vrcanaries Chapter 145 3 Fresh Rice Noodles
Chapter 145 3 Fresh Rice Noodles
Recently, because Cheng Yuntao has been busy with the night market stall, she hasn't made breakfast for her family in person for a long time. Today is the first day that Shaobing has arrived, so Cheng Yuntao wanted to cook by herself and make something delicious for Shaobing.
Firstly, I wanted to let Shaobing taste my cooking skills, and secondly, I wanted to use this hot food to help Shaobing, who had just arrived, integrate into the family more quickly.
Cheng Yuntao tied on an apron, walked into the kitchen and started to get busy.
The dry rice noodles will gradually become soft after being soaked in warm water for about half an hour. While the rice noodles are soaking, she walks to the chopping board, picks up a sharp kitchen knife, cuts a piece of tender pork tenderloin into evenly thin slices, puts it into a coarse earthenware bowl, sprinkles some salt, light soy sauce and starch, stirs well, and marinates it for a cup of tea.
Next, scoop up a few fresh shrimp, clean them, trim off the whiskers and legs, and remove the shrimp thread. Remove the stems of fresh mushrooms, clean them, slice them thinly, and arrange them on a chopping board. Wash and drain two or three heads of green vegetables, set them aside, and finely chop the scallions, ginger, and garlic onto a plate. Once the rice noodles have softened, add them to the pot and blanch them until the core is no longer hard. Remove, drain, and place them in a large bowl. Set aside.
At this point, the preparations have come to an end.
Cheng Yuntao cleaned the iron pan, heated it up and poured in oil. When the oil was heated until it was slightly smoking, she added ginger and garlic and let the aroma come out.
Put the marinated lean meat slices into the pan, stir-fry with a spatula, and take out the meat slices after they change color; add a little oil to the pan, put the fresh shrimps into the pan, and fry until both sides turn red. Use a spatula to lightly press the shrimp heads, and the golden shrimp oil will flow out, making the soup more delicious; finally, add the fresh mushroom slices into the pan and stir-fry for a few times, add appropriate amount of seasoning, then pour in the fried lean meat slices, stir-fry evenly, and the kitchen will be filled with fragrance.
Pour the prepared broth into the pot, bring to a boil over high heat, add the vegetables and cook until cooked through, scoop out the broth and three fresh side dishes into the soup bowl containing rice noodles, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and a bowl of steaming, colorful, fragrant and delicious three fresh rice noodles is ready.
Jiang Yu and Cheng Jingzhu had already come here after smelling the fragrance. They sat around the table, looking at the steaming rice noodles with anticipation in their eyes.
Cheng Yuntao looked around and didn't see Shaobing, so she patted Jiang Yu's shoulder gently and reminded him, "Jiang Yu, go to the house and help Shaobing over. His leg is still injured and it's not convenient for him to move. I'll go call grandma and see if Xiaoli is awake."
"Okay!" Jiang Yu responded, put down the chopsticks he had just picked up, stood up and walked quickly into the house.
Seeing Shaobing sitting awkwardly on the edge of the bed, his eyes full of longing for the bustling outside, mixed with a bit of uneasiness, Jiang Yu smiled and walked over, holding out his hand and said, "Let's go have breakfast. Your sister Yuntao made delicious three-fresh rice noodles and is waiting for you."
Shaobing nodded and tried to stand up, but he groaned because of the pain in his leg.
"Why don't I just carry you over there? Come on!" Jiang Yu was so anxious to go over and eat the noodles. He didn't want to waste too much time here, so he squatted down and motioned Shaobing to climb onto his back.
Shaobing felt a little awkward, but was too embarrassed to say it, so he just obediently lay down on top and whispered thank you in Jiang Yu's ear.
Jiang Yu smiled nonchalantly and said cheerfully: "This little thing is nothing, as long as you don't go against me in the future." After that, he held Shaobing's legs firmly with both hands, stood up and walked towards the yard.
"Brother Jiang, I'm sorry for not being sensible before." Shaobing lay on Jiang Yu's back, his tone full of guilt.
