Reborn in 1977

Chapter 74: When the Dishes Aren't Enough, Rice Comes to the Rescue

Zhang Wenliang, Team Leader Yang, and the others didn't go inside either, directly moving chairs outside to bask in the sun, smoking while watching Chen Fan busily work.

Gutting and cleaning, Jiang Lili brought out all the large bowls and basins from the kitchen, and Chen Fan categorized and placed the fish into the bowls according to different parts.

Two large square tables moved from inside the house were soon filled with bowls and plates of all sizes.

Team Leader Yang smacked his lips, still commenting, "Little Chen's skill isn't enough to be a professional chef."

Accountant Liu nodded in deep agreement, "He's too meticulous; being too meticulous isn't fast enough."

Storekeeper Huang also said, "Liu the Chef can prepare six or seven tables of dishes in just over an hour from preparation to serving. With his method, I'm afraid he can only manage one table."

Zhang Wenliang offered a different opinion, "But it's delicious."

The three beside him were stunned, then nodded vigorously in unison, "That's true!"

With Jiang Lili's help, Chen Fan quickly prepared the side dishes.

However, a new problem arose at this time: not enough pots.

No one knows what the first batch of educated youth was thinking back then, but there was only one stove in the kitchen. When there were many people, they couldn't do anything but cook rice.

Now Chen Fan wanted to cook, and he needed to braise, stir-fry, stew, fry, and boil. Relying on that one pot?

There was also a pot for cooking pig feed in the back, but that was in the back. He couldn't run back and forth, could he?

When he had the chance, he must renovate this kitchen.

In the future, he would be the head of the household settled here. How could he do without a decent kitchen?

Chen Fan shook his head, deciding not to think about things that were too far off. Solving the immediate problem was the priority.

Fortunately, although there weren't enough pots here, there were plenty of bowls and plates, even several large and small earthenware pots.

After a little calculation, Chen Fan knew what to do.

First, prepare all the dishes that needed to be steamed, put them in the steamer, and take them to the back to steam.

The other dishes would be made in the kitchen.

In addition, he also set up a few bricks at the kitchen door.

The four-person watching group was constantly discussing nearby.

"There are four ways to cut a white radish?"

"Diced radish, diced cabbage, diced cured meat, minced garlic sprouts, minced ginger mixed with rice? What kind of method is this?"

"Ah, I know this, salted fish steamed rice. Also adding ginger shreds, garlic sprouts, and chopped chili peppers?"

"Huh? What are they doing moving earth bricks over here?"

The few people looked at each other, Team Leader Yang smacked his lips, "Could it be that he's improvising a stove on the spot?"

Zhang Wenliang laughed so hard that he couldn't close his mouth, "Hahaha, this meal is interesting, too interesting."

Storekeeper Huang said with a smile, "Isn't it because you suddenly came? There wasn't any preparation at all. If you had said half a day in advance, he wouldn't have had to go fishing temporarily and build a stove on the spot. At least the fish and the stove would be ready-made."

Zhang Wenliang was still laughing, "That's why it's interesting."

Then he turned his head and smiled at the three of them, "This is just like when our militia does field training, catching fish, building a stove, and cooking on the spot. It's more interesting to eat this way."

Team Leader Yang pointed at him and scolded with a smile, "You're just being sarcastic."

Zhang Wenliang was still quibbling, "I'm not being sarcastic. It's mainly because I can't help him. Otherwise, I'll make a pot of fish soup for you to barely eat with the rice?"

The three waved their hands together, their disgust overflowing.

Except for those who specialize in working at the stove, how many men in this entire brigade can cook? Even if there are, Zhang Wenliang is definitely not among them!

While they were talking, Chen Fan didn't stop working.

After the small stove was built, he put an earthenware pot on it, and then lit the fire and stuffed it into the small stove.

Only then did he exhale a long breath and raise his hands with a serious face, "Light the fire, start the stove!"

Jiang Lili pursed her lips to the side, desperately holding back her laughter, and lowered her head to walk into the kitchen.

Then, the sound of a spatula colliding with the iron pot rang out.

The lid of the urn was opened, with a small steamer placed on top. Every time a dish was made, it was put into the steamer, and the hot water in the urn would keep the dishes warm.

In the blink of an eye, it was around four o'clock in the afternoon, and Chen Fan sang out, "Get ready to eat."

