Chapter 57 Selling Oyster Sauce
"It's a small matter. If the restaurant really launches this dish, I can buy conches from your village."
I'm buying it anyway, and I don't have any relatives in the village, so it doesn't matter who I buy it from.
Shopkeeper Yu put down his chopsticks and looked at another jar. The jar he had just opened contained spicy snails in sauce, so what new dish was in the other jar?
To be honest, he was quite curious.
"Ma'am, is that jar also filled with spicy snails in sauce?"
"No."
Yin Huaixi opened the jar and showed it to Shopkeeper Yu.
"This is a new seasoning. I wonder if I can borrow the stove room for a moment so my daughter can use this seasoning to make a dish for you to try."
"Your daughter..."
Shopkeeper Yu looked at the little girl beside Yin Huaixi in surprise. She looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, but her eyes did not have the childish innocence of a child.
Yes, children from poor families become independent early. They are very sensible at the age of eleven or twelve, and cooking is no problem at all.
"Okay, then you guys follow me."
Shopkeeper Yu was not busy at the moment, so he wanted to see what the new seasoning was.
The three of them turned around and went into the kitchen. Shopkeeper Yu had someone clear a stove for the mother and daughter. Seeing that the two had no intention of not letting them watch, he simply did not leave and just watched the little girl cook.
"Shopkeeper, can I have a plate of clams?"
"Sure, use it."
Clams are the cheapest seafood, and he wouldn't feel bad even if this girl cooked them all.
After getting the shopkeeper's permission, Jiang Wan immediately took a large plate, picked out a plate, washed it, and then the mother and daughter began to peel the garlic.
In fact, there are a lot of prepared garlic cloves on the table, but they are not the chefs here, and there is a lot of garlic needed for making garlic paste, so it is better to peel it yourself to avoid offending others inadvertently.
"What are they going to do?"
"How do you cook clams with garlic? Stir-fry? We already have fried clams at Fengweilou."
"Let's take a look. The shopkeeper hasn't left yet. Maybe we can come up with something."
The three of them pretended not to hear the mutterings of the cooks. The mother and daughter quickly peeled the garlic cloves and chopped them into minced garlic.
Jiang Wan cut a little more this time, so she naturally added more oyster sauce.
Shopkeeper Yu stretched his neck consciously, his eyes full of confusion.
It was reddish-brown and very sticky. Wow, it was a seasoning he had never seen before.
Hmm? Mixed with minced garlic?
I also added some soy sauce...
What is this operation?
Not only Shopkeeper Yu could not understand it, but neither could the other chefs.
Next, Jiang Wan poured hot oil into the bowl. The strong aroma rushed into their noses, and everyone was instantly stunned.
Smells so good!
Shopkeeper Yu subconsciously took a sniff and his face became more serious.
The mother and daughter were really well prepared. Just by looking at the bowl of minced garlic, he knew that the food the little girl would cook would be a surprise.
He didn't know how long it would take to make this dish, but he was already getting impatient.
After half a cup of tea...
"Boss, the garlic clams are ready. Please try them."
"So fast?!"
Shopkeeper Yu was shocked. The dishes were cooked at such a speed that they could only stir-fry some vegetables.
"You don't want some salt?"
He watched it from beginning to end. Apart from two spoons of soy sauce and the new seasoning, the girl didn't add any salt. How could it taste good?
Jiang Wan smiled without saying anything, she just took the chopsticks and asked the shopkeeper Yu to taste it directly.
The freshly steamed clams were emitting gusts of hot steam. Each clam had its mouth opened to reveal the meat inside, and was covered with a layer of minced garlic that had been drizzled with hot oil, giving it a unique smell.
Shopkeeper Yu tried to pick up a clam and was stunned when he took a bite.
This dish is not only salty, but also full of flavor!
The sweetness of the clam meat is paired with the saltiness of the minced garlic. After eating the meat, he couldn't help but suck on the shell.
He ate most of the dish of garlic clams before he knew it. Later, a few chefs couldn't help themselves and shamelessly took up their chopsticks to eat the dish.
After eating the clams, everyone was still not satisfied and couldn't help but reach their chopsticks towards the remaining garlic paste in the bowl on the stove.
“Not bad, not bad, that’s the taste.”
"Strange, the minced garlic here doesn't taste as pungent as it used to be, but the garlic flavor is stronger."
Several people were talking at once, but Shopkeeper Yu ignored them and took the mother and daughter to wash their hands before going outside to talk.
