If we talk about one of the delicacies that modern people like to eat, malatang must be on the list.
As a result, various flavors of malatang appeared later, with soup or without soup, meat or vegetarian. No matter how simple or complex, there is always a way to eat it.
Although Malatang is not difficult to make, if you want it to be delicious, the base soup must not only taste good, but the base soup is even the soul of the dish, and the ingredients in it must also be rich.
If a restaurant only has more than 20 kinds of ingredients, it will basically not attract many customers.
The soup base must be delicious and the ingredients must be rich, so it is naturally best to eat in the store.
Therefore, Su Wan is not afraid of too many people coming to eat Malatang. The more people there are, the richer the ingredients can be prepared.
There were four or five people on duty including the Shangshenjian and her, and there were also three or four people in the Guanglu Temple next door.
With so many people, of course you can prepare hundreds of ingredients. Anyway, you can cook as much as you want to eat, so no food will be wasted. Not only that, even if you can't finish the prepared ingredients, you can just have a spicy hotpot for the next meal and still solve the problem.
The bone soup had been cooked since early morning, so Su Wan didn't need to take care of it, as other palace servants would help.
I have always known that Su Wan is a good cook, but this is the first time I have tasted her.
It is still the Chinese New Year period and there is not much to do. Having a good meal can also help pass the time.
After the bone soup was boiled, Su Wan took care of the chores and started making the meatballs for the spicy hot pot. She had made all kinds of meatballs before in the western kitchen, including fish balls, so it was not difficult to make them now.
But shrimps are hard to buy at this time of year, so the meatballs naturally contain more starch. Starch is okay, all kinds of meatballs in malatang are delicious.
She didn't have to make the remaining mutton meatballs herself. She was in the Shangshenjian, and she knew everything in several kitchens. It was fine to use some to make Shangshenjian's lunch. It was all in the routine.
The most popular items are chicken meatballs and pork meatballs. Lamb is still too expensive because it is the Chinese New Year and the price of lamb in Kyoto has increased a lot.
However, there is a lot of fried crispy meat, which is still delicious in the spicy hot pot.
The remaining ingredients such as tofu puffs, bean curd skin, cabbage, mushrooms, kelp, bean sprouts, and various meatballs were scattered on a large plate. There were dozens of them if you counted them.
After all, there are more than a dozen species of mushrooms.
There are four or five kinds of radishes, and you can basically choose whatever you want to eat.
No wonder the official on duty at the Guanglu Temple was so surprised.
It’s because Su Wan was so well prepared.
They arrived just in time, and they could eat in twenty minutes after two cups of tea.
Su Wan had already started heating the oil in a pan. She knew that everyone had no dietary restrictions except for a few people who could not eat spicy food, so she used less chili peppers when frying the base ingredients, but definitely put in a lot of onions, ginger, and garlic. Finally, she added a small amount of chili peppers and some bean paste.
Start stir-frying the base ingredients, and when they change color, scoop out the residue, then add bone broth, spices, sugar, and a spoonful of milk. Put the spices in a special small cloth bag. This way, the bone broth won't be filled with spices, making it easier to drink the soup.
When eating Malatang, the soup is also very important.
After finishing the last dish and drinking some soup, the spicy hotpot meal is complete.
Because the bone broth is already hot, it will be ready in less than a cup of tea.
This soup is not too little, now we can cook the ingredients!
Su Wan specially found a flour strainer, which is a net-shaped colander specially used for cooking noodles.
Su Wan saw a colander in Shangshanjian that was very similar to the ones used to make spicy hot pot today, so she used it. The only difference was that modern ones are made of stainless steel, but this one is made of bamboo strips. However, the function is the same, you put the ingredients in it and cook them, and one colander can make a bowl.
It can be done according to different people's preferences.
After Su Wan finished speaking, several officials on duty at the Guanglu Temple gathered around this thing.
This bamboo colander was originally used for making noodles, but I didn't expect it could be used for this purpose.
Su Wan introduced: "You can choose what dishes you want to eat and what you don't want to eat, and then give it all to me. I will cook a bowl of everything you like."
Is there such a good thing?
Everyone has experienced this: there will always be dishes on the table that you like and dislike, and there will always be ingredients in a bowl of rice that you don’t like.
