armyinform Chapter 152 Cold-Cooked Rabbit
Chapter 152 Cold-Cooked Rabbit
"Jiaojiao, do you still have cassava? I'd like to try planting some too," a villager carrying a basket asked.
"There aren't any more this year. These are what Hefan brought back from other places. This is all the cassava we've raised this year, but there will be more next year. Cassava has a high starch content; about half of five pounds is starch. I will definitely buy a lot next year."
Song Jiaojiao said with a smile, but there was nothing she could do. She had too many things to do, and by the time she remembered this matter, it was already too late.
The villagers looked a little disappointed; it seemed there was no way to plant anything this year. But then they thought about planting next year and suddenly felt better.
"Jiaojiao, how do you plan to purchase the cassava?" The village chief asked, still pondering the question that had been bothering him, after hearing that Song Jiaojiao intended to process the cassava.
"This price isn't high, it's the same as sweet potatoes." Song Jiaojiao thought that although the planting time was long, it could grow anywhere, so she didn't set the price too high.
Everyone was surprised to hear that it was priced the same as sweet potatoes, and they decided to plant it according to Song Jiaojiao's instructions.
This cassava is so much easier to manage. It doesn't need fertilizer or soil, it's practically free. I can't believe it's getting this price. I wonder what the yield is like.
"So what's the cassava yield like?" the village chief asked, voicing the question everyone was most concerned about.
"I'm not too sure about the yield, but the cassava plants are quite large. Each cassava plant produces about seven or eight fruits, each about twice the size of a sweet potato, so the yield must be quite high."
Song Jiaojiao hadn't paid attention to how much cassava would yield; after the last time the stalks were pruned, Fei Hu harvested the fruit below.
After listening to Song Jiaojiao's words, the village chief had a rough idea of what the cassava yield would be, and figured it wouldn't be low.
After asking these questions, the village chief urged everyone to hurry up and plant the things, as they would need to plant fruit tree seedlings later.
Seeing that everyone was working in an orderly manner, Song Jiaojiao figured there was nothing for her to do.
Thinking about the rabbit she had killed yesterday, Song Jiaojiao went straight home and into the kitchen.
The water used to soak the rabbit turned pink. Song Jiaojiao washed the rabbit several times until the water became clear, then drained it and marinated it with some scallions and white wine.
While waiting, Song Jiaojiao took out the spices she needed, pounded them into granules using a mortar and pestle, and added white wine to enhance the aroma.
Take out half of the dried chili peppers from the rabbit meat and soak them in water. This step is mainly to prevent them from burning when frying.
Xu Fang was tending a fire in the kitchen, while Song Jiaojiao poured oil into a pot. When the oil was about 70% hot, she put in the prepared scallions and fried them until they were slightly golden brown. Then she added the drained rabbit meat and fried it over low heat until the moisture in the oil evaporated and the oil began to become clear.
Now add the soaked chili peppers and stir-fry for a while. Add the prepared spices and slowly fry until fragrant. Then add the chili powder again. Once the oil turns red, add the sesame seeds and stir-fry for one minute. That's it.
"Madam, what are you making? It smells so good, and you've used so many chilies!" Xu Fang asked, puzzled, looking at the dish in the pot that was almost entirely made of chilies.
"This is cold-cooked rabbit. It's both numbing and spicy, and the more you eat, the more fragrant it becomes. It's even better with a little wine. I plan to serve it at a barbecue restaurant as their signature dish. It's perfect that this dish tastes best when it's cold, so I can prepare it in advance."
Song Jiaojiao was thinking about the growing number of rabbits in her home and realized she had to find a way to get rid of them.
Xu Fang didn't know what cold-cooked rabbit was, but thinking that nothing her wife could make was bad, she was also looking forward to this dish.
"Make more food later, there will be more than 20 people at noon." Song Jiaojiao thought she would take care of everyone's lunch today.
"Okay, Madam, I'll go prepare it right away." Song Jiaojiao nodded and served the prepared cold-cooked rabbit.
Thinking about the rabbit heads I soaked last night, and how they're ready to be braised, I figured I could braise some pork belly with them.
Adding some side dishes, Song Jiaojiao took out all the eggs from the kitchen, about sixty in total, washed and boiled them all, and will put them directly into the pot to braise later.
Thinking that today's dishes would go well with alcohol, I went to the winery and got a few jugs of wine, which would be perfect to go with today's cold-cooked rabbit.
After finishing all that, Song Jiaojiao saw that it was getting dark, so she went up the mountain to call everyone for dinner.
"Uncle Wang, it's almost time. Let's eat first, and we'll take care of the rest this afternoon," Song Jiaojiao said as she approached the village chief.
The village chief looked up at the sky and realized it was getting late. He also felt his stomach rumbling, especially with the faint fragrance emanating from Song Jiaojiao as she approached, which made his mouth water.
"That's about enough, everyone. Go home and eat. We'll continue after we've eaten," the village chief shouted to the villagers who were busy on the mountain.
Song Jiaojiao hadn't mentioned providing lunch beforehand, so the village chief told everyone to go home and eat.
"Uncle Wang, wait a minute, come to my house for dinner today, the food is all ready," Song Jiaojiao said quickly.
"Wait a minute, everyone. Jiaojiao said lunch is provided today. Let's go eat first." The village chief didn't refuse and quickly spoke up, afraid that if he spoke too late, these people would leave.
The villagers were surprised that 30 coins a day included meals; they hadn't been told that meals would be included at the beginning.
But thinking about the food at Song Jiaojiao's house, I guess I'll be in for a treat today.
After the group came down the mountain, Xu Fang fetched hot water and told everyone to wash their hands before they could eat. Since the last time, Song Jiaojiao had already asked the village carpenter to make a lot of tables and bought a lot of bowls in town, just in case there was an emergency and there weren't enough tables and bowls.
The table and bowls had already been set out in the courtyard. In the middle of the table was Song Jiaojiao's stir-fried cold rabbit with bright red chili peppers. A gust of wind blew in, and the aroma was so enticing that everyone's stomachs rumbled.
Wine was still on each table, and Xu Fang led Ma Tao and the others to serve the remaining dishes one by one.
"Everyone, stop standing there, sit down, we can start eating now," Song Jiaojiao said quickly, looking at the villagers standing in the courtyard.
"Uncle Wang, let's sit down too." Song Jiaojiao led the village chief into the main room and also invited Aunt Li and Sister-in-law Sun to stay.
"Old man, hurry up, we're waiting for you!" Aunt Li, who was sitting at the table, called out hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, the village chief quickly stepped forward and sat down.
"Thanks to you all, we haven't had Jiaojiao's cooking for so long," Aunt Li said with a smile.
"No way, Auntie can come anytime she wants to eat," Song Jiaojiao replied with a smile when she heard Aunt Li teasing her.
"Oh dear, I wouldn't dare. You're such a busy person these days, I barely see you a few times a month," Aunt Li teased Song Jiaojiao with a hearty laugh.
Song Jiaojiao's face flushed slightly; she did indeed have a lot to do, and she was basically running around every day.
"Let's not talk about that. Let's eat. This dish is something I just invented. It's called cold-cooked rabbit. Try it and see if it's good."
Song Jiaojiao poured drinks for everyone while talking.
Everyone was already drawn to the bright red dish in the center by its enticing aroma. Ever since Song Jiaojiao discovered chili peppers and tried them once, everyone had fallen in love with them, and every household had started growing a lot of them.