It was August, the hottest time of the year. Although it wasn't the extreme heat of modern times, I was still drenched in sweat after pulling a cart full of stuff home.
They drew some cool water from the well to wash their faces, and without rushing to clean up the mess from lunch, the group sat in the courtyard enjoying the cool air and chatting.
"Mother, what do you think of the food at Chunfeng Restaurant?"
Madam Gu thought for a moment, "I can't say for sure either. Before we went there, I was really looking forward to it, after all, it was such a big restaurant. But after tasting it, I felt that although the food was delicious, it wasn't as good as I had imagined. At least it wasn't as good as what you made, Zhao Zhao."
Shen Qingze chimed in, "Sister-in-law's cooking is the best, even better than the head chef at Chunfeng Restaurant."
"Yes, no wonder people from the county often come here to eat boxed lunches. It turns out that what they usually eat is not as good as the food your sister-in-law cooks."
At first, the two children were quite nervous when they went to Chunfenglou for dinner, after all, it was such a big restaurant. But after they finished eating, they felt that it was nothing special, and it was not as good as their sister-in-law's cooking. This is probably what is called "dispelling the illusion" in modern terms.
Meng Zhao was not complacent because of this. There are always people better than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding. Even the best chefs in ancient times had their own special skills. Although he was quite skilled, he had benefited somewhat from being a time traveler, so he couldn't become arrogant because of it.
After they finished talking, Gu started cleaning up the pots and pans they had used at noon, while Meng Zhao took some flour and prepared to make a new dish.
Put the flour in a bowl, add water and stir until it resembles cotton wool. Then knead it by hand until it becomes a soft dough and set it aside.
Seeing Meng Zhao kneading dough, Shen Qingyu stepped forward and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you making steamed buns today?"
"No, sister-in-law is preparing to make cold noodles." Meng Zhao said to Shen Qingyu while pouring water into the pot and starting a fire.
"Liangpi? What's that? Qingyu has never eaten it before."
"It's a new dish that my sister-in-law came up with. Once it's ready, Qingyu should try it. I'm sure she'll like it."
"Great! Does that mean I can eat it soon?" The little girl was very excited about the new food.
"Not today. Making cold noodles is quite troublesome, and it won't be ready until tomorrow. Qingyu will have to wait." Meng Zhao said, filling a basin with water and putting the dough in, kneading it like washing clothes.
"Qingyu, don't rush. Qingyu can wait. Qingyu will help her sister-in-law with the work."
"Okay, then go wash your hands first, and then your sister-in-law will tell you what to do."
After washing her hands, Shen Qingyu was led by Meng Zhao to knead the dough in her hands. Before long, the clear water gradually turned white.
Meng Zhao found a strainer and filtered the washed dough into a deeper basin. He then added water and kneaded the dough in the basin, repeating the same steps three or four times to completely separate the dough from the gluten.
The water has already boiled. Place a steamer rack on the rack, stretch the kneaded gluten a little thinner, and then quickly place it on the rack to steam over high heat until cooked.
This way, the steamed gluten will be softer and fluffier, and it will be able to absorb all the broth.
After the gluten is steamed, it can be placed in the well for refrigeration. The gluten slurry can be left undisturbed to settle. Meng Zhao then begins to prepare dinner.
Because they eat a particularly lavish meal at noon every day, they usually make something simple and quick for dinner.
Heat the pan, pour in oil, and use a spatula to spread the hot oil evenly on the sides of the pan before pouring in cold oil.
Heat oil in a pan, add a little salt, crack in four eggs and scramble them, then add the leftover rice from lunch. Just before it's done, add some chopped green onions for extra flavor.
Although the ingredients were simple, the fried rice was incredibly fragrant, and I ate a whole bowl by myself, which was just the right amount.
That's how it is in the food business: eat whatever's left over to avoid waste.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Meng Zhao got up. The mountain morning was still a bit chilly, so it wasn't too hot to work.
During this period, Meng Zhao and her colleagues moved the food preparation work that they used to do in the afternoon to the morning.
Meng Zhao was still waking up in the courtyard when the other three gradually woke up as well, and the four of them gathered together to brush their teeth.
Although it was called brushing teeth, it was far less convenient than it is today. First, a piece of silk cloth was tied to a tree branch, and then a small wooden box was taken out, containing some beige powder.
Dip a small twig with a piece of silk cloth in some tooth powder and apply it to your teeth. Leave it on for a short while, then take a big gulp of water. You don't need to swallow it; just rinse your mouth and then spit the water out.
Meng Zhao was a man who cherished his life and was most afraid of dying, but death always comes to an end, while a toothache is a never-ending thing.
Especially in ancient times when medical care was underdeveloped, if a tooth was damaged, it was difficult to treat. Gu Jia couldn't afford tooth powder before, so he would rinse his mouth with salt water every morning.
After Meng Zhao arrived, he required everyone to brush their teeth with tooth powder. This was for hygiene reasons; otherwise, if you went out to set up a stall and talked to people, your breath would be so strong that it would knock them out. How could you do business like that?
The two children weren't used to it at first, but after using it, they realized how good the tooth powder was. Now, they don't need to be urged when they wake up in the morning; they just take their own tooth powder and twigs to brush their teeth. After brushing, they even breathe on their hands and are only satisfied after smelling the fragrance.
The gluten washing paste from yesterday has settled. Pour off the clear water on top, leaving only a little water to mix with the settled gluten paste to form a paste.
Add plenty of water to the pot and heat it over high heat. Take a flat-bottomed tray, pour a spoonful of batter on it, shake the tray to spread the batter evenly, then put it in the pot, cover it, and steam until cooked.
Because the lid was opaque and it was difficult to see what was happening, Meng Zhao overcooked the dough on her first attempt, causing it to crack.
The second time, I reduced the steaming time, but it still wasn't cooked through and couldn't be completely peeled off. I failed two or three times before I finally got the timing right.
Once the steamed dough has cooled down, it can be easily peeled off. The steamed dough is so thin it's almost translucent, yet it's also very resilient and doesn't easily break when pulled.
I made six in total, which used up all the ingredients. Next, I'll make the sauce.
Boil fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, bay leaves, star anise, and cinnamon in water to extract their aroma, then add vinegar and fermented bean paste for seasoning, and finally add a little sugar to enhance the flavor.
Besides these, that's not all. The soul of liangpi (cold skin noodles) is this chili oil. Add chili powder and spice powder, pour hot oil over it, and finally add some sesame seeds. The aroma comes out instantly.
Before leaving, Meng Zhao also brought some shredded cucumber, garlic water, and fried peanuts, intending to mix them at noon. If she mixed them now, they would probably spoil by noon.
So don't underestimate this small bowl of cold noodles; there's actually quite a bit of preparation involved.
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