Chapter 94

Mini skirt.

It wasn't exactly crayfish that my wife, Dang Yingying, and Da Zhu caught.

To be precise, they were more like long-legged creatures resembling crayfish, a bit like mantis shrimp.

They appeared to be a native species of Yunnan, slightly larger than a human finger and with longer front legs, reminding one of a slightly larger shrimp.

One might wonder why there are no crayfish in the mountain streams, but crayfish are only found in parts of Mongolia, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, North America, and Europe in Asia.

Therefore, crayfish dishes were not something you could see in the Central Plains of this era.

One might wonder why, in the previous life in China, Sichuan-style spicy crayfish (Mala Longxia) became so popular, accounting for 90% of global crayfish production and 80% of consumption.

The crayfish we ate in our previous life were Louisiana crayfish, an introduced species from North America, which began to be farmed in China at the end of the 20th century when Sichuan-style spicy crayfish started to gain popularity.

Unlike the native Korean crayfish, which live only in clean water, Louisiana crayfish can thrive in dirty water and have a high reproductive rate, making them ideal for farming and consumption.

Thus, it's natural that we wouldn't see the crayfish we think of for Mala Longxia in this era.

But just because there are no true crayfish, does that mean we can't cook?

Absolutely not.

The creatures caught by my wife and Yingying were large enough to cook.

Moreover, from my wife's reaction, it seems that in the Song Dynasty, the mantis shrimp-like creatures they caught were called "Longxia" (龙虾).

Though not typical crayfish, they were large enough and called "Longxia," so this would be the Mala Longxia of the Song Dynasty!

While we can't add it to our inn's menu due to transportation and freshness issues, making it as a memory of Yunnan wouldn't be bad, right?

I had been missing the unique taste of crustaceans, which can only be found in crabs, crayfish, and shrimp. Although a bit disappointed that they were a type of shrimp rather than crayfish, they still had the distinctive crustacean flavor, so I started cooking right away.

The Longxia sizzled in the wok.

Sichuan-style spicy crayfish is a modern dish, so the cooking method is simple but varied.

The common method in China is to first clean the crayfish, which live in dirty water, by scrubbing their undersides with a brush, then fry them in oil after shaking off the excess water.

However, the Longxia we caught live in clean mountain streams, so we skipped the cleaning step.

We also didn't have much oil, so we decided to use a different method.

A slightly modified recipe for Mala Longxia from my previous life in Korea.

First, I put two pieces of star anise and a 3:2 ratio of Sichuan pepper and black pepper in the wok and boiled the Longxia once.

This was to remove any fishy or earthy smell by blanching them in hot water.

Boiling them for too long would make the broth too strong and lose the flavor, so I only boiled them until the shells turned red.

I placed the wok on the stones around the fire and watched the fire. Soon, the water started to heat up, and steam began to rise.

At the same time, the sound of splashing water.

-Splash, splash

The Longxia, unable to bear the heat, started jumping out of the water.

"Master! The Longxia are jumping out!"

Yingying caught the Longxia that were trying to escape and threw them back into the pot.

"Don't worry, Qingya! I'm putting them back in!"

Yingying's helpful action was rare.

She had clearly expelled something terrible from her body, including some evil spirits.

When she vomited the Alpha-mi, it felt like something deep inside her was being expelled, almost like an exorcism.

'Has the child changed?'

While I was surprised by Yingying's changed appearance, the splashing sounds suddenly increased.

-Splash, splash, splash, splash

The Longxia, trapped in the hot water, started jumping out in unison.

Even Yingying's quick hands couldn't handle it, so we cut a large leaf to cover the wok and prevent them from jumping out.

After a while, the sounds subsided.

When I removed the leaf, the wok, illuminated by the fire, revealed the Longxia with their red, cooked shells lying on their backs.

I quickly scooped the Longxia onto a large leaf and discarded the broth.

Yingying's voice echoed.

"Is it already done, Master?"

Her face was full of anticipation, and her sleeves were rolled up.

