Chapter 105 Medicinal Pigeon Soup and Sweet and Sour Fish [First Update...]

Wen Kee's peak hours on Saturdays and Sundays start at 11:00 AM, but by 11:30 AM the store is already packed.

During a break from her busy work, Wen's mother struck up a conversation with Grandpa Duan and noticed an elderly man of similar age standing next to her.

The two were about the same age, and both had white hair and beards.

The old man spoke first, not to Wen's mother, but to Old Master Duan: "Is this the place you're talking about?"

It wasn't that he looked down on the small shops on the street, but rather that preparing medicinal cuisine was much more difficult than cooking regular dishes.

To balance the flavors of the herbs and ingredients, the recipe clearly states the herbs and their quantities, but only briefly mentions "a little, a suitable amount" when specifying how to cook them.

This really puts the chef's skills to the test.

If it's not cooked properly, it's better to just take medicine.

Grandpa Duan only had one thing to say to his senior apprentice: "You'll know once you try it."

After saying that, he asked if Wen's mother, Wen Fan, was there.

Wen's mother said her daughter had gone home to sleep and would probably come back in the afternoon.

"She's been under a lot of academic pressure lately, with final exams just over a month away."

As the end of the semester approached, Wen Fan's classmates became increasingly anxious, each hoping that Wen Fan could make rapid progress and achieve a score that would astound the teachers. As a result, evening tutoring sessions were always postponed, and Wen Fan returned home later and later.

Mother Wen shook her head and sighed at her daughter's hardships, while the senior brother looked at his junior brother with suspicion, feeling that the other was retaliating against him for letting him take on a disciple, and was therefore deliberately playing a trick on him.

High school student? Are you kidding me?

Grandpa Duan ignored him: "Then when she comes this afternoon, please ask her to come to my place. I have a medicinal diet recipe that I would like to trouble her to make."

Mother Wen: "Let me talk about it this afternoon... Do you still prescribe medicine and food remedies?"

The mention of medicinal cuisine sparked an idea in Wen's mother's mind. She had been taking medicine for a week recently, and it was said that taking it for another week would help consolidate the effects, but she simply couldn't stand the sour and bitter taste of the Chinese medicine. She had already reached her limit by holding her nose and enduring it for a week. But if she tried medicinal cuisine instead, she thought she might be able to give it a try? Everyone says that medicinal cuisine is wonderful, so it can't be any worse than bitter medicine soup, right?

Grandpa Duan chuckled and said, "I got this prescription by chance... Speaking of which, this prescription really works for your symptoms. Try it first, and if it really works, you can take it for a few days."

Wen's mother nodded repeatedly, and as soon as Wen Fan arrived at the store that afternoon, she told her daughter about it.

Wen Fan remained calm and collected. He went next door for less than five minutes, then returned with the packaged Chinese medicine and prescription, along with a cleaned pigeon.

Old Master Duan was seeing patients and couldn't attend to the matter, but his senior apprentice was really worried, so he came along.

Through the curtain at the back of the kitchen, he could hear the light footsteps of the young girl inside. His original intention was to wait here for Wen Fan to come out and ask questions. After all, when chefs first came into contact with medicinal cuisine, they were usually at a loss as to how much to use and how to prepare it.

Ke Wenfan seemed to have done it countless times. The sounds from the kitchen were coherent and relaxed, and soon people came out to clap their hands.

"It's stewing now, and it'll be ready to eat in two more hours."

This medicinal dish is made by stewing pigeon with a combination of Chinese herbs. Master Duan's senior apprentice was initially a little skeptical, but as the aroma gradually wafted from the kitchen, he was left only with a longing for the medicinal dish.

Wen Fan simmered the soup in a clay pot, covering it with a clean cloth strip. The excellent sealing of the clay pot allowed the pigeon soup to retain its maximum freshness.

"alright."

After Wen Fan finished speaking, he removed the casserole from the fire. The steaming pigeon soup had a faint medicinal taste. After taking a sip, no one knew what kind of medicinal food it was; they only knew that it tasted good!