But now you can choose completely by yourself!
People who eat Malatang are not picky at all, because they take everything in the bowl themselves!
I will definitely eat it all!
It was the first time for the official on duty at the Guanglu Temple to see this way of eating, so he immediately started to get food. Su Wan originally wanted to ask other palace servants for help, but after seeing that it was not necessary.
As the ingredients were brought in one by one, Su Wan started to cook them. She could do the following steps with her eyes. She looked at the ingredients they picked and put the ingredients that were not easy to cook first, and then the ones that were easy to cook.
The staple food of rice and noodles is cooked separately.
One of the officials from the Guanglu Temple watched Su Wan take out a big bowl, which was bigger than the usual noodle bowl. He first put the alkaline noodles he picked at the bottom, which was the same kind of noodles as usual hot dry noodles, but a little thinner than hot dry noodles.
Then he put the ingredients he chose on it, such as fish balls, shrimp balls, chicken balls, crispy pork, mutton rolls, and a little bit of cabbage and kelp.
Why just a little bit? Because he doesn't like vegetarian dishes! Adding a little bit is to give him face.
But when they were eating before, Guanglu Temple always paired meat and vegetables, forcing him to eat vegetarian dishes, which was very annoying.
Look at this bowl, it’s all his favorite food. There’s also a condiment area on the side. If it’s not spicy enough, add chili oil. If you want to eat garlic, add some garlic. There’s also chopped green onion, coriander, sesame paste, and whatever you want to eat!
In Su Wan's words, that's self-help!
Help yourself and add whatever you want to eat.
Completely opposite to this official was another officer on duty. He picked lotus root, kelp, winter melon, and green vegetables. Except for chicken meatballs with mild flavor, all other dishes were vegetarian. He also chose rice noodles as his staple food.
You can tell at first glance that he is a health enthusiast.
If it were somewhere else, the two officials on duty would definitely not be able to arrange meals together, but since they were eating in the government office, they actually had to accommodate each other.
There is no such problem when eating spicy hot pot now, you can eat whatever you want!
It doesn’t matter if the two of them can’t eat together!
However, when the two looked at the food that the other person was holding, they knew that the other person had been accommodating during their days on duty, and their relationship as colleagues had become even better.
What else is there to say? Let’s eat quickly.
Not only the two of them, but other palace servants in the Guanglu Temple have also received their meals. This method is really quick.
In less than fifteen minutes, everyone was seated and ready to eat!
Everyone chooses different ingredients and seasonings. For example, Su Wan put a lot of sesame paste, which made the spicy hot pot look sticky.
God knows she misses this spicy hot pot!
Actually, I should have done it a long time ago! I just had some free time recently!
Malatang is simple and plain happiness!
When Su Wan sat down, she realized that the officials on duty at the Guanglu Temple had not even started eating. It was obvious that they were waiting for her.
But it's true, their two departments are at the same level, and both of them are left on duty, and it was Su Wan who did it personally, so even though she was young, she was still very considerate in her manners.
The ingredients chosen by the three people were very representative. Guanglu Temple had two, one meat and one vegetable, while Su Wan had a combination of meat and vegetables, with more soup.
This dish is originally made from boiled bones and then added with smooth milk. It tastes absolutely great.
She is the best eater.
If you don’t add so much chili pepper, this soup can definitely be said to be sweet, refreshing and flavorful.
The first person to be amazed was naturally the officer on duty who was drinking the soup. He was the one who picked the vegetarian dishes. After watching Su Wan drink the soup first, he also tasted it and immediately said, "This soup tastes so delicious."
"It's made from bone soup, so you can drink the soup yourself." Su Wan said.
"No, this soup is more tender and smoother than ordinary bone soup, and even whiter." said the vegetarian officer on duty.
Su Wan didn't expect that he could even taste this, so she explained with a smile: "It will taste better if you add a spoonful of milk."
“That’s actually the case.”
"It does have a milky aroma, but it doesn't cover up the taste of the bone broth at all, and the ingredients in the bone broth are just right."
The vegetarian official was still talking about how the meat eater had already eaten two meatballs. The chicken meatballs were so tender! The fish meatballs were so chewy!
tasty!
