vstars Chapter 58 Braised Shrimp and Spicy Crayfish
Chapter 58 Braised Shrimp and Spicy Crayfish
Zhou Xiaoya is spicy with a hint of sweetness, Juewei is spicy with a focus on numbing sensation, and Yufei's self-created Hunan flavor is fragrant and spicy with a focus on aroma.
Actually, people from Xiangcheng don't really like the numbing sensation; a purely spicy flavor is too monotonous.
Therefore, the people of Hunan, who love to eat all their lives, like to blend all kinds of memorable aromas into their ingredients.
This achieves a perfect balance, so that the aroma lingers long after each bite, and even after several bites, it doesn't feel cloying; you'll want to keep eating it.
Following the culinary preferences of the people of Xiangcheng, Yufei repeatedly adjusted the spices for making braised dishes, finally finding the perfect ratio.
Now, based on her memory, Yufei has put more than 10 kinds of spices, including Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dried tangerine peel, cinnamon, and licorice root, into the medicine bag she prepared in the correct proportions.
Finally, Yufei added her secret recipe, which actually only involved one spice: mint leaves. With that, the braised food packet Yufei had researched in her past life, perfect for Hunanese adults, was complete.
Next, Yufei started making the braising liquid. She rendered the fat from the fatty pork and discarded the solids. She then poured in a rich broth made from old hen and pork bones, added light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, rock sugar, and finally added the braising spice packet that Yufei had prepared. She then covered the pot with the lid.
After simmering for about 3 hours, Yufei opened the pot of braised food, and a strong yet familiar aroma wafted out. Yes, that was the smell.
Then Yufei poured all the prepared lobsters from the bucket into the large pot, and let it simmer for another hour or two, and it would be ready.
"What smells so good?" The strong fragrance still managed to startle Yufei's four masters.
After Yufei finished what she was doing in the kitchen, Xia Chan couldn't wait to chime in.
"One of the spicy crayfish dishes I make is braised crayfish," Yufei said proudly. She added that while people in Aunt Xia's hometown of Dayan might not have tried spicy crayfish before, they certainly hadn't tried this particular flavor.
"So this is the lobster our former owner was talking about!" Peony curiously opened the pot and took a look. The rich aroma made their mouths water.
The girls secretly swallowed, cursing that the fragrance was even more enchanting than a peony, almost making them feel strange in front of Yufei.
Peony cleared her throat and said
"Back then, the former owner said regretfully that in her hometown there was a creature called a lobster, with two big claws, that could be used to make many delicious dishes. Unfortunately, Da Yan doesn't have this species, so it must be this one she was referring to."
"Mmm!" Yufei nodded affirmatively.
"Masters, you may have to wait a bit. Feifei is making braised shrimp, which takes some time. The braising process will take a while. Masters, would you like to accompany Feifei to catch another bucket of crayfish and make another flavor?"
Yufei invited four chefs to help her catch crayfish so she could make a different kind of crayfish dish—spicy crayfish.
Xia Chan was definitely very interested and readily agreed.
Peony actually wanted to go too, but when she thought about the muddy pond, she ultimately backed out and decided to just quietly remain a beautiful woman.
Qiu Ju and Granny Chun definitely won't go. Lately, their persona is that of refined ladies, and frankly, they don't want to end up looking like mud monkeys.
Never mind, they're better off waiting for food there.
With Xia Chan's help, Liu Yufei caught the lobsters in a flash, filling the bucket in less than half an hour.
Making spicy crayfish is simpler than making braised crayfish in the initial stages. Braised crayfish mainly relies on the braising liquid, but the braising liquid can be reused.
Spicy crayfish requires a full cooking process every time, but Yufei is willing to do it for the sake of this delicious food.
For the spicy crayfish, first heat rapeseed oil in a wok until it's hot, then add the crayfish. The green-shelled crayfish will instantly turn bright red, then remove them from the wok.
After cleaning the pot, add tea seed oil, scallions, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon, passion fruit, etc., and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the secret seasoning prepared by Yufei.
After stirring evenly, pour in the bucket of crayfish that Granny Chun and the others had already prepared.
Yufei tried her best to stir the crayfish in the pot, but they didn't budge an inch. -_-||
"Aunt Xia, help me!!" Well, sometimes it's okay to be a coward. She's still young, after all. Then, feeling perfectly justified, she started ordering Xia Chan around.
After Yufei had cooked it to the perfect doneness, she poured in several bottles of 82 beer to completely submerge the lobster.
Cover the pot and wait for half an hour, then it's ready to be served with the braised shrimp.
When Yufei emerged from the spatial dimension carrying two iron buckets from her home, only about 15 minutes had passed in reality.
Considering the large number of people at the vineyard, Yufei was worried that these two buckets wouldn't be enough, so she didn't leave any food for the four masters. After they each tried one lobster of each of the two flavors, she let Aunt Xia go and get some for herself. -_-||
Yufei looked at the two buckets, picked them up and tried to lift them. No! They were too heavy, heavier than two buckets of water.
Yufei thought for a moment, then hurriedly ran to the vineyard.
Lin Biao and the others had stopped discussing, while Jiang Yifeng glared angrily at the five people remaining at Xu Jun's table.
It seems that the person he thought was a good person was either pushed or poisoned.
Their discussion group disbanded, which was perfect!
"Brother Lin Biao, cousin, help!" Yufei grabbed her cousin and headed home, not caring whether Lin Biao was following or not.
When they arrived home, Jin Biao, Lin Tiantian, and the others were already there. Looking at the two large buckets of food in the kitchen, which were emitting an enticing aroma...
Ten watt-high light bulbs, emitting laser beams, stared at Yufei, their brightness almost blinding. They knew there was something delicious to eat.
Seeing the eager looks on their faces, Yufei knew that she wouldn't be able to get away with it if she didn't let them have their fill.
With a wave of his hand, he ordered three of each type of lobster for everyone, and after they finished eating, they got back to work.
They nodded in unison, their heads practically buried in two large iron buckets.
After getting Yufei's approval, they started eating.
"-_-|| Hey! Hey! You can't eat the lobster head!" Yufei called out to the group who were about to swallow the whole lobster alive.
But can anyone tell him what's with that shiny lobster shell? How many times did it lick it?! ╭(╯e╰)╮
Yufei's friends listened to her every word. When Yufei said she would only eat three, they ate only three and stopped. Together, they carried the bucket and other food towards the vineyard.
(Lin Tiantian said: Absolutely! They can tell the difference between being full at one meal and being full at every other meal. They're not stupid *^_^*)
Yufei didn't go with them; she trusted her parents to manage the vineyard patrons and ensure they ate the shrimp in an orderly and civilized manner.
She still needs to prepare a few things. Besides lobster, what goes well with summer? Actually, Yufei's first thought was beer and soda.
But she didn't want to turn the vineyard into a place for drinking, and besides, they were playing Werewolf and needed to stay rational.
Soda... kids shouldn't drink too many carbonated drinks, so she thought of those refreshing fruit teas from milk tea shops—delicious and cooling.
Fortunately, Yufei had a lot of ice cubes and ice water in her fridge, enough to make drinks for her parents and a few friends. Others would have to wait until later.