Xue Xi had ultimately finished cleaning the intestines with her sense of smell shut off. She couldn't help it—handling ingredients was a required skill for any successful chef.
First, she emptied out the contents, then washed the intestines, placed them in a basin, and rubbed them with salt and vinegar to remove the mucus and unpleasant odor. After that, she rinsed them several times with cold water.
Of course, that still wasn't enough to get rid of the smell completely. Xue Xi added a little cooking oil and sweet potato starch to the basin, then continued rubbing the intestines before rinsing them clean.
She repeated the process two or three times on each side, making sure to remove all the mucus and grime. Only then could the intestines truly be considered an ingredient.
Next came the steps for cooking Nine-Turn Intestines: blanch, boil, fry, and braise.
To make the intestines form neat, overlapping layers, Xue Xi threaded the small end of each cleaned length into its large end and turned it two or three times, pinching the joint closed to keep it from coming undone.
To prevent the intestines from swelling and splitting during the blanching and boiling, which would ruin their appearance, Xue Xi secured each joint with a toothpick, then inserted a few more at intervals.
She put the prepared intestines into cold water and brought it to a boil, then changed the water to get rid of the gamey smell.
Next, Xue Xi took out the Magic Seasoning Pouch and added ginger slices, scallion knots, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cassia bark, and cooking wine to the fresh water. Once it boiled, she turned the heat down to medium-low and simmered the intestines until tender.
Xue Xi lifted out the cooked intestines and let them cool slightly. Then,