lovenovelstory Chapter 78 Deep-fried Shrimp! A Different Kind of Deliciousness!
Chapter 78 Deep-fried Shrimp! A Different Kind of Deliciousness!
Chapter 78 Deep-Fried Shrimp! A Different Kind of Deliciousness! (Please continue reading!!!)
Li Shimin walked very fast, his footsteps making a thud on the paving stones.
His forehead was covered in sweat, and a large patch of his dragon robe was soaked through, sticking uncomfortably to his back.
But he couldn't care less about the heat at that moment; the fire in his heart burned brighter than the sun in the sky.
This is the Locust God!
Throughout history, who has ever dared to operate on this thing?
Now, Henan is suffering from another severe drought, and these insects are about to become a plague. If word were to spread that a Tang princess had captured the Locust God and boiled him in oil, the people's mouths would be enough to break the royal family's spine.
During the locust plague in the second year of the Zhenguan era, he was so angry that he grabbed a few locusts and ate them raw to win the hearts of the people and appease them so that they could successfully overcome the locust plague.
These days, winning the hearts of the people is a rare treat!
Wei Zheng followed behind, running breathlessly.
"Your Majesty! Slow down! Don't act rashly!"
Wei Zheng was panting heavily, his two mustaches twitching with each breath.
"This matter—this matter must be caused by Su Mu inciting people! The princess is young and ignorant. Your Majesty must not be angry and harm the princess. All we need to do is—all we need to do is capture Su Mu and punish him for the crime of disrespect!"
Li Shimin ignored it completely, and with a gust of wind, headed straight for the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
This Su Mu is such a troublemaker.
They had just calmed down for a few days, and now they're causing trouble again.
Why eat this unlucky stuff when there are so many other options?
Besides, I've eaten locusts before, and I know they taste bitter and hard to swallow. What's so delicious about them?
The gate to the Imperial Kitchen was right in front of us.
Before even entering, you can hear the sounds of ping-pong balls being played inside, as well as the distinctive whooshing sound of a large wok over a fire.
Li Shimin's heart tightened, and he reached out to push the door open.
The door wasn't locked; it was ajar.
He pushed so hard that the two broken wooden doors creaked and slammed against the walls on either side, shaking off a layer of dust.
"stop!"
Li Shimin's shout was so powerful that it startled several kitchen helpers passing by the door, causing them to drop their food bowls.
yard.
The sun shone directly on the abandoned stove.
Su Mu was wearing an apron stained with oil around his waist and holding a pair of unusually long chopsticks in his hand, standing in front of a large iron pot.
Beneath the pot, firewood burned brightly, flames licking the bottom and making the black iron pot smoke.
There's oil in the pot.
The pot was half full of oil, the surface was calm, with only a small bubble occasionally rising in the middle, which was a sign that the oil temperature was rising.
Hearing the noise at the door, Su Mu didn't even turn his head.
His eyes were fixed on the oil pan, and he held a large strainer in his hand, which was filled with freshly drained meat dumplings.
The meatballs were white and looked quite clean, but Li Shimin and Wei Zheng recognized them at a glance as locusts with their heads, tails, and wings removed!
"Su Mu! How dare you!"
When Wei Zheng saw this, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
He rushed forward, raising his scepter to stop them.
"This is the Locust God! You will be punished by Heaven!"
Su Mu then slightly turned his body to the side, his face showing no panic whatsoever, but rather a slight furrowing of his brow.
"Get out of the way."
Su Mu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable chill.
"The oil is hot; don't blame me if you get a burn from it."
After he finished speaking, the strainer in his hand suddenly sank downwards.
That spoonful of white locust meat slid into the boiling oil without hesitation.
"Sizzle—!!!"
A loud bang exploded on this sweltering afternoon.
The noise was like tens of thousands of cicadas screaming at the top of their lungs, or like a torrential downpour pounding on corrugated iron roofs.
The oil in the pot boiled instantly, and countless golden bubbles rolled up, coating the meatballs inside.
The once quiet courtyard was suddenly filled with the loud popping sound of oil!
Li Shimin abruptly pulled back the foot he had just stepped out.
Wei Zheng's scepter, which was held in mid-air, also froze.
Immediately afterwards, an extremely domineering smell, along with the rising fumes, relentlessly assaulted people's nostrils!
It doesn't have that fishy or gamey smell, nor does it have that burnt smell.
It was an extremely pure, untamed aroma of meat.
It tastes like river shrimp being cooked in a pot, or like fatty pork being rendered into cracklings, and it also has a wheaty aroma like freshly baked bread!
This flavor is too strong!
Wei Zheng's bellyful of advice was about to burst forth.
