Chapter 916: Stir-Fried Snails....
Translator: Endlessæantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Luo Jin’an was worried about his wife getting tired. Even so, Su Binglan shook her head and said, “I’m not tired. Are you? You pushed the cart home just now.”
“No, I’m okay. I feel pretty good about participating just now. I can feel the joy of a bumper harvest, too. I’ll feel good as long as I can help you.”
Su Binglan looked into her husband’s eyes, saying, “Do you want to eat fried cicadas?”
Luo Jin’an looked like he was reminiscing as he said, “l remember not having enough food at the military camp. Everyone caught and fried cicadas back then.’
Su Binglan nodded. “We’ll catch cicadas after we harvest the wheat.”
The family busied themselves with harvests over the next few days. Afterward, they had to turn the wheat into grains and then flour. When the family finished these things, they sighed in relief, finally able to take a break.
Soon after, Su Binglan went to the mountain and found a snail. She then called her parents to the river behind the mountain to collect river snails. The family was happy to bring them home.
“Binglan, will these taste delicious?”
Others would not consider eating river snails. However, Su Binglan could cook anything and make it delicious.
She said smilingly, “Yeah, these are delicious. I’ll make a dish with these and show you what they taste like.”
Su Fengmao recalled his childhood. “l remember cooking these things when I was young, but there was so much mud. Still, they didn’t smell funny. Maybe that’s why the villagers never considered eating these.”
Su Binglan said, “We can just wash them. They’ll taste good then, and we can
eat them with a glass of wine.”
When the trio returned, Su Binglan soaked the river snails in salt water and sesame oil before washing them.
“Binglan, are these easy to wash with oil like you said?”
Su Binglan explained, “It’ll make the snails spit out the soil. We’ll also use brushes to clean them individually.”
The family listened to her instructions and followed them. They then removed the snails from their shells and washed them repeatedly with clean water.
Su Fengmao looked at the clean water and snails, saying, “They’re nice and clean now. I used to eat snails when I was young but never removed the tails because it was hard to remove them from their shells.”
Back then, he thought the snails tasted weird. However, he felt they would be delicious once his daughter cooked them.
While everyone helped to prepare the snails, Su Binglan began preparing the red chilis, scallions, ginger, and pepper. Afterward, she said, “Big Brother, you can start the fire now.”
“Right away, Sister.” Su Wenzhe was already sitting on a stool beside the stove, ready to start the fire. He lit it as soon as his sister said so.
Soon, the pot heated up, and Su Binglan poured the peanut oil into the pot before adding and stir-frying the ingredients. Later, she added the washed snails into the pot and stir-fried them.
Two minutes later, she added cooking wine, garlic, and salt before continuing to stir-fry the mixture. Soon after, the fragrance wafted through the kitchen. Su Wenzhe could not help but exclaim, “It smells so good! I know it’ll be delicious just by smelling it.”
Su Fengmao was in the courtyard when he smelled the fragrance. He could not help but take a deep breath, saying, “It smells so good. The ingredients Binglan used are so fragrant.”
He gulped as he spoke. Although he typically did not eat much during summer, his daughter’s cooking aroused his appetite. That was because Su Binglan could cook various dishes in many ways.
‘It smells so delicious, and 1 can have some wine with it,’ Su Fengmao thought.
Su Binglan said smilingly, “I’ve added plenty of seasonings to improve the taste. I wrote to Wenwu and told him to get the ingredients for crabs and crayfish. I’ll cook those for you soon enough.”
Shen Qiuhua could not wait to taste those dishes, saying, “They must be delicious since you’ve mentioned them a few times.”
Su Binglan had almost finished stir-frying the mixture, so she added some water to the pot and covered it. “Big Brother, let the dish simmer on high heat.
We can eat soon, but I’ll have to collect the juice first.”
“l understand.” Su Wenzhe did as his sister said. As he controlled the flame,
the fragrance made him hungrier, and his stomach began to growl.
“The food will be ready in a while,” Su Binglan said.
Soon after, she opened the pot and saw that the broth was low. She then added green peppers and stir-fried the mixture again. Afterward, she scooped the food into a large bowl and said, “All right, it’s time to eat.”
Shen Qiuhua had made flatbread that morning. She then reheated it at noon for the family to eat alongside the snail dish.
Su Binglan had also prepared toothpicks for everyone. “Here, use these to eat the snails.’
She demonstrated how to eat the snails as she spoke.
Su Fengmao felt enlightened. “So, this is how we eat the snails. It’s much more convenient. I remember sucking the shells to get to the snails, but that barely worked. It was pretty tiring and cumbersome.”
He then used the toothpick to get the snail out of its shell. As expected, it was easier than sucking on its shell. It even tasted much better than he remembered.
He smacked his lips and said, “It’s so delicious. Indeed, it’s suitable to drink wine while eating these.”
Su Fengmao even poured wine for the whole family.
Su Wenzhe ate one of the snails and immediately wanted to eat more. Of course, he helped his wife and two sons get some snails out of their shells before he started eating.
The broth was just as delicious when he dipped the flatbread into it.
“It’s too delicious, and the soup is good, especially with the flatbread.”
The whole family was surprised.
“l didn’t expect these snails to be so delicious. Why don’t we open a shop and sell these?”
Su Binglan said smilingly, “It’s a straightforward dish. Everyone will know how to make it after seeing it once. It’s not worth opening a restaurant just to sell this dish. Still, we can add this dish to one of our existing restaurants’ menus. We can even add wine to the menu since this dish goes well with it.”
Su Wenxiu also could not stop praising the dish. He had lunch at home every day since his sister’s return. He even looked forward to Su Binglan cooking something new.
Everyone’s stomachs were full after the meal. Su Wenzhe asked, “What are we having for dinner?”
Shen Qiuhua chuckled. “You just had lunch, yet you’re already thinking about dinner?”
Su Wenzhe said innocently, “It’s because Binglan’s cooking is so delicious. I always look forward to eating at home when she comes home. What are we having for dinner, Sister?”
Su Binglan asked back, “What would you like, Big Brother?”
“I’ll eat whatever you make since your cooking is consistently tasty,” Su Wenzhe said.
After some thought, Su Binglan said, “Why don’t we catch some cicadas tonight and fry them for dinner?”