RPAGF Chapter 15: Garlic Ribs!
Chapter 15: Garlic Ribs!
The afternoon sun was just right, making the messy pile of timber in the backyard of the imperial kitchen scorching hot.
Su Mu had just bolted the broken door, holding the chipped machete in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the pile of scrap wood in the yard.
I'm just idling around anyway.
Since those two greedy cats come to report every day, it would be too shabby to let the princess squat on the woodpile and watch him chop wood every day.
Moreover, that little girl has too much energy. If she doesn't have something to expend her energy, she'll dismantle his stove sooner or later.
Su Mu selected several mulberry logs of uniform thickness, without even bothering to draw lines with an ink line.
Knife up and down.
Wood chips flew around like snowflakes.
With god-like knife skills, the rough bark was instantly peeled off, revealing the delicate, pale yellow texture inside.
Planing, grinding, and grooving.
There were no nails; the wood held together by its own interlocking.
In less than half an hour, a small slide, about half a person's height, was erected in the shady spot at the base of the wall.
The slide was specially sanded three times with fine sandpaper and then coated with a layer of lard for maintenance, making it so slippery that even flies would have to do the splits if they landed on it.
Next to it, using the leftover scraps, a simple swing frame was built, with two sturdy hemp ropes hanging from it and a wide wooden board hanging below.
Su Mu patted the sawdust off his hands, sat back in the recliner, and picked up a palm-leaf fan to cover his face.
I had just dozed off for a while when the specially made door latch was slammed shut.
"Brother! Open the door! Let's go!"
That sweet, childlike voice has an extremely strong penetrating power.
Su Mu slowly got up and unplugged the latch.
The door had barely opened a crack when Xiao Sizi burst in like a small cannonball, holding two large peaches she had just smuggled from the Imperial Garden.
Li Lizhi followed behind, still carrying the exquisite food box in her hand, but today she was wearing a simple light pink palace dress, with the cuffs tied tighter, as if she had learned her lesson from getting her clothes dirty last time.
"Guoguo Qitaotao!"
Little Sizi shoved the peach into Su Mu's arms and turned to rush toward the stove.
Suddenly, the large thing standing against the wall caught her attention.
The little girl slammed on the brakes, her feet scraping two dirt tracks on the ground.
She tilted her head, curiously circled the slide twice, and reached out to touch the slippery wooden planks.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Su Mu took a bite of the peach; it was crisp and sweet.
"Slide, climb up, slide down, try it yourself."
Little Sizi was skeptical.
She climbed up the small platform with only three steps, using both her hands and feet, sat at the top, and looked down.
It's a bit high.
The little girl swallowed hard and glanced back at Su Mu.
Su Mu leaned against the door frame and gestured with his chin towards her.
Little Sizi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and relaxed his buttocks.
Whoosh-!
Gravity accelerated the little meatball as it slid down the smooth wooden plank.
"Wow--!"
It wasn't a scream of fear, but a cheer of excitement.
The little ox landed steadily on the ground, and before it could even stand up, it immediately got up, its two short legs moving quickly, and rushed towards the steps again.
"This is fun! This is so much fun!"
"One more time! Whoosh—!"
The courtyard was instantly filled with the little girl's infectious laughter.
Li Lizhi stood aside, watching her younger sister play wildly, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.
Such unbridled joy was a rare sight in the strictly regulated inner palace.
Her gaze fell on the slightly swaying swing beside her.
When I was a child, before my father became emperor, when he was still living in the Prince of Qin's mansion, there was a swing like this in the courtyard.
At that time, she didn't need to put on airs as a princess, nor did she need to pay attention to her demeanor at all times.
Li Lizhi walked over as if possessed and sat down gently.
The hemp rope made a slight "creaking" sound.
With a light touch of the toes, he swung gently.
The moment her body was lifted into the air, the wind brushed past her ears, and her skirt billowed in the breeze.
Li Lizhi closed her eyes and felt much lighter. The tension in her heart that had been constantly taut finally eased.
"Pretty relaxed, huh?"
An untimely sound shattered the tranquility.
Su Mu walked over at some point, carrying a tattered bamboo basket, and placed it next to the swing.
The bamboo basket was filled with unpeeled garlic cloves, a pile of white garlic.
Li Lizhi stopped swinging and looked at him with a somewhat blank expression.
"We've had our fun, it's time to pay the rent."
Su Mu pointed to the pile of garlic.
"I don't support idlers. The slide and swing are the fruits of my labor. You can play with them, but you have to work first."
Li Lizhi was stunned.
She is Princess Chang Le!
This person actually made her...peel garlic?
"What? You don't want to?"
Su Mu didn't insist. He pretended to take the swing away, saying, "If you don't want to, then forget it. I'll just take the swing apart and use it for firewood. It almost started a fire."
As soon as the little boy rushed down the slide and heard that the toys were going to be taken apart, he immediately pounced on the basket of garlic and hugged it.
"Slap! Slap!"
The little girl grabbed a clove of garlic, and because she was weak, her face turned red as she tried to bite off the white skin with her teeth.
"Ptooey! It burns my mouth!"
Li Lizhi sighed helplessly as she watched her younger sister guarding her food and toys.
