After returning ho, the first task was to light the stove, and surely one couldn't use firewood to ignite the coal balls. The best thod was to place the coal balls on a gas stove to burn, wait until they started glowing red below, ensuring they caught fire, then transfer them to the stove.
Then it was ti to make the dough. Without a dough mixer available here, one could only knead by hand. For now, knead twenty jin of dough. The dough for noodles mustn't be too soft; it should be firm to prevent sticking. The dough rely needed to be kneaded until it ford a loose consistency before laying it on the noodle machine to roll and press. With enough rolling and pressing, it would naturally transform into a smooth dough piece. As the pressing continued, the dough would thin out until it reached the desired thickness and uniformity, then it was placed on the mold to be turned , and during the rotation process, the ford noodles would fall off.
Since these were braised noodles, they were not wide - thin, but slightly wider than dragon whisker noodles.
Once the twenty jin of noodles were pressed, they were placed in a large stear. Before steaming, sprinkle a little salt into the dough and mix in the rinsed soybean sprouts. Next, spread a steaming cloth over the steaming tray and finally lay out the noodles evenly before covering with the lid.
While the noodles were steaming, she began rendering the pig lard because the noodles also needed to be topped with her stir-fried dishes (noodle bowls). Therefore, once the noodles were half-stead, she would place them on a cutting board to shake them out and let them cool. Once they were semi-cool with the rendered pig lard, she allowed for a full integration. Once the pig lard was completely absorbed by the noodles, they went back on the steaming tray and, along with the stear, were placed on the outdoor stove to gently warm with the temperature of the coal balls.
After the noodles were finished, it was ti to start frying dishes. Prepping the ingredients was the first step; all the produce had already been washed, so it was good enough to cut directly.
Chicken leg at was chopped up, potatoes chopped into pieces, readying the materials for stewed chicken with potatoes.
Cabbage was sliced, glass noodles were softened, tofu was sliced, and fried in oil. The lotus root was assisted with chopsticks, leaving a small gap between two slices to stuff with minced at, then coated with a layer of starch for frying - this was the lotus sandwich beloved by northerners. Kelp and tofu skin were shredded, the purchased pork was sliced, and the ingredients for braised pork with glass noodles were also prepared.
Tomato and Egg was the simplest dish. Making a cross-cut on the tomato's top, it was rolled in hot water to peel off the skin, then diced and set aside.
More than twenty eggs were cracked open, adding a little Qing water, liquor, white sugar, and chopped scallions before thoroughly mixing them together, setting them aside for later use.
Lotus root was sliced, kelp shredded, then both were blanched in a pot until about ninety percent cooked, removed, cooled, and set aside to make cold dishes later.
With the raw materials prepared, the process of stir-frying and mixing the dishes beca much simpler.
The dishes she made today leaned towards Northern tastes; she was curious about the Southern acceptance of them.
Braised Pork with Vermicelli was the toughest dish as it included slices of pork, lotus root, kelp, tofu strips, and fried tofu - all good stuff, but the outco was not yet clear.
At ho, stirring and lifting the wok twice was just enough to fill a al box for the cart, so in one morning, she lost count of how many tis she handled the ladle.
Before stir-frying began, the rice was already stead, but she let it sit untouched in the pot, reasoning that letting it rest a while would improve the flavor.
By ten o'clock, all the stir-fried dishes, cold dishes, rice, and noodles were ready. The only thing left was to finish the tofu soup, which she poured directly into the al boxes, specifically the ones previously filled with rice.
When she ca back that morning, she had brought two buns for her daughter. After hurriedly serving so food to ensure her daughter was well-fed, she herself ate so of the braised noodles and a bit of rice from her daughter's bowl. Once sated, she didn't bother cleaning up and began to carry things outside trip after trip.
Since today was the first day she was going out with her goods, she wanted to get there early. The fires in the two stoves were already lit, positioned securely under the cart (there were slots for this), and then all the prepared dishes were carried out one by one, placed into the recesses on top, with the rice and its pot situated underneath the cart. After everything was set up, she put on her change purse and, together with her daughter, pushed the rather manageable cart towards the direction of Snack Street.
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