Chapter 26, Inn No. 26, Salted Duck Eggs
Yunyin didn't hesitate and filled his bowl to the brim.
Diners carefully carried their large bowls of chicken soup back to their tables, sat down, and gently inhaled the aroma, slowly becoming intoxicated by it.
He opened his eyes and looked at the golden, clear chicken soup in front of him, with strands of mushrooms floating on top, intertwined with the chicken meat, inseparable from each other.
Take a gentle sip, and the warm soup warms you from your mouth to your heart. A delicious aroma bursts in your mouth. The chicken is stewed until tender, but the soup remains clear and flavorful, without a trace of fishiness.
The broth was rich and flavorful, with an exceptionally fresh taste and a hint of sweetness. The savory sweetness of the chicken and mushrooms blended perfectly into the soup. He had no regrets about waiting an hour to get this soup.
"Miss Yun, when will you start selling soup?" He finished a bowl of soup but was not satisfied. He watched Yun Yin and the others drinking soup, staring at her with longing, wanting a satisfactory answer.
Yunyin sighed comfortably and said, "I also want to sell them, but it's not the time for the termite mushrooms to grow yet. It will take at least a month."
"The dried termite mushrooms I used this time were bought by chance, and there weren't many of them."
The diner said with disappointment, "Alright, then I'll just have to wait another month. Lady Yun, you must sell it then. After drinking this soup, I'll be thinking about it for a whole month."
Yunyin was also very satisfied with the soup she made today. Perhaps it was because the environment in Dazhao was not polluted, the mushrooms were more fragrant and delicious than she had ever tasted before. She was so impressed by the flavor that she almost lost her tongue, let alone the other diners.
She nodded and said, "I will definitely sell soup once the mushrooms are ready."
Throughout March, Yunyin was extremely busy. All 100 acres of land had been cleared, vegetables had been planted, and rice seedlings needed to be cultivated. She and Zhang Lin were simply overwhelmed and could only try to hire people from other villages to help.
However, it's currently the busy farming season. Not only is the winter wheat harvest imminent, but rice seedlings also need to be cultivated, so they can't hire too many people. It will be even busier when it's time to transplant the rice seedlings; even the women will have to go to the fields to plant them. There aren't many people available in Linjiang Village and Pingjiang Village, so she has to hire people from the village across the street.
After the rice seedlings were ready, Yunyin took some time to go to the mountains. This was the time when a lot of wild vegetables were growing, such as dandelions, wild onions, houttuynia cordata, and water celery. These wild vegetables were everywhere in the mountains.
Not wanting to miss out on this bounty from nature, she had to go to the mountains to pick the fruit before dawn every day.
"Miss Yun, what delicious food are you making again?" A slightly plump man tied his horse to the side, sat down at the table, and said, "It smells so good. Do you still have steamed pork with rice flour today?"
Yunyin put the chopped wild onions into a bowl, shook her head and said, "I'm so sorry, the steamed pork and spare ribs are all sold out."
I don't know why, but recently a lot of diners from the county have been coming here. They don't stay long, they just buy steamed pork and ribs and leave on horseback.
Many diners also want her to sell raw steamed pork and steamed spare ribs so they can steam them themselves at home.
Yunyin had also thought about it and felt it wasn't a bad idea. She planned to make more in a couple of days to make it easier for customers who specifically wanted to buy steamed pork with rice flour.
She said, "I plan to sell raw steamed pork and ribs in a couple of days. You can buy them and steam them yourself, which will be more convenient for you."
“Miss Yun, you are a wise woman to think this way. So why don’t you want to open a shop in the county town? If you open a shop in the county town, the business will definitely be better.” The man tried his best to persuade Yun Yin to open a shop in the county town.
Yunyin shook her head and said, "I'm already so busy running this shop here, I'd be even busier in the county town. I think things are fine as they are now."
This month, not only is her food stall business booming, but her pastry business is also thriving. The lady who used to order pastries from her now sends someone to buy them every few days. Even though a box of pastries costs 200 coins, they don't think it's expensive. They not only buy them themselves, but also recommend them to their friends.
The money she earns from selling snacks alone is enough to buy another piece of land.
Yunyin stir-fried a plate of golden, fluffy eggs with wild scallions, then stir-fried a plate of water celery and sliced pork, and simmered a pot of crucian carp and tofu soup. She then placed the dishes in front of the man and said, “Eat up. If you don’t eat now, you won’t be able to eat them after the season.”
He smelled the aroma, touched his already bulging belly, and sighed, "Alas, ever since I started eating Lady Yun's food, I've been getting fatter every day."
Taking a bite of the wild scallion, he exclaimed, "If even wild vegetables can be made this delicious, then I doubt there's any dish that won't taste good."
Yunyin raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you eat houttuynia cordata? If so, I can make you a cold dish of it as a gift."
"Houttuynia cordata, I'll have a serving." He chewed on the crunchy water celery and said, "Many people don't like the taste of houttuynia cordata, but I think it has a very fragrant aroma, and it's also delicious when stir-fried with cured meat."
Yunyin nodded and said, "Stir-fried cured pork is indeed delicious, but I don't have any good cured pork here, so I can only make you a cold dish."
The diner waved his hand and said, "Cold dishes are also good, I'm not picky."
Yunyin quickly chopped garlic and houttuynia cordata, prepared the sauce, and served the mixed houttuynia cordata.
