mynovelweb Chapter 21 Wood Ear Mushroom and Sliced Meat
Chapter 21 Wood Ear Mushroom and Sliced Meat
Song Jiaojiao poured the taro from her basket into her spatial storage. She then picked out the wood ear mushrooms, knowing they would get too old in a few days. Just as Song Jiaojiao was diligently picking them, the sun was about to set.
A gust of wind blew by, and Song Jiaojiao suddenly shuddered. Before she knew it, it was already dark, and her basket was already half full. Song Jiaojiao had no choice but to stop picking them up. It was getting dark soon, and it wasn't safe to be in the mountains. Song Jiaojiao poured the wood ear mushrooms on the ground, filled half a basket with taro from her spatial storage, put the wood ear mushrooms on top of the taro, put them in her spatial storage, and then ran home.
It felt like they hadn't gone very far into the mountains, but it took them almost half an hour to come down. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark. They hurried home, and when they saw the yard, Song Jiaojiao took out her basket. Luckily, there was a space, otherwise they would probably still be in the mountains.
At the courtyard gate, Wang Hefan held a torch and looked around. Song Jiaojiao saw him and called out, "Is that Hefan? Come and help me."
Wang Hefan, holding a torch, strode towards the source of the sound. He saw Song Jiaojiao bent over, covered in sweat, her hair, tangled by tree branches, plastered to her forehead. Song Jiaojiao, panting heavily, excitedly said, "I found something good in the mountains today."
Wang Hefan took the basket off Song Jiaojiao's back, handed her the torch, and then carried the basket into the yard. "Mother, let's go back and talk first. You're back too late. It's not safe in the mountains after dark. Even the best things shouldn't be forgotten about time," Wang Hefan said with concern.
"Oh, I just got carried away and forgot the time. I won't do it again next time." Song Jiaojiao touched her nose and said guiltily, "He Fan, take out a bucket first, pick out the wood ear mushrooms and put them in the bucket to soak in water."
Song Jiaojiao took a sip of water and said to Wang Hefan, "Wash some wood ear mushrooms and bring them in. I'll stir-fry some for you to try tonight. Do you have any eggs today?"
"Yes, Uncle Cheng just came over and brought us two catties of meat, but he was a bit late, and all the fatty meat was sold out, only lean meat was left. He also gave me an ounce of silver, saying it was for the venison. I put it in the inner room, Mother, please remember to keep it safe later." Wang Hefan replied while washing the wood ear mushrooms. Now that he was closer to the kitchen, the light was a little better, and only then did Wang Hefan notice what he was holding.
"Mother, this...this dark thing can't be eaten, can it? I remember someone almost died after eating it during the famine." Wang Hefan asked Song Jiaojiao with a doubtful tone.
“You mean wood ear mushrooms? These are edible. There’s a kind of fungus that looks a lot like wood ear mushrooms, but you can’t eat those. I’ll take you to the mountains to identify them tomorrow. There are still a lot of them in the mountains, but nobody picks them.” Song Jiaojiao said easily. “Hurry up and wash some. You’ll know once you try them tonight.”
As she spoke, Song Jiaojiao went to the kitchen and saw her second sister tending the fire and her eldest sister slicing meat. "Perfect timing, I can make a stir-fry of wood ear mushrooms and meat," she said, taking over the tasks from Mu Qing after washing her hands. "Eldest sister, let me slice them. Can you beat the eggs and scramble them for me? We'll steam rice tonight."
"Hmm, I saw Uncle Cheng brought back meat, so I steamed rice. Mom, is that wood ear fungus really edible?" Mu Qing asked doubtfully while beating an egg, completely unable to believe that something that had almost killed someone could be eaten.
"Don't worry, it's edible, and it's really delicious. I guarantee you'll love it later," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
Mu Qing didn't say anything more, but she still remained skeptical of Song Jiaojiao's words. After all, she had witnessed it with her own eyes. Although she was still young at the time, she was absolutely certain that her memory was accurate. Her father was home at the time and had repeatedly told her about it.