Grandpa Duan rushed over from next door upon hearing the noise, but still missed out on the first sip. He watched helplessly as his senior apprentice took a sip and became completely absorbed in it, then dipped the spoon into the clay pot again.

"fresh!"

There's a saying that "one pigeon is better than nine chickens," meaning that pigeon soup is less oily than chicken soup but more flavorful. Pigeons come in different breeds in the north and south, and the pigeons used this time were bought by Mr. Qu; they were local pigeons over a year old, requiring a longer simmering time, resulting in a soup so delicious it's almost unbelievable.

Old Master Duan didn't care what kind of medicinal soup it was. He and his senior brother were competing to see who could use their spoons faster. In the end, all that was left of the pot of pigeon soup were a few dregs and bones.

The time was very short, and there wasn't even time to feel the effects of the medicine, but Grandpa Duan was already convinced that the prescription was effective.

The medicinal flavor itself is not strong, and it is even less noticeable when stewed into pigeon. In fact, the slight bitterness of the medicine does not detract from the deliciousness of the pigeon soup; on the contrary, it adds a special flavor to the pigeon meat.

"This is the taste!"

Previously, Mr. Duan had obtained many medicinal diet recipes and had prescribed them to patients. After the patients took them home and cooked them, they would come back looking worried and say that they would prefer to use some traditional Chinese medicine.

As for pigeon soup and mutton soup, whether my family knows how to cook them is another matter, and it's common for them to taste bad. Adding a medicinal prescription makes it seem like I'm just asking for trouble! What could be solved with a small bowl ends up being a whole pot. If I don't drink it, it's all good stuff, and it would be a waste to throw it away. But if I do drink it, I really feel like I'm torturing myself.

Old Master Duan thought to himself, if all bitter medicines in the world were as delicious as the medicinal cuisine produced by Wen Fan, then probably no one would be afraid to take Chinese medicine.

As she spoke, a thought suddenly popped into her mind: what if she took Wen Fan in as her disciple...?

Before he could finish thinking, he heard his senior brother asking Wen Fan in a friendly tone how his grades were.

Wen Fan said it was just so-so, and his current goal was to pass the undergraduate entrance exam.

Grandpa Duan noticed that his senior apprentice paused for a moment, then smiled and asked Wen Fan if he was interested in traditional Chinese medicine.

“Our university of traditional Chinese medicine enrolls a lot of students every year. In addition to the unified examination, there are also apprenticeship classes. Last year, we opened a special channel for social students with family background in traditional Chinese medicine. As long as they study and pass the school's examination, they can also work in the field of traditional Chinese medicine.”

"Our faculty is also very strong, and we have a clinical observation system starting from the freshman year..."

"The campus environment is beautiful, and the school's rooms are all four-person rooms with bunk beds, desks underneath, and air conditioning..."

Grandpa Duan: !!!

Wen Fan originally wanted to use a few college students to bring the medicinal cuisine to the forefront, but who would have thought that he would be the one to be targeted by others?

Countless thoughts raced through the mind of Master Duan's senior apprentice. Wen Fan's skill in stewing medicinal cuisine actually had a very broad prospect. Some TCM clinics in certain cities have already begun to explore new avenues in the food industry, but this is entirely a cross-industry integration.

A person who can cook may not be able to see a doctor, and a person who can see a doctor may not be able to cook.

Wen Fan is only a high school sophomore, yet he's already such a good cook.

Old Master Duan's senior apprentice was a perceptive person. He could clearly tell from the expressions of Wen's parents and Wen Fan that Wen Fan was not willing to study culinary arts.

Studying something other than culinary arts would be a waste of my talent.

Why not study Traditional Chinese Medicine!

If you read well, then the pressure of opening a clinic won't be too great.

Even if you don't study well, you can still open a medicinal cuisine restaurant and it will be packed with customers!

The two old men had the same idea. Old Master Duan thought that this was not bad. If Wen Fan really got into the university of traditional Chinese medicine, he would take her in to practice medicine!

She'll be my junior sister in the future! My last disciple!

