stonecrandall Chapter 390 - 388: Success
Chapter 390 - 388: Success
Once the dough had rested, she took it out, cut off a strip, and rolled it into a thin sheet about two to three millimeters thick. She used a mold to press it into small, diamond-shaped pieces, then poked even little holes across the surface of the raw crackers with a bamboo skewer.
She brushed a thin layer of peanut oil onto a baking sheet, arranged the raw crackers on it, gently brushed them with another layer of peanut oil, and put them in the oven.
Lin Lan set the timer and told Qiaohui to take the vegetable crackers out when the time was up. She then began to sort and wash the spinach.
A little over ten minutes passed in a flash. Qiaohui took the small vegetable crackers from the baking sheet, and after letting them cool for a moment, she picked one up and took a bite. CRUNCH. "Delicious! They’re so light and crispy, with a scallion flavor and a faint sweetness."
As she spoke, she handed a cracker to Lin Yuezhen and fed one to Lin Lan, grinning at them both. "I think they’re delicious!"
"Kids love them," Lin Lan said with a smile. "Go get some paper bags, fill two of them, and take them to Sister Zhao so she can have a taste. Tell her these little crackers are made with carrots, and that they’re good for children’s eyes. The spinach crackers aren’t ready yet."
"Okay! I’ll go right now." Qiaohui grabbed the kraft paper bags and started filling them.
Lin Lan briefly blanched the clean spinach in boiling water, chopped it, and put it in a blender to puree. After squeezing out the juice and filtering the pulp, she poured the juice into her pre-measured flour and yeast, then put the mixture in a dough mixer to knead into a ball. She scooped the dough out, placed it in a ceramic basin, and covered it to let it proof.
Spinach contains oxalic acid, with round-leaf varieties being particularly high in it. Consuming it can hinder the body’s absorption of calcium. Therefore, it is best to briefly blanch spinach in boiling water before eating, as this can remove up to 80% of the oxalic acid.
A little over an hour later, Lin Lan took the proofed dough from the ceramic basin. She placed it on a lightly floured board, kneaded it to push out the air, and rolled it into a thin sheet.
She used the mold to cut out the raw shapes, arranged them on a baking sheet for a second proofing, then brushed them with a thin layer of oil and placed them in the oven.
The crackers in the oven weren’t even done yet when Qiaohui came back. She told Lin Lan that Sister Zhao was very satisfied with the vegetable crackers and would be keeping her usual order quantity.
Lin Lan and Qiaohui made another batch, and by then, Lin Yuezhen had lunch ready. After Yang Zhigang came over to eat, Lin Lan had him go help out at the clothing store.
The three women gathered around a large wooden basin. Lin Lan and Lin Yuezhen used small knives to scrape the yellow mud off the stems of the termite mushrooms, while Qiaohui turned the faucet on just a little, gently scrubbing the mushrooms clean with a toothbrush under the running water. She then placed them in a bamboo basket to drain.
The three of them worked for nearly two hours before they finally finished cleaning all the termite mushrooms from the wicker backpack.
Lin Lan had Qiaohui and Lin Yuezhen tear the mushroom caps into large pieces by hand and place them in a ceramic basin.
She cut the mushroom stems into inch-long sections, then tore them into thin strips and placed them in a separate ceramic basin. She added a few spoonfuls of salt to both the torn caps and the shredded stems, tossed them to coat evenly, and let them sit for over ten minutes.
Qiaohui poked at the coals in the stove’s firebox, added two coal briquettes, and the fire blazed up.
Lin Lan went to the storeroom to get a large jug of rapeseed oil, which she poured into a heated iron wok. She then grabbed some Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers, minced some ginger and garlic, and set them aside in a small bowl.
Seeing Lin Lan pour the wok more than half-full with rapeseed oil, Qiaohui said with a pained expression, "Lin Lan, do you really need that much oil? That’s so much to use at once."
Lin Lan laughed. "You have to use a lot of oil to fry the termite mushrooms properly. It’s the only way to make the infused oil taste good."
Lin Yuezhen glanced over and said with a smile, making a mixing gesture, "I’ve always heard people say that termite mushroom oil is delicious on cold dishes and in noodles, but I’ve never actually tasted it."
