Chapter 88: Delicious Fried Squid
In the kitchen, Deng Shirong was teaching his eldest daughter how to fry squid. As he worked, he explained, "Frying squid requires more time than frying peanuts. If the squid is slightly overcooked, it will become tough and bitter. If it's not cooked enough, the squid's natural sweetness won't be fully brought out."
With that, Deng Shirong felt the oil temperature was about right, so he picked up a drained squid and placed it into the pan.
The squid immediately curled up when it hit the hot oil.
Deng Shirong used a spatula to press the squid flat, saying, "When you put the squid in to fry, it will curl up immediately. You need to use a spatula or another tool to hold it in place to prevent it from curling. Otherwise, only one side will be fried, and the curled side won't cook evenly, resulting in a poor taste."
Deng Yunzhen watched her father's actions intently. After pressing the squid flat, he fried it for a few seconds until the side facing down turned golden brown. Then, he flipped it over and fried the other side until it was equally golden. Finally, he picked it up with chopsticks and placed it in a clean bowl beside him.
"Fry the squid until it's this color," Deng Shirong instructed.
After demonstrating, Deng Shirong repeated the process with three more squids. When only one squid remained, he handed the spatula to his eldest daughter and said, "Ah Zhen, you try the last one."
Having received culinary training from her father, Deng Yunzhen's understanding of cooking had improved significantly. She wasn't nervous and took the spatula confidently, saying, "Okay, I'll give it a try."
Following her father's example, Deng Yunzhen repeated the steps. Although she wasn't as smooth as her father, she controlled the heat well, and the color of the fried squid was nearly identical to his.
Deng Shirong praised her, "Well done. This is how you fry squid next time. Use something to collect the remaining oil in the pan. I'll tear the squid apart while it's still hot."
"Okay, got it!"
…
Two minutes later, Deng Shirong had torn all four squids into strips about the size of pen refills. He then said to his children, who were watching curiously, "Alright, you can start eating. It's quite sweet on its own, but if you dip it in a little salt, it'll be even sweeter.
Of course, you can also eat it with soy sauce or vinegar, but unfortunately, we don't have any mustard. This stuff tastes absolutely amazing with mustard!"
Deng Yuntai picked up a piece of squid with his chopsticks, dipped it in salt, and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, the flavor grew richer, and he couldn't help but praise, "This tastes incredible. No wonder Dad said this is one of the best dishes to go with wine. This squid is just as good as fried bee pupae!"
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "The taste of fried squid isn't worse than fried bee pupae, but fried bee pupae have the advantage of never getting boring, no matter how often you eat them. Fried squid tastes great if you eat it occasionally, but if you have it too often, the flavor won't feel as special as it does the first time."
Deng Yunzhen also fell in love with the dish immediately. She commented, "This fried squid has a wonderful sweet aroma. After eating one piece, you just want to keep going. Unfortunately, as Dad said, eating too much can easily cause internal heat."
Deng Yunzhu swallowed the squid in her mouth and said, "This stuff tastes better than a lot of snacks. As for getting a sore throat, it's not a big deal. Just drink some red bamboo water!"
For most southerners, getting a sore throat is an annoying and unavoidable issue. Not only do extremely stimulating foods like fried dough sticks, fried squid, and fried peanuts cause it, but even eating meat, chicken, or lychees can easily lead to a sore throat.
Whether it's swollen gums, blistered tongues, or sore throats, once you get "heaty," even the most delicious food loses its appeal.
On the other hand, people in the north can eat fried foods every day without worrying about sore throats. They have much more freedom in their diets than southerners.
The reason lies in the different climates of the north and south.
Some southerners who quickly get sore throats from eating hot foods in their hometowns find that after living in the north for a year or two, they can eat whatever they want without issues.
Similarly, some northerners who move to the south find that, while they're still better at handling "heaty" foods than most southerners, they can no longer eat as freely as they did back home. Eating too many hot foods will still cause them to get sore throats.
It's precisely because southerners have long struggled with this issue that famous remedies like Guangdong herbal tea came into existence.
As for the red bamboo water Deng Yunzhu mentioned, it was one of the most common methods for reducing internal heat in rural areas of Bobai County at the time.
Red bamboo water, as the name suggests, is the juice that flows out of red bamboo. To collect it, you pull down a stalk of red bamboo, cut off the tail, and secure it with a rope or other tool. Soon, water will slowly flow out from the cut end. This is red bamboo water.
Its heat-reducing properties are truly top-notch.
Hearing his youngest daughter mention this, Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Don't worry about eating too much. I'll go get some red bamboo water later. Before bed, each of you can drink a few sips, and you won't have to worry about getting a sore throat."
With that reassurance, the children dug into the delicious fried squid without hesitation.
Deng Shirong and his son Deng Yuntai each poured half a bowl of rice wine and sat in the spacious living room, eating, drinking, and chatting about family matters. This comfortable life, with his children by his side, was exactly what Deng Shirong had been striving for in his previous life.
…
The next day, Deng Shirong stayed home and didn't go anywhere. He wanted to finalize the guest list for his eldest son's wedding.
In later generations, many newlyweds had extensive social circles, so the biggest headache when planning a wedding was creating the guest list. They had to go through their list of acquaintances repeatedly, fearing they might forget someone.
Forgetting a friend wasn't just about missing out on a red envelope—it could mean losing that friend entirely.
In the eyes of the forgotten friend, if you invited everyone except them, it would seem like they meant nothing to you. Even if they didn't confront you about it, the relationship would likely fade over time.
Some newlyweds wouldn't realize they'd forgotten a friend until the wedding was just around the corner. In such cases, unless they showed genuine sincerity to make amends, they had to personally invite the forgotten guest, no matter where they lived.
Otherwise, a casual phone call wouldn't cut it, and the friendship would likely be lost.
Therefore, the wedding guest list had to be checked and double-checked to ensure no friends were overlooked.
(End of this chapter)