Chapter 50 Before the Trip (Part 1)
According to Jiangyou's usual temperament, since he has decided to go to the royal capital, he must have a good time.
If you want to have a good time without any worries, you have to arrange all the matters in the store before departure, so that you will have no worries and can focus on traveling happily.
The brewery naturally had to remain open, as a stable business would ensure a steady flow of customers. If customers came all the way to the store and saw, "Hey, it's closed!", they might not want to come back next time.
Of course, Nasha's cooking skills can replicate the deliciousness of every dish to the point of 80% to 90%. After becoming proficient, her dishes can even be comparable to those made by Jiangyou. This is also one of the important reasons why Jiangyou can go out and have fun without worry.
As the saying goes, one tree cannot support the whole, and a hero needs three helpers. If you want to open a brewing workshop that also takes food into consideration, it will definitely not work without a qualified worker or chef.
Jericho would definitely follow his young master back to the capital. Not only would he have to take care of Andrei's daily chores, but he would also have to report to the master and mistress (Andrei's parents) about his young master's recent achievements in "eliminating evil from the people." This left only Nasha, who was in charge of the kitchen, and Leila, the waitress. Of course, Aunt Wolf said she would also come to the store to help out during this period.
Auntie Wolf would occasionally go to Holly's place to help with the accounts and take care of various matters in the mansion. However, these tasks didn't have to be done every day, and basically only took one or two days a week to complete. The rest of the time, Auntie Wolf liked to hang out with Jiangyou, helping out in the shop, chatting about gossip, and teaching the cicadas. She lived a very comfortable life.
The shop would be busier with just three people, but if Alexi and her daughters were added, there would be more than enough staff. Jiangyou just hoped that by the time he returned, the workshop hadn't been demolished by the rampaging spider spirits.
——This is not a high requirement, she thinks it should work.
Naxia now knows how to cook quite a few dishes: staples, braised goods, chicken, duck, fish, vegetables, and desserts. She can make one or two of each, more than enough to handle the basic operations of the store. Jiangyou also taught her a Longjiang pork knuckle rice dish.
This dish originated in Chaoshan, and has since spread throughout the Pearl River Delta and beyond, following the footsteps of the Chaoshan people. Simply pre-cook the pork knuckle, steam the rice, and stir-fry the vegetables, and your meal is ready to go. It's one of the most common Chinese fast food options in the Guangzhou-Shenzhen area.
A serving of rice, topped with sliced pork knuckle, half a braised egg, fried tofu, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and generously topped with a spoonful of sauce, is a dish you'll never tire of. This half-fat, half-lean, melt-in-your-mouth tender pork knuckle will haunt you once and for all. It would be a shame not to savor it.
The cooking process is largely similar to Nasha's previous dishes: the pork knuckle is seared to remove the hair, then blanched. A variety of spices, including star anise, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and Sichuan peppercorns, are added, along with maltose, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for three hours. This recipe eliminates the need for stir-frying sugar coloring; the color is entirely from the maltose and soy sauce. The tan pork knuckle is soft, springy, and glutinous. A gentle sip of it slips directly from your lips and tongue into your stomach, and you can devour a large bowl in a flash.
Jiangyou makes his own oyster sauce, which Xiaolong provides with fresh oysters, making it easier. This homemade oyster sauce is sterilized with a magic circle and can be easily stored in the refrigerator for a month, which is enough for daily use in the shop.
Now that Jiangyou has enough money, she no longer has to rely solely on Uncle Wolf's low-priced meat blind boxes. Every three days, she orders a whole pig from Uncle Wolf. The pig's head can be used to make braised pork head dishes, the four legs and hooves can be made into Longjiang pig's feet rice, the pig's offal can be stir-fried or braised, the pork belly can be braised or made into crispy roasted pork, the pork belly can be made into barbecued pork, and the pork ribs can be smeared with sauce and roasted in a bread oven...
The whole pig was arranged in a clear manner, every part of its body, inside and out, was included in the recipe, and its death was not unfair at all.
Fresh pork, after being sterilized with magic, can be refrigerated for a day or two without any problems. Takuyu also planned to bring the Crucible of Time and the mobile snack kiosk with him this time. If Nasha didn't need the Crucible of Time to speed things up, she could slowly braise the pork a day in advance and then refrigerate it to let it soak in the flavor. By the time she took it out to sell early the next morning, it would be perfectly chilled and cool.
Preparing cold dishes in advance will also reduce Nasha's burden on managing the kitchen alone.
Every morning, they offer braised vegetables, rice noodle rolls, soy milk, tofu pudding, and egg pancakes. From lunch to afternoon, they offer set meals featuring the daily meat of choice, including grilled ribs, pork belly, barbecued pork, and pork knuckle, served with rice and vegetables. Keeping takeout and dine-in service consistent effectively reduces the workload for the restaurant staff.
Jiangyou currently offers three types of rice. The cheapest is the yellow millet rice, which is steamed to a soft, chewy texture, and coarse, yet fragrant. Jiangyou also likes to sprinkle chopped red dates on the steamed millet rice to enhance its sweetness.
The slightly more expensive type is regular rice. Their shop currently uses japonica rice provided by Holly, a type of rice that can also be grown in northern China. It has a stronger aroma than the indica rice they used to buy and is more affordable.
The most expensive tier, of course, is glutinous rice, known in this country as "magic rice." Still reserved for the nobility, it's only prepared upon order.
Glutinous rice can be made into either sweet or savory dishes. Sweet glutinous rice is made by adding red dates and candied winter melon to create the "eight-treasure glutinous rice." For the savory version, after the glutinous rice is steamed, finely diced wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, lean meat, and carrots are added, stir-fried with lard and soy sauce, and then flattened into a nearly round ball with a spoon and bowl. Each one can be sold at a high price.
Jiangyou spent the day restocking the store's malt sugar, plum sauce, soy sauce, and fermented black beans. Andrei looked at the overflowing shelves and suddenly had an idea: "We could ship some sauces to the capital. There are many nobles and wealthy people there, and these things should sell well."
“Huh?!” Jiang You’s soul fire ignited: “That makes sense!”
"Also, after the official enthronement ceremony, the palace usually holds a banquet or dance to help old and new nobles bond." Andrei gestured with double quotation marks. "I'll also be hosting some dinners later, and various nobles will try to extend an 'olive branch'. This will be a great opportunity to promote these sauces and delicacies."
He thought for a moment and added, "You don't need to bother cooking. My mother has a mansion in the capital and employs a team of chefs. All you need to do is teach them how to use the sauces. It won't interfere with your trip."
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