Because she was obsessed with her old duck soup, Su Wan made the black plum soup very quickly.
But I still taught the cook in Zhongcui Palace that you can cook it yourself if you want to drink it in the future! She will definitely not come! This time, it’s a waste of her delicious duck!
Jiang Hongye, who was learning from Su Wan, originally thought that Su Wan would keep her recipe hidden. After all, who wouldn't hide their amazing recipe these days?
I also feel that it takes some effort to learn.
Unexpectedly, Su Wan taught her quickly. Was she scared?
Jiang Hongye's scrutiny was clearly seen by the right-hand man of the western kitchen and the senior palace maid beside the Imperial Food Department.
Only a mean-spirited person would judge a noble person by his own standards.
The two were quite familiar with Jiang Hongye, and Su Wan had met her several times.
When I first entered the palace, I saw Jiang Hongye taking off her female official clothes and going to the inner palace. The last time we met was in the west kitchen.
When I see her again now, I find that she is much more tired than before.
The three of them and Jiang Hongye had nothing to say, so they just did their own things.
Jiang Hongye also noticed the attitudes of the three people, especially the attitude of the senior palace maid beside the Shangshi Department, and could only frown. However, she did not dare not learn how to make the black plum soup in the western kitchen. If she could not learn it, it would be troublesome.
For a moment, Jiang Hongye even missed the days at Shangshisi.
At that time, all you had to do was cook. If you did well, people would praise you. If you didn’t, someone would clean up the mess.
But since Concubine Jiang's family found her and said that her surname was also Jiang, she should be a distant relative of the Concubine, and asked her if she was willing to serve the Concubine.
Although the influence of the Imperial Concubine's mother's family is not very strong in the capital, it is at least stronger than that of a cook like her.
With such a "kinship", Jiang Hongye naturally wanted it very much.
She also successfully moved from the Sinan Kitchen in the Outer Palace to the Zhongcui Palace in the Inner Palace, and told others that she had long decided to serve the Empress.
Things did go as she wished, and she should be happy.
Jiang Hongye was still distracted, so Su Wan said, "Okay! Now put it in the small ice cellar."
"When it's cool, you can take it out and drink it. Remember, whether it's dried osmanthus or other dried flowers, you must put them in when you drink it, so that it tastes better."
Without waiting for Jiang Hongye to ask again, Su Wan handed her the prescription she had written long ago: "Take it, it's no problem to follow this."
After finishing everything, Su Wan immediately looked up at the right-hand man and the maid beside the chief officer: "Can I go back to the west kitchen now?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? Nothing will happen here." The right hand man said with a smile.
Concubine Jiang summoned Su Wan just to mention it casually. It would be best if you can grasp it, but it doesn't matter if you can't.
Now that the recipe of black plum soup has been given, it is not easy to force it on you.
Su Wan should be able to see it.
Although she is young, the right-hand man believes in her intelligence.
Su Wan whispered, "There's a pot of old duck soup in the kitchen. I think it's almost boiled dry."
When the right-hand man and the palace maid heard this, they couldn't help laughing and said, "What's the big deal? I'll take you to the Shangshenjian later and get you two ducks."
The superior just said that Su Wan had something to do in the Imperial Kitchen, so it was naturally not appropriate for her to go directly back to the West Kitchen.
Even if it's just for show, you should go to the Shangshenjian, which is the office of the Shangshisi.
The Shangshenjian never lacks these things.
"No, I've been cooking this duck since this morning. I'm so sorry."
After Su Wan said this, everyone couldn't help but salivate. It was indeed a waste to cook the duck soup for a whole day.
The right-hand man said, "Don't talk about it now. Even if you remembered it when you first arrived at Zhongcui Palace, it's probably too late. I'll have someone go back and take a look. The charcoal used to boil the soup isn't much, but there is a lot of water. At most, the bottom of the pot is boiled dry. That's nothing."
