fish, then nodded sharply, and laughed even more happily. "By the way, we need to put more sauce, the bean paste made by my grandma is delicious." Chunhua also put forward her own opinion.

"I know." Chunqiu nodded, her second sister's research on food is much more unique.

Chunqiu carried the carp to the door of the small kitchen on the west side, and saw Chunni, the eldest sister, working on the stove on the right, because Mrs. Yang and Li said that they wanted to change the stove when Chunhua broke her head before, so she changed the stove in the west wing. All the tables were changed to be smaller, and they were officially suitable for the children of the Yang family, so Yang Chunni and the other children moved their cooking from the big kitchen to the west wing.

Chunqiu walked into the small kitchen with the two carps in his hand, and said to Chunni who was busy, "Sister, let's eat fish today"

Hearing someone talking, Chunni raised her head, and then she noticed the person in front of her, "Third sister is coming back so soon", "Yes" Chunqiu nodded.Only then did Chunni notice the two-day big fish in Chunqiu's hands, and suddenly exclaimed, "Hehe, Sanmei is really amazing, she caught such a big fish!" Chunni became excited, even her usual shy and quiet temper I couldn't hold it anymore, and showed the lively temperament in my body.

Chunqiu looked at the eldest sister who jumped up and down, took the carp in her hand and put it in the wooden basin beside her, and asked curiously, "Sister, can you cook fish?" She knew how to cook fish in her previous life, but now she doesn't I know if I can do it well.

"I don't know how to do it." Chunni shook her head honestly when she heard Chunqiu's words, "My mother never taught me how to cook fish leeks," Chunni said affirmatively.

After Chunni finished speaking, she looked at the third sister whose face quickly dimmed, and was a little worried that she said she couldn't cook fish. The younger sister was sad, "How about I try?" Chunni spoke carefully, she really She hadn't done it before, looking at the two dead fish that couldn't die anymore, she was a little unsure.

Chunqiu raised his head in astonishment, only then did he realize that his thinking appearance had misunderstood that he wanted to eat fish, "Sister, it's okay." Chunqiu adjusted his expression to make her look less serious, "I can do it, I have seen how my mother did it, just now I was just thinking about how to do it," Chunqiu explained seriously.

"Oh, that's it." Chunni immediately felt relieved. She was really worried that Sanmei would be disappointed with the appearance of Sanmei just now.

"Well, don't worry, I've done a good job." Chunqiu stretched out his hand and patted his chest, assuring him.

"Really? Is it okay for you to cook? Will cooking make your forehead relapse?" Chuni was puzzled and worried again. The fall before Chunqiu was a bit serious. Although she now feels that her sister has completely Okay, but I'm still worried that something will happen when the other party cooks.

"It's okay." Chunqiu shook his head, and stretched out his hand to touch the barely visible wound on his head, "It's been a long time ago, sister, look, can't you see it?" Chunqiu showed his smooth forehead to Chunni .

"Well, well, let me help you," Chunni said still worried.

Chunqiu nodded, "That's good, let's show our skills and let grandma and grandpa eat well today." In fact, Chunqiu wanted to say that she can do it herself, but seeing how the eldest sister just did it, she agreed After coming down, her sister was also worried that she was tired, ah!The family she lives in is really good, Chunqiu thought to himself.

Just do what you say, and after the two of them explained some things, Chunqiu walked out the door with the two fish in the basin.Bian You also said to the elder sister, "Eldest sister, go and get all the seasonings from our family." Chunqiu sat at the door of the house, holding a special knife made by Yang Weibo for her, and went to the carp bit by bit. of scales.

"Then what else?" Chunni came back with a bunch of condiments, and put them on the left stove where Chunqiu was cooking.

"Sister, go and shred the ginger, crush the garlic, and chop the wild onions." Chunqiu put down the knife in his hand, and pointed to something on the chopping board not far away.

"Okay." Chuni nodded, took the kitchen knife on the chopping board and began to cut.

Here, Chunqiu also took advantage of the opportunity to scrape the scales of the two carp, and then took a knife to cut a knife from the position behind the gills of the fish. When he saw a white line in the fish, he grabbed the white line with his hands and pulled it at the same time. While patting the fish body with the back of the knife, the fishy line will be taken out, and the same operation is done on the other side.This is the most basic thing to do with carp. If the fishy line is not removed, everything will have a fishy smell and be unpalatable.Considering that the Yang family has a large population and they had to work for another day, Chunqiu cleaned up the two carp without hesitation, fearing that they would not be enough to eat.

Holding the processed carp, Chunqiu stood beside the chopping board, looking at the ingredients in front of him, the fish was ready, the onion, ginger, garlic, the eldest sister had cut it, and it was neatly placed in a white porcelain bowl. , refined salt, pepper aniseed, bean paste at home, and sugar, Chunqiu counted the condiments in front of him, well, there is still a shortage of pepper and vinegar, and shouted to Chunni next to him, "Sister, do we have vinegar at home?" ? Or is there any pepper?" For the one in the back, Chunqiu has no hope, after all, this is the ancient times hundreds of years ago, pepper?Uncertainty in the Spring and Autumn Period, pepper was first seen in the books "Youyang Zazu" and "Tang Materia Medica" in the Tang Dynasty, and it was said that it was brought back by Tang monks from the Western Regions.After that, there are records in herbal medicines of all dynasties, and they are mostly used for medicinal purposes and also for food seasoning.

