Chapter 64, Inn No. 64: Fermented Rice Wine and Sour Bamboo Shoot Chicken Skin Soup
Yunyin taught Feng Hai cooking techniques, and he quickly mastered the essence of it. Currently, he is in charge of some of the dishes, while she prefers banquet dishes. She is holding a newly copied recipe book, which records many dishes that she has not yet made.
For example, there's the steamed duck with fermented rice wine from Dream of the Red Chamber, and the chicken skin soup with pickled bamboo shoots. She had only recorded the recipes before, but hadn't had a chance to try making them yet, so she didn't know what they would taste like. Today, since she had nothing to do, she decided to make some fermented rice wine first, and then try steamed duck with fermented rice wine.
Making fermented glutinous rice is very simple. As long as you have yeast, you can make it anytime. Yunyin went to the kitchen to rinse the glutinous rice a few times, then soaked it for a while. While the glutinous rice was soaking, she killed a chicken, took the skin-on chicken breast, and used the rest of the chicken meat to make soup.
The pickled bamboo shoots in the pickled bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup were made by Yunyin using pickled bamboo shoots she had previously pickled. She had never opened the pickled bamboo shoots she had previously pickled and they were still stored in the warehouse. She had originally intended to make snail rice noodles, but snail rice noodles without chili peppers were not satisfying enough, and she felt that the spiciness of the bamboo shoots was not enough, so she did not make them.
Pickled bamboo shoots can be stored for a long time as long as they are unopened. Yunyin went to the warehouse and brought out a jar of pickled bamboo shoots. She opened the jar, took out the pickled bamboo shoots, washed them, and then cut them into strips.
Feng Hai, who was cooking, smelled the sour smell and quickly finished cooking. He looked at Yun Yin and said, "Yun Niangzi, did you pickle these bamboo shoots in the spring? They smell very sour."
Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, I made quite a few in the spring, but I haven't used them in cooking yet. I'll try this dish today. I've never made it before, so I don't know how it will taste."
The pickled bamboo shoots don't actually smell bad, but they smell extremely sour. Yunyin took a bite of a strip and her teeth almost fell out from the sourness. It was just too sour.
Yunyin soaked the pickled bamboo shoots for a while, otherwise they would be too sour to eat. If you didn't want them to be too sour, you could soak them for a shorter time. While the bamboo shoots were soaking, she sliced the chicken breast with skin into thin slices, sliced the ginger, blanched the soaked bamboo shoots, put them in a small pot, added the ginger, poured in the cooked chicken broth, brought it to a boil over high heat, then simmered it over low heat. Finally, she chopped some mustard green stems, added them to the pot and cooked them, then added salt and chopped green onions.
She ladled a small bowl of soup and took a sip. The pickled bamboo shoots, which had been soaking for a while, weren't so sour. The slight sourness blended into the chicken soup, making it very appetizing. The pickled bamboo shoots were just right, with a slight sourness but not unpleasant to eat. The chicken in the soup wasn't that tasty, but the mustard greens, which had absorbed the chicken oil, were very sweet.
Looking at the mustard greens in the pot, Yunyin murmured to herself, "It's time to make sauerkraut."
"Does Lady Yun want to make pickled cabbage? I can make that too." Feng Hai cleaned the stove and said to Yun Yin, "When are you making it? I'll come and help."
Yunyin said, "Let's wait a couple of days. Old Master Huo said he's bringing his wife over for dinner. We'll make the pickled cabbage after we've hosted them." She put the pot of soup aside and said, "I'll go stir-fry a few dishes. We can just have something casual for lunch."
Smelling the sour smell and chicken soup aroma in the air, Feng Hai shook his head and said, "Madam Yun, this isn't just something you eat casually. This soup smells delicious."
"You can try a bowl first. I cooked quite a lot, enough for everyone."
Yunyin told Feng Hai to do as he pleased, and she went to make braised eggplant, stir-fried edamame with pork, braised winter melon, stir-fried lotus root, and finally braised fish chunks.
