1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

Chapter 103 Ham and Mushroom Rice

Nuodeng ham from Yunnan Province is a top-tier ingredient featured in the documentary series "A Bite of China," and it is one of the few ingredients that, after gaining popularity, has not undergone large-scale commercial development.

To this day, Xuanwei ham remains the most famous product in Yunnan Province.

However, in the hearts of the people of Yunnan Province, Xuanwei ham is just a beginner's product.

In the hearts of the people of Yunnan Province, only hams from Sanchuan, Laowo, and Saba are considered authentic.

Nuodeng ham requires three years of curing with salt from a well that has been used for thousands of years, resulting in extremely low production and making it very precious.

"This is too expensive!" Lu Yuan refused.

Lili's eyes were very determined; she refused to let Lu Yuan return the ham.

"Brother Lu Yuan, my hometown is in the southwest. Ham is not difficult for me to obtain, but I don't know how to cook it, so I have no use for it. However, Mapo Tofu has an extraordinary meaning for me."

"I know this might be presumptuous, but I'm not very familiar with the rules of the culinary world. I just want you to teach me how to make Mapo Tofu!"

As she spoke, Lili even tried to kneel down before Lu Yuan, who could only help her up and agree to her request.

Mapo tofu is all about the numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, hot, crispy, and tender qualities, and the whole process involves many details.

Although Lu Yuan taught her the specific steps, he couldn't control how much she could understand.

This involves the chef's basic skills, which he couldn't make Lily suddenly understand.

Half an hour later, Lu Yuan left the small Sichuan restaurant carrying a large ham.

In the long run, Lu Yuan definitely profited from this deal.

Because in later generations, there are all sorts of Mapo Tofu recipes on the internet, and even Chen Mapo (the originator of Mapo Tofu, who is said to be the most authentic Mapo Tofu) has started to release tutorials.

But this ham will last Lu Yuan a long time at his private banquets.

Back at the department store, Lu Yuan left the ham at the gold counter as usual.

This trip to the provincial capital was partly to buy some new items for the family and some new clothes for my parents to improve their quality of life.

On the other hand, Lu Yuan needed to buy some seasonings, dried goods, tableware, and the like, since there were still too few things available in the county town.

Using this 5% off shopping voucher, Lu Yuan bought 8000 yuan worth of goods, which were piled up like a small mountain in front of the gold counter.

Mr. Zhang and his assistant, watching from a distance, were practically grinding their teeth in frustration. To prevent Lu Yuan from giving the voucher to someone else, Mr. Zhang even arranged for someone to follow Lu Yuan closely.

But what he didn't expect was that Lu Yuan was buying things for himself and was carrying a large amount of cash.

It was like a perfect pillow for someone who was sleepy; Lu Yuan was completely satisfied!

With so much stuff, it's clearly not appropriate to go to the station and take a bus.

Lu Yuan simply flagged down a van at the intersection and, after a fierce bargaining session, chartered the van directly back to Luwangtan Village for 100 yuan.

Before leaving, Lu Yuan took out a pair of leather gloves that he had bought along with the clothes and gave them to the young lady at the gold counter.

Today's 5% off jewelry might mean her commission will be cut, and it's also caused her a lot of trouble all day.

Both out of courtesy and reason, we should thank the other party properly.

The little girl was surprised to be given a pair of leather gloves, a brand she usually wouldn't buy.

She and the old teller had completely different thoughts; she thought to herself that the rural brothers were the most honest.

It was already 6:30 pm when we got back to Luwangtan Village.

After returning to the countryside, Wei Yinghong was noticeably more at ease.

She poured herself a glass of iced tea and gulped it down, exclaiming, "Why is shopping at the mall more tiring than working?"

"Mom, you have to get used to this kind of life! You'll have to go every month from now on!" Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Wei Yinghong's head was spinning: "No way? We have to go again!"

