Chapter 1097: Chapter 448: Before My Sister-in-Law Grabs All the Bamboo Shoots on the Mountain, Buy Some Winter Bamboo Shoots to Satisfy My Craving!
Chen Yuanyuan, upon hearing about making Fried Skin Residue, excitedly said:
"This is delicious. Make a bit more later. It’s been years since I’ve had tasty Fried Skin Residue and Fried Blood Sausage."
Fried Blood Sausage is a street snack from Yinzhou, and it’s not difficult to make.
Fresh pig’s blood is mixed with some flour, then stuffed into Pork Large Intestine and boiled, then cut into sections and fried in lard on a flat pan.
For those not used to it, it’s considered an unpalatable dish, but for locals of Yinzhou, it’s a remarkable delicacy.
However, this delicacy is gradually disappearing.
Yinzhou City has been actively clearing street vendors and upgrading the urban environment in recent years.
Street vendors were the main sellers of Fried Skin Residue and Fried Blood Sausage, and after being cleared, it’s now rare to see such stalls on the streets of Yinzhou.
Even if you come across one by chance, the taste isn’t as good as it used to be.
Lin Xu said:
"As for Fried Blood Sausage, it’s unlikely today, but later we can ask Old Huang from the slaughterhouse to help get some fresh Blood Sausage, boil it, and fry it for you. For now, let’s have Skin Residue."
He took out the frying pan to clean it and then opened the fridge to pull out the Skin Residue, whose temperature had significantly dropped.
Skin Residue cannot be frozen; it would fall apart if frozen.
But you can use the freezer to quickly bring the temperature down.
After cooling down, the Skin Residue, which was originally a jelly-like consistency, has become quite firm, somewhat like the Fried Sausage that everyone loves in Beijing.
Yet, it’s softer compared to the sausage’s starchy texture.
After all, it’s all made of vermicelli, which is springy like a spring and retains a bit of elasticity even when completely cold.
The Skin Residue is still a bit warm right now, needing to cool a bit more before it can be cut.
Put this piece of Skin Residue back into the fridge for another ten minutes.
Taking advantage of this time, Lin Xu picked up a piece of the hot Skin Residue with chopsticks from the cutting board, dipped it in the prepared Garlic Paste, and then put it in his mouth.
He doesn’t usually crave it much, but seeing it now, he couldn’t resist wanting to eat a few more pieces of this hometown delicacy.
Because of the starch on its surface, the Skin Residue is smooth and chewy, and you can clearly feel the strands of vermicelli inside when you bite into it, which is very satisfying to chew.
The vermicelli is fresh and flavorful, and the hint of Five-Spice Powder gives a meat-like taste.
Those who’ve never eaten Skin Residue find it hard to associate this cheap treat with meat.
But in fact, with just a handful of Five-Spice Powder, Skin Residue can taste like braised meat, and in the past, when people couldn’t afford meat, many hometown folks used Skin Residue to satisfy their cravings.
The shrimp skins inside are a delightful surprise.
Though there aren’t many, whenever you chew on one, its fresh and savory taste and distinctly different texture from the Skin Residue provide the thrill of finding meat in a vegetarian dish.
After eating two pieces of Skin Residue, Lin Xu felt like he was back in the old hometown.
He remembers, during winter vacations, always returning to the rural hometown with his parents for the New Year.
Enjoying the pig slaughter festival dishes, eating freshly made Skin Residue, then using pocket money to buy fireworks and playing outside until dark, not wanting to go home.
"Yueyue, you have no idea how mischievous my younger brother was as a kid; even when Aunt had to drag him by the ear, he wouldn’t realize it’s time to go home, and even on reaching home, he’d still be thinking about playing."
Shen Jiayue opened her mouth in surprise.
A-ha, who would’ve thought Xu Bao was this naughty at a young age.
Always assumed he was the same as during university times.
Curiously, she asked:
"How did your personality change so drastically later? Was it due to academic pressure or being scolded by grandma?"
Lin Xu pinched her cheek, smiling, and replied:
"It was in preparation to come to Beijing to find you."
"Hehe... I was always waiting for you too."
Zeng Xiaoqi looked discontented, pouting:
"Can you two cut it out? Even in front of your own people, you’ve got to show off?"
Director Zeng, while enjoying the delicacies, was fed a stomach full of romance, which made her very displeased, so she decided to pass on this displeasure to others.
She snapped a picture of the Skin Residue dipped in Garlic Paste and another selfie of herself eating with big bites.
After taking the photos, she dumped them into the group chat along with earlier ones:
"Eating at night really shouldn’t be done, please, ladies, don’t learn from me."
Aloud she advised everyone not to eat, but actually... hmm, here comes the poison!
As soon as the post was made, Chen Yan sent a string of exclamation marks.
"What’s going on? You and Yuanyuan are secretly eating?"
Shu Yun sent a puzzled emoji:
"Looks delicious, is this Steamed Starch?"
Dou Wenjing remarked:
"I remember the kitchen in Sunshine Garden Estate isn’t this spacious, Xiaoqi, where are you?"
Geng Lele jumped in, marking several places in the photos:
"This is at Brother Xu and Sister Yue’s home, the Spider-Man fridge magnet on the fridge is the one I put up with Dundun... So, you guys are secretly making goodies with Brother Xu?"
Xiao Qing sent a yawning emoji:
"Seriously, you guys are something else, after having a bland low-fat meal with Manager Yan today, you go and tempt us at night... I’ve just ordered some spicy sour noodles delivery, soon I’ll tease everyone too, let’s see who lasts till the end."
Seeing the group members stirred up, Zeng Xiaoqi showed a smug smile:
"Let me introduce, this is not Steamed Starch, but a specialty snack from Yinzhou, called Skin Residue. It’s the taste of memory for the people of Yinzhou, so delicious, soooo tasty, even better than meat."
The group members, merely by looking at the photos, were already drooling, and seeing the written description only heightened their curiosity for this tasty treat.