Counting from the courtyard wall towards the kitchen, Chen Fan now lived in room number 1, Jiang Lili lived in number 3, and the other two rooms were empty, so the dining table was placed in room number 2.

Accountant Liu and Storekeeper Huang carried the square table inside, Jiang Lili quickly set out the bowls and chopsticks, and then began to serve the dishes.

Soon, a table full of dishes was placed in front of everyone.

Chen Fan introduced with a smile, "Fish head soup, braised fish chunks, sauteed fish slices, steamed fish slices, earthenware pot fish, and this one, I don't know if you've had it before, sauerkraut fish."

Fortunately, this fish was big enough, and a lot of side dishes were added, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to make so many dishes.

Zhang Wenliang looked at the dish. Underneath a layer of fish slices were many diced pickled vegetables. The fish was sprinkled with a lot of dried chili peppers and chopped green onions, and then a layer of hot oil was drizzled on top, making people's mouths water just by looking at it.

He raised his head and looked at Chen Fan, "You took out the pickled vegetables to make this?"

Chen Fan nodded with a smile, "Yes, and there's also rice."

Rice?

The four people's interest increased greatly. Pickled vegetables can also be used to make rice?

Although Jiangnan doesn't have the kind of large Northeastern sauerkraut, it has its own pickled vegetables. The pickled vegetables are also sour. A small jar is used to mix some sour water, and the cleaned vegetables are put in, and they can be eaten in three to five days.

Generally, chili peppers, white radishes, carrots, and cowpeas are the main ingredients. There are also pickled cabbage and wrapped cabbage, but only a few leaves are added at a time, which is very different from the large vats of sauerkraut in the Northeast.

Without sauerkraut, Chen Fan used pickled vegetables to make sauerkraut fish, which also had a unique flavor.

Looking at this sauerkraut fish, several people couldn't help but have their index fingers twitch, but they didn't move their chopsticks until they were told to start.

In addition to a few fish dishes, there were also stir-fried cured meat with garlic sprouts, stir-fried fatty pork skin with cabbage, stir-fried red cabbage moss with oil residue, and hand-torn cured fish, several common local dishes, a total of 8 dishes and a soup, plus the three earthenware pots on the side table.

Chen Fan walked over, lifted the lid, and a rich aroma rose up, quickly filling the entire room.

A pot of simplified Yangzhou fried rice, a pot of cured fish braised rice, and a pot of assorted braised rice.

Chen Fan pointed to the three pots of rice and said with a smile, "There are also diced pickled vegetables in these. When the dishes aren't enough, we can only use rice to make up for it."

Zhang Wenliang shook his head and said with a sigh, "You call this not enough dishes? Even a wealthy man marrying off his daughter wouldn't have it as lavish as you. And your rice is not simple either. It looks like something only wealthy families would eat. We can't do it. We only know how to make sweet potato braised rice."

Chen Fan laughed softly. In fact, the most ingredients used in this table of dishes were the fish. As for the others, he only cut a small half of the cured meat and a small half of the cured fish. The rest were all vegetables as the main ingredient. Three or four taels of rapeseed oil were used, so it didn't cost much in the end.

But 8 dishes, 1 soup, and three pots of rice looked very lavish.

Zhang Wenliang suddenly raised his head, "Hey, where's Little Jiang? Call her over to eat together."

Although everyone tacitly kept their distance from her, she had been busy for a long time, so they couldn't not call her to eat, could they? What would that be like?

Chen Fan said with a soft laugh, "She's a girl. It would be awkward for her to sit at the same table with a few old men like us, so I prepared another portion for her. It's better for her to eat alone."

Team Leader Yang looked at him and asked seriously, "Did you really prepare it?"

Chen Fan said with a smile, "Can that be fake? Or do you want to go and check?"

Hearing him say this, Team Leader Yang didn't say anything more.

Afterwards, Chen Fan also took his seat, and after some polite gestures, they began to clink glasses.

On the other side, Jiang Lili was sitting in the kitchen, holding a large bowl of Yangzhou fried rice, with three dishes and a soup in front of her.

A bowl of sauerkraut fish, a bowl of braised fish, a bowl of stir-fried cured meat with red cabbage moss, and finally, a large bowl of fish head soup. She had seen clearly from the side that these were all prepared separately for her when Chen Fan was cooking, and not divided from the bowls.

Every time she took a bite, she smiled, and the corners of her mouth were always raised, smiling non-stop.