nucmednet Chapter 222 Iron Pot Goose
Chapter 222 Iron Pot Goose
As soon as Cheng Yuntao had this thought, she felt something was wrong. The strands of hair by her ears brushed against the side of her neck as she shook her head.
I put my reddish palm against my cheek and felt a sudden shudder. I felt more refreshed and the dark clouds that had been lingering in my heart dissipated a little.
She muttered to herself that now that the weather was warming up, the streets and alleys were full of signs of recovery, shops were opening one after another, and people had more and more smiles on their faces. Everything was moving in a good direction, and she really shouldn't worry too much and add unnecessary troubles to herself.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yuntao took a deep breath, adjusted her mood, quickened her pace again, and walked steadily towards home with the newly purchased things in her hands.
The sunlight shone on her, warm and dispelling some of the chill.
Along the way, she listened to the laughter and play of children on the street, watched the vendors enthusiastically soliciting customers, and her heart was gradually filled with the atmosphere of life.
As she passed by a farmer's stall, a fluttering sound stopped her in her tracks.
I saw the big goose in the cage stretching its neck outward with all its strength, cawing non-stop, opening and closing its flat beak, flapping its wings, and rubbing its head against the cage from time to time. Its white feathers shimmered in the sunlight, and its feet were orange-yellow, revealing a bit of life.
Seeing this, the vendor hurriedly stood up to comfort the goose. When his chilblained fingers brushed across the goose's back, the goose actually became silent and just glared at him with its black bean-like eyes.
Cheng Yuntao stood there, looking at the quiet goose, and inexplicably made eye contact with it.
The man and the goose just stared at each other in a stalemate, which was a very funny scene.
The big goose tilted its head, and stared at Cheng Yuntao with its black bean-like eyes without blinking, as if competing with her. Cheng Yuntao also found it interesting, so she bent down slightly, supported her hands on her knees, and also stared back at the big goose intently.
Passersby cast curious glances at her. A few children were attracted by the strange scene and stood aside giggling, but Cheng Yuntao was completely unaware.
This silent "contest" lasted for a long time before it was broken by a light cough from the vendor.
"Miss, would you like to buy a goose?" the vendor said, gently stroking the goose's feathers. "These geese are raised in my own yard. They roam freely in the fields, eating fresh grass and grain. The meat is very firm and the taste is amazing!"
As he spoke, he gave a thumbs-up, his face full of pride, "You can buy it and cook it any way you want, especially stewing it. The soup is so delicious that you can swallow your tongue!"
As he spoke, he opened the cage again, gently lifted the goose's wings, and showed it to Cheng Yuntao, "Look at the size of this goose, the meat is so plentiful and filling, I guarantee your whole family will be well-fed, not to mention how delicious it will be!"
The white breath he exhaled as he spoke melted into the wind, and the frayed cuffs of his sleeves rolled up with his movements, revealing the inner layer stuffed with reed fluff.
Cheng Yuntao then shifted her gaze from the goose and looked at the vendor in front of her. Although the weather had warmed up a bit, it was still very cold. However, the vendor was only wearing a thin and old cotton coat, and the pair of thin cloth shoes on his feet had holes in the toes.
But looking at the geese on his stall, each one was fat and strong with bright feathers. It was obvious that he had spent a lot of time and effort to take care of them. He hoped to sell the geese for some money to survive this long winter.
Seeing the vendor shivering slightly in the cold wind, Cheng Yuntao couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness in her heart and moved with compassion. Without any hesitation or bargaining, she decided to buy the goose immediately.
When paying the bill, she deliberately took out some extra money and said, "Brother, it's still cold today. Take this money and buy some warm clothes. Don't freeze too much."
The vendor was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting Cheng Yuntao to do this. He slowly stretched out his hands, took the money, his eyes full of gratitude, his lips trembling slightly, and he was speechless for a while.
"Girl, you...you are such a good person! Thank you so much, I..." His Adam's apple rolled violently, his chapped lips trembled, and suddenly he knelt down and was about to kowtow.
Cheng Yuntao hurriedly grabbed his arm, "No!" She turned away her red eyes, "My ability is limited, and I can't help much. I just hope you can sell the remaining geese smoothly and go home soon."
The vendor nodded vigorously, his voice slightly choked with sobs: "Thank you, young lady, for your good wishes!"
The geese suddenly cried out in unison, startling a passing donkey and causing it to snort.
Cheng Yuntao leaned over and picked up the goose with its wings bound. The goose flapped its wings a few times and soon calmed down. As she tightened her sleeves and walked away quickly, she heard a muffled nasal blowing sound behind her. Mixed in with the rising city sounds, it was like ink dripping into a stream and dissipated in an instant.
The white goose in my arms was quite well-behaved, nestling warmly against my arm, its down feathers scented with the scent of dried grass.
……
The back of the knife made a crisp sound as it scraped across the chopping board. Cheng Yuntao cut the goose meat into inch-long pieces along the texture and put it into the pot to blanch. When the foam completely emerged, she quickly took out the goose meat, rinsed it with warm water, drained the water and set aside.
Good goose meat has lustrous muscles, white or light yellow fat, a firm texture, and an intact skin. It's slightly moist but not sticky, free of damage or bruises. Pressing it feels springy, instantly rebounding. The meat has distinct texture, uniform muscle fibers, and a firm, non-rough texture. It smells lightly of meat, without any pungent or sour odors.
Pour a proper amount of oil into the iron pan, wait until the oil smokes slightly, then sprinkle chopped green onion, ginger, garlic and various spices. The moment the spicy aroma hits your nose, the goose meat wrapped in shiny oil falls into the hot pan. The sound of oil splashing startles the sparrows outside the window and makes them fly up.
The star anise stretches into brown stars in the boiling oil, the cinnamon curls up to a caramel color at the edges, and the goose skin gradually stretches to a crisp sound.
Aged wine mixed with thick soy sauce rushed into the pot, wrapped around the pieces of meat and swirling under the iron shovel. When scooping up the mountain spring water, his wrist sank, and the whole jar of clear water poured in. In an instant, clouds that blocked the eyes rose, and the gurgling sound suppressed by the pot lid was like magma surging underground.
After the water boils, turn to low heat and let the goose meat in the pot slowly absorb the flavor of the soup while simmering on low heat. As time goes by, the kitchen is filled with the aroma of stewed goose meat.
When the silver-like vermicelli is put into the pot, it brings up a crystal clear water curtain, and the emerald-like cabbage leaves slide into the boiling point. The vermicelli that has absorbed the meaty aroma stretches out in the soup waves, and the cabbage stems slowly exude a sweet taste, blending with the meaty aroma.
The sun's shadow slanted three inches, and when the lid was opened, steam roared up to the beams. The edges of the potatoes cut with a rolling knife gradually melted, the vermicelli soaked up the soup and curled into a translucent ring, and the cabbage leaves that had been frosted twice changed color.
When the wooden spoon was stirred, the sticky soup stretched out golden threads and piled up into a small hill in the iron pot wrapped with goose meat.