Chapter 110 Hot Pot Base

Almost two years have passed since Zhu Mingyue came here. He hasn't skimped on his food since he became rich, but he hasn't eaten hot pot even once. It was fine before he didn't remember, but now that he does, his cravings have been whetted.

Waaah, he wants to eat hot pot.

Taking a big bite of hawthorn, like venting anger, is quite delicious with its sweet and sour taste, but it doesn't seem as appealing as hot pot.

He is a very decisive person. He does what he thinks right away, especially when he wants something to eat. He will never treat himself badly.

Seeing his expression, He An lowered his eyes and remained silent. After a while, he suddenly asked with some doubt, "Is it really that delicious?" It was the first time He An had seen the shopkeeper looking like he was about to drool. It was all because of this thing called hot pot. Was it really that appealing?

Zhu Mingyue wiped her wet lips, both amused and exasperated: "Why would I lie to you? I'm going to use it to make money."

"In that case, Mingyue Tower is crowded and noisy. Tomorrow at noon, after the shops in town close, I'll show you my skills." This would both alleviate He An's concerns and, since he also needed a few people to taste his dishes.

His ability to make hot pot broth stemmed entirely from his poverty.

The price of a hot pot meal could equal two days' wages for him, which was still too extravagant for him. But cooking at home, where he only needed to buy some ingredients, could reduce costs by nearly two-thirds, which was much more economical.

He referenced online tutorials and adjusted the recipe based on his own experience with hot pot, resulting in a dish that was almost identical to those served outside.

Although he might be rusty after not doing it for two years, he has a good memory and all the materials and procedures are etched in his mind, so it's impossible for him to forget them.

Guan Jing unconditionally trusted Zhu Mingyue. Zhu Mingyue said the hot pot was delicious, and even though he couldn't really imagine how delicious the cooked dishes could be, he felt that the taste must be pretty good.

He happily agreed, and He An glanced at him and agreed as well. He wasn't craving it; he was simply curious about what this unprecedented hot pot was all about.

The shops in town buy fresh vegetables every day, with everything from garland chrysanthemum to potatoes and mushrooms.

The next day, Zhu Mingyue specially bought some beef, mutton, and duck gizzards at the butcher shop in town. The butcher was very familiar with the dumpling shop, and the shop would buy its meat from him every day.

Since Zhu Mingyue rarely came over, the butcher naturally had to take care of his big customer, cutting the meat from the best parts. He was quick with his knife, cutting out palm-sized pieces with a single stroke, and then weighed them on the scale: "A little over a pound, but I'll just call it a pound."

Zhu Mingyue smiled and said, "Thanks, could you also give me some duck gizzards?"

He quickly wrapped the meat in oil paper, and while the butcher shop was empty, he chatted with Zhu Mingyue for a bit: "Manager Zhu, you seem to be in a good mood today. Why did you decide to come out and buy vegetables yourself?"

Zhu Mingyue replied, "Even if you eat other people's cooking too often, you'll get tired of it. You have to cook for yourself sometimes."

The butcher hissed, feeling incredibly envious. Zhu Mingyue owned two large restaurants and a shop; even if she ate different things every day, she wouldn't be able to finish eating them all in ten days or half a month.

Others have to queue up even if they have to pay money, how can they get tired of eating there?

The butcher flattered, "I almost forgot that Manager Zhu is also an excellent cook. I'm afraid there's no chef in the entire Shangyang County who can match your skills."

Although it was flattery, what he said wasn't an exaggeration. He asked which restaurant in Shangyang County was the most popular and had the most delicious food. Naturally, it was Mingyue Tower and the dumpling shop in town. But don't forget that the chefs there were all apprentices of Zhu Mingyue. The apprentices' skills could never compare to their masters'!

After he said that, Zhu Mingyue realized that he hadn't cooked for quite a while. It was after he returned from Jizhou that his apprentices, who were quite talented and learned well, were able to work independently and naturally didn't need him to go into the kitchen.

Zhu Mingyue shook her head modestly and said, "You're joking."

Just as I finished speaking, I caught a glimpse of the waste in the wooden bucket on the ground, which mostly contained duck intestines and offal.

He pointed to the wooden bucket: "Are these all unwanted?"

The butcher glanced at it casually in the direction he was pointing: "This stuff doesn't sell for much, it's hard to clean and smells fishy, ​​nobody wants it. We eat a little bit occasionally at home, but we can't finish this much, so we mostly throw it away."

Zhu Mingyue thought about it and realized that this stuff was indeed difficult to handle; if your skills weren't good, it wouldn't taste good. But once it was cleaned, it would taste pretty good in hot pot.

So he immediately asked, "Can I take some back with me?"

The butcher was a little surprised. What could Zhu Mingyue do with something that ordinary people wouldn't eat? But he didn't refuse. Since it would be thrown away anyway, he might as well give it to Zhu Mingyue as a favor.