Moreover, the main production areas of pepper are located in today's Hainan, Guangdong and other places. Now, although the era is a bit like the Ming Dynasty, it is not certain, so she does not know whether there is any pepper.

"Vinegar? Yes." Chunni replied, "Wait, I'll get it for you right away." After Chunni finished speaking, she put down the rice that was gushing in her hand, and hurried to the back of the small kitchen to get the vinegar.

"Sister, what about the pepper powder?" Chunqiu asked, "It's that slightly fragrant and slightly spicy ecru powder."

"The one you were talking about?" Chuni stood behind the kitchen and poked her head out, thinking for a while, "It seems there is," Chuni said uncertainly.

"Where is it?" Chunqiu was surprised, there really is, and the braised carp can be cooked perfectly.

"It should be in the kitchen that the mother and the others use, but there is no one here." Before Chunni finished speaking, she heard the voice of "I'll get it", and then she ran away in a flash, "It's in a small white pocket Yes, don't look for the wrong one." Chunni shouted towards the door, "Got it," Chunqiu turned around and replied.

When Chunqiu ran to the big kitchen, he was stunned by the sight in front of him. The place where her mother cooks is so grand. If their small kitchen was simple before, then it is full of beautiful things now. , Whether it is salt, sugar, or aniseed ingredients, they are all bulging and neatly placed on the side shelf, which is clear at a glance from left to right.In comparison, the small white bag her elder sister mentioned is clearly visible, and Chunqiu found it beside a pile of refined salt.Opening the small pocket, Chunqiu carefully dipped it with his hands, put it in his mouth and tasted it, um, this is the taste, Chunqiu spit out the pepper powder in his mouth, and sealed the small white pocket again, looking Seeing that she can hold it completely with one hand, um, grandma won’t care if it’s all taken away, but before Chunqiu left, he took half a bowl of white noodles from the kitchen, which will be needed later to wrap the fish Well, she didn't leave the big kitchen until she was satisfied. At the same time, she decided that if she didn't have enough things in the future, she would come and get them. Anyway, she has so many at home, so she should be satisfied.

Everything is ready, just start.

Chunqiu looked at the things on the chopping board in front of him, and nodded in satisfaction, Chuni was cooking the family's meal, Chunqiu planned to ask her to help light the fire when cooking fish later, otherwise she would not be able to take care of it by herself.

Take out the kitchen knife and cut the carp into three sections, and cut several knives back and forth for each section.The fish head is saved directly, ready to get up early tomorrow to make fish head soup, then take out the previous bottles and cans, and use a series of ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, etc. to make a simple cooking wine in spring and autumn. The chopped green onions, shredded ginger, and minced garlic are evenly filled on both sides and belly of the carp.

Then pour the prepared cooking wine on the fish and wait for about 20-30 minutes to let it taste.

During this time, Chunqiu was not idle, prepared the white flour from the big kitchen, made it into batter with water, and then took out the soybean oil bought at home, poured it into the pot and prepared it.

Chunni had already finished her work at this time, and was sitting at the mouth of the stove to light a fire.

"Big sister, make the fire smaller, it doesn't need to be too big," Chunqiu said to Chunni who was adding fire to the stove.

"Hey, I know." Chun Ni stretched out her hand to signal her understanding.

When the Spring and Autumn period is estimated to be about the same, I immediately clean the seasoning on the fish with my hands, and then take it out and roll it in the reconciled batter. It was heard from the kitchen, and there was a crackling sound. After the batter was evenly attached to both sides of the fish, he put the carp in his hand into the pan and fried it. pot.

Scoop out a little of the oil in the pot with a spoon, pour the aniseed Chinese prickly ash, onion, ginger, garlic, and chili into the pot, and then add the simple cooking wine made before, add less than white sugar and vinegar, and wait until it bursts When it is fragrant, pour the boiled water prepared beside you into the pot, and add the bean paste.

With the addition of bean paste, the soup made is immediately fragrant, and the air is filled with the aroma of bean paste and the fragrance of aniseed ingredients. "It's so fragrant." Chunni was burning a fire beside her, smelling the fragrance coming out of the pot, she took a deep breath, it looked delicious.

"It will taste even better when it's cooked in a while." Chunqiu looked proud.She made it herself, of course it was delicious.

After the water kept tumbling to boil, Chunqiu put the fried golden fish in and put the lid on the side of the pot.

"Sister, just wait for about a quarter of an hour." Chunqiu said to Chuni who was burning a fire beside her. The time calculation in their era is different from that of later generations. They have twelve hours a day, and each hour represents two hours. An hour and a quarter of an hour represent three 10 minutes.

"Then come over and light the fire, I'm going to make rice, or my grandma will blame me when she comes back later." Chunni left the stove, and quickly poured the rice on the side into the pot next to it.

"No way, grandma loves us so much, so she won't say it." Chunqiu didn't believe it, her grandma didn't have any patriarchal thoughts, uh!Well, there is indeed one thing, although Yang and Li love them very much, they are still the two who like to study the most, but for other families in this era, they are much happier.

"If Grandma doesn't tell me, my mother will talk about me," Chunni continued.Her mother has been a little strict with her recently.She is already 11 years old. According to her mother, she is already a big girl and she has to plan for the future.

"That's true." Chunqiu nodded, the aunt Gu's really strict with Chunni.Look at her elder sister's hands that are obviously red and swollen, you can tell they are embroidered at a glance, but fortunately her mother Yuan is not like this, hehe, Chunqiu feels happy.

(End of this chapter)