There are also fat lamb rolls, delicious!
Crispy pork! Delicious!
But when he saw a little bit of cabbage and kelp, the official fell silent. He would have chosen all meat dishes.
But how can the cabbage leaves soaked in chili and bone broth be unpalatable? And the kelp, which can produce MSG, is even less unpalatable.
Kelp contains monosodium glutamate, which is the main ingredient of MSG and the main source of the delicious taste that everyone thinks of.
Su Wan didn’t do anything with the kelp. She just boiled it and the monosodium glutamate in it could be eaten. How could it not taste good?
Su Wan plans to use kelp to make some crude MSG and add a little to everything she cooks. If nothing else, it will definitely taste delicious.
This meat-eating official never thought that kelp cooked in such a simple way could be so delicious. Not to mention meat or vegetarian dishes, as long as it is made into the ingredients of spicy hot pot, all of them are delicious!
Come to think of it, it might be because of the bone broth?!
But this bone soup is not greasy at all, even officials who love vegetarian food praise it.
Everyone would like to eat this way, right?
After Su Wan finished her bowl, many palace servants and officials had already gone to get refills!
Even the officials on duty at the Guanglu Temple were no exception. They had to return the bowl! They had to return the bowl!
Su Wan doesn't need to do the rest, she can leave the rest of the work to other palace servants in the Shangshenjian.
After all, it’s just noodles, so the soup base is the most important.
However, the palace people in the Imperial Kitchen were also very curious. Wasn't it said that Su Wan was best at making pasta? How come her soup was so delicious too?
There are indeed some techniques to making soup, which are nothing more than the order of ingredients, the control of heat, the processing of ingredients, and when to open the lid and when to simmer for a while.
It’s also very complicated to explain.
Su Wan had learned from her mother in another time and space, and had been exposed to a wider range of ingredients than most people here, so she naturally understood how to process them better.
But it’s a bit scary to talk about these things, so it’s better to keep quiet about them.
After dinner, Su Wan saw Yu Shu and Chunxiang coming over with red eyes.
The main reason was that Chunxiang's eyes were slightly red. After all, Yu Shu was older and had experienced more.
When they came over, they naturally had to talk about Xiaoyue's matter. It was not that they were pleading for her, but it was lunchtime and time was tight. Deputy Prime Minister Xi also felt that it was not easy to explain the situation by just handing over a note, so he asked them to come over when lunch was not too busy.
It turned out that ever since receiving the news from Su Wan that he was asked to secretly investigate the traitor, Deputy Prime Minister Xi's face had not been very good.
She thought that she was nice to the palace maids in the West Kitchen, and even if she had any grudges, she should not collude with Concubine Jiang in the Inner Palace.
Everyone has experienced how Concubine Jiang harmed the Imperial Kitchen.
Even if he had colluded with Concubine Chu, she would not be so angry. Moreover, the person who leaked the information was not the West Kitchen, but the one who had eyes on the Shangshenjian Su Wan.
How could Deputy Prime Minister Xi not be angry about this?
But if you think about it carefully, the West Kitchen is very far away from the Shangshenjian.
Yesterday, most of the palace people were waiting to celebrate New Year's Eve, and not many people left.
Except Xiaoyue.
During the New Year's Eve dinner, Yu Shu originally wanted to send some dinner to Su Wan, but Xiaoyue stopped her and said she would go over instead.
Yu Shu was indeed a little busy at the time, and seeing that Xiaoyue wanted to go on her own initiative, she gave it to her.
That is, Xiaoyue?
Not to mention others, even Deputy Prime Minister Xi didn't dare to believe it.
When Su Wan was in the west kitchen, she lived in the same room with Xiaoyue. Yu Shuchun, Xiang Xiaoyue and the other three had always had a good relationship.
What if Xiaoyue was colluding with Concubine Jiang?
But when she was called over for questioning, Xiaoyue looked flustered. There was no need to ask, it was indeed her.
The next step was to send her to the inner palace, originally just to scare her into telling the truth.
Unexpectedly, Xiaoyue had already packed her things, and someone from the inner palace came to pick her up. It was obvious that they had colluded with each other and knew that this matter would definitely be exposed. They had already prepared to enter the inner palace, so they had packed their things.