She got off the swing, squatted down beside the bamboo basket, and rolled up the sleeves of her priceless brocade dress.
"I'll do it."
She picked up a clove of garlic and gently pinched the skin with her long, slender fingernails.
That spicy, pungent smell instantly stained my fingertips.
In the past, she would have definitely covered her nose and walked away in disgust.
But at this moment, listening to her younger sister's screams as she slid down the slide, and watching Su Mu's busy figure in front of the stove, she actually felt that the smell of garlic wasn't so bad after all.
It even feels somewhat...reassuring?
Su Mu looked at the two, one big and one small, squatting on the ground obediently peeling garlic, and nodded in satisfaction.
Tonight's dish absolutely needs garlic.
He pulled out a few fine skewers from under the pile of firewood.
These days, pork is cheap, and spare ribs are unwanted scraps with little meat and lots of bones. Su Mu had them specially reserved for him.
Chop into 1-inch pieces, soak in cold water to remove blood, and drain.
Su Mu walked over and grabbed a large handful of garlic from the pile that Li Lizhi had peeled.
"May I borrow your knife skills?"
He didn't take the cutting board back; instead, he used the back of the knife to make a few "snap" sounds on the wooden stump next to Li Lizhi.
The garlic was smashed, and strong garlic juice splattered out.
Li Lizhi subconsciously shrank back, but still squinted at the smell.
Su Mu squeezed the water out of the minced garlic and poured the murky garlic water into the ribs.
"Look carefully, this is garlic ribs. It's all about the garlic flavor, not the garlic bits."
"The garlic residue burns and turns bitter as soon as it hits the oil."
"Let the meat absorb the garlic juice thoroughly, that's when the flavor penetrates to the bone."
The ribs are soaked in garlic water, then seasoned with salt and sugar for added flavor, and finally coated with a handful of sweet potato starch, making sure they are completely covered.
Heat oil in a wok.
Loose oil.
When the oil was at 50% heat, Su Mu carefully slid the ribs into it one by one.
"Sizzle—!"
The dense oil bubbles instantly coated the meat.
The originally pink flesh quickly turned white, and then slightly yellow.
The aroma of meat mixed with garlic rose into the air with the cooking smoke, forcefully penetrating everyone's nostrils.
The little ox, who was sliding down the slide, stopped moving.
She lay on the top of the slide, her nose twitching, and a little drool was about to drip from the corner of her mouth.
"It smells so good...it smells like meat, and...garlic?"
Li Lizhi's movements also slowed down.
As she watched the ribs sizzling in the oil and smelled the mouthwatering aroma, she suddenly realized that the lingering garlic scent on her fingertips was perhaps the prelude to this delicious meal.
Fry until cooked through, then remove from the oil.
The oil temperature rises.
Double-boil.
This step is for making it crispy.
In just over ten seconds, the ribs turned an enticing golden-red color, with a crispy outer shell that crackled at the slightest touch.
The Sumu fished out the ribs, drained the oil, and plated them.
There were no extra decorations, just a big plate full of golden meat bones.
"Alright, stop peeling."
Su Mu placed the plate on the small table between the two specially made recliners.
"Wash your hands and eat."
Little Sizi cheered and slid down the slide. Without caring whether his hands were clean or not, he grabbed a piece and tried to stuff it into his mouth.
"Whoosh! It's hot!"
She fiddled with the scalding hot rib in both hands, breathing heavily on it, but refused to let go.
Once it had cooled down a bit, the little girl couldn't wait to take a bite.
"Snap!"
The crisp sound was especially clear in the quiet backyard.
The outer skin is crispy and golden brown, while the meat inside is tender and juicy.
The rich garlic aroma has long since seeped into the bones, savory, slightly sweet, and becomes more fragrant with each chew.
"Ugh!!!"
Little Sizi's eyes widened in disbelief, and she stomped her feet in bliss.
"Great! Even the bones smell delicious!"
Li Lizhi washed her hands and picked up a piece with some demureness.
Unlike her sister, she didn't wolf it down; instead, she gently bit open the crispy outer shell.
The delicious meat juices instantly overflowed, and the garlic aroma was rich but not overpowering, completely suppressing the pork's fishy smell.
She couldn't help but speed up her chewing.
After finishing the piece, Li Lizhi even sucked on her finger, seemingly still wanting more.
The smell of garlic still lingers there, and now, mixed with the aroma of pork ribs, it creates a unique flavor.
"More!"
The little ox, its mouth dripping with oil, spat out the bones cleanly and then stretched out its devilish claws.
From the front courtyard, one could faintly hear the clattering of shouts, the clanging of pots and pans, and the shrill cursing of the head eunuch.
That was the busiest and most snobbish place in the palace.
But just a wall away lies a dilapidated backyard.
The setting sun casts its slanting rays, and the swing sways gently.
Two noble princesses were gnawing on ribs made from cheap meat without any regard for their image, while a servant dressed in coarse linen clothes was sitting with his legs crossed, casually fanning himself with a palm leaf fan.
Seeing this scene, Li Lizhi's carefully maintained composure crumbled completely.
"that……"
She spat out a bone and glanced at the half-full basket of garlic that remained.
"Can I still come peel garlic tomorrow?"