Chapter 88 088 Persimmon vinegar, eight-treasure fried tofu puffs, pan-fried tofu...
Instead of cooking in the kitchen, Wen Fan checked his jars.
The sauces were all fine, but Wen Fan examined the persimmon vinegar in the glass jar with extra care.
Wen Fan had specially asked Feng Huijuan and her husband to deliver the crisp persimmons, and after washing them clean, she began making vinegar from them. The process of making persimmon vinegar is simple, with only one step.
—It will take at least six months to brew.
Pure, natural persimmon vinegar has a mild flavor; the longer it's stored, the darker its color and the richer its aroma. When diluted and consumed, it can have beauty and skin-nourishing effects.
Wen Fan used to make a vat of persimmon vinegar every year, and each of the empresses in the palace would receive a share of it. It was a rare delicacy that even the head maids around her could not get their hands on.
However, Wen Fan made persimmon vinegar this time not for beauty, skin care, whitening, or fading spots, but because the pharmacy next door was having a promotion. Qu Qingqing's house renovation was finally completed, and they were having a promotion on the opening day.
Qu Qingqing set up a blood pressure monitor and a blood glucose meter at the entrance of the pharmacy, and gave ten eggs to anyone who came to have their blood pressure and blood glucose meters measured.
The area is an old neighborhood, and as soon as people hear they can get free eggs here, they line up every morning. They have their blood pressure checked, their blood sugar checked, and then happily take ten eggs and leave.
Qu Qingqing's family delivered eggs for three days, and many people on the street went to join in the fun.
Wen's mother also went, and when her blood pressure was measured, the slightly high blood pressure made Wen Fan worry.
Although Wen's mother later had a thorough check-up, and the doctor told her it was just because she was too busy and advised her to pay attention to her diet and rest, Wen Fan still started thinking about what foods were suitable for lowering blood pressure.
Cooking is possible, but back in the palace, the Imperial Medical Academy would usually provide the prescriptions, and she would then adjust the flavors to make them suitable for medicinal cuisine. Although Wen Fan still has some medicinal recipes in her mind, she doesn't know if they are appropriate for her condition, so she doesn't dare to use them casually.
Then the only option is persimmon vinegar.
The old emperor was fat and bloated. After the age of fifty, he developed headaches. Now that I think about it, isn't that the same symptom as high blood pressure? Later, after drinking persimmon vinegar a few times in the concubine's palace, the old emperor felt that his mind was clear and ordered the imperial kitchen to brew vinegar for him every year.
Persimmon vinegar required a long fermentation time, so the emperor issued an edict ordering local officials to brave wind and snow to deliver persimmons to the capital, incurring enormous expenses. A scholar wrote a poem subtly alluding to this, and although the emperor said nothing, he crossed out the scholar's name in the following year's palace examination…
Wen Fan picked up the jar, trying hard to stop himself from thinking about the past.
She now makes persimmon vinegar only to help her mother improve her health.
****
In the evening, Wenji's shop was packed with customers.
Wen's mother set aside three tables, each with a sign that read "Reserved".
Just after 6:30, two of the three tables arrived. This time, there were quite a few people, one table with four people and the other with five. They all looked quite young. When asked, I learned that the table with four people consisted of roommates from their dorm, and the table with five people was for a company team building event.
They all came here after watching videos online.
The company that organized the team-building event mainly develops overseas games. Everyone there wore plaid shirts and big glasses, but they were quite talkative. After chatting with Wen's mother for a few minutes, they started complaining.
"Actually, we wanted to come tomorrow, but we saw you guys posting about needing to rest on the weekend..."
"That's right, boss lady, your business is so good, don't always close on weekends."
"I came last week and the week before last, but you were both closed!"
Faced with customer complaints, Mrs. Wen said helplessly, "I'm sorry, we're just too busy on weekends. Are you usually very busy?"
The newest one in the plaid shirts said, "Busy!"
Who among game developers isn't a workaholic?
