Uncle, You Eat Too
Some people cook like they’re fighting a war.
This was the first time Sun Miao had ever experienced this so directly. It was truly like fighting a war; she had to keep her distance just to ensure she wouldn’t get hit by the spattering oil. Shen Yiqiu had even produced a pot lid from god-knows-where, holding it firmly in front of herself.
Seeing her retreat and raise the pot lid for protection, Sun Miao knew this was not the first time Shen Yiqiu had encountered an exploding pot1.
Not only that, but everyone else around them was hiding far away, terrified of getting caught in the collateral damage. To face such a difficult situation and still have to advance in the face of difficulties, one could only say: a mother’s love is truly great.
But as Shen Yiqiu was busy dodging, Sun Miao noticed something else: the pork ribs, they seemed to be getting over-fried. When making Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs, the initial deep-frying step actually doesn’t take very long; a minute is enough. Because there’s a later step of stir-frying them with the salt and pepper mix, this first step doesn’t require the ribs to be cooked through.
But Shen Yiqiu was busy dodging, which took some time, and then she spent a bit more time flipping them with the spatula. By the time she scooped them out with a large strainer ladle, Sun Miao felt… they were most likely tough.
Next was frying the minced garlic. Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs without minced garlic would be missing more than half its flavor. Fried minced garlic, when stir-fried again, is also more delicious. Plus, the oil was already hot, so it only needed a quick pass. But even with this step, Shen Yiqiu managed to have a problem.
She… dumped the minced garlic directly in.
Seeing this, Sun Miao took a deep breath. Very good. This pot of oil is probably unusable now. Minced garlic is so fine; if it gets into the wok, it’s likely impossible to scoop it all out again. This oil would have to be filtered with extreme care, and there would still be a chance that some bits of over-fried, blackened, bitter garlic would sink to the bottom, causing the oil’s flavor to turn strange.
It looked like Shen Yiqiu had no intention of dealing with the oil, and the head chef standing nearby was already wearing a bitter melon face2. It seemed the clean-up work would most likely fall to him.
Just watching from the side, Sun Miao felt that the minced garlic also seemed a bit over-fried. Anything with garlic can’t be fried for long; fry it too long and it will definitely turn bitter. Seeing Shen Yiqiu’s technique, Sun Miao wanted to suck in a cold breath. She repeatedly advised herself, This is Su Ruixi’s biological mother, her actual, real mom!
After admonishing herself like this for several rounds, Sun Miao was able to stabilize her desire to intervene.
After frying the minced garlic, the heat needed to be raised to medium, and then the ribs were put back in to be double-fried. By this point, the ribs had already set, and double-frying would allow them to be cooked through further… but wait, so Shen Yiqiu had planned to double-fry them all along?!
In that case, the initial fry to set the shape was really way too long!
The double-fry only needed three minutes; it was the same principle as before—they were going back into the wok later, so frying them too long would make them tough. But Shen Yiqiu, she always felt that not frying them enough would leave the ribs undercooked, which would cause diarrhea, so even for the double-fry, she fried them for a very long time.
It must have been five minutes.
Sun Miao estimated the time. She had completely given up on intervening in Shen Yiqiu’s creation of Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs, because even if she stepped in now, those salt and pepper ribs would not be delicious.
Sun Miao was just a cook, and one who made xiaochi3 at that, not a God of Cookery who could turn the rotten into the magical4. To be honest, no chef could do that; after all, at a fundamental level, the ingredients are especially important to a chef. Taking over halfway through when it’s already been ruined… that really wouldn’t work.
After being fried to a golden yellow, they could be taken out of the wok. It’s just that what Shen Yiqiu made was not golden yellow at all. Although the color looked okay, it was definitely tough. Not the kind of tough you couldn’t bite through, but one bite would absolutely make your upper and lower teeth work hard.
She scooped them out to drain the oil, and the chef came over to deal with the wok. Shen Yiqiu must have made Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs in the kitchen many times, so the chef’s timing for stepping in was very clever. He came over to collect the wok of oil almost the instant Shen Yiqiu scooped the ribs out.
Shen Yiqiu was even a little proud, her expression bearing an eighty percent resemblance to Su Ruixi’s.
“This oil needs to be collected and filtered, then it can be reused next time for other dishes. You can’t just throw it away after one use, that’s too wasteful.”
“Mhm, that’s right.”
Although Sun Miao verbally agreed, the look she cast at the chef was tinged with a bit of pity: This pot of oil, how about we just don’t use it? The dregs at the bottom are easy enough to get rid of, but it’s already been defiled by the bitter-fried garlic and the over-fried ribs.
If it were a regular cook or a small shop, fine, they could filter it and keep using it. But the head chef was, after all, a head chef, who surely spent his days trying to perfect what is already outstanding. Using oil like this, the head chef himself would probably feel aggrieved.
But what Shen Yiqiu said was also right; throwing it out after just frying a few things would be too much of a shame. Filter it, let it settle… it’s, it’s not like it’s unusable.
Once the wok of oil had a destination, Shen Yiqiu set up another wok, heating it with oil. This time, she was properly starting to cook. After the oil was hot, she first tossed in things like scallions and ginger. Sun Miao glanced at the side dish plate; there were also some millet pepper5 on it.
Millet pepper shouldn’t be… very spicy, right?
Sun Miao’s heart began to pound like a drum, but regardless, once that plate of aromatics went in, the fragrance instantly rose up. After that, she added the ribs and minced garlic for a full-on flash fry. Finally, she added the pre-mixed salt and pepper, gave it a quick stir-fry, and it would be ready to come out of the wok.
