Uncle Zhang Youliang's skill in preparing the stuffing is really top-notch. After the beef is pounded, a pot of bone soup is cooked in the pressure cooker. The milky-white soup is stirred into the beef stuffing several times, and then added to the beef stuffing.
Added some ingredients.
Before I even started wrapping, the aroma of the stuffing started to rise.
Zhang Chi had already started rolling out the dough at this time.
"Hey, uncle, you really haven't given up on your skills." Zhang Chi complimented casually.
Melika took a deep breath of the aroma and praised: "It's so fragrant. This stuffing is one of the best even in China."
After hearing this, Zhang Youliang immediately waved his hand and said: "But you can't take this seriously. My skill in mixing stuffing is far behind. Not to mention compared to others, even compared to my master, I am still far behind."
"Your master? That's so good." Merica praised again.
Zhang Chi thought to himself: This little girl, why didn't I realize that she would do this again? Look, how can she be an old beauty? She is more Chinese than a Chinese when chatting.
"That's a bit far to say. It started when I was fourteen years old. I started as an apprentice in a restaurant. My master was the chef...".
Zhang Youliang immediately became energetic when he mentioned the past events.
Melika listened to it very interestingly, but Zhang Chi didn't know how many times he had listened to it. His uncle would talk about it when he came to study, or when he drank a little wine.
At this time, the aunt said to Zhang Chi: "Don't roll it out so small, roll out a large one first, and the two pieces of leather you have now will be combined into one."
After hearing this, Zhang Chi stopped what he was doing and asked, "Auntie, how big of a dumpling must that be?"
Now Zhang Chi's rolled skins are big enough, almost one or two each, and one kilogram is probably only six or seven. Eating at home is different from restaurants. The bags are small and the price is calculated according to the number.
"Let's not make dumplings first, let's make some pot stickers first," the mother-in-law said with a smile. She sat down at the table and pressed the dough pieces that Zhang Chi had rolled out two by two together.
Zhang Chi rolled out the dough and asked, "Why do you think of making pot stickers again?"
"There are so many fillings. When we want to eat them, we can pack some pot stickers for you to take back. Put them in the refrigerator and fry them in a pan when you want to eat. It's simple and convenient," said the aunt.
Zhang Chi said with a smile: "Mother, don't worry about me. I'm good at everything. I only have a refrigerator of beef."
"Whatever I say is what I say," said the aunt.
After saying this, Zhang Chi began to roll out the leather honestly.
Waiting for Zhang Chi to roll out one of the dumplings, the lady sprinkled the dumplings cut in another basin on top of the fillings, picked up a large dumpling wrapper, took out some meat fillings, and then added a spoonful of green onions.
The pieces were placed on the meat flame, and then the wrapping began.
After a few pinches, a potsticker about ten centimeters long and three or four centimeters wide is ready.
Zhang Chi rolled it out, and my aunt made it. After a while, Melika joined in, and Zhang Chi was a little late. It wasn't because Zhang Chi was slow in rolling, but because my aunt made it quickly, and Melika didn't lose her chain either.
, so Zhang Youliang also took out a rolling pin, sat next to Zhang Chi and started rolling.
Zhang Chi is the one in charge of rolling it, while the uncle is rolling it and wrapping it for a while.
"I didn't expect the dumplings to be so beautifully wrapped," the aunt praised Melika.
I'm not bragging. Melika's wrapping is really good. It's better than many Chinese girls. A ten centimeter long pot sticker, with six or seven folds, and the distance between each fold is the same. After putting it down, the pot stickers sat firmly on the basket, and the upright side was exactly one third of the way, curved into a crescent.
Melika didn't look too proud, she chuckled and said, "I practiced it specially."
Didn't Melika say that she has a bit of a picky personality? If she sees something that interests her, she must understand or learn it. This is how she learned the skill of making dumplings. Among the foreigners who studied with her, apart from her, Besides, no one can make dumplings to the same level as a Chinese.
"It's really good. Some Chinese girls nowadays are not as skilled as you," the aunt praised again.
"Where, where!"
Melika dropped the Chinese politeness.
After a while, Zhang Chi found that the basket was already full and asked his mother-in-law: "Auntie, have you had enough pot stickers?"
The aunt stretched out her head to look at the stuffing in the basin and said: "Wrap a little more to finish wrapping the noodles you have now."
"How many do you need to pack?" Zhang Chi said with a smile.
The aunt said: "Pack a few more so that they don't get spoiled in the refrigerator."
"Potsticks paired with soy milk would be delicious," Melika said casually with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Youliang said: "You want to drink soy milk? Then I will make it now."
When the aunt heard this, she immediately said: "What do you do now? You can take it with you when the child comes back."
Zhang Chi asked strangely: "Can you catch up with this?"
To make soy milk, you need to grind the beans. Grinding the beans does not take much effort, but the beans are all dry. If you want to grind them, you have to soak them in advance. What kind of soy milk can you make from beans that are not soaked?
