Chapter 437: Chapter 227 Meat_1
"Xiao Tanzhi, tell the Abbot, no need to rush for lunch. Once the pancakes are ready, I’ll send them over," Lady Zhang instructed Xiao Tanzhi.
"Xiao Tanzhi, you can have lunch with us later," Lian Manman also said.
Yuan Tan touched his bald head and smiled naively.
"Then, then I will go and let the Master know," Yuan Tan turned and ran to find the Abbot.
Lady Zhang cleaned the pancake griddle and placed it on the stove, starting to spread the batter. Though it seemed easy with the griddle, getting it right required some skill. First, she brushed a thin layer of oil on both surfaces of the griddle, then scooped a ladle of batter, pouring it onto the hot iron plate just enough so that the pancake wasn’t too thick and not too little lest it be too thin.
Besides judging the right amount of batter for each pour, one also had to pay attention to the gesture. Like Lady Zhang, she always managed to let that scoop of batter land precisely in the center of the griddle, forming a perfectly round shape.
After pouring the batter, she closed the griddle. After baking it over the fire for a while, when she estimated the side facing the fire was cooked, she could flip the griddle to cook the other side. While it baked, she could open the griddle and at that moment, with a spatula, she could easily scrape off the cooked side from the griddle.
With the fire in the stove burning well, and the pancakes made thin, according to Lian Manman’s judgment, it would take just over a minute to cook each pancake.
While Lady Zhang made the pancakes, Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi prepared the filling on the side.
They took out the stored winter onions, removed the dried or rotten outer leaves, made a cut between the white and green parts, and then sliced the pieces into fine strands. Dry tofu and carrots were also cut into fine strands and arranged neatly on a plate.
Potatoes were peeled, sliced into fine strands, soaked in water to remove excess starch for a crisper texture, and then blanched in hot water and mixed with a prepared hot and sour sauce. Mung bean sprouts were cleaned, blanched in boiling water, and also mixed with the hot and sour sauce.
Eggs were beaten into a uniform liquid, spread thinly in the bottom of the pan to make a large omelet, which when cooked was taken out, cut into fine strips, and also neatly arranged on a plate.
Next, the meat was cut into fine strips, fried in oil with broad bean paste until delicious, and finally, garlic sprouts were cut into inch-long pieces and stir-fried until done.
Then it was time to prepare the broad bean paste, which could be eaten raw or fried in oil for extra flavor. Lian Manman fried a large bowl of paste using soybean oil. With this, all the fillings for the spring rolls were ready.
Lady Zhang had also cooked over half a basin of pancakes.
"First, send the pancakes to the Abbot," Lady Zhang said.
Lian Manman picked out a dozen pancakes, took out a bowl of fried paste, and apart from the egg and meat strips, put aside a bit of each of the other fillings into two dishes, all placed in a food box.
Lian Shouxin picked up the food box and went to the back meditation rooms to find the temple’s Abbot.
By the time Lian Shouxin returned, Lady Zhang had finished making all the pancakes, and the family sat down at the dining table to start their meal.
The thin pancakes, fragrant with the smell of wheat, were spread open and filled with strands of onion, bean sprouts, garlic sprouts, sauce meat, dry tofu, and potato, then tightly rolled up. Dipped in a bit of fried paste and bite into it, it was truly a mouthful of delicious flavors.
"The meat bought today is really good," Lian Shouxin praised.
Since it was for eating with spring rolls, Lian Manman specifically chose meat with less fat. She was careful slicing the meat into strips, ensuring each strip of lean meat had a small section of white fat at one end. Fried until they were sizzling in the pot and mixed with broad bean paste, each strip of meat was incredibly savory.
Lian Manman herself loved this kind of meat—it wasn’t greasy yet was succulent.
The family happily enjoyed their meal, especially Xiao Qi, who ate until his little face was red and his lips were shiny, with some sauce still at the corners of his mouth.
Lady Zhang quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe Xiao Qi’s mouth clean.
There were still a few pancakes left.
"Save two for Yeye," Lady Zhang said. Today, the Lian Family Main House was also having spring pancakes. Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye had gone home early. With many mouths to feed in the Upper Room, Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye, not favored by Lady Zhou, couldn’t get enough to eat. Lian Manman and Lian Yeye, being of the same age and similar in size at first, had changed over the past half a year; Lian Manman had grown taller and fuller, with her light hair turning darker and thicker, her skin becoming more tender, whereas Yeye showed little change. Therefore, whatever food was made at home, Lady Zhang always thought to save a portion for Lian Yeye.