Zhu Mingyue got some duck liver and intestines for free without spending a penny. Before leaving, she winked at the butcher and said, "If you have any beef here in the future, remember to tell the purchasing department. I'll buy as much beef as you want."

"Yes, yes, that's good!" the butcher readily agreed, his face crinkling with a smile.

Beef was rarely sold in any dynasty. In ancient agrarian society, cattle held a very high status, and they would not appear on the market unless they died from an accident, disease, or old age.

However, scarcity drives up prices, and the fewer cattle appear on the market, the higher the profit. Some butchers even take risks and use illegal means to slaughter cattle and sell them on the black market.

There's only so much beef legally sold on the market, since you never know when a cow might fall and die, so even the butchers themselves don't know when they'll have meat to sell.

It was just a coincidence that Zhu Mingyue arrived early today. There was still some beef left, including beef tenderloin and beef fat, which Zhu Mingyue devoured.

One of the most important ingredients for making beef tallow hot pot is beef tallow. Lard is too greasy and easily goes bad if cooked for too long, while mutton fat has a gamey smell. No matter how you cook it, it's not as perfect as beef tallow.

Therefore, beef tallow is indispensable for making an authentic spicy hot pot base.

Zhu Mingyue had originally worried about what to do if she didn't have all the ingredients after opening the hot pot restaurant.

Just last month, the Northern Di opened trade routes with various dynasties. What did the Northern Di, as a nomadic people, have the most of? Naturally, it was beef and mutton.

Presumably, there will be more beef available on the market soon.

The butcher was happy because of Zhu Mingyue's promise, which allowed him to buy beef with peace of mind. Since beef prices were high, even if there was more beef on the market later, his butcher shop wouldn't have to worry about not being able to sell it all, thanks to Zhu Mingyue's guarantee.

Zhu Mingyue carried the meat and vegetables on the horse's back and leisurely went to the dumpling shop while humming a little tune.

The dumpling shop was bustling with customers at the moment, and some regulars immediately recognized him and greeted him, "Manager Zhu!"

"Manager Zhu, it's been a long time since I've seen you."

“Mingyue Tower is such a big restaurant, and Manager Zhu now has two branches. How could he possibly care about our town?”

"People who have eaten at Mingyuelou have been praising how exquisite and delicious the dishes are. We've never seen anything like it before!"

"It's too expensive, I can't afford it! Look at the kind of people who go there to eat!"

Zhu Mingyue smiled slightly and said gently, "Restaurants have their merits, but this place has its own merits too."

No sooner had he spoken than someone chimed in, "That's right, even a rough guy like me might not be able to handle the food at Mingyue Tower. I just love the food here." He then popped a slice of stir-fried pork belly into his mouth and exclaimed, "Delicious!"

After seeing off a table of guests, Xiao Cui saw Zhu Mingyue chatting with a customer, so she went over, took the meat he had bought, and delivered it to the kitchen.

"What is this?" The cook looked at the ingredients with a puzzled expression. "How do you eat duck intestines? The shopkeeper never taught us."

Xiao Cui looked at the sticky, watery duck intestines with a bit of disgust. She didn't understand why the shopkeeper would bring this stuff back. She was in charge of purchasing and had seen this stuff many times before; nobody usually wanted it.

But she remembered that He An had told them yesterday that they should stay for lunch and that the manager would cook for them personally, so she figured the manager must have a use for the duck intestines.

The duck intestines were fishy and smelly. She had made up her mind. The shopkeeper would take care of making them, and she would just praise how delicious they were. As for whether she would eat them or not, she definitely wouldn't dare to put them in her mouth. She was most afraid of this kind of thing. She had never thought of eating it when she was a homeless person.

After finally waiting until noon when they closed, all the customers had left.

Zhu Mingyue rolled up her sleeves, her face full of determination.

Just wait and see, there's no human being that hot pot can't conquer. We'll show them what it's all about in a moment.

Zhu Mingyue directed several cooks to prepare the vegetables and meat. Everything else was easy to handle; beef tenderloin, for example, could be sliced ​​thinly, marinated in egg wash for a while, and then eaten tender and fragrant. Duck intestines, however, required more effort. Simply rinsing with water was not enough; they had to be patiently rubbed with tapioca flour and salt.

Zhu Mingyue began rendering butter. The creamy, smooth lard, mixed with scallions, ginger, and garlic, was thrown into the pot. The small fire on the stove crackled and popped, and in no time the room was filled with a rich aroma of oil. The aroma wafted out the window, attracting the attention of passersby.

Guan Jing arrived late from the county. As soon as he entered the door, he smelled the tempting aroma. Even though he could eat good food every day, he couldn't help but salivate.

The tasks of preparing the ingredients were all assigned to him, leaving him to stand next to Zhu Ming and stare blankly.

"Shopkeeper, do we really need this much oil for hot pot?" Guan Jing felt a pang of pain; this was far too extravagant. This pot of oil could feed an average family for countless meals! Besides, the meat didn't look like pork; it looked like beef, right? Beef is much more expensive!

