Seeing Li Ying's eagerness, Princess Yongning quickly stepped in to stop the people as well.
The people of Huan City were greatly puzzled. They looked at Li Ying curiously and asked, "Miss Li, if we cut down all these mangroves, there will be more water areas for the water buffaloes to breed. Naturally, we can produce more water - buffalo milk. Why not do it?"
Li Ying thought to herself that although in later generations people already understood the significance of protecting mangroves for the environment and biodiversity, it was really not easy to explain such a complex principle to the people of Huan City.
So she decided not to beat around the bush. She simply said in a solemn voice, "If we want to ensure that the water - buffalo milk is rich in fragrance and high in yield, we must not act in a shortsighted way. Moreover, there are many novel creatures living in the mangroves, which can also bring rich resources and benefits to Huan City."
Seeing the hesitant looks on the people's faces, Li Ying didn't keep them in suspense. Her sharp eyes scanned the mangrove beach. Soon, her eyes lit up as she spotted several unremarkable small holes.
Seeing her excitedly bend down and about to dig the holes, several fishermen from Huan City looked even more confused.
"Miss Li, what are you doing?"
They clearly saw what was in Li Ying's hand. It was a "fat worm" with a pinkish - flesh color all over, smooth and round. It was still wriggling restlessly at the moment. The faint circular patterns all over its body made people feel a bit disgusted at first sight.
"Miss Li, don't be afraid. These sandworms are everywhere in our Huan City. Although they look dirty, they don't bite. Your Highness the Princess and Miss Li don't need to worry. We will surely protect this mangrove beach well and try our best to get rid of all these sandworms, so as not to delay the water - buffalo business."
Seeing a look of fear and disgust on Princess Yongning's face, the people quickly explained.
Li Ying waved her hand repeatedly and said with a smile, "What a coincidence! It turns out that you also call this thing a sandworm. But I wonder if the people of Huan City have ever tried to eat it?"
The people of Huan City looked at each other and shook their heads in unison. "No. At most, we just mix these sandworms with rice bran to feed the chickens and ducks."
"Otherwise, we just chop them up and use them as bait for fishing. The effect is quite good."
After hearing this, Li Ying couldn't help taking a deep breath.
Although these sandworms seemed unremarkable, they tasted extremely delicious. Most of them grew on the unpolluted and extremely clear seaside. Their taste was quite similar to that of sea intestines, crispy, sweet and really a rare delicacy. How could they be wasted like this!
She quickly stopped them. "No, no. As long as these sandworms are properly processed and simply cooked, they can become a refreshing and delicious snack. In the future, you must not dig them casually, let alone wipe them out."
Hearing her words, the people immediately understood. They rolled up their sleeves one by one. Soon, they excitedly caught a large basin of fresh sandworms and placed them in front of Li Ying.
Li Ying didn't waste any time. She washed her hands and then confidently started to cook the sandworms.
The so - called "sandworms" are actually called "Sipunculus nudus". They look similar to sea intestines and are known as the "ginseng in the sea".
As long as you remove the sandbags and internal organs on both sides of the sandworms and wash them repeatedly, you can stir - fry, steam or cook them into all kinds of delicious dishes. You can also dry them into sandworm dry to preserve them for a long time.
These sandworms, although looking ordinary, are rich in nutrition, far surpassing abalones and sea cucumbers. They have great tonic effects and can also effectively relieve night sweats and enuresis in children.
While chatting with the people of Huan City, Li Ying had already processed the sandworms. She boiled a pot of water and poured the sandworms into it to scald them to remove the mucus and fishy smell.
The scooped - out sandworms became extremely white, tender and lovely. Cut into small pieces and stir - fried with scallions and garlic, they tasted extremely delicious, sweet and had a wonderful taste.
If you spread the sandworms on the softened vermicelli, pour some garlic chili sauce on them and steam them in the pot, this steamed sandworm dish is refreshing and delicious. Almost all the sweet juice of the sandworms is absorbed by the vermicelli. The garlic flavor drives away the fishy smell completely, leaving only an exotic fragrance.
If the sandworms are dried in the sun, they can be preserved for a long time and used to make fresh soup, which also has excellent flavor.
The dried sandworms concentrate all the essence of freshness. Before cooking, you must first pour sea salt into the pot and stir - fry it until it is fragrant.
The large grains of sea salt release uniform and long - lasting heat, baking the already thin dried sandworms into an attractive caramel color. At this moment, the dried sandworms only have a slight salt taste, but they are crispy in taste, similar to deep - fried potato strips, but their taste is far better than that of potato strips. Whether they are used as a side dish for wine or for leisure, they are top - grade.
When stir - frying the dried sandworms, never add oil, otherwise they will be too greasy and the soup made from them will no longer be light and elegant.
The sandworm soup is most suitable to be paired with bamboo shoots, daylilies and loofahs. The bamboo shoots are crispy, the daylilies are tender and the loofahs are sweet. The combination of the three makes people have endless aftertastes.
The people of Huan City never thought that Li Ying could effortlessly turn this "waste" that was usually only used to feed poultry into several dishes that looked fresh and pleasing to the eye. They all stood there in a daze, gaping.
Li Ying smiled a bit and put the dishes into small white porcelain plates one by one. She ordered someone to present them to the noble people in the palace. The rest were shared generously with Princess Yongning among the people of Huan City.
All the people present got a bowl of warm fresh soup and drank it with relish.
"It's really amazing!"
"Why didn't we think before that these sandworms could be boiled into such a wonderful soup! Thinking of those sandworms we fed to the ducks at home, I really regret it!"
A person from Huan City who was speaking slapped his thigh hard at the moment. The look of regret on his face was obvious. Li Ying and Princess Yongning couldn't help smiling.
Li Ying cleared her throat and said softly, "Everyone, please rest assured. In the future, these sandworms can be dried into sandworm dry and sold far away in the capital. With Her Highness the Princess in charge, you will surely get your due silver!"
As long as the effects of the sandworms, such as clearing the lungs, tonifying the kidney, nourishing yin, reducing fire, and invigorating the spleen, are publicized, there is no need to worry that such an extremely fresh taste in the world won't find a market!
Although sea intestines are delicious, they are not easy to transport over long distances. Even if you have money, it is not easy to buy and sell them in large quantities in the capital. However, the dried sandworms from Huan City just make up for this shortcoming.
Listening to Li Ying's talk, the people seemed to immediately see the silver flowing into their purses like a stream. Their eyes immediately shone with a strange light.
Only then did they understand why Li Ying had repeatedly emphasized that they must not damage the natural environment of the mangroves. They all swore solemnly.
"Your Highness the Princess, please rest assured. We will never act in a shortsighted way! Your Highness, we'll go and dig some more sandworms right away. After drying them, we'll present them to you for your appreciation!"