Su Wan also knew about this. She was always careful in doing things, and she estimated that the charcoal fire of the old duck soup would burn out directly, and nothing serious would happen.
But it still makes me sad when I think about it.
Forget it. Anyway, the Right Hand Man will give her two ducks later. She can make soup with one and roast duck with the other tomorrow. They will surely taste delicious.
Jiang Hongye only saw them whispering but couldn't hear what they were saying. She felt inexplicably sad, but at the moment, the black plum soup was more important to her.
Only if they do the work for the Empress well can the servants live a relaxed life.
After Su Wan finished her work, she privately reported to the head of the Imperial Food Department who was in a meeting. Then she was taken to the Imperial Kitchen by the Right Chief and the Chief Palace Maid.
One is to go through the motions, and the other is to confirm the plate issue.
The third was that Song Cui, the senior palace maid serving the chief of the Imperial Food Department, had said that she would be promised some good ingredients and she would definitely keep her promise.
Everything is an important matter, and the small kitchen in the west kitchen has people sent by the Right Chief to take care of it, so Su Wan doesn't have to worry about it.
By the time the reply came out, Su Wan had another twenty taels of silver as a reward, given by the kind-hearted imperial concubine.
But Su Wan still felt a lot of strangeness in her heart.
She clearly wanted to be praised for her kindness, but her palace was full of luxury. This sense of contradiction made Concubine Jiang look a little torn.
Never mind. I have twenty more taels of silver in my hand.
Just relying on the rewards from daily life, she was not far from the store's goal. Adding what her superiors had given her before and last month's salary, she had thirty-three taels of silver in her hand, which was really gratifying.
After coming out of Zhongcui Palace, the Right Chief and the Chief Palace Maid Song Cui took Su Wan directly to the Shangshenjian.
The Shangshenjian was on the east side of the inner palace, so naturally one could not go back. Instead, one had to pass the East Five Offices, walk along the palace road from north to south, and then exit from the Donghua Gate.
When you come in, you enter from Xihuamen, and when you leave, you exit from Donghuamen, the two correspond exactly.
Su Wan calculated that she actually walked around the inner palace today. Fortunately, she worked hard cooking, otherwise, according to her original body, she would not be able to walk so far.
Go out of Donghua Gate and walk up. You will be familiar with this road. I walked here the last time I entered the palace. First, pass by Guanglu Temple, and then you will reach your destination, Shangshenjian.
Although the Shangshenjian place is not big, it is kept clean and tidy, and all the necessary things are prepared.
After all, cooking is not done here on weekdays. This is just the office of the female officials. The actual cooking is done in the north, south and west kitchens. The miscellaneous store is another matter.
When I entered the palace before, this was the first place I came to.
Looking back now, there is a sense that time has passed, even though I have only been in the palace for a short time.
When we arrived at the female officials' office, several chancellors and deputies were in one room, while the chief official of the Imperial Food Department had a separate study.
The dinner plate drawing was on the desk of the chief of the Imperial Food Department, which showed how much importance he attached to it.
After Su Wan told the head palace maid Song Cui her request, she decided on the style of the plates and prepared them according to Su Wan's request.
Although there were thousands of plates, they were made of wood and were not worth much. Even Imperial Concubine Jiang did not ask much when she knew they were wooden tableware.
Only those who know the inside story know how valuable this plate is.
The senior palace maid Song Cui smiled and said, "You may be young, but you are quite clever. This will make things much more convenient for the palace people."
We all work in the palace and understand that these little things can actually make things convenient for others.
Su Wan shook her head: "I'm just repeating what others say."
Although Su Wan said so, Song Cui was indeed seeing it for the first time in front of Su Wan.
After finishing the plate business, it was time to get the ingredients for Su Wan.
Unexpectedly, Song Cui not only asked people to bring two fire ducks, but also brought a net bag of lobsters, which made Su Wan's eyes light up when she ate them.
