novelSusiti Chapter 120 The crispy rice crust is the real essence!
Chapter 120 The crispy rice crust is the real essence!
Chapter 120 The crispy rice crust is the real essence!
This is completely different from the steamed rice he usually eats.
This method of infusing the aroma of meat into every grain of rice is simply the highest tribute to carbohydrates and fats!
Li Yuan didn't even raise his head, waving his spoon so fast it was like a blur.
The old man ate quickly, not even bothering to wipe the sauce off his beard, and made satisfied humming sounds as he chewed.
Su Mu was mixing rice for Xiao Sizi with a small spoon.
He chopped the sausage into small pieces, mixed it with rice soaked in egg, and blew on it to cool it down before feeding it to the baby.
"Awoo!"
The little ox bit the spoon, its cheeks bulging as it moved, its eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.
"Great! The rice you cook is the best ever!"
The little girl gave a thumbs up, something she'd learned from Su Mu, "It's much tastier than that soup in Aye Palace—that thing!"
""
Li Shimin was engrossed in his work when he heard this and almost choked. He gave his daughter a resentful look.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all three clay pots were emptied.
Li Shimin, still savoring the scraper, scraped the side of the pot, which still had some oil on it.
"Wait, don't scrape that!"
Li Yuan suddenly spoke up, holding a spoon in his hand and staring warily at the pot in Li Shimin's hand, "Put the pot down!"
Li Shimin was taken aback: "Father, there's only a little bit left in the pot, do you still want it?"
"You don't understand!"
Li Yuan quickly protected his own casserole dish, then pointed to Li Shimin's, "This is the real essence!"
Su Mu slowly picked up the iron spatula, gently scraped the edge of Li Yuan's pot, and then swished it around the bottom of the pot.
Click, click!
That crisp sound is soothing to listen to.
The shovel lifted it upwards.
A whole piece of golden, crispy, semi-circular rice crust was completely separated from the bottom of the pot.
One side of the rice crust was golden and crispy, while the other side was still covered with some uncooked rice and sauce, and was glistening with oil.
"Crispy rice crust!"
Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab it.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! It's hot!"
Su Mu dodged his hand and placed the rice crust on the plate. "This stuff needs to cool down a bit; it'll be crispier when it's cold."
Li Shimin finally realized what was happening.
He looked down at his pot; he'd eaten too fast and hadn't touched the treasure at the bottom yet.
He also imitated Su Mu, using a spoon to scoop it up.
As a result, the rice crust broke into several pieces with a crack.
"Tsk, what a waste!"
Li Yuan looked disgusted. "It still has to be Su boy's skill."
The intact piece of crispy rice on the plate became the focus of everyone's attention.
Golden brown, crispy, with the unique aroma of lard, and some parts of the edges even turned dark brown, which is the ultimate caramelization!
Li Yuan reached out to break off the whole piece.
"Ah Ye."
""
Li Shimin reacted quickly, pressing down on the edge of the plate with a smile, "You're getting old, this stuff is hard and will strain your teeth."
Your son will share your burdens and help you eliminate half of them.
"fart!"
Li Yuan blew on his beard, "My teeth are in great shape! I didn't get enough of that cured meat earlier, and this crispy rice crust is perfect for chewing. Let go!"
"The imperial physician said that hard foods are difficult for the elderly to digest."
Li Shimin refused to let go, saying, "I am fulfilling my filial duty."
"What kind of filial piety are you talking about! You're just greedy!"
Li Yuan panicked and reached out to snatch it, saying, "This was taken from my own pot, it rightfully belongs to me!"
"Those are the pots from the Imperial Kitchen, which is under my jurisdiction!"
At this moment, Li Shimin abandoned his imperial airs and started acting like a child, throwing a tantrum.
The father and son each held one side of the plate, staring at each other, neither willing to give in. The golden, tempting crispy rice crust emitted an irresistible aroma from beneath their hands.
Su Mu leaned against the stove, arms crossed, watching the show.
The father and son have been arguing a lot these past few days over stuttering, and he's gotten used to it.
Just as the two were at an impasse, a chubby little hand suddenly reached out from the side.
That's a little rhinoceros.
She had just finished eating and was standing on a stool, at a height that allowed her to reach the table.
That little hand quickly and accurately grabbed the crispiest, most burnt, and most crunchy corner of the rice crust.
Li Shimin and Li Yuan were both taken aback, and their grip loosened.
Click!
A very crisp breaking sound.
Little Sizi broke off a palm-sized piece of rice crust and stuffed it directly into his mouth.
