Chapter 27: The Marvelous Kitchen Chapter 27: Fan Sha

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

The most fragrant and delicious thing in the world is naturally fried food.

Taking the taro, while peeling it, Song Miao asked, "Uncle Song, do you not like sweet flavors?"

Sun Lizheng first refused, but seeing Song Miao was determined to make it, he pointed to the fried wraps on the table beside them and said, "I eat these—your auntie likes sweet flavors, so make it to her taste; otherwise, if you make it salty and take it back, she'll definitely nag again."

Song Miao couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth and said with a smile, "Then I'll make some sweet ones for you to take back."

While speaking, she had already peeled and cut the taro, scattering them into the oil pot.

Not long after, the whole room was filled with the aroma of fried taro.

Sun Lizheng had been eating fried wraps, but at this moment he couldn't help but look toward the pot.

Song Miao noticed his gaze, so she first scooped out a thin, cake-like thing from the pot, drained the oil, put it in a small bowl, took a pair of clean chopsticks, and delivered them together to Sun Lizheng in front of the small broken table, smiling, "Just out of the pot, still a bit hot, Uncle Song, eat it as a snack—this is a salty fried taro shred cake."

Fried food just out of the oil pot, once placed down, the oil fragrance and the aroma of fried taro already began to rush into the nose; who could refuse?

Sun Lizheng certainly couldn't refuse.

He made an "en" sound, picked up his chopsticks, picked up the cake and looked at it—the taro shreds were cut very fine, clearly lying on the already thoroughly fried batter, fried until crispy and fragrant.

One bite down, it was hot, salty and fragrant, first tasting the crisp crunch of the taro, then the crispness of the batter, the oil fragrance was extremely rich, and from time to time one could taste a bit of Sichuan pepper powder, not enough to numb the tongue, but very flavorful, paired with scallion fragrance, the texture was even richer.

Sun Lizheng ate it huffing and puffing, blowing on it, and couldn't wait for it to cool—fried food is eaten right off the fire for that bite; if it cools, the deliciousness decreases by at least thirty or forty percent.

Fried food, after being fried again, the oiliness naturally decreases quite a bit, and moreover this fried cake was only the size of a palm; Sun Lizheng finished it in two or three bites, not having time to get sick of it, only feeling he had just gotten addicted when it was gone.

He very much wanted another one in his heart, but didn't know how to open his mouth, so he simply stood up, pretending to go to the stove to help Song Miao, preparing to see if there were leftover materials and if he could seize the opportunity to make and ask for more.

But just as he walked over, Song Miao handed him a bowl and said with a smile, "Leftover pure bones from this morning, I added some radish and simmered it; the radish flavor is stronger than the meat flavor, just right for Uncle to use to reduce internal heat."

"No need, no need, I only ate one fried cake!"

Sun Lizheng took the opportunity to shake his head, but the words "eat two more to better reduce internal heat" were already on the tip of his tongue; first he felt it was too deliberate, too shameless, second he smelled the clear sweetness of the radish soup, and in the end he still swallowed them back, only taking the bowl and starting to drink the soup.

And at this moment Song Miao had already finished frying the taro and began to simmer sugar syrup.

Sun Lizheng had originally been drinking soup, but smelling that special fragrance, he couldn't help but look into the pot to find out what was happening; just as he focused his eyes, he saw Song Miao pouring taro strips with one hand and quickly stir-frying with a ladle in the other hand; it seemed like an instant, yet also as if she had stir-fried twenty or thirty times; the sugar syrup in the pot, like a magic trick, instantly formed white sugar frost, mixed with orange-yellow unknown crumbs and emerald green scallion bits, evenly coating the surface of the taro strips.

Sun Lizheng watched with his eyes wide open and asked, "What way of eating is this?"

"It's called Fan Sha Taro," Song Miao explained, "It's also a Guangnan food, very crispy, old people and children can eat it; it's just that it's not as good when cold as when hot—Uncle Song, although you don't like sweet flavors, this isn't too sweet, try it?"

As she spoke, she indeed scooped several pieces with the ladle and delivered them to Sun Lizheng.

Sun Lizheng hurriedly drank the remaining soup, took the Fan Sha Taro with an empty bowl, picked up a piece and ate it.

Before it even entered his mouth, he smelled a very special fragrance: first the fragrance of wild scallions and the clear, fresh citrus peel oil scent—looking closely, it turned out to be bergamot yellow peel cut into extremely fine small granules, among which there was also an unignorable fried taro aroma, and strands of sweet sugar fragrance.

When he bit into it, the taro's own sweetness was originally faint; the sugar frost outside the taro had already formed a thin and even shell, crumbling upon meeting the teeth, breaking open effortlessly; after biting in, there was only a fragrant, soft texture.

The taro inside was fried very well, soft but not hard, especially melting in the mouth, soft, tender, powdery, and fragrant, perfectly presenting the texture that Lipu Taro should have.

This thing was fragrant and delicious; once you started eating, you simply couldn't stop.

Sun Lizheng ate and ate until the bowl was scraped clean, only then suddenly feeling something was off.

Compared to the taro shred fried cake just now, this sweet Fan Sha Taro somehow seemed even more delicious?

It was clearly the same taro; these past few days at home they had steamed it and boiled it, and actually when eating it they already felt the taste was quite good.

But compared to what he ate today at this Song Xiaoniangzi's place, although one couldn't say it was wasting food, it was indeed...

Those Lipu Taro at his own home seemed... to have... died without getting their due place!!

When the rain and snow lessened a bit, Sun Lizheng hurriedly took his leave.

He carried a food box in his hand—originally sent from his own home the day before yesterday; now returning the jade intact to Zhao was not all, but it also held more than half a box of Fan Sha Taro just out of the pot not long ago; carrying it in his hand, it was heavy and substantial, making him feel somewhat happy in his heart.

Delicious food, no matter how heavy, carrying it doesn't feel heavy.

Moreover, there was so much of it; after walking a hundred or so steps, he dared to secretly pull out a strip to eat—after all, home wasn't too far away; even if he ate his fill, by the time he got home there wouldn't be too little left to look bad.

Walking and eating, Sun Lizheng kept his head down and didn't care how to look at the road, until suddenly his neck felt cold; he looked up and saw that the rain and snow had actually started falling heavily again.

Not far away there happened to be a Tangmian Guanzzi; he hurriedly walked a few steps and went in to take shelter.

The several nearby streets were all neighbors, especially those who did business; who didn't know Sun Lizheng? They inevitably greeted him and called for him to sit.

Seeing that the rain and snow were heavier than when they first started falling, and didn't look like they could stop in a short while, Sun Lizheng simply ordered a pot of hot tea and, with the Fan Sha Taro, slowly and leisurely began to eat.

Clear tea cuts the grease, taro is fragrant and sweet; needless to say, it was very comfortable.

But after drinking only half a teacup of tea, he only heard a commotion outside; the curtain was lifted, and several people came in.

Everyone's clothing was uniform: short clothes tucked into the waist, trouser legs tied up—originally they were Patrol Soldiers from Xunpu.

Sun Lizheng naturally recognized them all; he hurriedly stood up to greet them and asked the one in the lead, "With rain and snow, this terrible weather, why have you run out?"

Everyone greeted each other with their mouths and, taking the opportunity, sat at a table beside Sun Lizheng.