341 Making Liangpi
She added some water into the basin and stirred the flour with chopsticks so that it wouldn’t get on her hands. Then she said to Xue Yan, “We can knead it into dough.”
Xue Yan nodded, then put his clean hands into the water and began to knead them. Jiang Yue poured more water in from time to time.
She wanted to knead it herself. Although her hands were small, she was stronger than Xue Yan. However, Xue Yan said that Liu Guixia and the others would want to do it if they saw her knead, so she let Xue Yan do it.
Xue Yan kneaded for a long time before the two pounds of flour became smooth dough.
Jiang Yue took out a lid and covered the basin to rest the dough. Then, Xue Yan and Jiang Yue sat on the small bench next to the pot and began to wait. Liu Guixia thought they were thinking about how to make the dough into a different kind of noodle from the ones in the town, so she left them to be.
However, Jiang Yue whispered to Xue Yan at a volume only Xue Yan could hear.
“When the dough sets, we can start washing the dough. We have to wash it a few times until all the gluten is out. We don’t want there to be any lumps. When the time comes we’ll steam it and let it settle for about two and a half to four hours.
“Anyway, it just depends on whether there are layers. If there are layers, it’s fine. We don’t really need to follow the time I said. When the time comes, you just have to pour away the water on the top, and the white pulp at the bottom can be used to make liangpi.”
“Okay.”
After he listened to everything, he started.
Xue Yan opened the lid and poured a ladle of water into the basin. The dough was immediately submerged in the water.
“Xue Yan!” Liu Guixia, Li Hehua, and Yu Hongyan immediately called out. “How are you going to cook it like this? I’ve seen other people’s dough being pulled into noodles, cut into slices, pulled into small potions, or made into steamed buns and dumplings. You can’t do this! How could you directly add a ladle of water to the dough? No way! You haven’t been in the kitchen long enough to know what to do! Did you ask Jiang Yue before you did this?”
After a moment of silence, Xue Yan said, “Jiang Yue asked me to do it. She said she wanted to try it. There are noodles and buns in the town. Maybe she can make something new.”
“Oh, it’s fine then.” Liu Guixia and the others immediately said. They assumed that Jiang Yue had the same amount of talent as her mother in this area. She probably could really figure it out.
Xue Yan replied, “Although I do not know the steps, I can understand instructions well.”
The corners of Jiang Yue’s mouth curled up imperceptibly.
Xue Yan was silent for a while, then he went to wash his hands again. Jiang Yue followed him, and then the two children began to wash the dough.
The water color changed a few times. There really were air lumps that had to be pushed out.
He poured the white water into a basin. This was the flour water. He washed the dough again until there was no more white stuff and the water was clear.
He put the gluten and the flour water aside first and let them settle. He still had to cover them with a lid to prevent dirty things from falling in.
Liu Guixia and the others looked at the washed white water and were very surprised. “The water is supposed to be white. Why is this water slightly yellow? It’s like there’s a net and a gap in it.”
“I’m not sure,” Jiang Yue said, “I’ll just give it a try. It looks like something I’ve seen before, I think? They do look like the color of tendons.”