"Crunch, crunch—"
The little girl was chewing so happily.
The sound was so crisp, like chewing a pancake, that it made Li Yuan and Li Shimin's cheeks ache.
"Hmm? Why aren't there any ducks?"
Little Sizi swallowed, a grain of rice still clinging to the corner of his mouth. He looked innocently at the two dumbfounded adults. "Grandpa and Grandfather, aren't you afraid of tough guys? My teeth are newly grown, they're really strong! I'll test the poison for you!"
After saying that, she took another bite.
Click!
This time, I bit into the middle part, which was soaked with sauce and cured meat oil. It was not only crispy but also chewy and savory.
Li Yuan's lips twitched twice. Looking at the piece of rice crust that had instantly lost almost half its size, he trembled with heartache: "That—that was the essence—"
Li Shimin was also heartbroken, but looking at his daughter's innocent and carefree manner, and her hearty appetite, he couldn't bring himself to get angry.
"Alright, alright."
Su Mu walked over with a smile, picked up the remaining half of the rice crust, and broke it off forcefully.
With a snap, it broke in two.
"Half for each of us, no one should take it from each other."
Su Mu stuffed two pieces of rice crust into the hands of the father and son respectively, saying, "If you don't eat them now, the little princess will finish them for you."
Li Yuan quickly protected the half-piece in his hand and took a big bite.
creak!
The aroma of caramelized wood fills the air!
As your teeth cut through the crisp, hard rice grains, the aroma of the oil carbonized at high temperatures instantly fills your mouth.
It's easy to chew, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes, with the original sweetness of the rice slowly emerging at the end.
Li Yuan, eyes closed, looked utterly captivated. "Exquisite!"
Ding-dong, ding-dong!
A series of crisp sounds, like the striking of copper and iron, came from the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
Su Mu was holding a small iron hammer in his hand, tapping and hammering at a brand-new purple copper pot.
This pot has a strange shape, with an S-shaped copper plate running across the middle, which splits the originally round pot cavity in two. At first glance, it looks just like a yin-yang symbol.
"Um----"
"Hey Su Mu, you've ruined a perfectly good pot like this?"
Li Shimin stood to one side with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
Behind him followed Fang Xuanling, the current prime minister, who was dressed in an inconspicuous casual outfit today and was carrying two bottles of aged Shaoxing wine that he had taken from his own wine cellar.
"What nonsense! This is called Tai Chi generating Yin and Yang."
Su Mu tapped the last bit of the edge to make it firm, then straightened up and blew away the copper shavings.
"One side is bubbling red soup, that's Yang; the other side is warm white soup, that's Yin. This Yin and Yang is called the Dao, do you understand?"
Fang Xuanling leaned closer for a look, seemingly lost in thought: "The harmony of Yin and Yang? Is there some Daoist mystery hidden in Brother Su's skill?"
"There's no hidden meaning behind it all; it's simply to take care of this little darling."
Su Mu pointed to the little ox squatting by the well playing in the water.
The little girl was holding a loofah, helping Fang Qingjun wash vegetables. Her little hands were red from the cold, but she had a silly smile on her face.
"She can't eat spicy food, but you all want to eat your fill. If we don't separate you, we can't enjoy this meal."
Upon hearing that it was for his daughter, Li Shimin immediately fell silent. Instead, he looked at the S-shaped partition and found it increasingly pleasing to the eye: "Interesting. Yin and Yang in the same pot, each taking what they need. This pot has the potential for great order."
Su Mu was too lazy to listen to him elevate a pot to the level of governing a country, so he put the copper pot on the stove.
The fire had been lit long ago, and the smokeless charcoal was glowing red.
Su Mu threw a large chunk of butter into one side of the red soup.
This butter was made by him last night. He added more than 30 kinds of spices, including Erjingtiao peppers, bullet peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon. He boiled it until the water evaporated, and after it solidified, it was bright red and looked very tempting.
When butter hits a hot pan, it sizzles and melts instantly!
That intensely spicy and savory aroma hits right at your nose!
Fang Xuanling, who had been maintaining his composure as prime minister, couldn't help but cover his mouth and let out a loud sneeze when he smelled this odor.
"This...this is way too over-the-top!"
"It'll taste better if you rinse it."
Su Mu poured a large bowl of fermented rice water into the red soup, and then added broth.
On the other side, the white broth is a clear soup made by simmering old hen and pork bones overnight, with a few red dates and goji berries thrown in, and then chopped fresh mushroom slices sprinkled on top.
The red and white colors are clearly distinct, and the food is steaming hot.