Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 183: Stir-fried Chicken in an Iron Pan

Zhou Dalang said, "Yes, if it weren't for Xiaobao, I wouldn't have the courage to ask the county magistrate to allow me to divide the family."

Yu Tao continued, "Brother Zhou, before Xiao Bao was born, you and your wife were never bullied by your mother, why didn't you stand up for your wife?"

Zhou Dalang was a little embarrassed, but Shen Yu just listened with a slight smile and said nothing.

Yu Tao continued, "If my husband doesn't protect me, what use is he to me? Brother Zhou, you can't just be good to Xiao Bao in the future, you have to be good to your wife too."

Zhou Dalang blushed at what an eleven-year-old girl said. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Of course, Miss Yutao is right. My wife has suffered a lot following me. I will definitely treat her well in the future."

Shen Yu glanced at Yutao, who stuck out her tongue and secretly made a face at Shen Yu.

These days, Zhou Dalang came to the shop to work, and Cui would sometimes bring Xiaobao over to play and help with some chores.

Yutao likes Xiaobao's liveliness and cuteness, and Cui's gentleness and kindness. After hearing about Cui's past interactions with Mrs. Hu, she feels very sorry for Cui and takes every opportunity to warn Zhou Dalang with words.

Shen Yu watched from the side, and as long as the words were not excessive, she pretended not to hear.

She thinks Yutao is pretty good. She knows how to protect herself and what is truly good for herself, instead of just being obedient.

After setting up the stall for a while, Li and Jiang finally came over, with obvious dark circles under their eyes.

Shen Yu said somewhat disapprovingly: "Even if the shoes hurt their feet, you don't have to stay up late to make shoes for them. Look at you guys, your eyes are red from staying up all night."

Mrs. Li knew that she loved her sons too much, so she could only explain: "We can't just watch them get blisters. The two children don't want to work on the mule cart. If we don't make a pair of shoes that fit them, what else can we do?"

Jiang also said, "Don't do this anymore. The children have just started school, and it's inevitable that mothers will be in a rush."

What else can Shen Yu say? All parents in the world are so pitiful.

She could only say, "Don't stay up late like this anymore. What if they need something? You can't rush to finish the work. What if you get sick from working too hard?"

Li also knew that Shen Yu was doing this for their own good, so she quickly promised again that she would never stay up all night like this again.

After closing the stall and returning home, not long after, the blacksmith shop delivered the custom-made wok.

Shen Yu took the wok to a bright place, examined it carefully, found nothing wrong with it, and readily paid the remaining money.

The wok is half the size of the big iron pot at home. It is polished smoothly and has a regular shape. The double-handled pot feels heavy in the hand.

Shen Yu put the wok on the dry stove and tried it out. It was just the right size and sat in the stove mouth, feeling both stable and comfortable in the hand.

The coal had been ordered to be delivered long ago and was packed in large bamboo baskets, which were stacked in the kitchen.

Zhou Dalang brought a basket over. Shen Yu looked at the vegetables at home and was thinking about what dish to try cooking in the wok first.

A smiling 7-Up came into the store.

Qi Xi had not shown up since he came with Lu Lang the night before yesterday, but today he came with that big food box. Everyone knew the purpose without having to say it.

When Shen Yu saw him, he thought of the three chickens raised in a corner of the yard, chirping every day.

These days, he was busy renovating the shop, buying tables, chairs and ordering stoves, and had no time to think about adding extra meals to Lu Lang. Qi Xi was also very tactful and didn't even mention it.

I guess 7-Up saw that the store was almost cleaned up, so he came here today with a big food box to get some free food.

Shen Yu smiled and said, "You came at the right time. Let's make stir-fried chicken today to see if this wok works well."

Qi Xi chuckled, put down the food box and said, "I'll go kill the chicken now."

Shen Yu first cut a small piece of fatty pork into thick slices, washed some onions, ginger, garlic, and coriander and set them aside.

Qi Xi worked quickly. In just a few moments, the chicken had been killed and plucked. Following Shen Yu's instructions, he chopped it up, cleaned it, and set it aside to drain.

In order to have enough fire when cooking, Shen Yu went to Qiaozuoju to customize a bellows. Master Song is very skilled. The bellows is not big, but it is very light to use and has plenty of wind power.

Zhou Dalang lit the stove with some broken firewood. When the firewood was burning well, he added some small pieces of coal on it and gently pulled the bellows a few times.

With the help of the bellows, the coal quickly burned. Shen Yu waited by the side and added large pieces of coal when the fire became stronger. The fire in the furnace soon burned stronger.

Li praised: "This coal is good. Once you add it, it can last for a long time without worrying about it going out."

Shen Yu put the clean wok on the stove, picked up a piece of thickly sliced ​​fatty pork with chopsticks, and carefully wiped the inside of the wok.

Under the roasting of the fire, the fat of the pork seeped out, and as Shen Yu wiped it patiently, the wok gradually began to turn black and shiny.

After wiping the inside of the second wok, Shen Yu used the pork slices that had been wiped inside the wok to evenly wipe the outside of the two woks.

Don't throw away the slices of pork until they become black and dry.

The two evenly coated pots were shiny black with oil, completely different from when they were first brought in.

Shen Yu patiently roasted the two pots over the fire for a while before cleaning them again.

Qi Xi asked curiously, "Miss Shen, why is it so troublesome to make stir-fried diced chicken? Why do you use fat to grease the pot? What a waste! It smells delicious, but you still throw it away."

Shen Yu didn't stop working and put the clean wok back on the stove.

He patiently explained: "The newly made iron pan is not soaked in oil, so the surface is not smooth enough, and the food will stick to the pan easily when cooking."

"Wipe it with fat and the oil will seep into the pan. Whether you stir-fry over high heat or fry over low heat, it won't stick to the pan or get burnt easily."

Zhou Dalang had an epiphany: "Isn't it just like when we make Ma Hu pancakes, we also need to wipe the iron pan with a cloth dipped in some oil, so that the pancake dough won't get burnt easily when placed on it?"

Shen Yu smiled and nodded: "It's the same principle

After the pot was dried over low heat, Shen Yu added a small amount of oil into the pot, used a cloth towel to hold the edge of the pot, tilted it slightly, and poured all the drained chicken into it.

Use a spatula to stir fry continuously until the skin of the chicken shrinks and turns slightly brown, and a pool of oil appears at the bottom of the pan.

Use a spatula to move the chicken aside, add the peppercorns and star anise and fry until fragrant. Add the ginger slices, scallion segments and whole cloves of garlic and stir-fry until fragrant.

Pour some wine around the edge of the pot to remove the fishy smell, stir-fry, add salty bean paste and a pinch of powdered sugar, and stir-fry until the sauce is glossy.

Pour some boiling water to cover the chicken, cover the pot and simmer for half a cup of tea, until the soup is thick and the aroma wafts out as the lid is opened.