Being busy is an understatement; when my brain is about to explode, I sleep in the studio for days on end.
Because of the immense work pressure, I always crave something good to eat.
After trying so many different options, we finally found Wenji's takeout and were instantly blown away. That's why the five of us even had our team-building activity here.
Wen's mother poured water for everyone at both tables, checked her watch, and decided to wait a few more minutes. If Qu's father's table still hadn't arrived, she wouldn't wait for them anymore.
Fortunately, it was past seven o'clock when Mr. Qu followed an old man with gray hair into the house.
Although the old man was using a cane, he walked very quickly. His eyes were bright and piercing, his skin was fair, and he was wearing a dark blue Tang suit. His eagle-like eyes scanned the room as soon as he entered.
Mr. Qu jogged up to catch up, standing still panting heavily.
"Master, Master, how could you run so fast!"
The old man chuckled, then said sarcastically, "What are you talking about? I can't even keep up with your panting. Hey, stop panting, or you'll suck all the air out of this shop."
Qu's father: ...
She reluctantly stepped forward and helped the old man sit down.
Just then, Wen's mother walked over, greeted them, and asked if it would be alright to serve the dishes now.
The other two tables were already impatient, and Mr. Qu nodded hurriedly as well.
"Master, the portions here are huge, so don't eat too much later."
While washing the old man's bowl and chopsticks, Mr. Qu kept nagging.
"Although this restaurant only serves four dishes, the portions are huge. Last time I came, there were still some left over."
"Oh my, if you can leave food uneaten, then the portions must be huge, like you'd have to slaughter a pig, right?"
Mr. Qu put down his water glass, feeling quite hurt: "Master, why do you always tease me?"
Since the beginning of this year, he has been rebuked every time he goes there. The old man is kind and gentle to others. Several times when Qu Qingqing went with him, he even pulled Qu Qingqing aside and said that his grand-nephew was studying Chinese medicine at a university of traditional Chinese medicine. He looked like a pretty boy and was very suitable to talk to Qu Qingqing.
“Girls, if you’re going to date, date someone good-looking. My grand-nephew isn’t very bright, but he’s good-looking. He’d be perfect for marrying into the family.”
Qu Qingqing was both amused and exasperated, and insisted that she already had a boyfriend before she could cancel the engagement.
Mr. Qu couldn't understand why the old man was making things difficult for him alone.
He had barely finished speaking when he saw the old man's sarcastic look, as if to say, "You know perfectly well what I'm asking."
"Still trying to squeeze you out? Who can squeeze you out of the way? With your size, you're the one who always ends up squeezing everyone else out of the way."
"Are other people copying me? Why should I care what they do?"
"I just can't stand you!"
"You're over fifty years old, with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol—you have it all. What are you trying to learn from me? If you end up with a host of health problems, do you expect me to find you connections in the hospital?"
The young people at the two tables next to them all cast mocking glances their way out of the situation, and Mr. Qu wished he could slap himself twice.
Serves you right for being so cheeky!
Why ask such a question!
"I came here today to see what you eat to get this kind of weight."
"If you weren't eating feed directly, I wouldn't believe you gained over 20 pounds in a year!"
Mr. Qu tried to defend himself: "I didn't... People tend to gain weight as they get older, Master, you've said that too."
"I did say that, but I didn't say I was at least healthy! Come on, say it loudly, are you healthy?"
Mr. Qu fell silent, letting the old man unleash his sharp tongue and criticize him from head to toe.
It wasn't until he saw Mrs. Wen carrying a tray that Mr. Qu finally felt as if he had been granted a pardon.
"Master, Master, please don't scold me yet, the food is served!"
The old man rolled his eyes. He had only taken on three or five apprentices in his life, and the most disappointing one was Qu's father. Not only did he give up halfway through his apprenticeship, but now he has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar even though he is only over fifty. The old man himself had been a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for many years and had seen how unfortunate it was for people to be in their later years without good health. Therefore, he couldn't help but tease Qu's father whenever he saw him.
