Zhu Yanyi checked the ingredients at home. There was meat, green vegetables, mushrooms, small potatoes, green peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, loofahs, and eggs. Since Yan Aohan was eating at home, she needed to cook more. Zhu Yanyi planned to make loofah stir-fried with eggs, cold tossed tomatoes, green pepper and potato shreds, eggplant sauce, mushroom and green vegetable stir-fry, and braised pork. Finally, she would prepare a bowl of local dried vegetable soup. Six dishes and one soup was definitely a high standard.
Zhu Yanyi asked Yan Aohan to tend the fire. She then skillfully washed the pot and weighed the spatula in her hand. It was her first time cooking, so she needed to get familiar with her tools. She started heating the pot. Since there was only one pot, the order mattered: vegetables first, then meat. Zhu Yanyi added water to the pot to boil it. The potato shreds and green peppers needed blanching. While the water was heating, she began slicing the potatoes and peppers. Her speed wasn’t fast, but her movements were skilled. Xie Xinlian watched Zhu Yanyi’s posture and knew the girl really knew how to cook. The potato shreds weren’t as thin as a chef’s, but they were neat and uniform in size. She put the potatoes and peppers into the water for thirty seconds, then fished them out. She poured the water away, washed the pot, added oil, and put in chili, ginger, and minced garlic. She stir-fried them until fragrant, then added the green peppers and potato shreds, tossing them constantly. She sprinkled in some salt and a little soy sauce for color. Once cooked, she served the dish.
“Ani, why didn’t you add MSG?” Xie Xinlian reminded her.
Zhu Yanyi smiled. “It’s better not to eat MSG. It’s a processed thing, not good for the body.” Besides, she had secretly dropped a drop of Spirit Spring water into the dish. The water enhanced the natural freshness of the food to the maximum. MSG was useless and would only ruin the original taste.
Seeing Xie Xinlian’s doubtful look, Zhu Yanyi picked up a bite with her chopsticks. “Mom, taste it. Is the saltiness okay?”
Xie Xinlian put it in her mouth. Instantly, the rich aroma of potatoes filled her mouth. Saliva flooded her tongue. “Delicious! I didn’t expect our Ani to have the talent to be a chef.”
“Being a chef is too much, but I can study medicinal diets in the future.” Zhu Yanyi didn’t stop working. Next came the mushroom and green vegetable stir-fry, then the loofah and eggs, and finally the braised pork. After finishing these four dishes, she started cooking rice. She put the rice in, added water, and placed a bamboo steamer on top. She put the eggplants in the steamer. Eggplants steamed while the rice cooked were best for the sauce. The eggplant sauce would mix with the rice aroma, creating a special burst of flavor. She told Yan Aohan to keep tending the fire for the rice, while she made the cold tossed tomatoes and prepared the dried vegetable soup.
When Zhu Shunyao arrived, the meal was ready. He looked at the table full of dishes and his eyes lit up. “Wife, why are you matching colors today?”
Indeed, the table had red, green, and yellow dishes. They looked beautiful together.
Xie Xinlian gave Zhu Shunyao a knowing look. “Your daughter made all this. I didn’t touch a thing. So don’t praise me, or I’ll think you think my cooking is bad.”
Zhu Shunyao paused, then laughed nervously. “No, no. My wife’s cooking is also absolutely top-notch.”