Lu Yuan also drank a cup of herbal tea, then carried the ham to the kitchen.

He hadn't had lunch yet, and he wanted to try the taste of this top-quality ham.

So I decided to make a common dish from Yunnan Province: ham and mushroom rice.

This dish doesn't actually have a specific form; you can put in whatever ingredients you like, as long as it's not unusual.

In the Southwest, traditional ingredients often include bamboo shoots, black porcini mushrooms, and green beans. Higher-end versions may include dried mushrooms and termite mushrooms.

However, the ingredients available in the northern region were extremely limited. Lu Yuan only found some porcini and termite mushrooms, which were of mediocre quality and were dried goods.

Even Lu Yuan couldn't bear to part with it; he wanted to save it for a private banquet.

After much deliberation, Lu Yuan decided to use local purple mushrooms, which, although not well-known, were still quite palatable.

As for side dishes, there aren't many tender bamboo shoots in the northern region, and people don't like green beans, so Lu Yuan added some potatoes to enhance the texture.

The preparation of ingredients is very simple. Except for the mushrooms, which need to be sliced ​​thinly, all the others are diced.

Ham needs to be rinsed in water before cooking, otherwise it will be too salty for most people to eat.

As for the rice, Lu Yuan used the traditional method of cooking over firewood, first adding water and cooking it until it was half-cooked.

Because the rice grains in the northern region are plumper, they take longer to cook than long-grain rice, so the cooking method needs to be modified.

The rice from the northern border region is actually top-quality, second only to Wuchang rice from Northeast China in terms of domestic ranking.

However, due to its small production volume, it doesn't make much of a splash in the market.

Once everything is ready, heat oil in a wok, add diced ham, and stir-fry until the meat is fragrant.

Next, add diced potatoes and mushrooms, and stir-fry until the surface is slightly browned.

Add a little more water, then add the half-cooked rice, stir-fry until well combined, and pour into a clay pot.

This flat clay pot was also bought by Lu Yuan today. Traditional northern clay pots are quite deep and not suitable for cooking rice.

Actually, a small copper pot with the ethnic characteristics of Yunnan Province would be best, but Lu Yuan couldn't buy one, so he could only use a clay pot as a substitute.

This mushroom rice is different from Cantonese claypot rice. It's best to mix the rice with ham and mushrooms first to bring out the best flavor.

The ham has a natural salty flavor, and the umami flavor released by the mushrooms is several times stronger than that of MSG, so this braised rice doesn't need any additional seasoning.

Cover the casserole with the lid and start simmering. After a few minutes, the rich aroma of ham mixed with the fresh fragrance of mushrooms fills the air.

Lu Yuan deliberately simmered it a little longer, as he liked the texture of the crispy rice crust at the bottom of the casserole.

After opening the lid, there's no need to drizzle sauce or sprinkle scallions; Yunnan cuisine is all about the freshness of the ingredients.

Lu Yuan used the handle of the casserole to quickly lift the casserole into the porcelain plate, and then carried the porcelain plate to the front hall.

The rich aroma wafted all the way from the kitchen to the front of the house.

Rice must be eaten hot, as the clay pot will keep it heated, and it's best to share it on the spot.

If the food is portioned out in the kitchen and then brought to the front of the house, it will inevitably get a bit cold, and the texture and taste won't be as perfect.

Lu Changming and Wei Yinghong's stomachs had been growling for a while, and they couldn't help but swallow their saliva when the aroma wafted from the kitchen.

Looking at the glistening, fragrant braised rice in front of her, Wei Yinghong asked, "Son, is this made with the ham from Grandma's house?"

"That's right!" Lu Yuan quickly handed two bowls of rice to his parents and said, "This is ham and mushroom rice, have a taste."

Lu Changming was a man of few words, a simple and unpretentious man of action. He immediately took a bite, and then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"

"Hot! Hot! Hot! Oh! Smells so good! So delicious! Oh! Hot! Hot!"