Grandma Sun had seen her do this kind of thing so many times that she now stepped forward deftly to help.
Li Ying moved gently, taking out the chicken liver and intestines together. Even the small, unripe egg yolks in the hen's belly were all taken out, which naturally puzzled Grandma Sun.
These bits and pieces were all smeared with blood. Most rural families only used them to feed chickens and ducks.
Even though food was scarce at the moment, it really wasn't necessary to keep such things to entertain customers...
Grandma Sun murmured to herself, but Li Ying seemed to see through her doubts and smiled calmly.
"Don't worry. I have my own plan."
Li Ying carefully removed the fat attached to the young chicken's internal organs and cut the meridians and blood vessels connected to the organs into small sections. The strings of unhatched egg yolks were also carefully skewered on bamboo sticks. When she held them up, each one was golden and round, just like a bunch of plump grapes.
"This is called 'lantern skewers'. As long as they are properly processed, there won't be any strange smell. After being roasted, they taste quite different from ordinary boiled eggs."
As she spoke, Li Ying had already prepared all kinds of skewers and neatly arranged them on a bamboo basket.
The tender and juicy chicken thighs were cut into bite - sized pieces and roasted with scallions. The Wenchang chickens, which were raised on banyan tree seeds, small fish and shrimps, had softer meat. A little bit of fat could bring out the sweetness of the scallions.
The high - temperature charcoal fire roasted the fat off the chicken skin skewers completely, making the skin crispy. When chewed carefully, one could still taste the unique chewiness of the chicken skin. Just seasoned with a little salt and pepper, it could produce the most intense aroma.
At the root of the chicken thigh, there were two thumb - sized pieces of meat called "chicken oyster meat". The texture of the meat was delicate and the taste was very solid. Wrapped in a thin layer of chicken skin and roasted until fragrant, taking a big bite brought a hearty pleasure.
The "diaphragm" in the lower abdomen, wrapped in plump fat, was the "pork belly" of the chicken. It was evenly marbled with fat and lean, with a chewy texture. It took two chickens to get enough for one skewer. If the breeding of Wenchang chickens hadn't been on the right track, Li Ying really couldn't have provided it.
The diaphragm meat was soaked in the sweet sauce made at home and marinated until flavorful. When grilled on the charcoal fire, the sauce made a soft "hissing" sound, coating the skewers with a jujube - red amber crust. After getting tired of the original salt - roasted taste, the slightly sweet sauce flavor instantly brought new vitality to the tired taste buds.
The large chicken breasts were sliced and roasted. They were pure white. Tasted alone, they were a bit dry and tasteless. But if paired with a layer of perilla leaves and rolled into a meat roll, when roasted to medium - rare, there was still a lovely pink in the middle of the milky - white meat slices. The taste was smooth and refreshing, and the aroma of perilla was simply irresistible.
Grandma Sun watched as Li Ying sorted out this small Wenchang chicken and finally made dozens of different kinds of skewers. Even though she knew Li Ying was always ingenious, she couldn't help being stunned.
"Auntie, these are just the most common ways of eating. The most ingenious part of these grilled chicken skewers lies in those so - called 'inferior' and 'leftover' parts."
While introducing with a charming smile, Li Ying skillfully removed the chicken neck meat. Since the neck was often in motion, this piece of meat was the most delicious and juicy. But if not properly processed, it would be as tough as old leather.
She carefully removed all the fascia, grilled each tiny strip of meat over high heat to form a crispy crust to lock in the juice, and then roasted it over low heat to keep the tender and delicious meat.
The chicken tail was the part with the highest fat content in the whole chicken and the most tender. However, people's opinions on its taste were quite polarized. Those who liked it called it "seven - mile fragrance", while those who disliked it avoided it like the plague.
Since Li Ying was new here and didn't know the tastes of the people in the capital, she didn't set a high price for the grilled chicken tails. But when processing them, she still carefully removed the glands to make sure they were clean.
The chicken comb was rich in fat. When grilled, it sizzled with oil. The outer part was extremely crispy, but when chewed, it was as tender as the chicken cartilage, with an extra crispy texture.
The chicken heart, gizzard and liver were all grilled with sauce. The chicken heart had a solid and chewy texture, the gizzard was crispy, and the chicken liver was only grilled to medium - rare. It was as smooth as a mouthful of cream, lingering on the teeth and tongue. The unique strong aroma of the liver boldly occupied the taste buds.
The trachea, after being cleaned, had no strange smell. It had a crispy and interesting taste, and the cartilage skewers retained their firm and crispy texture while still being soft. They were worth a try.
The "lantern skewers" and "shirako" were made into Li Ying's "hidden menu".
The shirako had a soft and waxy texture, a strong fragrance, and was even silkier than the liver. After being grilled at high temperature, the thin outer skin tightened. When bitten, it was like spreading a piece of fine brocade on the tongue, stretching on and on.
When grilling the "lantern skewers", the heat was extremely important. The internal organs skewered on the bamboo sticks had to be brushed with sauce and fully roasted, while the "lantern balls" that seemed ready to fall still burst with juice when bitten.
The rich egg juice flowed in the mouth like a cannonball, with a refreshing explosion feeling that was simply irresistible. It seemed that only after tasting the "lantern skewers" could a meal of charcoal - grilled chicken be considered complete.
Dozens of different kinds of skewers were neatly arranged on the stall, making people dazzled.
Li Ying smiled sweetly, tying up her long hair with a dark blue headscarf in a neat and tidy way. While introducing the different tastes of each kind of skewer, she fanned the fire. The fat and sauce on the skewers fell on the burning charcoal, and the aroma immediately rose with the curling smoke, drilling into the noses of every customer.
On a cold and windy night, who could resist the warm charcoal - grilled food? Moreover, the various skewers sold by Li Ying seemed ordinary at first glance, but only those who tasted them personally knew that each had its own charm and there was not a single bit of repetition!
This unassuming little stall instantly attracted gourmets from far and near. People all praised that Mrs. Li could handle both the elegant "burning - tail feast" and the common grilled skewers with ease!
The grilled chicken stall was doing booming business, and Li Ying and Grandma Sun were naturally overjoyed. But Li Yun, the manager of the Yunlai Restaurant, gritted his teeth tightly when he saw her being so popular from afar.
He really had underestimated this girl!
His trusted assistant had already sent someone to secretly queue up in front of Li Ying's stall, selected a few special skewers and brought them back for Li Yun and the chefs of the Yunlai Restaurant to taste.
Li Yun suspiciously examined the skewers in his hand and took a doubtful bite.
The meat was a bit cold and the taste was not as good as when it had just come off the fire, but it was indeed a rather novel kind of food.