Qiaohui nodded. "We barely had enough food to fill our stomachs. Whenever my mom cooked, she would just get a little oil on the tip of a chopstick to add to the pan. If anyone dared to use this much oil to fry mushrooms, she would’ve killed them for it."
Lin Lan smiled. "Once it’s ready, we’ll wait for your brother to come by and have him take a jar back for your mom to try."
Qiaohui poked her head out to look at the sky. The sun was scorching. "It always rains so much in the mountains around this time," she said. "It’s the perfect time to pick mushrooms after a heavy rain. I wonder if Mom and my sister-in-law will be able to find that spot where I went picking last year."
"They’ll find it," Lin Lan replied. "They’ll have to dry the mushrooms before bringing them out of the mountains."
Seeing the oil was hot enough, Lin Lan told Qiaohui to bank the coals a bit. She then picked up a ceramic basin and slid the mushrooms into the wok, frying them over medium heat.
She stirred the mushrooms constantly with a pair of long bamboo chopsticks to keep them from sticking. As they slowly softened in the hot oil, their volume decreased until the rapeseed oil covered them completely. At that point, she added the Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, ginger, and garlic to the wok.
Lin Lan had Qiaohui shovel the hot coals into the adjacent firebox, continuing to cook the mushrooms slowly over the residual low heat.
While they were frying, she stirred the mushrooms continuously to ensure they cooked evenly.
After frying for thirty to forty minutes, once the mushrooms turned a golden brown, Lin Lan fished out a strip. She blew on it to cool it, then tasted it for saltiness. ’It’s a little bland,’ she thought, and added a few more spoonfuls of salt. The mushroom oil had to be slightly on the salty side to prevent it from spoiling or going sour.
Qiaohui sniffed the air. "It smells so good! I want noodles for dinner."
Lin Lan smiled. "Douzi said he wants scallion pancakes. We’ll make some red bean congee, and we can cook some noodles too."
Qiaohui thought for a moment. "Scallion pancakes are delicious too. Let’s have noodles tomorrow morning instead."
Lin Lan waited for the oil in the wok to cool down completely before pouring it into a large jar. Then, she started on the second batch. She would only seal the jars shut after the infused oil was completely cool.
In total, she filled two large jars. ’I should get some small canisters from Wu Shufen,’ she thought. ’I can portion some out to give to the old madam, Yao Xiuyun, and the others, and mail a couple of jars to Old Chen.’
A little after four in the afternoon, Li Xiangyang finally showed up at the pastry shop. He told Lin Lan that the land deal was settled. He also said that according to He Xianghua, Liu Jinbao was at the brigade’s storeroom. When the time was right, Captain He would call him out so Zhou Xiaohong could secretly identify him.
Lin Lan nodded. "The red bean congee is simmering. Go pick up Douzi, and tell Dad and Zhigang to come over. We can eat as soon as you all get here."
"Alright." Li Xiangyang started to leave but turned back after a few steps. "Don’t forget Douzi’s scallion pancakes!"
Lin Lan pointed to a bowl of chopped scallions and laughed. "I won’t forget. I’ll fry them once you guys are back."
After closing the pastry shop, Lin Lan went to Limin Road.
Zhou Xiaohong told her that Zhang Yazhen’s group hadn’t been to her shop that day. They both suspected the group probably wouldn’t come around for the next few days.
At half-past seven, the sky was already dark. Lin Lan sent Douzi and Old Li home first. Then she and Li Xiangyang took Zhou Xiaohong and her husband to Lexing.
He Xianghua was already waiting at Lin Lan’s house. After a few pleasantries, he led Zhou Xiaohong and Chen Dongming to the brigade headquarters. He had the couple wait in the shadows while he went to the storeroom door and called out for Liu Jinbao.
He deliberately flashed his flashlight across the man’s face. "Liu San, you just got back from collecting the rapeseed. Make sure you stay alert tonight."
Liu Jinbao shot He Xianghua a glare and said sarcastically, "If you’re so worried, Captain He, why don’t you stand guard yourself!"
He Xianghua laughed. "I could never earn your work points." With that, he turned and walked away.
He reached the head of a small bridge and waited. A moment later, Zhou Xiaohong and her husband came over. "Thank you for your trouble, Captain He."
"Don’t mention it." He Xianghua started walking back with them and asked in a low voice, "Did you recognize him?"
Zhou Xiaohong nodded, her voice heavy. "That’s the son of a bitch."