mesbooks Chapter 276 Scallop and Mushroom Porridge, 3 Fresh Hot Pot
Chapter 276 Scallop and Mushroom Porridge, 3 Fresh Hot Pot
At 1 o'clock, Zhao Xiaojing couldn't help laughing while looking through the refrigerator.
She never expected that the task assigned to her by the system to prepare a New Year's Eve dinner for Dong Mei would be accomplished by overcoming difficulties and obstacles in this way.
Zhou Jianye's fever this time was quite serious. Although he slept soundly all night thanks to the numbness of his body after being drunk and the heat brought by the alcohol, his body at the age of fifty was not made of iron after all. When Dong Mei took him out to see a doctor, he no longer had the energy to argue with Dong Mei. He looked weak all over and shivered constantly due to the fever.
It was difficult to get a taxi during the New Year. Zhao Xiaojing sent them downstairs, and they walked on the road in the cold wind for nearly half an hour before a taxi stopped in front of them. If it had been a little later, Zhou Jianye would have called an ambulance for himself.
During this half hour, Dong Mei used her usual expertise to vent her anger by scolding Zhou Jianye. Zhou Jianye stood there in the wind, looking sick and unable to speak fluently, just like an angry mute who couldn't speak.
Zhao Xiaojing hadn't had breakfast yet. Dong Mei originally wanted her to just eat her own food, and they could make do in the hospital for lunch. Zhao Xiaojing waved her hand and reminded Dong Mei that today was New Year's Eve, and it was questionable whether there was food in the hospital. Besides, cooking was her specialty, so she told Dong Mei to just come back after finishing her lunch.
Zhao Xiaojing soaked the dried shrimps, scallops, chanterelles and shiitake mushrooms that she had brought back in warm water, and then took out half a chicken, two handfuls of spinach, a cabbage, a few eggs and a piece of pork leg from the refrigerator.
Dong Mei has a lot of stock, and there are all kinds of vegetables in the refrigerator, but the task requires something simple that suits Dong Mei's taste, so she simply cooks some porridge, mixes some spinach, and makes a three-fresh hotpot.
Although these dishes are a bit simple on New Year's Eve and even shabby among the dazzling family reunion dinners, Zhao Xiaojing knows Dong Mei. If you really cook a table full of them for her to eat, she will feel uncomfortable. She will feel that she has not taken good care of you and has made you work hard. Looking at the table full of dishes, not to mention not being able to swallow them, she will feel like she is sitting on pins and needles.
Zhao Xiaojing took the ingredients out of the refrigerator and placed them on the table. She then turned on the quality inspection module and checked them one by one.
【Frozen grain pork hind leg meat: Level 4
Fresh eggs from farms: Level 3
Frozen loose hens: Level 2
Planting base seasonal fresh spinach: Level 2
Planting base seasonal fresh cabbage: Level 2
Refined local rice: Grade 3】
The overall quality is okay, but it’s New Year’s Eve, so we have to eat better. Since the form is simple, the quality of the ingredients must be improved.
The upgrade to special grade is too noticeable, and people who cook frequently can easily tell the difference. Although there are also significant changes in grade one, it can still be used to fool people.
Zhao Xiaojing’s lavish store quality assessment module upgraded all ingredients to level one, costing a total of 3 yuan.
Plus, the dried goods she brought back were all secretly upgraded by her before and are also first-class ingredients. This seemingly simple but actually low-key and luxurious family reunion dinner cannot be bad in taste.
Zhao Xiaojing curled the corners of her mouth in satisfaction. This task was not difficult. The trick was that it required sufficient understanding of Dong Mei.
Dong Mei is not picky about food, but in fact, nothing she eats tastes good. Most of the time, she just cooks whatever others like to eat and eats it casually.
But if you look more carefully, you can find that even if Dong Mei eats casually, there is still a difference in how much she eats.
The reason why they made porridge during Chinese New Year was because when Zhao Xiaojing made porridge for her mother before, she found that her mother could eat a little more, and Dong Mei also ate half a bowl more.
