Chapter 353: Chapter 208: The Mystery of Dry-Fried Goose Chunks! Roast Whole Lamb is Ready! Such Amazing Skill! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]_2
Rinse the goose pieces thoroughly with cold water to remove any blood; this will make the goose meat taste fresher and more aromatic.
After soaking for a while, Lin Xu placed the large iron pot on the stove, added the cleaned goose pieces, water, scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, then turned on the heat to start boiling.
"Are you starting by boiling it first?" Shi Wenming glanced over, thinking his nephew would just marinate it a bit before frying it.
Lin Xu said with a smile, "First, boil it until it’s parboiled, then fry it. This method makes the dry-fried goose pieces taste better."
Soon, the water in the pot began to boil.
He used a spoon to skim off the foam. Then, he added dried chili segments, Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, Angelica dahurica, white pepper, and other spices to the pot. These were intended to eliminate any off-flavors and enhance the aroma.
Next, he added salt to give the goose pieces a base flavor. This way, there was no need to waste time marinating them after they were cooked.
"Hey, what’s that yellow stuff in the pot?" Shen Baobao, who had been wandering outside with nothing to do, returned to the kitchen. She was a bit surprised to see the goose oil that had rendered out during the boiling.
Her comment reminded Lin Xu that he had taken out some goose fat from the bird’s belly earlier. Seeing Shi Wenming currently cleaning the goose intestines, Lin Xu retrieved those pieces of fat, deciding to render some goose oil.
When making dry-fried goose pieces, adding some goose oil can fill the dish with the rich flavor of goose meat, making it taste even more delicious.
Rendering this oil was very simple. He just needed to chop the fat into small pieces, put them in a pot with a little water, and simmer it on the stove. Before long, these pieces of fat would transform into fragrant goose oil.
Once the goose oil was rendered, Lin Xu proceeded to prepare the dried chili segments and Sichuan peppercorn ingredients needed for the dry-fried goose pieces.
As he was busy, his second uncle came in carrying a shrimp cage, which was full of lively river shrimp.
"After dinner last night, I set a few shrimp traps in the reservoir out of boredom. I didn’t expect such a good catch! Wenming, you and Xiao Xu, see if you can make a dish with some of these."
Wow! It looked like another sumptuous lunch today.
Lin Xu took the shrimp, poured them into clean water, and noticed some larger green shrimp among them. He asked curiously, "Second Uncle, are there many of these large green shrimp in the reservoir?"
"Plenty! Do you want some? Then tonight, I’ll set some traps with larger mesh."
Lin Xu said, "In a couple of days, it will be Grandma’s birthday. I plan to make White Robed Shrimp for her to try. For that, I need large, live freshwater shrimp. If we can catch some, that would be great. The shrimp from our reservoir are definitely better than farmed ones."
Upon hearing it was for his mother’s birthday, Second Uncle immediately said, "Then I’ll set a few more traps tonight, aiming to catch more for you to use."
His nephew wanted to show filial piety to the family matriarch, and as an uncle, he felt he had to support the effort.
After saying that, Second Uncle took his phone and went outside to snap a photo of the whole roasted lamb that was browning nicely.
After ten minutes, the goose meat in the pot was parboiled, its aroma wafting through the kitchen.
Lin Xu turned off the heat and immediately used a slotted spoon to transfer the goose pieces to a large bamboo basket.
After picking out the scallions, ginger, and other seasoning ingredients, he spread the meat out. This allowed the surface water to evaporate and the goose meat to cool down, which would improve the frying result.
After finishing with the goose offal, Shi Wenming started to process the river shrimp.
He selected the larger ones to be deep-fried later with the goose pieces, making Fried Crispy River Shrimp.
The smaller river shrimp would be stir-fried with chives to make a classic side dish—Chives Stir-Fried with River Shrimp.
Before long, relatives began to arrive one after another. Zeng Xiaoqi, having finished the video, also came with her colleagues. They brought good news: the video had passed review and would be aired at noon.
"You’ve worked hard, Xiaoqi. Once your voice recovers and I’m back in Beijing, I’ll treat you to crayfish again—this time a little less spicy," Lin Xu said. He felt a bit indebted, seeing her go to such lengths for their scenic area. So, he offered to treat her to crayfish again after he returned.
Hearing about reducing the spiciness, Zeng Xiaoqi hastily said in her husky voice, "No, no, no, yesterday’s level of spiciness was just fine! I can just drink some cooling herbal tea while eating the crayfish."
Lin Xu was speechless. You really are a spice fiend!
After chatting with everyone for a while, he went to the kitchen to start making the dry-fried goose pieces.
Before starting on the goose, however, he first needed to wash the selected larger river shrimp a couple of times. He planned to deep-fry them before the goose pieces. This way, the oil would absorb the shrimp’s savory flavor, making the subsequent fried goose pieces taste even better.
But there was a downside: if someone was allergic to shrimp, they would also likely be allergic to this goose meat.
He put the washed river shrimp in a basin, sprinkled some salt over them, and immediately covered it. A frantic, crackling sound came from inside. This was caused by the river shrimp jumping wildly, stimulated by the salt.
Once the river shrimp stopped jumping, he rinsed them again with clean water. He then re-seasoned them with salt and a pinch of Sichuan peppercorn powder, tossing to combine. Finally, he sprinkled on a little dry starch and mixed until evenly coated.
The Fried Crispy River Shrimp were now prepped.
He then poured the air-dried goose pieces from the bamboo basket into a basin. He sprinkled dry starch over them as well, ensuring each piece was coated with a thin layer. This would not only lock in the moisture within the goose pieces but also give them a delightfully crispy texture, making them taste even more delicious.
Next, he heated oil in a wok. When the oil temperature reached about 60% hot, he carefully scattered the starch-coated river shrimp into the wok.
Almost immediately after hitting the oil, the originally green-shelled river shrimp turned an appealing red.