After taking a stroll upstairs, Jiang Yu returned to the first floor, preparing to whip up a seasonal dish for the students before the dining hall opened: stir-fried Qinghe vegetable with cured meat.
This dish is truly a beloved favorite for the people of Jiangzhou. Every spring, you can smell the unique fragrance of Qinghe vegetable everywhere, whether in markets or restaurants.
If you’re observant, you might even notice some restaurants in Jiangzhou proudly using "Stir-fried Qinghe Vegetable with Cured Meat" as their signboard.
This just goes to show that the saying, "The grass by Poyang Lake is the treasure of Jiangzhou people," is not said lightly.
When Jiang Yu arrived at the first-floor kitchen, it seemed Hu Zhihai had already bragged quite a bit. Upon seeing Jiang Yu, Lu Shuwu looked at him with a face full of grievance:
"Boss, next time you go out to have fun, can you take me along too? I’m like Lao Jia, having been in Jiangzhou for more than half a year and haven’t had a chance to explore."
Hearing this, Jiang Yu also felt a bit sorry for Lu Shuwu.
He came to visit his younger sister at Jiang University last September, and he was instantly captivated by Jiang Yu’s soup dumplings and has been ’tied’ to the dining hall ever since. He’s followed from the Second Dining Hall to the Seventh Dining Hall, rarely stepping out.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yu looked at him sympathetically and nodded, saying:
"Alright, next Saturday I’ll cook on the first floor, and you can have a day off to go out and about."
"..."
Lu Shuwu was speechless. What I wanted was for you to take me out to have fun; what good is going out alone?
Besides, if I go out alone, who will make delicious food for me?
"Forget it, forget it, I won’t take the day off."
He quickly waved his hand and pointed at the fresh bamboo shoots Hu Zhihai had brought in, saying,
"How about we stir-fry these bamboo shoots and eat them later? You guys had so many delicious dishes at noon, you should save some for us to try!"
With that, the others in the dining hall also looked over, eyes gleaming.
Fresh spring bamboo shoots are tender and delicious. Even casually stir-frying them makes for a tasty dish. If Jiang Yu were to make it, how delicious could it possibly be?
Just thinking about it makes one drool!
"Alright, since there’s just this little amount, let’s stir-fry it for ourselves. Besides, fresh bamboo shoots don’t keep well; the longer they’re stored, the older they get."
Jiang Yu didn’t object. He was planning on cooking something else for dinner anyway, so since everyone wanted bamboo shoots, they might as well have it. He said,
"Take these bamboo shoots to the prep area and have Uncle Ma help process them. Once I’m done with the Qinghe Vegetable, we’ll make something for ourselves to eat."
"Oh, sure!"
Upon hearing that, Lu Shuwu immediately lifted the entire plastic bag and walked away happily.
After only a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Jiang Yu, saying,
"Oh, by the way, boss, when Boss Zhao delivered the groceries this morning, he mentioned that their distribution center received a large batch of fresh Qingming Grass. He wanted me to ask if you needed any. If not, he’ll sell it off elsewhere."
"Qingming Grass?"
Jiang Yu was also taken aback, only then remembering that it would be Qingming Festival in a few days.
Qingming Grass, also known as Qingming Vegetable or Mouse Grass, is a kind of herbal medicine. It has the effects of nourishing yin and qi, relieving coughing and phlegm, and also has some effects of cooling blood, detoxification, and lowering blood pressure.
Qingming Grass is found throughout the country, commonly seen in fields and slopes. It’s only around the Qingming Festival that the grass is at its freshest and most tender stage.
At this time, the leaves of Qingming Grass are tender and juicy. Mixing them with rice or glutinous rice flour can create the fragrant snack—Qingming Fruit.
Because Qingming Grass is also a herb, it is sometimes commercially grown. For example, what Lao Zhao has at his distribution center is very likely farmed; otherwise, it’s unlikely to get such a large supply at once.
After pondering for a while, Jiang Yu nodded and said to Lu Shuwu, "All right, I get it. I’ll give Boss Zhao a call later."
Since there’s Qingming Grass, of course, they should get some to make Qingming Fruit. It’d give students from all over the country a chance to taste this unique spring flavor.
"Oh, okay."
Not bothering with whether Jiang Yu wanted the Qingming Grass, Lu Shuwu was preoccupied with wondering how best to cook the wild bamboo shoots—they all seemed delicious whether stir-fried with cured meat or cooked with pickled vegetables and beef.
Fresh bamboo shoots seem to be tasty no matter how you prepare them... but with so many options, how does one choose?
Ah, it’s truly a delightful problem!
Jiang Yu, on the other hand, didn’t bother with these thoughts. After washing his hands, he started heating the oil to begin his cooking.
The method for stir-fried Qinghe vegetable with cured meat isn’t complicated. Heat the oil in the pan, then add in sliced cured meat, stir-frying until it’s translucent before adding the Qinghe vegetable, garlic chives, and small chili peppers.
After stir-frying for a while, when the unique fragrance of the Qinghe vegetable emanates from the pan, add in the chopped chive leaves, stir-frying until they are just cooked. Then add in appropriate amounts of salt, MSG, and soy sauce, stir-frying again until even, and it’s ready to be served.
In the combination of all vegetables and cured meat, it is perhaps only Qinghe that reaches the highest realm.
The salty and tender cured meat complements the unique fragrance of Qinghe, which looks like green silk ribbons, tender and glossy. The cured meat is golden red with a slight transparency, garnished with fiery red chili peppers, making this stir-fried Qinghe vegetable with cured meat a table delicacy, vastly enhancing one’s appetite.
"Wow! It smells so good, the aroma is enough to make anyone drool!"