Farmhouse Pastoral Notes

Chapter 19 Fish Meatballs
"Second sister, I'm going to the backyard to pick some vegetables, will you clean up the fish?" Chunqiu put the fish in his hand into the wooden basin, and looked at Chunhua with the wooden basin.

"Clean up the fish, we will." Chunhua stood not far away, looked at Chunqiu fixedly, nodded, and then asked curiously, "Is the fish ball we ate tonight delicious?"

"Of course it's delicious." Chunqiu looked confident, "Like our fist-sized meatballs, they are white and translucent, and they taste soft and delicious, especially the taste, which makes you want to eat them again."

"Really? Then let's do it quickly." After listening to the description, Chunhua stared straight at Chunqiu, and the corners of her mouth were already drooling unconsciously. "Go and pick the vegetables, I'll clean up the fish." After Chunhua finished speaking, she couldn't wait to snatch the wooden basin from Chunqiu's hand, hugged it to the outside steps, sat on the steps and stared at the fish, like the one in front of her. Raw fish is just like delicious fish balls.

Chunqiu looked at the hot-tempered second sister in front of him, and didn't know what to say. Could this be the legendary foodie?
The main ingredient of fish meatballs is of course fish, as well as eggs, salt, cooking wine, starch and other ingredients.

There are two types of starch, corn flour and potato flour, and the main purpose is to thicken the sauce.

As far as corn is concerned, the family has it in spring and autumn. Although corn is suitable for the northern regions, the climate conditions in their Yangjia Village are also very good. They can grow two seasons a year. Their Yangjia also has dry land. In addition to growing corn, they also have soybeans. and peanuts.The arrival of corn is confirmed to be recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty. Because Chunqiu graduated from a major in traditional Chinese medicine, "Compendium of Materia Medica" can be considered familiar.But regarding potatoes, Chunqiu remembered that potatoes should have been introduced into China in the late Ming Dynasty, and she also asked Yang Lishi side-by-side. Yang Lishi was also very curious about this high-yielding crop, but she had never heard of it.

Chunqiu took out a small bowl of cornflour, three eggs, and a handful of vegetables picked from the backyard from the big kitchen, which were used to cook the meatballs.

When Chunqiu returned to the small kitchen, Chunhua had already cleaned up the three fish and placed them neatly on the chopping board.

"Second sister, you tidy up so fast." Chunqiu put down the wooden basin and sighed, unexpectedly her second sister was actually a speedist.

"Of course, let's do it quickly." After Chunhua boasted, she kept urging Chunqiu to make meatballs. Hurry up and make meatballs after all the fish are cleaned up.

"Okay, second sister, go and burn the fires on both sides, don't make a big fire." Chunqiu saw the unbearable heart of her second sister, and hurriedly agreed, and did not forget to ask the second sister to pay attention for a while matter.

Chunhua nodded when she heard it, and immediately went out to the gate to hold firewood, while Chunqiu went to the back of the kitchen to make cooking wine. After making the preparation, put the chopped carp with green onion and ginger, pour the cooking wine, and put it aside Wait for it to taste.

Then Spring and Autumn began to formally process the fish meatballs. First, cut off the head of the grass carp and save it for the eldest brother and the second brother to make soup for them. The fish soup nourishes the brain.The rest of the fish is all sliced ​​off, chopped with the back of a knife, and poured into the basin beside it.Crack the eggs again, leave the egg white, beat the egg white and pour it into the fish meat, add cooking wine, corn flour, salt, water, start stirring clockwise, then add minced garlic and minced ginger, Then stir.

The remaining egg yolk Chunqiu is going to make some custard, anyway, it can't be wasted.

When Chunhua hurried in with the firewood in her arms, she saw Chunqiu holding a round ball in one hand and putting it into the cold water. Sore and uncomfortable and don't leave.

"Second sister, you can eat it after cooking it in a while." Chunqiu turned her head and looked at Chunhua beside her. She had already felt the unusually penetrating gaze of the second sister. If it weren't for the raw meatballs, her second sister It's really early to eat.

"Yeah, when will it be cooked?" Chunhua stared at the meatballs while wiping her saliva, like a cat trying to steal.

"Wait until I finish everything," Chunqiu replied.

"Then hurry up, I'll go light the fire." Chunhua looked at more than half of the meatballs left, and was worried when it would be ready.

"Go, go, you can eat it right away." After Chunqiu drove Chunhua away, she felt amused. Her second sister has been asking when she can eat it since she came here, but she is really a foodie, looking at the balls that have sunk in the water , Chunqiu still quickened his hand speed.

After Chunqiu squeezed out all the balls and put them in the pot, Chunhua over there also started to burn the fire. Chunqiu threw the balls directly into the pot, so it didn't take much trouble to start the fire.

"Second Sister, don't make the fire too big, call me when the meatballs come out of the water, I'll make braised fish," Chunqiu told Chunhua who was squatting on the stove to cook the fire.

"Hey, I know." Chunhua nodded while lighting the fire while staring at the meatballs in the water.

Chunqiu who was watching from the side: It's hard for her second sister, how tired she is pulling her neck like this.