"Gui Lan, dinner is ready."
Zheng Guilan came in from outside, brought the dishes to the main hall, and asked Fang He to call Zhang Lin, while she took bowls, chopsticks and rice.
When Feng Hai brought out the sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup, the guests who were still eating smelled the aroma and asked curiously, "Miss Yun, what dish did you make?"
Yunyin: "This is a new dish I made. I'm trying it out today. If it's good, I'll add it to the menu later."
The customer sniffed the sour smell. "Is it the smell of pickled cabbage? But it doesn't smell like it."
“It’s pickled bamboo shoots.” Yunyin ladled a bowl for him. “You should try some too, so you won’t keep thinking about it.”
"Miss Yun really understands me." He carefully placed the soup back on the table, ladled out a bowl, took a sip, and his eyes widened immediately. The sour taste slid down his throat into his stomach, instantly awakening his taste buds.
"Miss Yun, this soup is very appetizing." He took another sip. "After finishing this bowl of soup, I feel like I can eat several bowls of rice."
Yunyin sat down to eat and replied, "If you like it, then I can consider adding this dish to the menu."
He nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, this soup is especially suitable for people with poor appetite, and it might also be good for people who are drunk."
Yunyin smiled but didn't reply. This soup was indeed used as a hangover cure in Dream of the Red Chamber. She just wanted to try what the dish tasted like. After trying it, she found it to be very delicious. She was even more looking forward to the steamed duck with fermented rice wine.
After the sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup was added to the menu, many people liked this sour soup. Yunyin decided to make some more sour bamboo shoots. Bamboo shoots are available in autumn, but there are not as many varieties. There are bamboo shoots that can be eaten in autumn near Long'an County, but they are not as tender as spring and winter bamboo shoots. However, the tender shoots are still very tender and taste good when used to make sour bamboo shoots.
However, Yunyin didn't have time to go into the mountains to pick bamboo shoots, so she had to ask the villagers who came to sell eggs and vegetables to pick some bamboo shoots for her when they went into the mountains. Yunyin and Feng Hai then made pickled vegetables together.
When Sister Qian came over, she saw Yunyin making sauerkraut. She quickly stepped forward to help and said, "Miss Yun, let me help you."
Yunyin was also surprised to see Sister Qian and asked, "Sister Qian, what brings you here today?"
Sister Qian put down the basket and said, "The chestnuts are ripe, so I brought you some. My grandfather especially liked the mooncakes you gave us before, and he asked me to come and thank you, so I came to see you."
Yunyin looked at the basket of chestnuts and said, "I'm so sorry, these chestnuts could fetch a lot of money if you sell them. Your son is in school, and he'll need money for many things in the future."
Sister Qian helped Yunyin hang the washed mustard greens on the bamboo pole to dry, and said to her, "These all grow in the mountains and are not worth much. We don't have anything good at home. I thought you've been busy lately and probably don't have time to go to the mountains, so I picked some and brought them to you."
After drying the mustard greens, Yunyin took a chestnut, bit into it, and tasted it. She raised an eyebrow and said, "This chestnut is quite sweet, how can it be worthless?"
Sister Qian sighed and said, "Miss Yun, you don't know, there are many chestnuts in the mountains around here. Many people pick them to sell, so they don't fetch a high price. However, they are still presentable enough to eat yourself or give as gifts."
"Aunt Qian, have you been busy lately?" Yunyin asked her. "If you have time, you can find some chestnuts to sell to me. I need some chestnuts."
Looking at the large basket on the ground, Sister Qian asked, "Isn't this enough for you to eat?" She disagreed, saying, "Eating too many chestnuts will make your stomach uncomfortable. You can't eat too many in one day."
Yunyin: "I know, but I need chestnuts to make some desserts."