As for mixed spinach and three-fresh hotpot, it is a fixed combination for Dong Mei's meals. In winter, she likes to cook a pot and then mix some not-too-cold vegetarian dishes, and eat them together, which is warm and refreshing.
Zhao Xiaojing used the quick module to chop the upgraded half chicken into pieces with one click and soaked it in a basin of bloody water.
The upgraded chicken is as fresh as if it had just been killed. There is no need to blanch it, just soak it in blood water and put it in cold water to skim off some foam.
While the blood water was soaking, Zhao Xiaojing continued to use the quick module to cut and wash all the prepared dishes. The rice was soaked in a container, the vegetarian dishes were automatically sorted and placed in various preparation baskets, and the pork was processed into stuffing.
The dried shrimps and scallops became a little softer after being soaked in warm water. Zhao Xiaojing took them out and wiped them dry with kitchen paper and cut off the shrimp heads.
Then put the shrimp heads and shredded ginger into a casserole with a little oil, stir-fry until the slightly red shrimp oil comes out, and the shredded ginger also changes color slightly. Then take out the shrimp heads, pour in clean water, and skim off the slight foam after the water boils.
The dried scallops are quite large and the soaking time is not long. Zhao Xiaojing cuts the dried scallops into slightly thick strips and pours them into the casserole together with diced mushrooms, dried shrimp tails, and rice that has been soaked for a while after the water boils.
The flavor of dried mushrooms and seafood becomes stronger, and after being tossed in boiling water for a while, the long-hidden unique aroma begins to emerge, filling the entire kitchen in an instant.
Zhao Xiaojing stirred it a few times with a spoon, then turned down the heat, covered it with a lid and simmered it over low heat.
The chicken is used to make the base of the three-fresh soup. The slow-cooking time is not enough and it wastes a stove, so Zhao Xiaojing washes it and directly puts in ginger and scallion segments to stir-fry until fragrant. After boiling in boiling water for five minutes, add the chanterelles and put it directly into the pressure cooker on the side.
Fortunately, Zhou Chuyan replaced the pressure cooker with an electric one two years ago, otherwise Zhao Xiaojing, who was used to working at a row of stoves in a restaurant, would not be able to do so.
When processing the pork filling with the quick module, slightly larger particles were deliberately selected. Now that she was free, Zhao Xiaojing took out the meat filling and chopped it with a horseshoe knife to increase the taste.
After chopping for about five minutes, Zhao Xiaojing added chopped green onion, minced ginger, and a little seasoning, then added water in small amounts several times, stirred in one direction, and then let it stand.
The meat filling is used to make egg dumplings. In Yangcheng, egg dumplings are indispensable for making the three-fresh hotpot. There are egg dumplings bought by Dong Mei in the refrigerator, but Zhao Xiaojing is very familiar with the taste of egg dumplings in the Yangcheng vegetable market. The egg skin has been diluted many times, and there is no aroma of egg. Although the filling is well seasoned, it is too finely beaten by the machine and has no taste.
Since there is plenty of time, I might as well cook it myself and let Dong Mei have a comfortable meal.
Zhao Xiaojing beat six eggs, beat them evenly with the quick module, filtered them twice, and then added a small amount of starch water to make a smooth egg liquid.
Then heat the frying pan, add cold oil and pour out the oil, leaving a thin layer of oil on the surface of the pan. Turn down the heat and scoop a small amount of egg liquid into the pan with a spoon. Turn it evenly in a circle and a round egg skin will quickly take shape.
Zhao Xiaojing turned the pan with one hand and held a small iron spoon in the other hand. She put the prepared meat filling into the middle of the formed egg skin, then turned the egg skin over and folded it in half. A golden and fluffy egg dumpling came out of the pan successfully.
Six eggs were used to make about twenty egg dumplings. Dong Mei had ready-made glutinous rice balls and crispy pork in the refrigerator. You could tell they were made by Dong Mei herself, so you could just use them directly.
All preparations were completed. The porridge simmering on low heat on the stove and the chicken soup in the pressure cooker both needed time. Zhao Xiaojing washed her hands, set the alarm, and returned to the living room.