Cheng Yuntao caught a glimpse of Jiang Yu and the sesame cakes and hurried forward to help Jiang Yu place the sesame cakes on the stool. She also set the bowl and chopsticks in front of him and said, "Try it quickly. Eat it while it's hot. If you don't have enough, there's more."
Shaobing took the chopsticks nervously and was about to taste the food when he caught a glimpse of the two Cheng Jingzhu in his peripheral vision. He froze in his tracks, somewhat bewildered. After calming down from his panic and taking a closer look, he finally recognized Cheng Yueli, the woman who had given him the purse that day and was now disguised as a man.
"Sister Yuntao, what...what is going on?" Shaobing looked at Cheng Yuntao with confusion.
Cheng Yuntao followed Shaobing's gaze and patiently explained, "This is what happened. Our school here doesn't accept female students, but Xiaoli is smart and eager to learn. I couldn't bear to see her talent go to waste, so I came up with this idea. I'll have her dress as a man every day and go to school as Xiaozhu."
When Shaobing heard this, he was shocked, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes were full of surprise.
During his wandering days, all the girls he saw were confined to the house early on to do housework. He never thought that girls from ordinary families would have the opportunity to go to school, although this method was indeed rare.
"Sister Yuntao, you are so amazing that you can think of this idea!" Shaobing exclaimed sincerely.
Cheng Yuntao smiled and shook her head: "This is not entirely my credit. It's Xiaoli who has worked hard and studied hard every day. Her knowledge is no worse than those boys. I am just helping her realize her wish."
Cheng Yueli was in a hurry to go to school and ate the fastest. She swallowed the last mouthful of rice noodles in three or two gulps. Before leaving, she paused, turned around and said to Shaobing, "If you want to learn to read and write, you can wait for me to come back after school and I will teach you." After that, she blinked her big watery eyes and ran away happily.
Shaobing was momentarily stunned, his chopsticks pausing mid-air. He had never imagined that he would one day have the opportunity to read and write. In those days of living in the open air and struggling for food, school was an unattainable place for him, and learning to read and write was an even more distant and unattainable luxury.
His eyes were filled with a trance, mixed with uncontrollable joy, and he murmured to himself: "I... I can read and write too?"
Cheng Yuntao looked at him and encouraged him gently, "Of course you can. As long as you want to learn, Xiaoli will teach you seriously. You should eat the rice noodles first, or they will get cold if you don't."
At Cheng Yuntao's reminder, Shaobing turned his attention back to the three-fresh rice noodles in front of him. He saw that it was as white as jade, as thin as a cicada's wing, and as fine as silk gauze. The soup was clear and bright, and the vegetables were generous in portion. After stirring, a fresh and fragrant aroma came to his nose.
Although rice noodles and rice vermicelli are both made from rice, their textures differ significantly due to their different preparation methods. Rice noodles are typically made by grinding rice into a paste and then steaming it, resulting in a more flexible texture, a smooth texture, and a rich rice aroma. Rice vermicelli, on the other hand, is often made by directly extruding rice from ground rice, resulting in a chewier and more bouncy texture.
One pursues smoothness and toughness, while the other is more soft and glutinous.
The rice noodles are incredibly soft and tender, melting in your mouth and soaking up the broth. With each chew, the savory, salty flavor of the broth blooms in your mouth. Their texture is light and smooth, yet they retain the broth well. When the umami reaches a certain level, a subtle sweetness emerges, creating a refreshing and bright flavor that perfectly highlights the rice noodles' rich, fragrant aroma. With each sip and chew, the endless umami and warmth flow down your throat. It's no wonder that some people refer to eating rice noodles as "drinking noodles" or "slurping noodles."
In addition to the umami-rich clear soup, there's also a braised broth made with a variety of herbs and spices, including tsaoko, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried tangerine peel. The rich, varied flavors fill the mouth with a gentle yet vibrant aroma. Adding a fried dough cake is the perfect accompaniment. Soaking the fried dough cake in the broth creates a crispy, oily exterior, while the tender filling, soaked in the broth, fills the inside with a rich, juicy filling. A bite of it is filled with the broth.