diskusbooks Chapter 193: Introducing Medicinal Diet
Chapter 193: Introducing Medicinal Diet
As dusk fell, the sky seemed to be dyed with ink, gently and silently covering the peach blossom courtyard.
The copper bells on the eaves swayed gently in the evening breeze, making a clear and crisp sound. A few petals, which came from nowhere, were stuck on the carved window lattices and were reflected by the warm yellow candlelight from the kitchen, making them look like rouge jelly.
Cheng Yuntao rolled up her indigo floral cuffs. The iron wok burned red on the stove, and as soon as the oil splashed, she quickly poured the ingredients in. The pine wood crackled in the hearth, and the pouch at her waist swung gently with the stir-fry, revealing a half-ear of corn.
Shen Shulan stood in front of the elm chopping board, pinching the juicy water chestnuts with his scallion-white fingers. As his silver knife flew, the snow-white flesh inside was revealed. "Yun Tao, try this, is it sweet enough?"
Her voice was soft, like a spring breeze.
Cheng Yuntao had just put down the spatula, turned around and stood on tiptoe to reach the celadon jar on the top shelf of the cupboard. When she heard Shen Shulan's words, she took two steps back.
She didn't bother to wipe the thin layer of sweat from her neck. She took the peeled water chestnuts from Shen Shulan's hand. Her Adam's apple rolled as she smiled, "It's very sweet. I'll buy more next time. They'll be great as a snack."
The bubbling shovel of abalone soup in the casserole suddenly gave way to white mist. When Cheng Yuntao lifted the lid, the steam filled her face. She hurriedly stirred the milky white soup with a wooden spoon. "Sister Shen, quickly bring me the rice wine simmering over the charcoal basin!"
Before she finished her words, a warm wine jug was handed to her from the stove. Shen Shulan's sleeve brushed across the back of her hand, carrying the faint fragrance of green bamboo after the rain.
Jiang Yu's tall figure moved around the kitchen flexibly and freely, and from time to time he bent over the stove to check the fire or help with some small things within his ability.
When the last dish was served on the table, the candle wick just happened to "pop" and burst into a flower, and the steaming heat wove a hazy veil between everyone's sleeves.
On the table, all kinds of delicious food are mouth-watering.
Shrimp roe and fish fillet, softened fish fillet is topped with shrimp roe and steamed with lard, it is a blend of salty fragrance and freshness, very appetizing; wind-bent vegetable, after the frost falls, the green cabbage is slightly fermented by wind and sun, blanched, squeezed dry, and mixed with seasonings, it has a unique taste and flavor.
Lotus meat, pork wrapped in egg liquid starch and fried until golden brown, then stir-fried with mushrooms and magnolia slices, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; vegetarian roast goose, bean curd skin wrapped with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and other vegetables are fried, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; mixed fruit pork trotter, high-quality pork trotter is braised and then embedded with a variety of nuts and slow-cooked, fat but not greasy, with a nutty sweetness.
Stir-fried water chestnuts with shrimps, the shrimps are tender and chewy, while the water chestnuts are sweet and crispy, the two tastes complement each other, refreshing and delicious; the amaranth soup, soaked amaranth cut into pieces and cooked with chicken broth, shredded ham, etc., is soft, delicious and nourishing; and the last one is the jujube paste cake, which is steamed with glutinous rice flour and red date paste, soft, sweet and with a strong date aroma.
Cheng Jingzhu couldn't hold back any longer. He drew an arc with his chopsticks in the air, but was suddenly hit on the back of his hand by his sister: "Behave yourself. Wait until everyone is seated."
"I know!" Cheng Jingzhu put down the chopsticks obediently, but his eyes seemed to be attracted by a magnet, reluctantly moving away from the table full of delicacies for a moment.
"Who else is missing..." Cheng Yuntao looked around and found that Xu Ranyuan had not yet appeared: "Xiao Zhu, go call Doctor Xu."
"Okay... I'll go right away." Cheng Jingzhu reluctantly withdrew his gaze, got down from the table, and trotted to call someone.