There is no need for Deputy Prime Minister Xi to say more.
This made Deputy Prime Minister Xi look disappointed, so he naturally let her go. Since she had no intention of staying here, he would not force her.
All the unexpected events happened very quickly and only the palace maids who were in charge and familiar with Xiaoyue knew about it.
It was almost lunch time, and after they were done with their work, they asked Yu Shu and the others to come over and tell them what had happened.
It turns out to be like this.
That should be the case that Xiaoyue came to deliver something and found that she was not in the Shangshenjian or her residence, so when Concubine Jiang made a temporary inspection of the drunken incident at Chengtian Gate, she took the time to come and see her.
Fortunately, Xie Pei was well prepared, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sit here properly.
Chunxiang was surprised and asked, "We usually have a good relationship with Xiaoyue, why is she like this?"
Why do you treat Shangshisi and Su Wan like this? It's obvious that Su Wan is always nice to everyone.
Yu Shu did understand a little bit. Xiaoyue was acting a little strange afterwards.
I never thought about it carefully before, but now when I think back on it, I must have felt jealous a long time ago.
But no one can do anything about this kind of thing.
Su Wan has never been reluctant to teach others. As long as the students take the initiative, she will teach them.
If you really want to make progress and learn something from Su Wan, wouldn't it be better to take the initiative to find Su Wan instead of being jealous in your heart?
But they couldn't say that, they could only sigh softly.
Thinking about the past days, it seems like a dream. It makes people sigh and feel regretful.
Su Wan actually had some ideas yesterday, but they were only confirmed today.
This is also why she rarely lost her composure yesterday and said a few words to Jiang Hongye. Being troubled by other people and being troubled by your own people are two different things, so she said a few more words.
But the matter has passed, it is over for her and she will never mention it again.
Su Wan said: "Everyone has their own aspirations, and we can't force them. This matter will be over in the future. We still have many years to stay in the palace, and we have a long time to live."
Yu Shuchunxiang nodded seriously.
In the past, many people thought that life in the palace was long and there was no hope.
But now it's different.
Now if I work hard, maybe I can become a female official.
Every palace maid in the Imperial Food Department has a chance. As long as they work hard, there will be no problem.
Su Wan sent them back, and when she arrived at the gate of Shangshenjian, she met the official on duty at Guanglu Temple who had finally eaten and drunk his fill.
The two of them greeted Su Wan with a smile: "If we hadn't had to take turns on duty this afternoon, we would definitely come to eat."
These officials are rotated every three days, and their successors will be here soon.
Originally, they should be happy, after all, they can go home, but now they feel a little regretful.
If I stay for two more days, can I still eat the food made by Su Wan?
I finally understand why Cui Hucheng from the Yi Department has to eat there every day. Su Wan’s cooking skills are really good.
Only Su Wan can make this kind of food that is both salty and delicious and rich in flavor.
The food at Shangshisi is always improving, which is amazing.
If I remember correctly, several delicacies that were popular in Kyoto last year were introduced from the Shangshisi, which shows how powerful it is.
Su Wan watched them return to Guanglu Temple, and it was obvious from the way they walked that they were full.
When we returned to the Shangshenjian canteen, the other palace servants were in the same situation. Is this the charm of Malatang?
No one can resist it!
As for the prepared ingredients, they were basically eaten up. The spicy hotpot in the evening was soaked in the soup without any chance to eat.
Yes, it’s normal to eat too much spicy hotpot if you’re not careful.
No one can resist such deliciousness.
But Su Wan didn't know that the new official on duty at the Guanglu Temple who came to take over in the afternoon had already listened to his colleagues.
Get ready to come to Shangshanjian for the next few meals!
Su Wan looked at the new official on duty at the Guanglu Temple and knew that he couldn't be driven away.
It’s already been done, so it doesn’t matter if there are a few more people.
But the two of them felt a little embarrassed, so they took out New Year's red envelopes and gave them to Su Wan. Su Wan was so young, she deserved some New Year's money.
Not only these two people gave New Year's money, Su Wan returned to her residence and found a thick red envelope on the table. Who else except Xie Pei could give New Year's money in this way?
But isn’t there a bit too much gold and silver in the red envelope?
How can you give so much New Year’s money?
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