"How can such filthy things be—"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly inhaled the strong aroma of fried food.
"Achoo—!"
A loud sneeze abruptly cut Wei Zheng off the rest of his sentence.
He rubbed his nose, about to continue cursing, when his stomach, much to his dismay, let out a thunderous rumble.
In the brief silence, the sound seemed particularly jarring.
Wei Zheng's old face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and the hand holding the tablet trembled twice before he awkwardly lowered it.
Li Shimin wasn't much better off.
He hadn't eaten well during the morning court session, and now he'd been running all the way, so he was starving.
The aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water, and you have to grit your teeth to stop yourself from swallowing.
He stared at the pot.
The locusts in the pot have changed.
Its original dusty, limp appearance is gone.
Under the influence of hot oil, the meatballs quickly expanded, turning golden brown and crispy.
The outer shell puffed up from being fried, flipping and tumbling in the oil, making a soft crackling sound as they collided!
Looking at it—it's actually kind of pretty?
Su Mu gently stirred the pot with a slotted spoon, scooping out the thoroughly fried pieces and pressing down the undercooked ones.
"It's almost done."
Su Mu muttered to himself and picked up the large winnowing basket that had been prepared in advance.
The strainer was lifted up.
Whoosh!
A large spoonful of golden-fried shrimp was scooped out of the oil, tracing a golden arc in the air before landing steadily in a winnowing basket.
The oil hadn't dried completely and was still sizzling on top.
The aroma was even stronger, so strong it made me dizzy!
Su Mu did not stop.
He turned around and grabbed the spice jar next to him.
First, a handful of fine salt was sprinkled evenly over the golden insects, the snow-white salt grains scattered on them.
Next came a spoonful of brown powder, which was finely ground Sichuan peppercorn powder.
The moment this stuff is sprinkled on, the heat creates an explosion of peppery aroma that makes your tongue tingle!
Finally, Su Mu hesitated for a moment, then pinched off a small amount of red powder from another jar.
That was his special chili powder.
The falling pink petals added a touch of vibrancy to the golden dish.
Su Mu picked up the winnowing basket with both hands and flicked his wrists.
The locusts in the winnowing basket jumped up and down, making a rustling sound, a sound that could only be made by something extremely crisp.
Salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili peppers, coated in hot oil, evenly coat each flying shrimp!
"alright."
Su Mu placed the winnowing basket on the stove and casually picked up a pair of clean chopsticks.
The little brother, who had been waiting on the sidelines, no longer cared about whether his father was the emperor or not, or whether he was dignified or not.
She stood on tiptoe, her little hands gripping the edge of the stove, her big eyes fixed on the delicious food in the winnowing basket, a glistening tear on her lips.
"Brother! Brother, hurry! We need to get this done!"
The little girl was so anxious that she was jumping up and down, her two little tufts of hair on her head were shaking, and her voice was soft and sweet, with a lisp from not having lost her baby teeth yet.
Li Shimin opened his mouth, as if to stop him.
Those are insects! How can a rhinoceros eat insects?
But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, looking at the golden, crispy plate and smelling the intoxicating aroma, he just couldn't bring himself to say no.
Su Mu smiled, picked up the fattest one, and blew on it to cool it down.
Open your mouth.
"Ah—!"
Little Si opened her mouth as wide as possible, revealing her pink gums.
The golden-fried locust was stuffed into her mouth.
Everyone was staring at her.
Li Lizhi covered her mouth, looking very nervous, afraid that her younger sister had eaten something bad.
Li Shimin and Wei Zheng held their breath, their hearts pounding in their throats.
The little ox closed its mouth and puffed out its cheeks.
"Snap!"
The crisp sound, so clear in this afternoon filled only with the chirping of cicadas, sent chills down one's spine.
crisp!
It's so crispy!
Just by listening to that sound, you can imagine the texture of that flaky crust cracking between your teeth.
The little ox chewed very quickly, making a constant crunching sound.
Immediately afterwards, the little girl's eyes widened suddenly, and two beams of light instantly flashed in her black, grape-like eyes.
"Ugh!!!"
She called out indistinctly, cupping her cheeks with her little hands, her face filled with incredible surprise.
"Good! Daddy! This duck is so good!"
Little Si swallowed what was in her mouth, stuck out her pink little tongue and licked the salt and pepper granules on her lips, looking completely blissful.
"Like pork cracklings! No—even more fragrant than pork cracklings! Crunchy and delicious! There's meat inside!"
She reached into the winnowing basket and grabbed another one, not caring about the heat, and popped it into her mouth with a crunch.
"The guy wasn't lying! This is a real 'flying blind' treat! It's a piece of meat that fell from the sky!"