Yingying's sleeves were rolled up, revealing her slender arms.

She seemed to have a natural instinct for food, as she was already preparing to peel the shells without being taught.

Seeing this, I felt a bit guilty for not appreciating her more.

Thinking about it, Yingying was born with a tragic fate, in the wrong era.

'Poor child, born in the wrong era...'

In our previous life, a woman as beautiful as Yingying who ate a lot could have easily been a top food vlogger.

In our previous life, her simple actions, bubbly charm, and voice could have made her a top talent, but in this era, she was just a food lover.

I decided to be more understanding and caring towards my sister in the future.

'But is she okay after vomiting so much just now?'

Thinking about it, her stomach must have been swollen or shocked after expelling the Alpha-mi, so I asked if she was okay.

"Dang Meimei, are you okay inside? Was it hard after vomiting so much?"

"I'm fine, Master! But can I eat this now?"

She might not have a trained stomach like a martial arts expert, but she was impressive.

"Not yet. Wait a bit longer."

"Wait? It smells so good already!"

I shook my head at her and told her to wait, and her face fell.

I took out some garlic and ginger from my bag, in case we caught a deer in the jungle and needed to cook it.

-Chop, chop, chop, chop, clang! Clang!

I sliced the ginger and peeled the garlic, then smashed it on a stone and prepared it, adding oil to the wok.

About a third of the oil I had.

Whatever happens in the future, today is a feast.

As soon as the oil heated up in the hot wok, I added the ginger and garlic.

-Sizzle

Next, I added Sichuan pepper and black pepper, the essential ingredients in Chinese and especially Sichuan cuisine.

As the ginger and garlic fried and released their aroma, I added the Sichuan pepper and black pepper, which blended with the fragrance of the ginger and garlic, creating a spicy and aromatic blend.

The smell of frying garlic and ginger, which never gets old and remains unchanged even in a different era.

I immediately added the pre-boiled Longxia to prevent the Sichuan pepper and black pepper from burning in the hot oil.

I swept all the Longxia back into the wok in front of Yingying, stirred them a few times with a ladle, and added doubanjiang (fermented broad bean and chili paste).

Then, I added water from the stream to the wok and waited for it to simmer.

-Bubble, bubble, bubble

The sound and aroma of the Mala Longxia cooking in the wok spread around.

"It smells delicious, Master."

Suddenly, my wife's voice came from beside me, very close.

Startled, I looked to the side and saw my wife crouching next to me, attached to the fire.

Beside her, Yingying was clinging to her like a Siamese twin.

On the opposite side, a bit further away, Da Zhu had already found a stone to sit on.

Everyone was eager.

I waited until the broth had reduced a bit, then made the fire bigger to light up the area and distributed wooden bowls.

Like children waiting for their school lunch, they held the wooden bowls with both hands, and I ladled the Longxia into them.

As I ladled the Longxia into their bowls, their faces lit up with uncontrollable joy.

"It's hot, so be careful. Peel the shell and eat the meat inside."

"I understand, Master."

"I understand, Master."

The fire was out, but the remaining charcoal kept the broth simmering.

I warned them to be careful when peeling the shells and started peeling a Longxia.

I removed the head and inserted my fingers into the underside, pulling it open.

The plump Longxia's shell came off, and steam rose from the meat in the cool night air.

"Madam, here. Ahem..."

"Really? Oh!"

My wife, Zhuge Qing, was startled when she saw the steaming Longxia meat I offered.

Her face, which seemed to be more than just the reflection of the fire, turned red, and she extended her hands gracefully to receive it.

But I couldn't hand it to her with my hands.

I shook my head and brought the Longxia meat to her mouth.

As my arm approached her face, her eyes widened.

As the steaming Longxia meat slowly approached her mouth, her face turned as red as the cooked Longxia.

Finally, with a beet-red face, she took the Longxia meat and turned her head to Yingying, looking flustered.

"Is it delicious, Madam?"

"Uh? Mmm."

She was so flustered that she couldn't chew the Longxia and answered