Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 143 Osmanthus Duck and Squirrel Fish

Jiang smiled and said, "I've been busy making small reunion cakes these days. I'm not used to making such a big one all of a sudden. I'm afraid it will get broken when I turn it over."

Shen Yu smiled sweetly: "Aunt Jiang, when you made the small reunion cakes, you did it quickly and well. I feel most at ease if you turn the big reunion cake over and bake it."

Li had prepared everything for the evening moon worship and came to see if the reunion cakes were ready.

She looked at the dough table and saw a large, golden and crispy reunion cake placed there, which was so eye-catching.

She held her hands out in the air and compared it, then said with a smile, "Oh, this reunion cake is really big. The biggest reunion cake I've seen in town is not even half the size of this one. No wonder those rich families are willing to order large ones. If a large reunion cake like this is placed on the altar, the Moon Goddess will surely be very happy and bless you."

Everyone in the room laughed after hearing this, looking relaxed and happy.

After chatting and laughing for a while, they continued to work.

Shen Yu told Jiang how to cook the crab, and Jiang went to prepare the ingredients.

Shen Yu added some salt, pepper and fennel to a deep flat pan and fried them until slightly yellow. Then he spread the fried seasoning on the duck, rubbed it slowly and evenly until it absorbed the flavor, and then washed it with clean water.

Boil water again, sprinkle a handful of dried osmanthus flowers, add two star anises, a small piece of cinnamon, two bay leaves, pour in some rice wine, put the whole washed duck in, and also put in a handful of green onions tied into a knot, keep it slightly open and cook for half an hour.

Next is the squirrel fish. Squirrel fish is simple to prepare, and the most challenging part is the knife skills.

The fish I bought today was a big grass carp with tender meat, weighing two or three pounds.

Cut the fish open and remove the large bone in the middle, cut the fish head, and then use the chrysanthemum knife technique to cut the fish meat on both sides into diagonal cross patterns.

Shen Yu hadn't cut fish for a long time, so he cut it slowly and carefully. After cutting, he picked it up and shook it apart. The fish body was like pine cones, falling one by one.

Add enough oil to the pan and heat it up. Pat the fish body and fish head with starch, lift them up and shake off the excess. Fry them in the pan until golden brown and place them on a plate.

Pour out the oil in the pot, leaving a little oil at the bottom, use sugar, vinegar, red yeast rice and some starch to thicken to make a bright red sweet and sour marinade, pour it on the fried fish, and a sweet and sour fish shaped like a squirrel with a sweet and sour taste is ready.

Shen Yu carefully brought the large plate of squirrel fish to the table in the house and placed it on the table. He then cut the osmanthus duck, which had been cooked and cooled, into pieces and placed them on the plate, and sprinkled some chopped green onions on it as decoration.

There is no need to serve the chicken stewed with shiitake mushrooms separately. Just stew until the soup is thick, add a little salt and pepper to season. When you eat later, you can just serve the casserole.

After preparing these dishes, Jiang also made crabs according to Shen Yu’s instructions.

The two of them also cooked four cold dishes together: sweet and sour lotus root slices, hot and sour radish, mixed salad, and spiced bean curd skin. By the time it got dark and the moon rose, a table full of delicious dishes was ready.

At this time, Li had already prepared a small table for worshiping the moon in the courtyard.

Four fruit plates were arranged in order, one plate with large pomegranates with red seeds already broken open, one plate with purple longan grapes, one plate with freshly harvested round autumn chestnuts, and another plate with tangerines with emerald green branches and leaves.

In the middle, there was a round tray with a huge reunion cake on it.

Li washed her hands, held incense and bowed towards the moon, muttering something, which was nothing more than praying for the safety of the whole family. Then Shen Yu and her two siblings bowed in turn.

Jiang and Dun Dun stood by and watched the ceremony.

Li said, "Sister Jiang, since you and Dun Dun are living in my house, you are like a family. We have all paid our respects to you. You and Dun Dun should also come over and pay your respects to the Moon Goddess and pray for blessings."

Seeing that Li was sincere in her words, Jiang also picked up some incense and bowed down with Dun Dun. As she prayed silently, a flash of sadness flashed across her face.

After worshiping the moon, I wanted to go into the house to eat.

Yutao pulled Li's sleeve and said with a smile: "Mom, we used to have our meals in the yard during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moonlight was bright everywhere, which was much better than lighting candles in the house. Let's have our meals in the yard today."

Li looked at the narrow courtyard and smiled helplessly, "Look at this courtyard. There are long tables and carts. How can we put a square table to accommodate so many of us? Let's eat inside. It would be better to light more candles to make it brighter."

Shen Yu also wanted to eat in the yard at first, but when he saw that the yard was already crowded with things, he gave up the idea early.

Yutao brought this up again at this time, and she couldn't help but think that it would be great if she could rent a bigger house. As the business got better, more and more equipment was needed, and this small courtyard was becoming more and more crowded.

Yutao nodded helplessly, and the family went into the house and lit the oil candles. Li then brought out a candlestick and lit another candle. Now the room became much brighter, and the table full of delicious food whetted people's appetites.

Each dish has its own characteristics, and after taking a few bites of each, everyone found their favorite dish.

Shen Yu's favorite dish is braised chicken with mushrooms. Probably because the chickens and ducks at that time were fed with real food and were free-range. The chicken tasted tender and fresh, and it was completely different from the chicken that was fed with modern feed for a few months before being slaughtered.

Slow-cooked in a casserole, the soup is rich and bright, the chicken is soft and tender but tasty, the mushrooms are smooth and tender, and the unique deliciousness of mushrooms and the mellow aroma of chicken are perfectly blended. Eat large chunks of meat, and the delicious gravy bursts between your lips and teeth, so fragrant that you can't stop eating.

Squirrel fish has a beautiful golden shape, is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and tastes sweet and sour. It is the favorite of children.

At first, Li reminded them to be careful with fish bones, but Yutao said there were no bones at all. Then, seeing the children eating the fish smoothly with their chopsticks, without any discomfort from the fish bones, she felt relieved.

Mrs. Li and Mrs. Jiang preferred the sweet-scented osmanthus duck.

After the duck meat was cooked, Shen Yu put it in a deep soup plate and placed the plate in a basin of ice-cold well water to allow the duck meat to cool quickly.

The advantage of doing this is that the duck meat becomes firm and chewy, not loose, while locking in the original soup and flavor of the duck meat.

The duck meat was delicious, smooth and not greasy, with a faint sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance. Li put a large piece of it in the bowl in front of each person and said with a smile: "Suppress the storm and have peace every year."

Taking a bite of the firm, chewy and tender osmanthus duck and a sip of the mellow osmanthus wine, Shen Yu looked at the people sitting around the table with a smile. His heart was warm, as if he was soaking in a warm hot spring and his whole body was relaxed.

Shen Yu glanced at the dish of crabs. Perhaps because he could often eat fried eggs on weekdays, no one touched this dish.

Shen Yu picked up the plate, took a wooden spoon, put a spoonful of food into the small bowl in front of each person, and said with a smile: "This dish tastes special, everyone try it."