"I soaked the beans last night. Your uncle said that you like to eat tofu, so he was going to make a plate for you. Who knew it happened that Merika likes to drink soy milk, so I might as well make some for you to take away," said the aunt. .
"Looking at how busy you are, you still want to make tofu. If I want to eat it, why don't I just go to the Chinese supermarket and buy some?" Zhang Chi said.
"He makes it in a factory, but I prepare braised tofu here, and the taste is different. Lao braised tofu only tastes like a special bean flavor. The factory method is not good, and it's a little less interesting," said the mother-in-law.
Melika asked, "Is there any difference?"
"Oh! Of course, there is a big difference. The factory method uses gypsum, but we all use old brine when we make it ourselves. The taste is different."
After saying that, the aunt started to tell Melika how to use natural brine to make tofu, which was a mess.
The two women said that Zhang Chi and Zhang Youliang's uncle and nephew were listening nearby.
Zhang Chi was fine. Zhang Youliang and Gu Ying were really happy today, because since the eldest son left and the younger son ran around in a disorderly manner, the store hadn't been so lively for a long time after Zhang Chi left. Although we have hired a new young man to deliver food, he is only a part-time worker, and he talks very little. He works hard, but he really doesn't know how to chat.
Now that Melika likes to listen to her talk so much, and her nephew is here, they all make dumplings together in a lively manner, and the old couple feels really happy.
Everyone works together and the dumplings are made quickly. Before you know it, a basket of dumplings is ready.
"I'll cook dumplings for everyone."
The making of tofu was almost finished and the dumplings were made. Gu Ying decided to cook dumplings for everyone.
He stood up, picked up the basket and walked to the back kitchen, leaving Zhang Chi and the other two people to continue making dumplings in the front hall.
There were only a few dumplings packed in the new basket when someone opened the door and came in.
Seeing the people coming in, Zhang Youliang smiled and said, "Spencer, you came a little early today, more than half an hour early."
A middle-aged man in his forties came in, dressed as a cowboy and wearing riding boots. When he saw Merica, he was stunned for a moment after entering. He was probably thinking: Where did this beautiful girl come from?
Spencer was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses, walked to the table where he usually sat, took off the cowboy hat on his head, crossed his legs, and put the hat on the table.
"I have something to do tonight. I have to pick up the grass from the pasture and transport it to Birmingham," Spencer said.
"That's not close."
As soon as he heard about the place, Zhang Youliang said immediately.
Spencer said: "There is no way. The purchase price here is too low. Now the live cattle are only US$3.42. If you transport them over there, you will make more money."
"It's falling again?"
Zhang Youliang was a little bit tongue-tied. Just now he said it was three yuan and forty-five cents, but now he dropped the price by a few cents.
"Yes, our boss is thinking about not continuing to raise cattle next year. Now we will hardly make any money after one year," Spencer said.
Zhang Chi doesn't believe this nonsense. Indeed, from the book's perspective, he won't make much money, but if you include various government subsidies, you will definitely make some money.
It's just that the cattle sellers are not willing to include this money. Of course, they are purely income from selling cattle. Shouldn't the money given by the government be free? How can it be included in the money earned?
All ranchers have this idea, including Zhang Chi.
"Have you added a new menu? There are dumplings, give me a plate."
Americans are quite familiar with dumplings, but the ones they eat are all produced in factories. Many Chinese restaurants also sell these things. Are they made by hand? The dumplings are quite expensive.
Zhang Youliang said with a smile: "I wrapped it myself and didn't plan to sell it. You can try it when it's cooked."
The beef Zhang Chi brought over cannot be sold, because Zhang Chi has not passed a quarantine checkpoint. You cannot sell anything that has not passed this checkpoint, let alone meat products. Even vegetables cannot be sold directly without a license.
of.
Of course, it's okay if you don't get caught once in a while, but once you are caught, these people will not be lenient in punishing you. One fine will be enough to make you feel distressed for several years.
Therefore, Zhang Youliang will not take this risk and sell the dumplings he makes. He can only give them away. If you don't make money, there will be no problem. Of course, you will have to pay for the dumplings if they eat them up.
However, there could be nothing wrong with the beef sent by his nephew, so Zhang Youliang was reassured.
While talking, Gu Ying had already come out with the cooked dumplings.
There were only two plates cooked first, one plate was placed on the table behind Melica, and the other was placed in front of Spencer.
"Thanks!"
Spencer picked up the chopsticks, picked up the dumplings and was about to put them in his mouth.
"Don't! It's hot!"
When Gu Ying saw Spencer preparing to eat a dumpling, he immediately stopped him.
"There is soup in it. If you eat it like this, your mouth will be boiled and soaked," Gu Ying said.
The filling prepared by Zhang Youliang added a lot of bone broth, so when the filling came out, it was like a paste of meat and could hardly hang on the wall of the pot, becoming semi-liquid.
This kind of filling is put into the skin, and when it is cooked, the soup will naturally be thick, just like eating Xiaolong soup dumplings.