"Oh, big sister, if Mom says it's edible, it's definitely edible. I believe Mom," Mu Xue said playfully, peeking out. Song Jiaojiao smiled, "Then second sister should eat more later, and we'll go pick more tomorrow."
Just as Song Jiaojiao finished cutting the meat, Wang Hefan brought in the washed wood ear mushrooms. He heated oil in a wok, and once hot, added the drained wood ear mushrooms and stir-fried them. The mushrooms expanded as they heated up, making a "popping" sound and even jumping around; at this point, it was necessary to cover them with a lid. After the wood ear mushrooms were cooked, he set them aside. He then heated oil in the wok again, and when the oil was about 50% hot, he added the meat slices and stir-fried them until they changed color. He then added the stir-fried wood ear mushrooms back in, stir-fried them, added scallions, ginger, and garlic, sprinkled in salt, and stir-fried again. Since he didn't have cornstarch at home, Song Jiaojiao used cornstarch instead, pouring it into the wok and bringing it to a boil before removing it from the heat. A delicious and visually appealing dish of stir-fried meat and wood ear mushrooms was ready.
Stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with eggs is even simpler. Just grab a handful of washed wood ear mushrooms and cut them into strips. Pour lard into a wok and heat it until it's about 70% hot. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble them until they're slightly set. Remove them from the wok. Add more lard to the wok and heat it up. Add the scallions, ginger, garlic, and wood ear mushrooms and stir-fry until cooked. Then add the scrambled eggs back in, sprinkle with salt, stir-fry evenly, and serve. The stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with eggs is now ready.
Just then, the coarse grain rice was steamed. "Let's go, it's time to eat."
Song Jiaojiao carried two dishes to the table, while Mu Qing served rice. Once everyone was seated, Song Jiaojiao picked up a piece of stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with eggs, eating a bite of rice followed by a bite of mushroom. After a while, she noticed that only Mu Xue was eating; Wang Hefan and Mu Qing were not picking at their food, just silently eating their brown rice. Seeing this, Song Jiaojiao chuckled and picked up a piece of wood ear mushrooms and sliced meat for Mu Xue, saying, "Mu Xue, eat more."
"Mmm, Mom will eat too. This wood ear mushroom and pork slices are so delicious! The wood ear mushrooms are crunchy, and the pork is so tender," Mu Xue replied crisply. "Eat more if you like it. The soup with the wood ear mushroom and pork slices is also great with rice. Okay, you two, don't stop eating. It's really okay. Look, my second sister and I ate and we're fine, aren't we?" Song Jiaojiao said, looking at the two who had eaten half a bowl of rice. Then she picked up a piece of wood ear mushroom and pork slices for each of them.
The two looked at Song Jiaojiao, exchanged a glance, and then, with a determined stomp of their feet, mixed the wood ear mushrooms with their rice and stuffed them into their mouths. The more they chewed, the tastier they became. Hmm, these wood ear mushrooms seem quite delicious; they're crunchy and go well with rice.
Mu Qing looked at the wood ear mushrooms and eggs, then picked up another piece with her chopsticks. The perfect combination of wood ear mushrooms and eggs, the fresh aroma of the eggs and the crispness of the wood ear mushrooms, blended perfectly in her mouth, leaving only freshness, tenderness, and fragrance.
The two ignored everything else and silently sped up their food serving. Wang Hefan even added another bowl of rice and put the wood ear mushroom and pork slices on top. Sure enough, the foodie gene has existed since ancient times, and he mastered the art of wood ear mushroom and pork slices rice without any instruction.
Everyone was stuffed by the end of the meal. Wang Hefan saw that there was still some broth left in the wood ear mushroom and pork slices, so he poured the rice from his bowl into the broth and ate it.
After resting for a while, Song Jiaojiao took out the grapes she had washed the night before to make wine. She layered grapes and sugar in the jar, filling it to about half full. The empty winnowing basket was perfect for washing the wood ear mushrooms so they could dry in the sun tomorrow. While Song Jiaojiao finished preparing the grapes, the three siblings had almost finished washing the wood ear mushrooms. Song Jiaojiao looked around, then emptied the taro from her basket and spread it out in a corner. She also secretly took out some from her spatial storage.