Wen Fan didn't think too much about it. Although their words had stirred something in her heart, the ripples were far from immediate. Wen Fan could only chuckle and say that she would try her best to talk about it later.

Grandpa Duan is now completely satisfied with Wen Fan, so after confirming that the medicinal diet recipe was usable, he directly prescribed the medicine for Wen's mother, free of charge, only asking her to go next door every day for him to check her pulse.

“Pigeon soup is warming and nourishing, much milder than mutton soup. Try it for a few days and I’ll see how it goes.”

Wen Fan went through all that trouble, wasn't that what he was after?

She immediately said no problem, she could stew it for Wen's mother every day.

As for Wen's father's prescription... Wen Fan thought, those four college students should still come to the store, right?

Several people had already eaten beef offal hot pot at noon, and they seemed to want more after finishing, so their next meal was obviously not far away.

As expected, that evening, two girls, Yan Guo and Ke Miao, came alone.

The two ordered a spicy beef offal hot pot and ate to their hearts' content.

Wen Fan dawdled over, trying not to be too obvious, and tossed the rolled-up recipe into a lining of her bag.

Yan Guo's eyes were blurry with tears from the spiciness, and she only saw Wen Fan walking over.

"Is there anything I can help you with, young boss?"

In just one day, the four young people learned from Qu's father's words. In addition, after hearing that the afternoon's medicinal meal was also prepared by Wen Fan, they felt even closer to Wen Fan.

Wen Fan put down what he was holding: "Deliver a dish."

Tonight, we entertained three tables of guests. We made extra of the sweet and sour fish, and Wen Fan put eight in a small plate. Now, we can use that as an excuse.

Yan Guo thought he was benefiting from Teacher Duan's influence, so he quickly thanked him.

Ke Miao couldn't wait to pick one up and admire its unique design.

It really looks like a little gold ingot!

Just by looking at it, you wouldn't know it's made of fish; you only smell a strong sweet and sour aroma. The tangy and fragrant smell is appetizing, especially when paired with the spicy beef offal hot pot that makes you sweat. The two of them suddenly felt incredibly happy.

"I feel incredibly lucky!"

Not only was I chosen by Teacher Duan to observe his treatment, but there's also a super delicious and popular restaurant right next door!

It's not even just a pretty face!

Wen Fan urged them to eat quickly: "This is all fish, it will become fishy if it gets cold."

Tonight, she's making a dish that was once served in the imperial court. The fish meat is deboned, leaving fish paste, which is then mixed with diced shrimp, diced lotus root, and juiced from scallions and ginger. After removing any fishy smell and seasoning, it's wrapped in wonton wrappers and shaped like ingots.

For a more refined experience, the wonton wrappers are made with fish. This makes the whole dish taste even more delicious.

Wen Fan used ordinary wonton wrappers this time. After wrapping them, she deep-fried them until they were thoroughly cooked, and then made a sweet and sour sauce. Each little ingot was coated with the sweet and sour sauce, and a few sesame seeds were sprinkled on top. When they were placed on the plate, they were shiny and looked like gold ingots!

Ke Miao took a bite and was instantly won over.

The wonton wrappers are deep-fried, resembling a local type of crispy fried dough called "crispy fruit," crispy and fragrant. A layer of sweet and sour sauce adds even more flavor to the crispness. As you bite into them, while the crispy aftertaste lingers in your mouth, the tender and juicy fish rolls in like a rolling wheel. The crisp and bouncy shrimp pieces and the crunchy lotus root within the fish each assert their presence.

The sweet and sour seasoning makes the filling even more delicious. Especially after eating half of the Yuanbao fish, dipping the bite into the sauce makes it so delicious it's almost dizzying.

Eight sweet and sour fish dumplings, four for each of the two people, and the last one could only be eaten in small bites, each one cherishing it in their eyes.

"We should have booked a private kitchen table too!"

"Don't even think about it. Do you think you can still order one now? I heard from the boss that it's all booked for the next month."

"Then I'll book for a later date!"

"...They don't open it up, otherwise why do you think it would only be booked for one month?"

"Waaaaah, I don't care, I really want to eat this fish again!"