The next morning, Chen Lan woke up early, quickly washed up, and went straight downstairs to the kitchen. She used her mind to take out the ingredients from the system warehouse one by one and arrange them neatly.
These were ingredients Chen Lan had pre-ordered and purchased in the system in advance for today's birthday banquet.
Because there were so many varieties of ingredients prepared for today's banquet, Chen Lan spent a long time organizing them clearly.
Seeing the kitchen full of ingredients for today's guests, Chen Lan regretted buying so many.
After thinking about it, she decided to let it go. The ingredients were already bought. If there were too many ingredients left over after the banquet, she would distribute some to each family in the valley for them to take home. With many hands, they could eat it all, and since the weather was cold, there was no worry about spoilage or waste.
Suddenly, she noticed a large puddle of water flowing from a corner of the kitchen. Without a doubt, it had to be that big black fish, weighing about ten pounds!
That big fellow would occasionally thrash around in its large water bucket. No matter how big the bucket was, it was a confined space. The ten-pound black fish constantly stirred, causing nearly half of the water to spill out. The wet floor of the kitchen made Chen Lan furious.
If it weren't for the fact that the pickled fish would taste even better, Chen Lan would have gritted her teeth and wished she could have finished it off with a knife right then and there.
What else could she do? For her own culinary delight, Chen Lan had to bend down and diligently clean up the mess on the floor.
However, thinking of the deliciousness of pickled fish, especially pickled fish made with black fish, it was considered the best among all fish suitable for pickled fish.
Black fish had tender and smooth meat, with only one large bone throughout the entire fish and no small bones. The fish meat was rich in protein and very suitable for the elderly and children. Today, she would let the twins have a good taste of fish.
Thinking of the fresh and refreshing pickled fish she would soon be eating, Chen Lan felt a little better.
Chen Lan had originally planned to wake up early and personally make birthday cakes for her mother and two younger brothers. But looking at the overwhelming amount of ingredients in the kitchen, there was barely enough space to stand. She immediately gave up the idea before even starting.
She would buy the birthday cakes for her mother and two younger brothers from the system. It would save time, effort, and trouble! Why would she insist on making them herself?
She opened the stove door, lit the fire, and steamed a few buns made with mixed flour and flower rolls. She also made a pot of spicy soup. Then, she steamed several bowls of minced meat, vegetable, and egg custard for the twins, Xiao Douzi, and the other children.
A simple breakfast was ready for everyone.
Just as the family finished breakfast and was about to clear the table, Aunt Xiao Shan, along with Lin Mai and the people from the sewing cooperative, arrived.
"Aunt Xiao Shan, have you all eaten breakfast? Why don't you have something here?" her mother-in-law and mother-in-law got up to welcome them, asking as they prepared to offer breakfast to Aunt Xiao Shan and the sewing cooperative members.
Aunt Xiao Shan smiled and said, "Don't bother yourselves, we've already eaten breakfast before coming."
Then she smiled at Chen Lan's mother and said, "Today, the birthday person is the most important. Please sit on the sofa and rest. We'll take care of the cleaning."
With that, she nimbly started clearing the table with the members of the sewing cooperative.
Chen Lan's mother said somewhat sheepishly, "Aunt Xiao Shan, thank you for your help today! I'm sorry to trouble you!"
Aunt Xiao Shan waved her hand generously, "Not at all, it's what we should do!"
With that, she took bowls and chopsticks and led the sewing cooperative members and Lin Mai into the kitchen.
Shortly after, Lin Mai came out to discuss the menu for the birthday banquet with Chen Lan.
When Chen Lan mentioned making pickled fish, Lin Mai rubbed her hands, blushed, and said shyly, "Sister Xiao Lan, I don't know how to make pickled fish. What is pickled fish, and how do you make it?"
Chen Lan was stunned for a moment when she heard Lin Mai say she didn't know how to make pickled fish. In modern times, which aspiring chef wouldn't know how to make pickled fish?
Finally, she remembered that pickled fish only became popular nationwide in the early nineties. It was said that chefs from Sichuan province promoted it across the country and even to the world, and then other regions began to know about this dish.
Seeing Lin Mai's flushed face, Chen Lan smiled and said, "Mai Zi, it's okay if you don't know. I'll teach you how to make it. Actually, pickled fish is very simple to make..."
So Chen Lan explained the detailed method of making pickled fish to Lin Mai: "First, clean the black fish's internal organs. Remove the fish head and split it in half with a knife. Slice the fish meat with a knife and place it in a large bowl. Chop the fish bones into pieces and put them in another large bowl for later use.
Then, pour some water into the bowl with the fish slices, add an appropriate amount of salt, rub gently with your hands, rinse the fish slices clean, and drain them. Then add an appropriate amount of salt, white pepper, starch, egg white, and beer, stir well, and marinate for half an hour.
Next, heat oil in a pan, sauté the ginger, garlic, and scallions until fragrant. Add the fish head, fish bones, and soaked pickled vegetables and stir-fry for two minutes. Then pour in boiling water and simmer over medium heat for twenty minutes. Scoop out the fish head, fish bones, and pickled vegetables with a slotted spoon and place them in a large serving dish.
Bring the fish soup to a boil again, add the fish slices. Once the fish slices turn white, pour the fish slices and soup into the large serving dish.
Finally, heat the oil in the pan again, add chili peppers and peppercorns until fragrant, pour them over the fish slices of the pickled fish, and sprinkle with chopped green onions. It's ready to eat!"
After explaining the method of making pickled fish in one breath, Chen Lan felt a little thirsty. She took a sip of water and asked Lin Mai, "Mai Zi, did you understand?"
Lin Mai's face was still red as she said, "Sister Xiao Lan, I've basically memorized the steps, but I've never made this new dish before. I'm afraid I'll make mistakes with the steps the first time. When we make the pickled fish, Sister Xiao Lan, can you stand by and guide me?"
Chen Lan smiled and nodded, "Yes, no problem. I'll stand by you when you make the pickled fish."
Hearing Chen Lan's agreement, Lin Mai felt reassured and happily returned to the kitchen to continue her work.
Around this time, the twins should have woken up. Chen Lan stopped lingering and quickly ran upstairs. As soon as she pushed open the bedroom door, she found that the twins had already woken up. They were sitting on the bed, rubbing their eyes with their chubby little hands, looking dazed.