"Are you going to make chestnut cake?" Aunt Qian asked curiously, but she didn't press the matter further. "You do need a lot of chestnuts to make desserts. Okay, I understand. I'll go back to the village and tell them to go to the mountains to pick chestnuts when they have free time."
Yunyin: "Tell them I'll buy at market price, as many as I can get."
After seeing Sister Qian off, Yunyin put the chestnuts in the kitchen and came back to continue pickling sauerkraut. She packed all the sauerkraut into jars, patted her back, and got up to go to the kitchen to process the chestnuts.
There are so many delicious dishes that can be made with chestnuts, such as roasted chestnuts, braised chicken with chestnuts, braised pork with chestnuts, chestnut cakes, and so on. They are all delicious and easy to make.
It was getting dark, and Yunyin didn't plan to make anything complicated. She just boiled a pot of chestnuts, which was delicious on its own. They were soft, sticky, and very palatable. If it weren't for the fact that she was bloated from eating too many chestnuts, she could have eaten a whole plate by herself.
Yunyin carried the boiled chestnuts to the lobby and asked Cheng Yong, who was checking accounts, "Brother Cheng, would you like some chestnuts?"
Cheng Yong looked up at the chestnuts blooming in front of him and sighed, "It's chestnut season now, I'll have some."
Yunyin handed another portion of chestnuts to Song Shi and said, "Are you off today? Coming here at this hour, are you not planning to go back tonight?"
Song Shi picked up a chestnut, peeled it, and ate it. The soft, sweet chestnut soothed his soul. He sighed and said, "I don't want to go back tonight. I'll stay here for the night. Are there any rooms available?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, there are. Feel free to stay anywhere. The side rooms are empty yet."
Song Shi: "It's been so long, and no one's staying here?" He looked at Yun Yin in surprise, "You're not worried at all? Do you know that there are already people selling your milk tea in the county town?"
This was the first time Yunyin had heard of this. She sat down next to Song Shi and said, "Tell me in detail, what's going on?"
Song Shi vividly recounted, "I heard it from my classmates. They said that the milk tea that the beverage shop in the county recently launched was particularly delicious, and they even invited me to try it. When I heard the name, I realized it wasn't the same as the milk tea you gave us before, so I went to see for myself. I was surprised to find that it was very similar to the milk tea you gave us, only the taste wasn't as good as yours, but my classmates all said it was delicious."
After listening to him finish speaking, Yunyin shrugged and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Making milk tea is actually quite simple. Once you've tasted it, you can roughly figure out how to make it. It's just that every shop has a slightly different flavor. If someone is selling it, then let them be."
Song Shi said with exasperation, "How can this be? They're copying you, but you don't sell this stuff in the county, which leads many people to believe it was invented by that beverage shop."
Yunyin couldn't tell him that she hadn't invented the milk tea either, otherwise he would definitely press her for an answer. She could only smile and say, "Milk tea is made with milk. I got the milk by making a deal with Madam Xia. The milk was just enough for my shop."
"You don't need to worry about these things. Xia Xiaoniangzi and the others will still buy from me. I won't lose a single penny. That beverage shop is able to get fresh milk, which is their skill. It's convenient for you to drink it whenever you want, isn't it?"
Song Shi sighed and said, "That's quite convenient. It's your fault for not wanting to open a shop in the county town. It's just going to benefit someone else. Oh well, since you don't care, I don't care either. I'm just a little angry."
"Thank you for thinking of me. There's really no need to worry. Don't other beverage shops offer this milk tea? As long as it sells well, other shops will follow suit. It's fair competition among us."
Hearing this, Song Shi understood. He nodded and said, "You're right. Maybe I'll hear this news when I go back tomorrow. Anyway, let's not talk about this anymore. I've been in a bad mood lately, so I came to chat with you."
Cheng Yong sat at the counter, looking over here with a frown. He kept staring at her, wondering what the relationship was between Lady Yun and this Young Master Song. He wondered if Fu Wang had gotten there first.
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