Since things had come to this point, if the recipe for this dish couldn't be bought and it couldn't be made tomorrow, the customers who came today might turn the Yunlai Restaurant upside down. So, they had no choice but to ask.
"What are your conditions, Madam Han? Why don't you tell me?"
"With this hundred taels, I will not only tell you how to make sausages, but you can also take this barbecue grill of mine and have the blacksmith make a few larger ones for use in the kitchen. You can also choose two clever people and I will teach them how to barbecue. After they learn it, they can not only barbecue meat, but also barbecue any vegetables they want."
Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words, Manager Tong frowned even more deeply. It seemed like he had gotten a good deal by saving a hundred taels of silver, but for some reason, he felt something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he asked directly.
"Mrs. Han, please speak your mind if you have any conditions."
"Since Manager Tong is so straightforward, I'll get straight to the point. I'll teach you everything I can, from how to barbecue to how to make sausages. But my only condition is the barbecue seasoning. The seasoning isn't worth 100 taels, and I won't buy it myself. If you need it, you can get it from me. I'll give you a discount, and I guarantee that I'll only supply this seasoning to your Yunlai Restaurant."
As she spoke, Han Yiyi took out a porcelain jar of barbecue seasoning that she had prepared in advance from her basket and showed it to Manager Tong.
Upon hearing Han Yiyi's words and seeing the barbecue seasoning in the porcelain jar, Manager Tong felt as if he had been hit hard on the head with a club, and a wave of dizziness washed over him.
So he spent 100 taels of silver to buy a recipe for making sausages, but what about the barbecue grill that Han Yiyi mentioned?
This thing, once drawn up, can be made in any blacksmith shop. As for how to grill it, that's even simpler; any cook in the kitchen could do it. The important thing is the taste. But now Han Yiyi is telling him that she's not selling this seasoning. No, it's not that she won't sell it; she wants him to keep selling it.
“Mrs. Han, this isn’t the first time we’ve done business together. Your behavior is a bit…”
Shopkeeper Tong wanted to criticize Han Yiyi's despicable behavior, but seeing Han Yiyi's innocent expression, he kept quiet.
Seeing that Manager Tong's face was a little pale, Han Yiyi spoke again.
"Manager Tong, it's only because we're acquaintances that I'm offering you such a discount. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have shortchanged them by a single copper coin. Besides, my seasoning is a unique secret recipe. I guarantee you won't find another place like it in the entire Beichen, let alone Ping'an Town. And I also guarantee that I'll only supply this seasoning to your Yunlai Restaurant. That means that in the entire Beichen, only your Yunlai Restaurant has this flavor..."
Seeing that Manager Tong's expression had softened slightly, Han Yi continued.
"Furthermore, as I just mentioned, my seasoning can be used not only for grilling meat, but also for grilling vegetables. You could say it can grill almost anything. If you don't believe me, Manager Tong, you can go to the kitchen and bring over any ingredients. I'll grill them for you to try..."
Looking at Han Yiyi's confident demeanor, Manager Tong thought to himself, if it's really as he says, and only their Yunlai Restaurant in the entire Beichen can make this taste, then this business deal won't be a loss. Perhaps, he can even regain his boss's favor because of it...
The owner of Yunlai Restaurant is Yun Yong, whose family businesses are spread throughout Beichen. Originally, Manager Tong had a shop in the capital, but he made a mistake and was sent to this remote Ping'an Town. This is why he always wants to make a name for himself and return to the capital.
The last time I sold the braised food recipe, their young master happened to be inspecting the place. I wanted to lower the price and show the young master my abilities, but not only did I fail to lower the price, I also lost the cost of a meal.
After listening to Han Yiyi's words, Manager Tong pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, I'll trouble you, Madam Han..." Then he asked Laifu to go to the kitchen to fetch some ingredients.
He wanted to see if it was really true that everything could be roasted.
It was past noon, and most of the people in the restaurant had left. The kitchen staff were now free. Seeing Laifu come to collect ingredients again, and considering the taste of today's meal, everyone was very curious and wanted to follow him up to see what was going on.
Especially Old Man Jiang, who has been a chef all his life, his dishes are considered quite good by today's standards, as can be seen from the daily customers at Yunlai Restaurant.
Moreover, for an experienced chef like him, sometimes even without tasting a dish, just by smelling it, he can guess roughly what ingredients are in it.
But today, he couldn't smell the tempting aroma wafting out at all. In fact, not only did he smell it, but Manager Tong also stuffed a piece into his mouth. Of course, Manager Tong's intentions were obvious, but he couldn't taste it at all.
Seeing Laifu come over to get ingredients again, they hurriedly followed him upstairs to the second floor.
When Manager Tong saw that Old Man Jiang had come in with Lai Fu, he simply nodded slightly to him without saying a word.
Han Yiyi naturally noticed Old Man Jiang. She knew him; she had seen him before when he sold the recipe for braised food. Han Yiyi also knew why he had come up here, but she wasn't worried, since cumin didn't exist in this era.
The ingredients here, besides meat, are mostly seasonal vegetables. Now that it's September, there are only some chives, lotus root, cowpeas, and tofu.
Han Yiyi looked at the cleaned ingredients in front of her, said nothing, and directly skewered them onto bamboo sticks. The charcoal fire was also ready, so she started grilling.
Vegetables are much faster to cook than meat, especially tofu and chives. Looking at Han Yiyi's actions, there was nothing unusual, and now that they looked almost cooked, they no longer had that tempting smell from before. Manager Tong and Old Man Jiang couldn't help but frown slightly.
But the next moment, as soon as Han Yi sprinkled the barbecue seasoning from the porcelain jar onto the pot, the aroma suddenly filled the air, and the group couldn't help but swallow hard.
Old Man Jiang's gaze, however, was fixed on the porcelain jar.
Han Yi handed the grilled tofu and chives to the group. Lai Fu's eyes lit up when he saw the skewer of tofu that was also handed to him.
Old Jiang put a piece of tofu into his mouth, then squinted his eyes and slowly chewed it with a look of enjoyment on his face.
Tofu is naturally soft and tender, but after grilling, it becomes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Combined with the flavor of the barbecue seasoning, it truly provides an ultimate taste experience. The grilled chives, with the aroma of cumin mixed with the aroma of chives, are juicy and crisp when chewed, offering a unique flavor.
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