Zhu Mingyue calmly replied, "It tastes better with more oil."

So many oil-soaked shoe soles smell so good. Guan Jing pursed his lips, but dared not say what was on his mind.

But that wasn't all. Zhu Mingyue scooped out the beef cracklings, drained them, and casually sprinkled some salt on them: "Come and try it, it won't taste good when it gets cold."

Everyone eagerly gathered around the pot of meat, each person eating with gusto. After finishing about half the pot, they turned around and saw Zhu Mingtian pulling out a basket of dried chilies from somewhere and pouring them into the pot of hot water.

"Oh dear, no!" The chef, who was skilled at making spicy dishes, tried to stop him in a panic, but to no avail. With a whoosh, a whole basketful was poured into the water.

The cook's face twitched, too distressed to speak; how could he use so many dried chilies after they'd been soaked in hot water?

"Shopkeeper, these are freshly bought dried chilies."

Zhu Mingyue replied with an "oh" without changing her expression: "Xiao Cui, remember to buy more tomorrow."

Xiao Cui was also intimidated by his arrogant demeanor, and her tone became cautious: "Is buying a few hundred catties enough?"

Zhu Mingyue: ...

“You don’t need that much,” he paused, then explained, “it’s just that hot pot uses a lot of ingredients.”

Next, they witnessed just how wasteful this hot pot was. Besides chili peppers, they added star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon as if they were throwing them in for free.

Finally, he sprinkled a large handful of Sichuan peppercorns on top, and the cook's eyes turned red.

After the pot of oil was finished cooking, everyone felt that the kitchen was empty.

He An finally understood why Zhu Mingyue was so certain that the hot pot dishes would taste good.

With so many ingredients added, how could it not taste good!

It smells really good, everyone is almost mesmerized by the aroma, but it also really hurts.

"Manager, forgive my bluntness, but the cost is too high." He An suppressed his craving and said worriedly, "The base ingredients alone cost so much. How high should the price be to break even?" This was He An's concern. They were in business, and everything should be for profit.

Zhu Mingyue, however, had no such concerns. He remained calm upon hearing this, scooped out most of the chili oil from the pot, leaving only a little in the pot.

After finishing, he patiently explained, "Eight catties of beef tallow plus four catties of rapeseed oil cost only a little over two hundred coins in total. Adding a dried chili pepper and spices, the total cost was kept within three hundred and fifty coins."

He An didn't understand, but he still nodded in agreement: "That's right." That's why he felt the cost was too high.

He had barely finished speaking when Zhu Mingyue added half a pot of water to the remaining oil in the pan, raising an eyebrow: "Now? Do you still think the cost is too high?"

He An was stunned for a moment: "Why is that?"

Zhu Mingyue laughed: "I only said that it tastes better with more oil, I didn't say that the whole pot was full of oil."

"The chili oil that costs 350 coins to make will be divided into twelve portions, and each pot of hot pot base will only cost 20 or 30 coins."

Guan Jing grinned. Twenty or thirty coins was a lot of money. Before being taken in by Mingyue Tower, the brothers in their trading company couldn't even find a job in the county that paid thirty coins. So, this serving of hot pot broth was equivalent to a day's wages for an ordinary person.

However, he quickly realized that the shopkeeper hadn't said the hot pot restaurant catered to ordinary people. If it was like Mingyuelou, which aimed to earn money from wealthy families, then it certainly wasn't expensive.

He worked as a guard at Mingyue Tower and had witnessed firsthand how extravagant those people were. A single meal could easily cost them several taels of silver.

Who would care about such a small amount of base ingredients?

If Guan Jing could figure it out, He An obviously understood as well. His brows gradually relaxed, no longer as troubled as before.

Once they put the cooked vegetables into their mouths, no one had any other thoughts.

Hiss—

The room was filled with a cacophony of hissing and snarling.

The crowd stood around the iron pot on the stove, where thick, scalding red oil bubbled and steamed.

Outside, the cold wind howled, while inside, Xiao Cui was sweating profusely from the spiciness.

He An's face turned bright red after eating spicy food, making him look full of vitality.

“How could it be…” He An hissed again, “How could it be so spicy?”

"It's both numbing and spicy!" Guan Jing added as he scooped a piece of beef into his bowl.

Xiao Cui wiped her sweat: "With so many chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, how can it not be numbing? How can it not be spicy?"

"But it really is delicious," He Anping said honestly.

Another piece of beef floated to the surface of the pot, and he swiftly scooped it out. Any longer and it would become tough; this was just right. The tender beef, coated in chili oil, entered his mouth, its exceptionally rich and savory flavor, accompanied by a scorching spiciness and a slight numbing sensation, stimulating his taste buds like an electric current.

He An's mouth hurt from the spiciness, and his heart raced, but he felt more and more satisfied as he ate, and he couldn't stop.