Who knew that this old guy was so stupid that he didn't understand and even dared to ask him!
After venting his anger, the old man calmed down and told himself that there was no point in arguing with a fool. Since he was already there, he might as well eat. He would take a look at his good-for-nothing apprentice's pulse and prescribe a few remedies before leaving tomorrow... It smells delicious!
Wen's mother put down two plates of food.
"Eight-treasure fried tofu puffs".
"Pan-fried tofu".
The so-called Eight Treasure Fried Tofu Puffs is a modified dish by Wen Fan, made from Eight Treasure Meatballs.
People in the south love to eat meatballs, and there are many kinds of meatball dishes, such as sunflower-shaped chopped pork, eight-treasure meatballs, and four-happiness meatballs.
Wen Fan used the method of making eight-treasure meatballs, taking half lean and half fat pork, adding eight ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, pine nuts, yam, pickled cucumber, lotus root, etc. After arranging the filling, he opened a small opening in the fried tofu puff, put the filling in, steamed the eight-treasure fried tofu puff in a pot, and then made a sauce, thickened it with cornstarch and poured it on top.
The rich, dark soy sauce-braised tofu puffs immediately attracted everyone's attention as soon as they were served.
The four of them took photos first, exclaiming "Wow!" to each other repeatedly.
"Wow, no wonder it's called 'private kitchen,' they really do have new dishes!"
"Just from the name, I know it must be good; it looks delicious!"
"Are you still filming? I'm going to eat."
"Ahhh, don't move! I'm going to take a picture and post it online to make them drool!"
...
The old man stared at the two steaming dishes in front of him. One was a plate of eight-treasure fried tofu puffs, which looked like a child's drawing, simple yet tempting.
The other dish, braised tofu, clearly demonstrated the chef's skill.
Beat the tofu with the egg mixture, fry it first, then flip it and cook it with the sauce. The heat is very important in this process. If you are not careful, the tofu will break into pieces.
The pan-fried tofu in front of me, however, is simply perfect. It's so perfect that the entire dish is a beautiful golden circle, placed perfectly on the plate. It has a golden, oily sheen and an irresistible aroma.
Mr. Qu could no longer contain himself and looked at the old man with a blatant pleading expression.
The old man snorted and was the first to pick up his chopsticks.
The moment it entered his mouth, the wrinkled skin of the fried tofu puff soaked up the broth, almost burning him. After the heat subsided, the chewy skin of the fried tofu puff broke apart between his teeth, revealing the juicy meat filling inside, like a fragrant bomb, the little meatball bursting with deliciousness in his mouth.
The old man silently swallowed the meatball, wanting to say something, but seeing Mr. Qu across from him sweating profusely as he ate, he decided not to say anything.
Pan-fried tofu suited his taste better than meatballs; as people get older, they tend to prefer softer dishes.
The broth is rich and flavorful, and the slightly chewy egg crepe is savory with a hint of sweetness. The tofu is tender and smooth, creating a unique fusion when eaten with the egg crepe. The egg crepe is oily and the broth is thick and rich, while the tofu is not overly seasoned. The simple and light flavors blend together perfectly with the tofu, making the dish anything but simple.
The two tables behind us were already so engrossed in their meal that they were oblivious to the world around them, and they kept calling for more food.
When served with rice, the charm of pan-fried tofu is finally amplified tenfold.
The tofu, along with the egg skin, is placed on top of the rice, and the oily sauce seeps into the rice. After a few bites, there's nothing more delicious than this.
Mr. Qu had just been scolded and initially tried to restrain himself, but seeing the old man opposite him breaking his own rule—that he wouldn't eat staple food at night as he had previously said—he was now eating as fast as anyone else, Mr. Qu scratched his head. What else was there to say?
Eat up.
Both dishes are savory and delicious, making them perfect with rice.
After eating rice for a while, perhaps knowing the guests' habits, Mother Wen quickly brought out the third dish.
"Beef with tofu."
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