Ruan Meng recalled a famous dish from her hometown that she had made in her past life as a chef stationed in Hong Kong—Bound Trotters. (Image of Bound Trotters from the internet) The braising process is actually the same, except that the trotters are bound beforehand, resulting in a firmer texture and a unique flavor.
The pig's trotters had already been burned off and cleaned by the third brother.
Ruan Meng asked her two sisters-in-law to find some hemp rope, and using her memory of the direction, she tied up a pig's trotter.
The two sisters-in-law of the Song family were instructed to each practice tying up one person. Just as the eldest sister-in-law of the Song family was about to tie up the last one, Ruan Meng stopped her.
"The last one won't be tied up. The two sisters-in-law can compare them later to see where the taste differs and what everyone's preferences are."
The two understood that Ruan Meng's willingness to share her knowledge was related to their upcoming business, and therefore they took it even more seriously.
Ruan Meng explained the proportions of the braising ingredients, detailing each component.
"Most of these ingredients are available at my clinic. Some I don't have, I buy from Xinglintang."
“We’re just family, so I can provide you with food anytime. But when we do business in the future, we need to calculate costs. Whether you get it from me or from Xinglintang, sister-in-law, let me make this clear upfront: you’ll need to pay a fee.”
"After all, when the business grows, the usage will be huge."
Sister-in-law Song and Sister-in-law Song agreed repeatedly.
Sister-in-law Song was very serious. She asked her second brother to find paper and pen and wrote down the braising sauce recipe that Ruan Meng had mentioned.
"To make good braised food, the key is the old braising liquid. You can save some of the braising liquid after each braising."
“Some old shops may have had their braising sauce passed down for hundreds of years. If you two sisters-in-law need it, I can give you some of my braising sauce. However, I have only used it a few times, so I can’t call it old braising sauce.”
"Once the two sisters-in-law start making it, they can adjust the flavor to their liking. They should also make sure to keep their own braising liquid and recipe."
The two nodded earnestly.
The bone broth beside her was bubbling, and Ruan Meng poured the pork ribs and washed kelp into it.
Here, in addition to pig ears, pig stomach, pig tail, pig trotters, pig trotters, pig tongue, and pig intestines, several large pieces of meat were also added, with the two sisters-in-law of the Song family watching the cooking time.
There were only two pots in the kitchen. The fish dumplings and stuffed shark balls outside were already prepared. (Image of fish dumplings from the internet; image of stuffed shark balls from the internet.) Ruan Mengrang's third brother had set up two large pots on the stones he had piled up when he grilled the squid last time.
The third brother helped start the fire, while the four cooks helped cook dumplings and stuffed fish balls.
Once the braised meat was ready in the kitchen, Ruan Meng directed her two sisters-in-law to take it out and add seaweed and dried tofu bought from the city. (Images of braised dried tofu and braised seaweed are from the internet.) Sister-in-law Song asked with a smile, "You can braise dried tofu too?"
Ruan Meng smiled and replied, "Everything can be braised. As long as it's edible, it can be braised."
Ruan Meng personally demonstrated how to slice different parts of the pig beautifully, and then left the rest to her two sisters-in-law.
While the dumplings and fish balls outside were cooking, the dried tofu and kelp in the kitchen were already braised.
Xiao Kai, Feng Yun, Feng Xi, and the guards carried the seaweed back, and everyone was soaked to the bone.
Ruan Meng was a little embarrassed, so she asked Du Xiaocan to help her brew ginger tea for everyone to drink.
The craftsmen were busy studying the "meat grinder" that Ruan Meng wanted. Ruan Meng asked them to make hundreds of circles out of bamboo.
This is no trouble. Upon hearing this, Feng Xi went up the mountain and carried down the cut bamboo for the craftsmen to use.
With the help of the Feng and Fan family members, after washing and cutting the kelp, they started washing the seaweed.
After consulting with Sun Chengen, A Yuan asked the guards for help.
As instructed by Ruan Meng, the guards piled the cleaned seaweed into clumps on a winnowing basket. Once the bamboo circles were made, they flattened the seaweed clumps to fix their shape.
Ruan Meng grabbed two handfuls of washed seaweed, had the cooks change the water in the pot, boiled it, added some dried shrimp that the villagers had given her earlier, cracked in some beaten eggs, and stirred it occasionally. The eggs in the pot bloomed beautifully, forming pretty egg flowers. (Seaweed and egg drop soup, image from the internet) Ruan Meng instructed, "Later, you can use this seaweed soup as a base for serving dumplings or fish balls."
The cooks nodded in unison, having learned another trick.
The kelp and pork rib soup was cooked, and the third brother helped to bring it out.
Ruan Meng served two portions separately, one with more meat and the other almost entirely seaweed.
One portion of braised kelp and dried tofu was served, and the other portion was made into a platter.
Ruan Meng asked her second and third brothers to entertain the guests outside, while she carried four plates in a small winnowing basket and delivered them to the next room.
Following Ruan Meng's instructions, A Yuan served two bowls each of fish ball soup and fish dumplings, as well as two bowls of pork rib soup. (Image of seaweed and pork rib soup from the internet). In Sun Mu'en's room, a table was moved in, and the bowls and plates were placed on it, instantly filling the room.
Even Sun Mu'en, who usually has a mediocre appetite, had his eyes shining at this moment.
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