Apparently Chunhua didn't know that her third sister was worried about her neck, and now her eyes were full of these cute fish balls, and she wished they would float up and eat them right away.

Chunhua on the other side was staring at the fish meatballs and couldn't help herself, and Chunqiu on the other side was cooking the braised fish.

"Third Sister, Third Sister, the meatballs are up." Chunhua jumped up and shouted happily when she saw the round balls staggering up from the bottom of the water, ignoring the firewood leaves all around her.

"Really?" Chunqiu was stewing braised carp here, when he heard Chunhua's shout, he quickly raised his head, patted the firewood leaves on his body, and walked over to take a look.

Chunhua looked at the round meatballs and nodded in satisfaction, it was indeed ready, "Second Sister, you can just pick them up, then I will make some meatball soup, and you can eat the rest."

As soon as Chunqiu finished speaking, Chunhua moved immediately, reached out to pick up the fence not far away, and began to salvage seriously, Chunqiu distributed a small pot of fish meatballs to Chunhua and a small white bowl, and then put the rest back Pour into the pot and prepare to cook the meatball soup.

"Second Sister, go and help me light the fire, the braised fish is not ready yet." Chunqiu looked at Chunhua who was holding the bowl in front of him and didn't move, and reached out to touch her.

"Ah?" Chunhua came back to her senses, and under the signal of Chunqiu's eyes, "Oh, okay" Chunhua nodded, and walked behind with the bowl in her arms.

Put the cleaned greens into the boiling water, and put some salt, Chunqiu stirred it with a spoon, took out a large white porcelain basin, and filled it out.

The braised carp on either side was also out of the pan, and the kitchen space was filled with the smell of fish in an instant.Although Chunhua ate a bowl of meatballs, she still felt hungry, especially when she smelled such a delicious dish, her eyes wondered how she was eating a bowl.

"Second Sister, Third Sister, is the food ready? Huzi is hungry" Huzi's voice suddenly came in from outside the door, startling Chunhua who was planning not far away, Chunhua hurriedly looked at the food not far away The third younger sister was relieved to find that the third younger sister didn't pay attention to her here, otherwise what would the third younger sister do if she wouldn't let her eat.

"Little Shitou is also hungry" Xiaoshi followed closely behind.

"Hey, come in, it's all good." Chunqiu lowered his head while packing up the rest of the things.

As soon as the two boys opened the door and came in, they saw the fragrant fish soup on the chopping board. Huzi stood in front of it, and hurried over to smell it. He wanted to stick his head in it, and kept sighing, " It smells so good", Xiao Shitou imitated after seeing it, lying on the chopping board and staring at it with shining eyes.

"Are you hungry? I'll serve you some, you can't eat more." Chunqiu looked at the two of them, and there was nothing to understand. He reached out from the kitchen and took two small bowls. Soup for two little people.

"Yeah..." Huzi and Xiaoshitou turned their heads and nodded vigorously.

"I want it too, I want it too, third sister, I'm not full yet." Seeing the scene in front of her, Chunhua hurried over, she also wanted to eat.

"Second sister, you have already eaten a bowl. If you are eating, grandma will not let you eat." Chunqiu looked at his second sister with the same eyes as Huzi and the others, and felt a little stressed. There is no need for Yang Li to threaten Chunhua.

Sure enough, Yang Li's threat was still useful. Chunhua was terrified when she thought that she would not be able to eat in the future. After thinking about it, she gave up. She could just eat while she was eating.

"Here you go, eat at the back." Chunqiu filled two bowls of fish meatballs and handed them to Huzi and Xiaoshitou.

"Hey" Huzi nodded, took the bowl and ran away.

"Shitou, is grandma back?" Little Shitou ran slowly and was questioned by Chunqiu.

"No, but it's coming soon, everyone next door is coming back." Xiao Shitou ran away after finishing speaking.

Chunqiu thought about it, Mrs. Yang and Li are coming back, so let's serve the dishes, "Second Sister, let's serve the dishes."

"kindness"

Chunqiu served two more bowls of fish soup and braised fish meat to the second brother. Since he was beaten yesterday, Yang Chunming has not appeared in front of everyone, otherwise Mrs. Yang and Li would be angry, so Yang Chunming made an excuse to study these two days I didn't come out to eat.

"Second brother, what's your meal?" Chunqiu knocked on the door.

"The food is so delicious, Qiu'er made it?" Yang Chunming heard the movement at the door, opened the door and took the food in Chunqiu's hand.

"Of course," Chunqiu said with affirmative expression, "it's delicious, second brother, eat more, I'll give you a lot more."

"Really? Then I'll eat it," Yang Chunming replied.I thought to myself that I was really hungry.

"Go, go, grandma is back, and I'm going to eat too." Chunqiu waved her hand, she had to go back to eat quickly.

When Chunqiu came back, Mrs. Yang and Li's group had already started eating. There was nothing they could do, they were really hungry.The food cooked tonight was even more delicious than yesterday, and Mrs. Yang and Li were full of praise for Chunqiu, screaming every mouthful, which made Chunqiu very embarrassed.

In the next few days, the Yang family finally finished all the farming work.

(End of this chapter)