Not long after, Cheng Jingzhu came back trotting again: "Here he comes, here he comes, Doctor Xu is here!" Xu Ranyuan followed closely into the dining room.
Because he came in a hurry, he had no time to change his clothes. There was crushed grass juice on his cuffs, and a few spots of ochre ointment on the hem of his bamboo-green gown. After sitting down next to Cheng Jingzhu, when he raised his hand, he could faintly smell the faint medicinal fragrance on his fingertips.
"I'm sorry. I was just preparing the ointment, and the temperature was just right. I couldn't leave you alone, so I came a little late." His voice was apologetic.
Cheng Yuntao waved her hand nonchalantly: "No problem, since everyone is here, let's get started."
Xu Ranyuan picked up the porcelain spoon and scooped a spoonful of the fish soup to savor it carefully. As the soup slid down his throat, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Miss Cheng's skill in blending the five flavors is so good that even the chefs in the restaurant would be ashamed of themselves."
The sesame cake on the side was filled with rice and some dried vegetables, and he puffed his cheeks and said vaguely: "Doctor Xu speaks in a very elegant way, but to me, it's so delicious that I can swallow my tongue!"
Jiang Yu's bamboo chopsticks were stabbing into the trembling flesh of the Baiguo pork trotter, and the soup dripped down the tip of the chopsticks. He carefully picked up the pork trotter embedded with almonds and pine nuts and put it into his mouth. Then he sighed, "This pork trotter is stewed to a crispy tenderness without losing its chewiness. The nuts are soaked in the gravy and are fragrant. It's delicious!"
Shen Shulan picked up a piece of fried pork with silver chopsticks, the golden egg shell trembling slightly on the tip of the chopsticks: "The cooking time is really wonderful, the outer layer is crispy like golden armor, while the pork inside is tender as spring bamboo shoots." As he said this, he dipped the remaining half into the soup and watched the soup seep into the pores of the crispy skin.
The shrimps were covered in clear sauce and slid on the tip of the chopsticks. Cheng Yueli tried several times to pick it up: "The water chestnuts are so crisp that you can hear the sound, and the shrimps are so chewy that they seem to dance on the tip of the tongue!" She stuffed the whole shrimp into her mouth, and her cheeks bulged into small hills.
Grandma Zhou Xiufang cut off a piece of jujube paste cake, looked at the dark red jujube paste in the translucent glutinous rice skin, put it in her mouth and slowly ground it: "This jujube paste is ground so finely that the sweetness permeates the glutinous rice."
When they were almost done eating, Cheng Yuntao put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, "The show in the theater has already finished its round. If we want to come up with new food stalls, it will take a lot of effort. We might as well set up the stall somewhere else."
Seeing everyone's curious expressions, Cheng Yuntao continued, "I'm thinking that Mr. Xu's clinic is quite popular right now..."
Xu Ranyuan slowed down his chewing and asked, "Miss Yuntao, are you planning to capitalize on the influx of patients seeking medical treatment to start a herbal medicine business?"
"Exactly!" Cheng Yuntao's eyes sparkled like stars. "Most of the people who come to see me are weak and need to be recuperated. If we could set up a herbal food stall next door, it would both satisfy their hunger and replenish their energy."
Shaobing couldn't wait to say, "I agree, I agree! I'll be there as a little helper to greet the guests and make sure everyone comes!"
As he spoke, he cleared his throat and imitated the street vendor's calls in his childish voice: "Come and take a look, take a look! Delicious and nourishing medicinal food, you will be healthy after eating it!" His funny appearance made everyone laugh.
Xu Ranyuan took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth. "The concept of medicine and food sharing the same origin is the fundamental principle of medicine. All food is medicine. Only those who are attentive can balance the two. I can prescribe a few mild prescriptions for Miss Yuntao."
Cheng Yuntao's eyes were filled with gratitude, and she smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Master Xu. With your recipe, this medicinal food stall will surely be a big success."