With nothing else to do for the time being, she took out three baskets of duck eggs from the kitchen, one basket to make salted duck eggs and two baskets to make salted egg yolks.
Salted duck eggs go without saying. Who didn't drool over Mr. Wang Zengqi's description of Gaoyou salted duck eggs when they were in school? Of course, there are no Gaoyou salted duck eggs now, but making salted duck eggs at home is not difficult.
After washing the duck eggs, drain them thoroughly and let them air dry, ensuring no moisture remains on the surface. Soak the dried duck eggs in alcohol; this will make them easier to extract oil.
Sift the prepared soil to remove impurities and stones, then add coarse salt and white wine and stir to make a mud paste. After that, coat the soaked duck eggs with the mud, and finally coat them with a layer of wood ash.
Yunyin was wrapping salted duck eggs on the side. When the diners who had finished their meal came to pay the bill, they saw her actions and raised their eyebrows, saying, "Madam Yun is making salted duck eggs, huh? You really are making them, since the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon."
"Madam, are you planning to make zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival?" The diner patted his stomach and laughed. "I've heard that you're an expert at making desserts, so I'm sure you can make zongzi too."
Yunyin wiped the mud off her hands, took the copper coin he handed her, and said, "Zongzi must be made; how can the Dragon Boat Festival be complete without zongzi?"
"If there are many customers making reservations, I plan to make more; if not, I will make some to give to the customers to try on the same day."
The diner clicked his tongue and said, "Then your business must be doing very well. I need to make a reservation first, otherwise I might not be able to get one next time I come."
What this person said was true. Ever since she put up a sign that she could pre-order zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), both regular customers and women from the county town have been very supportive and have placed a lot of orders.
With so many people placing orders, she needed to prepare a lot of salted egg yolks alone. She quickly asked Zhang Lin to collect duck eggs from nearby villages. Because of the duck eggs she collected, these villages had accumulated a lot of copper coins.
The method for making salted egg yolks is actually similar to that for salted duck eggs, but you don't need to add alcohol. Just use soil and salt to pickle them. After that, take out the salted egg yolks and use them, and use the egg whites to make noodles, so nothing is wasted.
Nowadays, Yunyin's noodle stall business is also doing very well. Zhang Lin kneads a lot of dough every day, and the egg whites from these salted duck eggs are just right for kneading the dough.
The pickled salted duck eggs should be stored in a cool, dark place in an airtight container. They will be ready to eat in about a month.
There are savory and sweet zongzi, and the debate about which is the better choice can go on for ages. Yunyin likes both kinds of zongzi very well, and she even finds plain zongzi dipped in sugar delicious.
The people of Long'an County enjoy both sweet and savory zongzi. Savory zongzi contain meat, while sweet zongzi contain sugar. From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, as long as they are made well, they can accept them.
Red bean paste is an essential filling for sweet rice dumplings. Yunyin often makes snacks for the women in the county town, and red bean paste is a must, so there is no need to prepare red bean paste separately.
For the jujube filling, she had previously chosen a shop that made good jujubes when she was making jujube pastries, so she could just buy those directly.
The filling for sweet rice dumplings doesn't require much effort, and as for savory rice dumplings, it goes without saying that the salted egg yolks have already been pickled. By the time the salted duck eggs are ready for the Dragon Boat Festival, the salted egg yolks can be used directly.
The fresh meat zongzi can be made before the Dragon Boat Festival.
Of course, there's one more wild vegetable you absolutely can't miss before the Dragon Boat Festival; if you miss it, you'll have to wait another year.
This dish is shepherd's purse. Shepherd's purse is not only delicious but also has medicinal properties. It can be found everywhere in the fields. After finishing their housework, many young women will invite two or three friends to go and pick it together.
Shepherd's purse is loved by ordinary people and literary figures alike, with many talented individuals leaving behind calligraphic works about it.
How could Yunyin miss this special springtime treat? She picked up her basket, strolled along the mountain paths, and painted her own springtime picture.
Besides being used in cold dishes, shepherd's purse can also be used to make dumplings and wontons. Of course, it is also commonly used to make soups. Shepherd's purse and tofu soup is a very delicious dish.
The tofu used is from Sister Fang's family. Her tofu is fragrant and tender, and it's great for cold dishes, let alone making soup.
However, today she didn't make tofu soup, but rather a jade egg custard made with eggs and shepherd's purse.
One piece of tender yellow and the other of emerald green, arranged like a yin-yang symbol in the bowl, are mixed together when eaten, offering both the sweetness of shepherd's purse and the soft texture of eggs. This soup became a favorite among the students in the county town.
Since Yunyin's pastries became a big seller in Long'an County, many people would head to Yunyin's food stall when they went out for a spring outing on their days off. Her food stall not only served merchants, but also contributed a lot to the business of these students.
Of course, Song Shi's flattery played a part in all of this. Now, he not only frequently visits Lady Luo, but also invites his friends and family to dine at her place.
Thanks to him, Yunyin also learned to cook many dishes she couldn't make before, such as jade egg custard and tofu soup.
Traveling merchants value speed and are more concerned with whether they can fill their stomachs; dishes that go well with rice are more popular with them. Students, on the other hand, are out for leisure; they can eat both light and heavy dishes, and if the food is delicious, they are willing to wait as long as possible.
For example, the peony swallow dish she is making right now.
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