This step shouldn’t have any problems. As long as it came out of the wok, it would count as a smooth landing. But one had to admit, Shen Yiqiu was still too creative. First, she added a lot of the salt and pepper mix. Salt and pepper is a strong seasoning; under normal circumstances, you don’t need much at all.
What’s more, the salt and pepper mix Shen Yiqiu had made herself smelled quite potent. A light hand would have been enough to bring out the flavor.
But, she had such a heavy hand. Using one of those white porcelain spoons, she scooped up more than half a spoonful and dumped it in. Watching from behind, Sun Miao’s heart was jumping and her flesh was twitching.
But it wasn’t over. Next, Shen Yiqiu broke through Sun Miao’s understanding… she poured in half a bowl of water, picked up the pot lid, and let it simmer. Sun Miao was a little dazed. She looked at the head chef with a puzzled expression. The head chef looked back at her, but he was already used to it.
And yet Shen Yiqiu was exceptionally proud. “Simmering it a bit more will make the ribs softer and more tender. Xixi will like it more.”
——Are you sure, Auntie? Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs, isn’t the point to eat the crispy texture? Does it need to be simmered?
At this moment, Sun Miao seemed to have lost all her methods and courage. She could only accept whatever Shen Yiqiu said as fact. But she didn’t expect that before it came out of the wok, Shen Yiqiu could still deliver a heavy blow. She sprinkled a bit of sugar into the wok.
At this point, Sun Miao felt someone needed to be revived by pinching their philtrum6.
This time, it was truly out of the wok, placed directly onto a plate. It was quite a large plate, and Shen Yiqiu had made a considerable amount. But looking at that plate, Sun Miao had no appetite whatsoever.
Sun Miao considered herself not a very picky eater; she could manage a few bites of anything. But looking at this, she really couldn’t. Shen Yiqiu even added two leaves of coriander on top of the Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs as a garnish.
——Amen, Susu-jie can’t handle things with a strong coriander flavor, right? Just smelling it is probably overwhelming.
Sun Miao decided she would get rid of the coriander leaves herself later, to save Su Ruixi from the unpleasant smell. Shen Yiqiu looked quite satisfied, instructing the housekeeper ayi to bring it out in a moment, then went to check on Sun Miao’s baozi. They were already steamed. Sun Miao suggested not to lift the lid just yet. Steam would condense and fall, and it would be better to eat them after letting some of the heat dissipate.
When they sat down at the Su family dining table at noon, Su Ruixi leaned over and whispered to Sun Miao, “Did you see my mom make the Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs?”
“Mhm…”
Sun Miao was a little confused. “Why did Auntie say this is your favorite thing to eat?”
“Because compared to her other dishes, it’s considered not bad.”
After hearing this, Sun Miao’s eyes filled with sympathy as she looked at Su Ruixi. But Su Ruixi didn’t seem to mind. “It’s actually fine. My mom is busy herself, she has to go to the research institute almost every day, so she doesn’t have many chances to cook for me. The family has also hired a chef and all.”
When her mom cooked, it wasn’t so bad as to kill anyone, and eating a bite or two occasionally could be considered fulfilling her filial duty.
Sun Miao still felt that Su Ruixi was so wronged. Especially since she herself usually held her in the palm of her hand, afraid she would fall or go hungry, only for her to come home and have to eat this kind of “creative cuisine.” Her heart truly ached for her.
But to be honest, ever since getting together with Sun Miao, Su Ruixi really hadn’t eaten her mom’s cooking. Not to mention anything else, she ate out less often, and every time she came home, she would either bring something Sun Miao made or would arrive only half-full.
Su Ruixi would never stay for lunch or dinner, giving Shen Yiqiu no opportunity to perform.
It was only this time, Sun Miao’s first visit, that not staying for lunch would be a bit improper. Otherwise, with Su Ruixi’s style, she would definitely have dropped off the gifts and left. She could tolerate Shen Yiqiu and Father Su occasionally coming to their place to get a free meal7, but the two of them coming to the Su family home to get a free meal was something she really couldn’t handle.
At the dining table, the ayi brought out the baozi Sun Miao had steamed. Su Ruixi, quick of eye and deft of hand, intercepted the plate the ayi was carrying, placing it in front of herself. She unceremoniously took two for herself and two for Sun Miao, then was satisfied and ready to eat.
But at this moment, Shen Yiqiu began to exert her motherly love. “Xixi, Xiao Sun, eat up. This is the Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs I made especially for you. Xixi loves it. Xiao Sun, you try some too.”
When she looked at the Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs, Su Ruixi clearly took a deep breath. Then she looked at Father Su across the table, whose expression clearly held a hint of rejoicing in the calamity of others8. Just from his expression, Sun Miao could guess: Father Su was also one of the victims.
But now, this victim was acting as a guide for a tiger9, enthusiastically recommending the Salt and Pepper Pork Ribs to Sun Miao and Su Ruixi. “That’s right, hurry up and eat. When your mom said you were bringing… Xiao Sun back, she had already decided to make this. First thing this morning, she reminded the ayi to be sure to buy spareribs. Don’t waste your mom’s…” He then looked at Sun Miao. “And your ayi’s kind intentions.”
With things having been said to this extent, it would be impolite not to eat.
Sun Miao didn’t mind. No matter how bad it tasted, it would probably be on the level of Susu-jie’s watermelon smoothie. She put on a brilliant smile. “The guest follows the host’s convenience10. Uncle, you eat too.”
The author has something to say:
Father Su: Oh, you!
(I always feel like getting my wisdom teeth pulled is just looking for suffering for myself, but not getting them pulled is not an option… wuwuwu)
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