Chapter 361: Chapter 210: Cooking Snails in the Style of Spicy Crawfish! Zeng Xiaoqi: I Left Early! [Request for Monthly Ticket]_3
After reaching into the water, he dragged the dip net along the bottom and walked forward. Twenty meters later, he lifted the net out and had scooped up nearly half a netful of river snails.
This...
The tiny amount I had painstakingly picked was actually less than what Second Uncle scooped up in one go.
Shen Baobao pursed her lips, feeling utterly dejected!
Second Uncle dumped the river snails from the net for Lin Xu and Shen Baobao to pick out the stones and debris, while he scooped up another netful.
This was a great haul, easily over ten pounds of river snails. It was more than enough to feed themselves; they could even set up a street stall with this much.
After putting the dip net back, Second Uncle took out a suitable net bag for holding river snails from the dock’s small hut. He put the river snails in it and then drove the utility vehicle to take his nephew home.
When Lin Xu went to pick up Dundun, he found the little fellow happily playing with a small crab. Every time the little crab tried to leave, Dundun would bat at it a few times with its paws, keeping the small crab well within its control.
"You’ve really found yourself a good toy, haven’t you!" Lin Xu remarked. He picked up Dundun and placed the small crab in the net bag with the river snails, then got into the car.
They returned to the farmhouse restaurant.
He took out the small crab for Dundun to continue playing with. Lin Xu then started to clean the river snails he had gathered.
The reservoir’s water quality was excellent, yielding river snails that were not only large but also had tender, white meat.
He poured the river snails into a large basin and rinsed them twice. Then he drizzled some cooking oil into the basin. Aided by the oil, the river snails soon began to bubble, expelling the sand and mud from within them.
While he was busy, Shi Wenming came out from the kitchen, wiping his hands, and said, "Lin Xu, the mutton vendor just delivered the lamb we need for tomorrow. Are you going to marinate it now or later?"
Upon hearing that the scenic area restaurant was planning to roast a whole sheep, the mutton vendor had immediately driven over with two skinned sheep carcasses and also delivered a set of cleaned sheep offal.
The river snails still needed more time to expel sand. Lin Xu stood up and said, "Let’s marinate it now. We can also show the viewers the preparation cuts and marination method for the roast whole sheep."
As soon as the livestream viewers heard about roasting a whole sheep, the chat was instantly filled with messages from people craving it.
A viewer named Bobo Not Happy excitedly commented, "Haha, I’ve reserved these two sheep! I’ll livestream tomorrow when I eat them so everyone can hear just how crispy the skin of Boss Lin’s roast whole sheep is."
This comment quickly garnered a bunch of replies.
Flower Not Reblooming, Man Not Rejuvenating: You could actually act like a decent human being!
Thanks to the family, I became a plasterer early: You reserved two whole roasted sheep and you’re still not happy? Maybe swap with me, buddy, my happiness threshold is low.
Discount Sale of Universal Film City Tickets: Is your unhappiness because you got beaten for being too cocky?
Wholesale of Various Quality Water Guns: Just give me the roast whole sheep; I’ll let you experience a level of happiness even Leonardo can’t refuse!
...
Lin Xu went into the kitchen and saw the two plump sheep laid out on the workbench. These sheep must have been freshly slaughtered, as they were still dripping blood.
He placed a large tray on the workbench, lifted one of the sheep onto it, and then took a kitchen knife to begin making the preparation cuts. As he worked, he explained the key points and techniques of the preparation cuts to the viewers.
「An hour later.」
The two sheep were finally set to marinate. The river snails outside had completely expelled all their sand.
Lin Xu scooped the river snails out of the water, washed them twice more, and then carried them to the kitchen. Sitting on a high stool in front of the workbench, he placed a chopping board and began cutting off their tails one by one with a kitchen knife. Doing this not only removed the snail’s internal organs but also allowed the river snails to absorb more flavor during simmering. And when eating them, with a gentle suck, the snail meat would slide right into your mouth. It was much easier than prying the meat out bit by bit with a toothpick.
After all the snail tails had been cut, they were washed again. The river snails were now ready.
"It’s still early," Lin Xu said. "I’ll start simmering the broth for the Snail Noodles now, and later I’ll make Spicy Snails."
Lin Xu took two large bones and blanched them in a pot, then washed them with warm water. For snail broth, one must use large bones; this way, the broth develops a sufficiently rich aroma.
He set up a wok and added a generous spoonful of lard. Once it melted, he added half a spoonful of Doubanjiang, stir-frying it over low heat until the Red Oil emerged. Then, he added the cleaned river snails and continued to stir-fry. Once aromatic, he added Scallion and Ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon bark, and dried chili. He then poured in enough water, added the blanched large bones, and transferred everything into a pressure cooker to simmer. The main purpose of using a pressure cooker was to save time and more thoroughly extract the nutrients from the bones.
「An hour later.」
He opened the pressure cooker. A rich, savory aroma instantly wafted out. The slightly thick, white broth looked tantalizing, and the glistening oil droplets on top made it look very appetizing.
"Whoa, this soup looks so tempting."
"Lard, large pork bones, and river snails—simmer these three together, and you get aroma, umami, and richness. How could this soup not be delicious?"
"Forget making Snail Noodles; even just boiling some plain noodles in this soup would taste absolutely amazing."
The fans in the livestream were very satisfied with Lin Xu’s cooking skills. This was the way to make snail broth.
But Shen Baobao frowned, asking with a puzzled expression, "Aren’t Snail Noodles supposed to be stinky to be delicious? Why does the soup you’ve made smell so fragrant?"
Lin Xu chuckled wryly. "The characteristic odor of Snail Noodles mainly comes from fermented bamboo shoots when they’re heated; it has nothing to do with the river snails themselves. My uncle-in-law pickled a lot of sour bamboo shoots from the mountain bamboo grove back in spring. I’ll cut some later; you can smell them then and you’ll understand."
With that, Lin Xu ladled out a river snail to taste.
"Is it good?" Shen Baobao asked.
"Not really," Lin Xu replied. "The meat is a bit tough from overcooking; all the umami has gone into the broth... Are you hungry? In that case, I’ll start making the Spicy Snails now so we can eat sooner."
He then brought over the previously cleaned river snails and prepared other ingredients and seasonings: Scallion and Ginger, dried chili segments, garlic, beer, and various spices.
Lin Xu actually didn’t know the traditional way to cook river snails. But not knowing didn’t mean he couldn’t do it. He could easily adapt the method for cooking crawfish. River snails cook quickly, and the dish is mostly about the flavor of the seasonings. As long as he was generous with the spices, there was no reason it wouldn’t be delicious.
After all the ingredients and seasonings were ready, he began cooking.
Meanwhile, on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway heading back to Beijing, Zeng Xiaoqi watched the livestream, her voice hoarse as she muttered, "I left too early. If only I’d known, I would have stayed another day."
Her colleagues exchanged glances. Xiaoqi, what kind of mortal vendetta do you have against your own throat? We really hope Boss Lin doesn’t return to Beijing too soon. Otherwise, the travel channel’s leading host is truly going to be ruined...