Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 376 Preparing New Year’s Eve Dinner

Xiaoyu took out various ingredients from the cupboard and arranged them in an orderly manner: "Yuyu, pick the vegetables and wash them. Haoer, take care of that big sea bass. Remember to scrape it clean so that it doesn't smell fishy."

"Okay!" Yu Yu and Li Hao took action immediately.

Yu Yu sat on a small stool, picking vegetables carefully, removing the yellow leaves and roots one by one. The tender green vegetables gradually piled up into a small pile under her hands.

Li Hao picked up a kitchen knife and skillfully scraped the scales, then carefully scraped the fish with the knife. After rinsing it with clean water, the sea bass had a silvery luster.

In the kitchen, everyone was busy and doing their job in an orderly manner.

The sunlight shines through the window onto them, casting a warm silhouette.

The cats and dogs in the yard seemed to know that there would be a delicious feast coming up. They lay obediently at the kitchen door, occasionally poking their heads inside, waiting for some delicious food that might fall.

Xiaoyu said as she cut the side dishes, "Today is the New Year's Eve dinner. We have to make a corn, bone and lotus root soup. It's fresh and nutritious."

Yuyu's eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "Okay." Then she put down the vegetables she had picked and ran to help get the ingredients.

Xiaoyu took out the large bones that had been prepared long ago from the refrigerator and placed them in the sink to thaw.

Then she found two fresh corns, put them on the chopping board and cut them into small pieces.

Yu Yu, who was standing by, rinsed the lotus root and handed it to Xiao Yu.

Xiaoyu peeled the lotus root and cut it into slices of even thickness. The white lotus root slices looked like exquisite jade plates.

After the big bones are thawed, put them into the pot with Xiaoyu, add cold water, ginger slices, green onion segments and cooking wine to remove the fishy smell.

As the water temperature rose, a layer of foam gradually floated on the surface. Xiaoyu carefully skimmed off the foam with a spoon, then took out the large bones and rinsed them with hot water.

She put the cleaned large bones into the casserole, added enough water, put in the corn segments and lotus root slices, and then put in a few red dates and wolfberries. Then she covered the pot and turned to low heat to simmer.

"This soup needs to be stewed slowly to bring out all the nutrients in the bones." Xiaoyu said as she glanced at the small flame on the stove.

Yuyu asked curiously, "Mom, how long do you need to stew it?"

Xiaoyu smiled and replied, "About an hour and a half, until the bones are soft and the soup becomes rich, then it's ready."

After Li Hao finished preparing the sea bass, he came over and said, "Just thinking about the taste makes my mouth water."

In the kitchen, a gurgling sound could be heard from the casserole from time to time. Steam overflowed from the edge of the lid, carrying a mixed aroma of corn, lotus root and bones, filling the entire space.

The cats and dogs in the yard seemed to be attracted by the tempting aroma. They wandered around the kitchen door, making "wooo" sounds from time to time, as if they were also looking forward to this pot of delicious soup.

While the corn, bone and lotus root soup was simmering, Xiaoyu began planning the other main dishes for the table: "Yuyu, Hao'er, we have to cook chicken, duck, fish, and add lobster. The New Year's Eve dinner will definitely be sumptuous."

Li Hao placed the processed sea bass on the chopping board and asked, "Mom, what are you going to do with this fish?"

Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said, "Let's make steamed sea bass. It's original flavor, fresh and delicious."

As she spoke, she picked up a knife and cut a few times on the fish to make it easier for the seasoning to enter. She then sprinkled salt and cooking wine on it, spread it evenly, and added ginger slices and green onions to marinate.

Yuyu had already finished washing the vegetables. When she heard they were going to cook lobster, she immediately became excited: "Mom, this lobster!"

Xiaoyu nodded in agreement and took out a frozen lobster from the refrigerator.

After the lobsters were thawed, Xiaoyu instructed Yuyu: "First, cut off the lobster's antennae and legs, then use a brush to clean the lobster's abdomen."

