Zhao Minggeng chuckled, "Hey, this is all thanks to my daughter. She got to eat a delicious meal that I could only dream of."
My tongue is no ordinary tongue now; it's a tongue that has gained knowledge.
It's very precious.
Having tasted something good, when I think back to the things I ate before, they suddenly seem so hard to swallow.
My dear daughter, if your soul had returned to its rightful place sooner, wouldn't your father have suffered less?
My stomach needs some delicious food to soothe it right now.
"Daughter, is there anything else good to eat? Bring some more out for Daddy, I'm really not full."
Poor Zhao Minggeng completely stumped Zhao Qingyan; the transition wasn't abrupt at all.
"Dad, aren't you saying the opposite? Why shouldn't you work harder to earn more good food for me?"
Zhao Qingyan posed a probing question.
"Hey, daughter, this isn't me shirking responsibility. Even if I were richer than a country and held a high-ranking official position, I still couldn't afford to buy you hamburgers and Cokes, could I?"
You said it yourself, it's a difference of thousands of years. Your dad couldn't do it!
Zhao Minggeng's sigh, with its helpless expression, amused Zhao Qingyan.
Well, he's the only father I've had in both my lives, so I can't be too harsh on him. I still have to spoil him a bit.
They took out what looked like enough for seven or eight ordinary people before stopping, including wontons, pan-fried buns, rice noodle rolls, rice vermicelli, and shrimp dumplings.
The town's market wasn't very big.
I bought some romaine lettuce, lettuce, water spinach, and radishes, and also bought two grass carp weighing over 4 pounds each.
I wanted to buy some tofu, but after Zhao Minggeng reminded me, I realized that Shenlong Kingdom doesn't have tofu yet.
Zhao Qingyan nodded, "As long as there are soybeans, that's fine."
However, soybeans are usually cooked together with other beans and eaten as a staple food, which is called bean rice.
Since Zhao Qingyan suggested growing vegetables at home, she must have already thought about what kind of business the family would do: spicy hot pot.
Making mala tang is easy and profitable. Just blanch the vegetables, cook the meat, add broth and seasonings, and you're all set.
For Mala Tang (a type of spicy hot pot), the first step is definitely spiciness. I searched the entire market but couldn't find any chili peppers for sale.
"Daughter, what else do you want to buy?" Zhao Minggeng was getting dizzy from following his daughter around.
"Chili peppers? I was thinking that if our family were to start a food business, we should start with mala tang (spicy hot pot). It's the perfect thing for our family."
"Chili pepper, what is a chili pepper?" Zhao Minggeng asked.
Zhao Qingyan slapped her head, realizing that Shenlong Kingdom didn't seem to have chili peppers.
"Dad, if you want something a little spicy, what do you usually use as a substitute?"
"Cornelian, but we people in Lingnan rarely eat it."
After wandering around for a while, the father and son finally went home.
"Sweetie, what do you need this stone mill for? There's one right at the entrance of our village. When you need it, just take your things over there to grind it."
Huang asked, looking at the large stone mill on the mule cart.
"Grandma, I plan to make some tofu to sell in the future, so we'll need this every day."
Maybe our family can even make some money from making tofu first.
Mrs. Huang was very interested in the tofu that Zhao Qingyan mentioned.
She does whatever her granddaughter says, and she fully recognizes and supports her granddaughter's knowledge and abilities.
Zhao Qingyan soaked the soybeans, her eldest and second cousins were in charge of washing the vegetables, and her two cousins were in charge of cleaning the pig offal.
My father was in charge of killing the fish and pounding the fish and pork to make meatballs.
When Zhao Minggeng started cleaning the fish, he thought his daughter was on his side and hadn't made him wash the smelly pig offal, and he was secretly pleased.
After pounding the meat from the two fish, Zhao Minggeng felt like he wasn't his biological father, but his stepfather.
Zhao Qingyan had no time to pay attention to her father's mournful little eyes.
She was busy stir-frying the base ingredients. The spiciness hit her nose directly; even with a mask on, the pervasive spiciness couldn't be blocked.
When a bright red dish is served, its spicy and fragrant aroma is even more overwhelming.
Zhao Qingyan placed a large pot of iced tea on the table.
"This is called Mala Tang (spicy hot pot), and it's relatively easy to make. The most troublesome part is the broth."
If it's your first time trying it, you can drink some herbal tea. Don't overindulge, as it can easily cause internal heat.
Zhao Qingyan's last sentence was quite lewd.
The magic of Mala Tang is something everyone who has tried it knows; its stimulating taste is irresistible, especially the sesame sauce, which adds even more layers of flavor to the food.
The more you eat, the more addicted you become; even if you're so spicy that your nose and eyes are running, you don't want to put it down.
The culinary development in the Divine Dragon Kingdom is not yet fully developed. The most significant issue is the lack of seasonings, and cooking methods are mostly based on steaming and boiling.
For the Zhao family, the mala tang (spicy hot pot) made by Zhao Qingyan was a completely new experience.
You don't eat for nothing; share your "experience" afterward.
"Did you enjoy it? The main ingredient in mala tang is chili peppers. That's it."
Zhao Qingyan took out a red chili pepper from the table and showed it to everyone.
"This is a chili pepper, and each chili pepper contains many chili seeds."
We need to plant more of these in our fields from now on. Green peppers can be stir-fried; they have a refreshing and appetizing flavor. Ripe peppers are easy to store; these kinds, as long as they're kept dry, will keep for a year or two without spoiling.
Today, my dad and I met a foreign merchant with blue eyes and blond hair in town. He said he had several hundred kilograms of chili peppers.
I didn't bring enough money today, so Grandma and I will go buy some chili peppers together tomorrow!
"Later, we'll pour out the seeds and then we can start cultivating and planting the seedlings."
My cousins were thrilled when they heard that there were chili peppers for sale.
Having chili peppers means we can make and sell spicy food. Something this delicious is sure to be a hit!
A thriving business meant making money, and the cousins' eyes lit up.
The two cousins were especially excited when their grandmother said that the family business would be managed by the women in the family.
Other people's wives have no status at home; many of them don't even have the chance to touch the stove.
Now that there's an opportunity to learn a skill and also control money, it's truly a shining moment for a married woman.
Of course, it's unknown how much profit each house will generate in the future, but given the Zhao family's consistent family style, they certainly won't lose money.
When you're in a good mood, you naturally have sweet dreams.
The next morning, after having breakfast, Zhao Qingyan began teaching her family how to make tofu.
First, I asked my cousin to grind the soybeans that had been soaked the night before into soy milk. After filtering, I asked my cousin's wife to put the soy milk in a pot and start simmering it over low heat.
Heat over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning.
Once the soy milk is fully cooked, pour the prepared gypsum water into it.
After being left to stand, the soy milk turned into tofu pudding.
First, scoop out a few bowls of tofu pudding and set them aside, then scoop the remaining tofu pudding into a mold lined with a filter cloth.
Wrap it up, put a heavy object on top, and wait for the tofu to set.
Add white sugar and the prepared toppings to the bowls of tofu pudding that were previously served.
Share it with a few family members to enjoy.
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