"Daddy, what is hot pot?"
The little girl, with her big, watery eyes, looked at Chen Yang who was starting to prepare the ingredients, full of anticipation. From the way Daddy described it, it sounded like something delicious.
"You'll know soon enough. Go play with your brother, don't get in the way here."
Chen Yang glanced at the little chickens in the backyard. These little guys were once his daughter's darlings, and soon his mother-in-law would be sharpening her knives for them. He didn't want the little girl to see. Although the little one didn't pay much attention to these ugly chicks anymore, she had raised them for a while, and it wouldn't be good if she started crying.
After seeing the little girl off, Chen Yang gave his mother-in-law a wink. His mother-in-law immediately grabbed a bigger one and slaughtered it on the spot. They had raised them for over half a year, feeding them wild vegetables and bran every day. These chickens had grown quite well, weighing over two to three catties after being plucked. Chopped into pieces and stir-fried with some dried shiitake mushrooms, the aroma of the chicken stew with mushrooms filled the air. This chicken soup was perfect for the hot pot broth.
With a pot of soup base and chicken meat ready, he also scooped out a bowl of chicken blood. In this cold weather, the chicken blood would quickly solidify. For hot pot, duck blood was also excellent, but since there was no duck blood, chicken blood would do. Chen Yang sliced the chicken blood.
He then dug through the snow and dug up some leafy vegetables from the ground. Unfortunately, there was no hot pot base available, so he had to put more effort into the dipping sauces. Chen Yang prepared some fermented bean curd, sesame paste, a little sesame oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, stirring them together. Once the vegetables were cooked, dipping them into this sesame sauce would be incredibly delicious. He also prepared a dish of sesame oil, chili flakes, cilantro, and minced garlic. Without chili oil, it felt like something was missing. In his previous life, Chen Yang was obsessed with the nine-grid hot pot from the Sichuan-Chongqing region. That spiciness made him, a native of Jiangsu province, exclaim in delight. Eating it made him sweat profusely, and his mouth went numb. Yet, after the spiciness, he craved it again, which was truly magical. However, the two little ones couldn't handle such spice, and Shen Xue, being pregnant, couldn't either. His father-in-law and mother-in-law weren't big fans of spicy food either, so only he could enjoy it.
The chicken soup was stewed, various vegetables were prepared, some dried bean curd that was stocked during the New Year shopping was soaked, and some of the glutinous rice cakes made yesterday were sliced. A large stack of fresh pork and cured meat was also prepared. The family gathered around the charcoal stove, poured the chicken soup into the pot, ate a bowl of chicken meat first, and then, under Chen Yang's guidance, everyone started to cook the ingredients.
It was snowing outside, and inside, the chicken soup simmered on the stove. Chen Yang blew on a piece of vegetable and fed a chopstickful to the little girl and Chen Hao.
"Daddy, it's so delicious."
The little girl, eating the leafy vegetables cooked in chicken broth and dipped in sesame sauce, found the taste amazing. It was a flavor she had never experienced before, just like the hot pot cooking method.
"Daddy, I want to eat meat," Chen Hao said, pointing at the thinly sliced pork belly on the plate. If the vegetables were this good, the meat must be even better.
"Alright, I'll cook some meat for you."
Although it was just a clear chicken broth base without the rich red oil, it carried the savory aroma of chicken soup, offering a unique flavor. More importantly, in this weather, a steaming hot pot was incredibly pleasant. Chen Yang had sliced the pork belly very thinly. As soon as it was dipped in the pot, the meat quickly curled. It was done in a few tens of seconds; it shouldn't be cooked for too long, or the meat would become tough. After dipping it in the sesame sauce, Chen Hao took a bite and his eyes widened.
"Mom, Dad, Xue'er, cook the meat, cook the bean curd. This bean curd is as good as meat."
Chen Yang quickly urged the family to join in. Seeing her son eating so heartily, Shen Xue also cooked a piece of meat, dipped it in sauce, and fed it to the little girl. After taking a bite, the two little ones couldn't stop. The family members, each cooking their own pieces, created a lively atmosphere. His father-in-law and mother-in-law, having lived for more than half their lives, had never eaten like this before. The combination of cooked meat and sesame sauce was incredibly delicious. Crucially, while eating, their bodies were warmed, and they didn't feel cold at all, despite the snow outside. Chen Yang cooked a few slices of pork belly, dipped them in his own garlic, chili flake, and sesame oil sauce, finally getting a taste of hot pot from his previous life. He used a slice of pork belly to hold some cilantro, and taking a bite, it was incredibly fragrant. Cilantro, for those who like it, is incredibly aromatic, while those who don't can't stand the smell. The hot pot lasted for over an hour, and the chicken soup was almost dried up. Chen Yang added a pot of boiling water and finished cooking the meat and vegetables. Then, he cooked some cured meat. However, the cured meat was too tough. Even after simmering in the pot for a long time, the children couldn't chew it, and the two little ones struggled to eat even a couple of bites, making them pout.
"Daddy will cook some chicken blood for you. Don't worry, don't worry."
Chicken blood has a slightly gamey taste. Chen Yang let Shen Xue smell it, and since she couldn't eat it, he saved it for last. She was almost full by then, so Chen Yang finally put the chicken blood into the pot to cook. The chicken blood was very tender; Chen Yang could barely hold it with his chopsticks, and it broke apart with a little force.
"I don't want to eat it, it's too bloody." The little girl smelled the chicken blood and ran into Shen Xue's arms, pinching her nose. After eating for almost an hour, she was almost full. However, with hot pot, as long as the heat was on, you could keep cooking ingredients. Chen Hao, as usual, was not picky and stayed with his father, happily eating. With limited ingredients, Chen Yang thought that in the future, when supplies were more abundant, he would get some beef tallow and spices to make a proper hot pot base for a more intense flavor. Or, he could get some tomatoes and make a tomato broth, sweet and sour, which would also cater to his wife and children's taste, but it was deep winter, and without greenhouses, tomatoes were impossible to find. He wondered if anyone in this era made tomato paste, as diluting it with water could also make a broth.
After finishing lunch, Chen Yang felt very warm, so he went for a walk with his father-in-law. As soon as they went out, they saw many children playing enthusiastically, throwing fist-sized snowballs around the dry grass piles left in the threshing ground, having snowball fights. Chen Yang was watching with great interest when, inadvertently, a snowball hit him directly on the forehead. So, Chen Yang joined the snowball fight. Hiding behind a haystack, he realized that there were many other grown men like him inside. Indeed, men die as boys. Playtime was still important. Tu Erwa, a man in his forties, was still vigorously packing snowballs. He was cunning and sneaky, and every snowball he made was tightly packed. If it hit someone, it would hurt a lot.
"Hit him!" Chen Yang also buried his head and made snowballs. Someone shouted, and everyone grabbed the snowballs on the ground, not caring who made them, and threw them at the people emerging from the opposite haystack. Snowballs flew through the air, making Chen Yang's face sting, but his heart was filled with excitement. This was what a snowball fight was all about.