https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-117-The-Zhang-Family-s-Wedding-Gifts/12849232/
Chapter 118: The Soulful Dipping Sauce
Chapter 118: The Soulful Dipping Sauce
After receiving the matchmaker’s gift from Deng Changwang, Deng Shirong’s cash reserves broke the five-thousand-yuan mark, making him a half-ten-thousand-yuan household.
However, the subsequent expenses for making furniture, cultivating the orchard, marrying his eldest son, buying seafood, and various other miscellaneous costs depleted half of his cash. If this spending spree were to become public, it would likely shock the entire Bobai County.
After all, in this era, there was no one else in the countryside who could spend money like Deng Shirong.
Even though he had spent half of his savings, since Deng Changwang’s wedding, Deng Shirong had made three more cash injections from his brick factory, and yesterday, he received the matchmaker’s gift from the Deng Changmei family. This brought his cash back to the previous level.
Therefore, Deng Shirong still had five thousand yuan in cash.
Now, with the matchmaker’s gift from the Zhang family, the 38-yuan red envelope, boosted tenfold by the matchmaker reward system, became 418 yuan. After two and a half months, his wealth finally started to grow again.
In addition to cash, various supplies were also replenished.
While other supplies were easy to manage, the twenty pounds of braised pork and several pounds of fresh pork were a bit tricky. Deng Shirong thought for a moment and the next day, called a few idle young men from the village to help transport stones from the stone mountain. He planned to build a water wall after the Spring Festival.
When the old man invited them, the young men of the village were very enthusiastic.
Over the past few months, most of the villagers had tasted the old man’s cooking and knew how delicious his dishes were. Most families could afford to eat, but they lacked the means to eat well, and the young men, who rarely had meat more than twice a month, couldn’t help but be tempted.
Although there was no wage for helping the old man, at least they could have a few good meals, which was more than enough for the idle young men.
So, while Deng Shirong initially only invited a few young men to help transport the stones, by the end of the first day, the team had grown. By the second day, over a dozen young men had volunteered to help.
Deng Shirong, of course, welcomed everyone. It was just a matter of feeding them, and there was no cheaper labor than this.
The young men of this era were not like their modern counterparts who would feel dizzy just standing in the sun. Despite using relatively primitive tools—lifting by hand, carrying on shoulders, and pulling with ox carts—their work efficiency was quite high.
In just one week, the dozen or so young men from the village transported a large pile of stones to Deng Shirong’s home, more than enough to build the water wall.
With over a dozen young men and his own family, feeding more than twenty people every day for a week was a challenge. The thirty-odd pounds of meat didn’t last long.
Therefore, halfway through, Deng Shirong retrieved two pork loins from the system space and combined them with other vegetables to get through the week.
To thank the young men from the village, Deng Shirong specially bought several chickens to slaughter today.
The simplest way to cook chicken is to poach it, and the taste of poached chicken depends on three factors:
1. The quality of the chicken.
2. The control of the heat.
3. The soulful dipping sauce.
First, the quality of the chicken. If you use the cheap, feed-raised chickens of modern times, the poached chicken will be unappetizing. This is the main reason why friends from other provinces think poached chicken doesn’t taste good—they haven’t had the chance to taste truly delicious poached chicken.
In this era, chickens are the most authentic free-range birds, and their meat is naturally of the highest quality.
When it comes to cooking techniques, rural people can't replicate the restaurant methods of triple immersion in ice water. In Naye Village, when cooking chicken, all that’s needed is to occasionally lift the chicken out of the boiling water (using chopsticks or another suitable tool to drain the water from the chicken’s cavity, ensuring even cooking), and then cook until a skewer can pass through the chicken leg without any blood.
The final and most crucial element of poached chicken is the dipping sauce. Since the chicken itself is flavorless, its taste entirely depends on this sauce.
Different regions have their own unique flavors for the dipping sauce, but in Naye Village, the most renowned and classic dipping sauce is made from local ginger.
At this moment, Deng Shirong was guiding his eldest daughter-in-law, Zhang Xiuping, in making the ginger dipping sauce.
"Xiping, making the ginger dipping sauce is actually quite simple. First, take a bowl and add a moderate amount of oyster sauce, then dilute it with a little water to reduce the saltiness."
As Deng Shirong spoke, he watched Zhang Xiuping operate. Once she had diluted the oyster sauce with water, he continued, "Now add an appropriate amount of soy sauce to the bowl, and then heat some oil in a pan. Don’t use lard; use the peanut oil I bought a few days ago.
"Right, add a bit more. Yes, that’s about right!"
Zhang Xiuping asked, "Dad, should I pour the prepared sauce into the pan to cook it now?"
Deng Shirong shook his head and smiled, "No, you don’t cook it by pouring it in. That would make it less fragrant. Instead, heat the oil until it starts to smoke, then pour the prepared sauce into the pan. The high temperature of the pan and oil will instantly bring out the aroma of the soy sauce. After about two to three seconds, you can remove the sauce!"
Zhang Xiuping followed his instructions. As she poured the sauce into the pan, it sizzled and bubbled, releasing a rich, aromatic scent.
She stirred a couple of times with a spatula and quickly transferred the sauce to a clean bowl.
Deng Shirong scooped a spoonful of water into the pan and smiled, "See, it’s simple, right? The dipping sauce is ready. Next, just crush the washed ginger and add it to the sauce, and you’ll have a mouthwatering poached chicken dipping sauce!"
Zhang Xiuping looked at the dipping sauce she had made and exclaimed, "It really is that simple!"
She then crushed the washed ginger. This local ginger had an extremely potent aroma, and the kitchen was filled with its fragrance even before it was crushed. Compared to the tasteless ginger bought at markets in the future, this local variety was truly in a different league.
After adding the crushed ginger to the sauce, the final effect was achieved.
It was a dipping sauce that was a perfect blend of color, aroma, and flavor.
Zhang Xiuping smiled broadly and said, "Dad, I feel like I’ve mastered this dipping sauce, and my poached chicken skills are now better than most people in the village!"
Deng Shirong chuckled and replied, "Don’t doubt yourself. When it comes to poached chicken, your skills now surpass ninety-nine percent of the people in the village!"
(End of Chapter)
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