inspire-indiana Chapter 237 Braised Bamboo Shoot Noodles
Chapter 237 Braised Bamboo Shoot Noodles
Shen Cao was making herself brown sugar ginger tea in the kitchen when she heard a familiar voice outside.
She thought she was hallucinating, because the owner of the voice couldn't possibly be in Xin'an County.
She shook her head, realizing she really missed that little girl and wondered if she had received her reply.
She looked down and continued watching the brown sugar ginger tea on the stove.
Suddenly, a figure ran over and hugged her tightly.
When Shen Cao came to her senses, she heard the person in her arms choke up, "Sister Cao'er, I miss you so much!" The person holding her tightened their arms around her.
Shen Cao looked down at the person in her arms. At first, she didn't recognize her, but she recognized her after hearing her voice. "Wan Yue, what brings you here?"
Her voice trembled and choked with emotion, "I didn't expect you to come. I missed Wanyue so much!" She gently patted Wanyue's back.
The two sisters exchanged pleasantries for a while, each expressing how much they missed each other.
Suddenly, Wanyue's stomach let out a distinct growl, which was particularly noticeable in the quiet kitchen.
Wanyue covered her stomach a little shyly, then pointed to it and said to Shen Cao with a smile, "Sister Cao'er, it's growling, I'm hungry."
Shen Cao smiled, raised her hand, and gently flicked the tip of her nose. "Sister Cao'er knows. Sister Cao'er will make you something delicious right away."
Wanyue nodded. "Mm."
"I'm keeping Sister Cao'er company in the kitchen."
Shen Cao smiled and said to her, "Go wash up first, change into some comfortable clothes, and then come find me in the kitchen."
Wanyue looked down at her already somewhat dirty clothes and could only nod.
Shen Cao went to the warehouse and took out the first batch of spring bamboo shoots that the village chief had brought today.
She was quite surprised when she saw the village chief take bamboo shoots out of his basket today.
She didn't expect that bamboo shoots would already be sprouting at the end of February.
Unexpectedly, Wanyue had come with Wei Siyu along the way.
These two little rascals, I wonder what kind of scenes they encountered along the way, but judging from Wanyue's appearance, Wei Siyu took good care of her.
After taking the bamboo shoots out, she clutched her aching stomach.
Could I have really caught a cold? But this feeling is somewhat familiar, coming in waves.
The brown sugar ginger tea was ready, so she served herself a bowl to let it cool.
She had a stomachache in the afternoon, so she didn't eat dinner. Perfect timing, she can have something to eat with Wanyue and the others now.
When she got the bamboo shoots, she immediately thought of braised bamboo shoot noodles.
They just arrived today, so we decided to have some noodles.
She deftly peeled the outer skin off the bamboo shoots.
Then cut the bamboo shoots into thin slices about one finger wide and about the length of a thumb.
She happened to have two chicken drumsticks left over from making chicken soup today. She cut the drumsticks into strips, added some ginger juice and pepper, and marinated them in soy sauce.
At this moment, Wanyue, who had finished washing up, also came in.
She had changed out of her light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was simply braided into a plait and placed behind her back, just like Shen Cao's hairstyle.
The two looked like twins, almost identical.
"Sister Cao'er, let me help you start the fire." Wan Yue had already learned how to control the fire when she came last time. She walked to the stove, sat down, skillfully picked up the fire tongs, opened the door of the stove, and looked at the fire inside.
Shen Cao smiled and nodded, "Okay, don't add fire yet, I'll cook the bamboo shoots first."
"Sister Grass, what delicious food are you making?"
"Braised bamboo shoots with noodles".
"It sounds delicious."
She saw Shen Cao first add a spoonful of salt to the already boiling water, and then pour in the sliced bamboo shoots.
She used a strainer to separate the bamboo shoots, and once the bamboo shoot slices turned a darker color, she scooped them out.
Wanyue asked in confusion, "Sister Cao'er, aren't you making braised bamboo shoots? Why are you cooking bamboo shoots?" She had previously seen Shen Cao stir-fry raw vegetables directly into the oil.
Shen Cao patiently explained, "Because if this bamboo shoot isn't cooked, it will taste a bit bitter, but cooking it will remove that bitterness."
Wanyue nodded. "I see. Sister Cao'er knows so much."
Braised bamboo shoots need more oil to taste good.
She first poured a sufficient amount of rapeseed oil into the pot, and then scooped in a large spoonful of lard.
After the oil was hot, she poured in the marinated shredded chicken.
After stir-frying the marinated shredded chicken for a few seconds, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of chicken.
I have to say, this free-range chicken is really good. When she was cutting it, there was a layer of golden chicken fat on the chicken leg.
After stir-frying for a while, first the moisture in the chicken was rendered out, and then the fat in the chicken oil was rendered out.
Chicken fat combined with lard, plus bamboo shoots in a little while, it's impossible for this flavor not to be delicious.
After the chicken was cooked, she took it out of the pan. What remained in the pan was a mixture of rapeseed oil, lard, and chicken fat.
She poured the freshly blanched bamboo shoots into the water, and they sizzled.
As the bamboo shoots continue to be stir-fried, the moisture in them evaporates, and the high temperature causes the edges of the bamboo shoots to turn golden brown.
The oil at the bottom of the pot also became clear.
At this moment, Shen Cao poured in the freshly stir-fried chicken, added some chopped green onions, and continued to stir-fry.
The bamboo shoots deepened in color to a golden brown.
Shen Cao added some soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, five-spice powder and other seasonings to the pot.
After stir-frying for a few more seconds, the freshness of the bamboo shoots combined with the freshness of the chicken created an even more delicious flavor.
"It smells so good!" Wanyue was already hungry, but after smelling the aroma, her stomach started rumbling again.
"Dinner will be served immediately."
After saying that, Shen Cao took out the stir-fried bamboo shoots and then, using the oil in the pan, added a spoonful of lard and fried a few eggs.
At the dinner table, Wei Siyu looked at the noodles in front of her and asked, "What's this?"
"Braised bamboo shoot noodles," Wanyue answered for Shen Cao.
She had just realized that Sister Cao'er was not feeling well. She had thought to herself that when she went into the kitchen, she saw Sister Cao'er seemingly cooking something.
Shen Cao had originally planned to cook two more dishes, but Wan Yue wouldn't allow it, saying that this was enough for dinner.
After Shen Cao finished drinking the brown sugar ginger tea, her stomach pain had actually subsided. She didn't know why, but her stomach was still aching in waves.
Wei Siyu wanted to say something, but seeing Wanyue's expression, she shut her mouth and obediently started eating.
He never expected that noodles that looked so plain would taste so delicious. "Wow! These noodles are so good!"
"These bamboo shoots are so fresh and delicious, they taste even better than meat." The bamboo shoots are stir-fried until golden brown, and they have a very chewy texture, just like meat.
Wanyue also took a bite, "How could Sister Cao'er's cooking be bad?"
Although there was only one dish of braised bamboo shoot noodles, everyone at the table ate very comfortably.
Because she was worried about Shen Cao's health, Wan Yue sent Wei Siyu away after dinner and stayed to keep Shen Cao company.
Shen Cao couldn't refuse her kindness, so he let her sleep with him tonight.
That evening, Shen Cao finally understood why her stomach had been hurting intermittently that day.