Yu Yu did as she was told, and even though the lobster was showing its claws and teeth, she still finished cleaning it carefully.

Xiaoyu placed the cleaned lobster on the chopping board, cut it along the back, picked out the shrimp thread, and then made a few cuts on the lobster meat to make it easier to absorb the flavor during cooking.

"I'll have steamed lobster with garlic vermicelli later. It's guaranteed to be delicious." Xiaoyu said with a smile.

Yu Yu went to soak the vermicelli and prepare the minced garlic.

After processing the fish and lobster, Xiaoyu looked at the cooked chicken and duck.

"The chicken can be made into poached chicken, and the duck can be made into beer duck," Xiaoyu said.

She first cut the chicken into small, even pieces, arranged them neatly on a plate, prepared a sauce of onion, ginger and garlic, and poured it over the chicken pieces.

Then, she began to prepare the ingredients for the beer duck, cutting green peppers, red peppers, ginger slices and garlic for later use.

On the stove, on one side, a corn, bone and lotus root soup was bubbling, the aroma overflowing; on the other side, Xiaoyu put the duck meat into the hot oil pan and stir-fried it until the surface was golden brown. Then she added ginger slices and garlic to sauté fragrant, poured in a can of beer, added light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rock sugar and other seasonings, covered the pot, and simmered it on low heat.

Yu Yu and Li Hao helped by handing out seasonings and taking plates. The family was busy in the kitchen in an orderly manner.

The sun shone through the window onto them, and their laughter echoed in the kitchen.

"By the way, let's make some steamed spare ribs and stewed pork bones, so that our New Year's Eve dinner will be more abundant." Xiaoyu said as she stir-fried the beer duck.

When Yuyu heard this, she immediately responded, "Okay, Mom, I'll help you steam the spareribs too."

As she spoke, she ran to the refrigerator, took out a bag of ribs, and put them in the sink to thaw.

After thawing, Yu Yu cut the ribs into small pieces and put them in a basin to wash.

Xiaoyu came over and instructed: "Wash it several times to remove all the blood, so that the steamed ribs won't have a fishy smell." Yuyu scrubbed the ribs carefully until the water became clear.

Then, Xiaoyu asked Yu Yu to drain the ribs, put them in a bowl, add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, a little salt, sugar and pepper, sprinkle some minced garlic and ginger, and stir well.

Yu Yu grabbed another handful of starch and put it into the bowl, continuing to stir until every piece of ribs was coated with the seasoning.

Finally, she spread a layer of softened taro in the bowl, placed the ribs on the taro, and prepared to steam them.

Yu Yu was busy steaming spare ribs while Li Hao was stewing pork bones.

He washed the pork bones, put them into the pot to blanch them, skimmed off the foam, and took them out to drain.

Xiaoyu adds enough water to another casserole, puts in the blanched pork bones, and adds onion segments, ginger slices, star anise, cinnamon and other spices. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and simmer.

"You need to stew the pork bones for a long time to bring out all the nutrients in the bone marrow, so that the soup will be delicious." Xiaoyu said to Li Hao. Li Hao nodded and stayed by the casserole, stirring it from time to time.

At the same time, the steamed sea bass has been put into the pot for steaming, and the steamed lobster with garlic vermicelli is also being prepared.

Yu Yu spread the softened vermicelli on the bottom of the plate, put the processed lobster on it, and pour the prepared garlic paste evenly on the lobster.

In the kitchen, the aroma of various delicacies intertwined.

The gurgling sound of pork bones stewing in the casserole, the sound of steam coming out of the steamer, and the sound of stir-frying beer duck together play a symphony of New Year's Eve dinner.

The cats and dogs in the yard were attracted by the increasingly strong aroma. They huddled together at the kitchen door, wagging their tails and looking eagerly at the kitchen, expecting the delicious food to be served.

In this lively and warm atmosphere, the family is making the final sprint for the New Year’s Eve dinner and welcoming the arrival of the New Year.