The Koi Wife of the Prime Minister

Chapter 171 One more way to survive

The rolled dough should be even and thin, so that the cooked rice noodles will be chewy and smooth.

Li Cuilian uses a blade of appropriate size to cut the large dough into rice vermicelli strips as thin as hair. Every cut must be precise and decisive. Her technique is skillful and there is almost no waste.

Finally, she spread the cut rice vermicelli strips evenly layer by layer on the bamboo curtain and carefully placed them in the steamer.

She adjusted the heat and covered the steamer, allowing the steam to fully penetrate each thin noodle, so that it retains its toughness and texture after being steamed.

During the whole process, Li Cuilian looked up at the clock from time to time and smelled the fragrance in the kitchen from time to time.

She constantly adjusted the heat and the position of the steamer to ensure that every handful of rice noodles was heated evenly and perfectly met her standards.

In the end, she steamed out pots of fragrant dry rice noodles one by one, and each handful of rice noodles was plump and crystal clear, like thin threads.

She carefully used bamboo chopsticks to pour the steamed rice noodles into the prepared clean bamboo basket. These rice noodles will become the main ingredient of the snail noodles tomorrow morning.

Li Cuilian wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled with satisfaction.

Shen Yan looked at the finished dry rice noodles and was very satisfied.

Guifang, who was unfamiliar with the cooking process before, can now handle it on her own. Xiangxiang Shop sells both vegetarian and meat dishes. Xiaolan and Guifang have always been the only ones looking after the stall, while Shen Yan sells snail noodles on the side.

At this moment, seeing Guifang's great progress, Shen Yan felt very moved.

When it was almost time to set up the stall, Shen Yan watched Guifang neatly prepare the cart and move the wooden barrels filled with vegetables onto the cart. She said to her, "Sister Guifang, you will set up the stall on the official road by yourself today."

Guifang was a little surprised: "Me, myself?"

Shen Yan smiled and nodded, encouragingly: "Yes, Sister Guifang, you can try it today. I believe you can handle it well."

Guifang was a little hesitant. She didn't expect that she would suddenly be in charge of the stall alone.

She looked at Sister Xiaolan who was busy beside her and confirmed again: "Sister Xiaolan, are you sure everything is OK?"

Sister Xiaolan smiled and patted Guifang on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Guifang, you have learned very well. Sister Shen also trusts you, you can do it."

Guifang felt a little relieved after hearing their encouragement. She began to sort out the signature dishes on the stall, checking the placement and supply of each dish. The greens in the wooden barrel were crisp and tender, and the aroma of the meat was mouth-watering. She readjusted the layout of the stall to ensure that each dish could be displayed in its best condition.

When all the preparations were completed, Guifang stood beside the stall, thinking about the pedestrians passing by on the official road.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner nervousness and excitement.

Shen Yan walked to Guifang and patted her shoulder gently: "Sister Guifang, you can do it. Today I'm counting on you."

Guifang nodded, she felt Shen Yan's trust and support. She took a deep breath, tidied her clothes, put on an apron, and walked into the bustling center of the official road.

After no one was at home, Shen Yan started to make her own stinky tofu.

If she remembered correctly, she had sealed the jar of stinky tofu a month ago. If nothing went wrong, the stinky tofu should be edible now.

Shen Yan walked into the kitchen, found the jar where the stinky tofu was stored, and prepared to open it.

The moment she opened the jar, Shen Yan covered her nose. The smell was so stinky.

But stinky tofu is like this, it smells good and tastes good, and Shen Yan just likes it. Today, she decided to fry a few pieces of stinky tofu to taste it.

Shen Yan carefully took out a few pieces of stinky tofu from the jar. The surface of the tofu was covered with slightly whitish mold, emitting a unique sour smell. She picked up a handful of kitchen paper and gently wiped the surface of the tofu to remove excess moisture to ensure that the tofu could absorb the oil evenly.

Then, Shen Yan put the pot on the stove, poured in a proper amount of cooking oil, and waited for the oil temperature to rise to the appropriate frying temperature. She gently put in the processed stinky tofu, and the oil immediately splashed, making a "crackling" sound. The tofu cubes quietly changed in the oil pan, the surface turned from white to golden, and exuded an attractive aroma, gradually transforming the original sour smell into a mouth-watering delicacy.

Shen Yan continued to gently flip the tofu cubes with a spatula to ensure that each side was evenly heated to achieve a golden and crispy effect. When the tofu cubes were fried until the surface was golden and crispy, she took them out with a colander and placed them on a kitchen towel to drain the excess grease.

She then prepared a small dish of chili sauce and garlic paste and placed it on one side of the plate. Shen Yan picked up a piece of freshly baked stinky tofu, put it on the chopsticks, lightly dipped it in chili sauce and garlic paste, and then put it into her mouth. A strong stench instantly spread in her mouth, but followed by the crispy taste and rich bean fragrance, the stimulation of the chili sauce and the fragrance of the garlic paste, making the whole taste buds seem to be ignited.

She nodded with satisfaction, and finally understood why some people had a special liking for stinky tofu.

This contradictory deliciousness is the kind of taste that can only be truly understood by trying it yourself.

In the next yard, Manager Li from the embroidery shop came over after smelling the stench.

She was Shen Yan's apprentice who did embroidery. She called Shen Yan "Sister Yan" in front of outsiders, and called her "Master" in private. Unexpectedly, the stench attracted her here.

"Sister Yan, what delicious food are you making again? Why is it so smelly and fragrant?"

Shen Yan looked at her from a distance and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Li is here. This is fried stinky tofu. It smells bad but tastes delicious. Come and try it!"

Shopkeeper Li smelled the unique stench and couldn't help but smacked his lips and laughed, "Sister Yan, you just like these weird things! But you're right, sometimes things that smell bad but taste good are the best."

She stepped over the threshold and walked to the side of the fried stinky tofu, looking at the golden and crispy tofu cubes and smiling slightly. Shen Yan held a pair of chopsticks in her hand, picked up a piece of stinky tofu that had just come out of the pot, and carefully brought it to Shopkeeper Li: "Try it, Shopkeeper Li, this time I fried it to be more crispy and fragrant."

Shopkeeper Li took the tofu, picked up the chopsticks and gently broke it apart. The tofu block split into two halves, revealing the crispy texture and rich bean fragrance inside.

She took a sip. The tofu was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the seasoning of chili sauce and mashed garlic was very memorable.

“Oh my, this is so delicious!”

Shopkeeper Li licked his lips and praised happily, "Sister Yan, you really know how to make something delicious for others."

Shen Yan watched Shopkeeper Li eating with relish with a smile on her face, feeling very satisfied in her heart.

She knows that every time she cooks, she can bring different surprises and fun.

And this time, Shopkeeper Li likes it. Maybe if I take it to the official road and set up a stall to sell it, everyone will like it too. This way, I will have another way to make money.