He watched the entire process of making today's dish carefully. He knew all the steps and had all the ingredients upstairs, except for the jar of seasoning.
This is also the soul of this dish.
Shopkeeper Yu thought he should buy it. After all, he could make the cheap clams so delicious that even he couldn't help but want to eat two more plates.
In this weather, ordering a plate of clams and drinking some wine while enjoying the breeze is so wonderful.
He had already begun to imagine the scene where the restaurant would be crowded with customers after launching several new dishes.
Although he was grinning in his heart, Shopkeeper Yu still looked very serious, and it was hard to tell that he had too many emotions.
"The two jars that Madam brought today are truly extraordinary."
"Thank you for the compliment, shopkeeper. I wonder what you think of this oyster sauce after tasting it?"
Shopkeeper Yu narrowed his eyes.
"Oyster sauce? Which oysters?"
"Oysters. The main ingredient is oyster meat, with some exclusive secret ingredients added."
Yin Huaixi's words were half true and half false, but the original material was not hidden.
My daughter wants to be in the oyster sauce business for a long time. The fact that the village is purchasing a large amount of oysters cannot be concealed in the future, so it is better to explain it clearly so that people can eat it with peace of mind.
When he heard that it was made with oyster meat, Shopkeeper Yu was really surprised.
Oyster meat has mixed reviews in restaurants. Some people love it very much, while others think it has a strong fishy smell and are disgusted by the mere sight of it.
Coincidentally, Shopkeeper Yu was the one who couldn't eat oysters.
But just now he wanted to eat two more plates...
How could such a seasoning be made from oyster meat, which is so fishy? He really couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
But it cannot be denied that oyster sauce is indeed a good thing.
Today he can steam clams, and after buying them he can also try steaming shrimps, steamed fish, and other steamed foods. The restaurant will have a few more new dishes!
"How much do you want to sell, ma'am?"
Yin Huaixi subconsciously looked at her daughter. She had bargained for the price last time in vain, and now she didn't want to speak anymore.
Jiang Wan received the signal and immediately pulled A Niang.
"Mother, we added a lot of salt to this oyster sauce, so we can't sell it too cheaply."
These words were spoken to Shopkeeper Yu, who took them to heart.
There is indeed no salt added to the garlic clams just now, it seems that the oyster sauce must not be cheap.
"Why don't you tell me, the shopkeeper, how much are you willing to pay for it?"
Yin Huaixi threw the question to Shopkeeper Yu, who pondered for a moment and asked tentatively, "How about I give you two hundred coins for this jar of oyster sauce?"
Two hundred coins, minus the twenty coins for hiring someone and a little money for salt and firewood, it was actually a lot of money.
But Jiang Wan was not satisfied.
"You can't sell it, mother! We used more than 50 kilograms of oyster meat to make this jar of oyster sauce. It takes 7 or 8 kilograms of oysters to produce one kilogram of meat. My family has been carrying the oysters back and forth for so long, and we spent a whole day prying the oysters to make it. Minus the money you paid for the ingredients, salt, and firewood, we still have to pay the neighbor aunties for their hard work in helping to pry the oysters. After this, there will be nothing left."
Shopkeeper Yu had never expected that oyster sauce would be so difficult to make. He had seen oysters before, and they were indeed heavy in shell and small in meat.
This girl didn't lie.
Yin Huaixi pretended to be embarrassed and followed her daughter's words, "Manager Yu, it's not easy to make this jar of oyster sauce, and our family has to make some money. Two hundred coins is too little, I want five hundred coins."
The price increased by three hundred coins in an instant. After some thought, the shopkeeper Yu thought that he could still talk about it.
"Five hundred coins for a can of seasoning is a bit too expensive, and I don't know if the customers will like the dishes made with this oyster sauce. I can't take the risk, so I'll give you three hundred coins at most."
Seeing that A'niang was interested, Jiang Wan quickly tugged at her sleeve under the table.
"Shopkeeper, this jar of oyster sauce weighs nearly two kilograms. One or two spoonfuls can make a delicious dish, and you can make many dishes and earn a lot of money. Our house collapsed a while ago and we are waiting for money to repair it. Can you add another fifty cents?"
The little girl looked pitiful, and the price was within the shopkeeper's budget, so he said nothing and simply took out three hundred and fifty coins and gave them to the mother and daughter.
After seeing off the mother and daughter, Shopkeeper Yu excitedly carried the jar into the kitchen.
"Come on, come on, all of you, come here and steam a plate of clams for me just like the little girl did."
He will launch this new dish at noon!