The Wang family's kitchen was very spacious, as most of the household staff had been assigned to the kitchen to assist with the banquet.
When Sun Miao'er arrived, Xiao Ning was standing in front of a basket of cabbages, counting the number and muttering to herself as she noted it down.
Seeing her younger brother focused on his work, Sun Miao'er didn't want to disturb him. Instead, she stayed at a distance and waited until he finished before coming out.
"elder sister!"
Xiao Ning called out loudly, but her demeanor was still restrained. However, compared to before, she was much more open-minded.
Sun Miao'er leaned closer; the large basket of cabbages was almost as tall as Xiao Ning. "What are you busy with?"
"I'm doing the accounting. There are eighty-nine cabbages here. I'm helping the housekeeper reconcile the accounts."
Sun Miao'er was greatly surprised and asked, "How can this be right?"
“I’ve already memorized the ledger: a basket of cabbage is seventy coins, half a pig is two hundred coins, fifty catties of ribbonfish is two hundred coins, radishes are forty coins… It adds up to a total of eight hundred and ninety-five coins.”
Before he could finish reciting, Sun Miao'er was already dumbfounded and asked incredulously, "You remember all of this?"
"Yeah, right." Xiao Ning nodded. "What's so hard about this? I've memorized things that are much harder to remember!"
Sun Miao'er patted Xiao Ning's head and praised her, "I didn't know you had this ability."
That's great, we won't even need to hire an accountant anymore.
Wang Xueru counted the delivered groceries. "Why is this all?"
The old woman came up and replied, "Miss, these are all prepared according to the usual menu of the manor."
Wang Xueru shook her head. "My father said that Lord Zhang is a gourmand and can't even get used to the food at Xianweilou. He has a very picky palate. These dishes won't do. Go and call the chefs from the manor."
Sun Miao'er thought to herself: Xianweilou's cooking skills are really not that great.
The cook came over and handed the menu to Wang Xueru.
Sun Miao'er said, "Xue Ru, may I take a look?"
After looking at the menu, Sun Miao'er frowned slightly. "Xue Ru, where is Lord Zhang from?"
Wang Xueru thought for a moment and replied, "It seems to be someone from northern Shandong."
Sun Miao'er nodded and closed the menu. "That's right. Look, this menu is full of home-style dishes from the manor. Pingnan City is located in the southeast, and northern Shandong is even further north than the capital. It is also located by the sea, so its tastes and habits are naturally different from ours. This cart is full of fresh river and lake delicacies, but it is missing seafood."
"Yes, yes!" Wang Xueru suddenly realized, "No wonder my father always complained that Lord Zhang was difficult to serve!"
Wang Xueru suddenly remembered Sun Miao'er's culinary skills and came up with an idea. She said to the cook, "You go and rest first."
"Miao'er, why don't you think about it for me? This menu really won't work."
Sun Miao'er rested her chin on her hand. She was from northern Shandong, and it was indeed very different from Yingzhou. It was like her master was from the capital and had no appetite for sweet dishes. "Northern Shandong mainly eats seafood. It's probably too late to buy fresh goods at this time. We can only prepare dried goods nearby. I'll give it a try."
She brought out paper and pen and wrote down the ingredients that needed to be purchased. The old woman took the ingredient list and was dumbfounded.
"Miss, we've never eaten dried sea cucumber before, and what is this dried abalone...?"
Sun Miao'er said, "Just go and buy it."
Abalone is the same as fresh abalone. Fresh abalone needs to be ordered a day in advance at the river dock and can only be picked up the next day. At present, only dried abalone can be used.
Although it may not be fresh enough, it at least meets the standards for seafood.
While the old woman was buying seafood, Sun Miao'er was already busy in the kitchen.
First, a pot of water was boiled. Only boiling water can soak dried goods in the shortest time. If they are not soaked enough, it will affect the taste. The banquet will start at 7 PM, and it is currently 7 AM. Soaking will take at least five hours. Considering the cooking time, it is still very tight.
Sun Miao'er took out the pearl rice, soaked it in water, and then started cooking the fresh chicken soup.
To bring out the freshness of seafood, it must be simmered in chicken broth; otherwise, it will only reach about 70% of its full flavor.
"Matsutake mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, cordyceps flowers, ginseng slices, and goji berries."
Sun Miao'er held a small scale in her hand, precisely measuring the amount of each ingredient. Too much or too little of any ingredient would affect the taste of the soup.
"Miao'er, what are you planning to do?"
Seeing her bustling about, but preparing ingredients she rarely used, Wang Xueru was naturally curious.
While busy, Sun Miao'er explained, "Dried goods are different from fresh goods. For fresh goods, the best way to handle them is to preserve their original flavor and seasoning. Dried goods need to be paired with other ingredients to complement each other."
“Take this pearl rice, for example. After the clay pot boils, add dried scallops and abalone slices, and once it’s cooked through, it becomes a seafood congee.”
The old woman prepared the ingredients, and Sun Miao'er had almost finished her work.
She examined the seafood. It was already quite good that she could buy such a good product, but she guessed that it was still not satisfactory in Lord Zhang's eyes. So she would have to test her skills.
Soaking sea cucumbers in lukewarm water is the best method. Soaking them in boiling water will affect their texture. The beauty of sea cucumbers lies in their springy and crisp texture, and each bite will absorb a lot of broth.
Even after soaking, sea cucumbers may still have sand and mud inside their bellies, so they need to be washed several times before use.
While porridge was simmering in the pot, she hurriedly prepared the sea cucumbers, the only downside being the lack of fresh fish.
"How do you eat this sea cucumber stuff?"
Wang Xueru frowned when she saw the sea cucumber's dark and unappealing appearance. Let alone trying it, this kind of thing wouldn't be bought even in Pingnan City for ten days or half a month.
Sun Miao'er washed the sea cucumbers without looking up and said, "Sea cucumbers are a good thing. They are a rare delicacy at banquets in northern Shandong. However, because fresh ones are difficult to preserve, most of them are dried and stored."
After preparing the sea cucumber, the chicken soup was ready. Sun Miao'er took out the whole chicken, which was a carefully fed old hen that had been raised for more than three years. The soup base was thick and oily, with a golden color, which looked very tempting.
Shred the chicken breast into thin strips, blanch the prepared sea cucumber three times in boiling chicken broth, then serve with shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms, garnished with shredded chicken, creating a fragrant and delicious dish.
"The preparations were hasty, and I don't know if they will suit Lord Zhang's taste."
Sun Miao'er ladled out a pot of congee; the aroma of rice mingled with the sweetness of dried scallops, it was truly irresistible.
Wang Xueru couldn't take her eyes off the seafood dishes. Although she didn't eat much, she could still tell at a glance whether a dish was good or not. "Miao'er, is there anything I don't know about you?"
Where did you learn all of this?
Sun Miao'er, using this as a pretext, laughed and said, "I am self-taught. I read some books before and memorized them unintentionally."
"It seems there's a reason why Xiao Ning is so smart; it turns out she has a clever older sister!"
Wang Xueru praised her repeatedly, wishing she could call everyone in the kitchen over to admire her masterpiece.
Wang Ziqian followed the aroma into the kitchen, exclaiming, "Sister, it smells so good!"
"Don't be greedy, there will be food for you tonight! This is prepared for Dad and the others. If you sneak any, you'll get a scolding tonight!"
Wang Xueru gave Wang Ziqian a stern warning, then ordered the servants to put the vegetables away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