"These are the shrimps and crabs that were just delivered this year. We don't have many in the outer palace, so we can only leave them for the officials to enjoy. It's a good opportunity for you to come, so take some back."
"I heard you're good at making sauces. You can use lobsters to make fresh sauces that are delicious with rice."
crayfish!
The ingredients of Shangshenjian are so good.
Looking at the crayfish jumping around, you can not only make delicious sauce, but also make spicy crayfish and garlic crayfish.
Summer is simply not complete without lobster!
Seeing Su Wan nodding vigorously, I knew she really liked it.
Song Cui covered her mouth and smiled: "When summer gets deeper, I'll have someone send it to you more often."
This was not the first time Song Cui had seen Su Wan, but the more she looked at her, the more she liked her.
Today, she answered questions fluently in front of Imperial Concubine Jiang and did not embarrass the Imperial Kitchen at all. She was really likable, but her eyes were red and distressing. Now she packed some sweet fruits for Su Wan to calm her down.
In fact, no matter what sweet fruit you have, as long as you have this net bag of lobsters, that’s enough!
Besides, the red circles under her eyes were also caused by Su Wan's forced suppression.
Of course, there is no need to say this, just keep it to yourself.
It was already the morning of the 5th day of the 5th month when Su Wan left Shangshenjian, which was around five o'clock in the afternoon. This was because she made the black plum soup quickly, otherwise it would have taken who knows how long it would have taken.
She went there alone, and when she came back, the chief palace maid Song Cui asked someone to take her back and help carry all the live ducks, lobsters and snacks.
Although there is no old duck soup to drink tonight, it is still possible to make spicy lobster and garlic lobster. Eat half of it and usually make the rest into sauce.
When Su Wan went back, the Right Master and the Chief Palace Maid did not follow her, as they were busy at the Imperial Kitchen.
The main reason is that the situation in the inner palace is complicated. Who knows how many cases they will be given in June.
With so much fussing about this kind of thing every month, the Right Minister felt that Imperial Concubine Jiang was too fond of calling people to meetings.
After Su Wan walked around again and returned to the west kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The ingredients are delivered to the door of the small kitchen, and the snacks are sent to the big kitchen to be shared among everyone. Although there are many people and few snacks, it's still nice to have something fresh.
After the things were delivered, the palace maids from the Imperial Kitchen left immediately, and Su Wan went straight to her old duck soup!
Unexpectedly, as soon as Su Wan pushed open the door to the small kitchen yard, she smelled the rich aroma of old duck soup, and a little smoke was still coming out of the chimney.
Her soup!
It didn’t boil dry?!
When Su Wan went in, Yu Shu was pouring water on the charcoal fire. The fire couldn't be too big, and if it was a little bigger, some water would be poured on it.
"Yu Shu, have you been looking at the old duck soup?" Su Wan was very surprised.
She thought the duck was definitely gone.
"I just got here a short time ago. I went to the small kitchen only after the Right Hand Officer sent a message." Yu Shu was also surprised. "I thought the charcoal fire must have gone out, but when I came in, it was obviously tidied by someone."
The water must be fine. Since Su Wan had to cook it for a whole day, she added a lot of water.
But I thought the charcoal fire would definitely go out. If it wasn't Yu Shu who was guarding it, then who was it?
Su Wan glanced around. When she left, she left some food for Yan Pei and placed it on the plate. Now the plate had been washed. Could it be Yan Pei?
Su Wan lifted the plate down and saw that Yan Pei had also put a note there.
“The soup is delicious.”
!!!
Of course it smells good!
Let Yan Pei taste the more delicious crayfish tonight!
Su Wan felt relieved instantly when she found out that the old duck soup she had been thinking about was fine.
"Is that crayfish in your hand? Do you want to make shrimp paste?" Yu Shu asked curiously.
"Not only that, we also want to cook crayfish." Su Wan tried hard to pick up the crayfish. There were really a lot of crayfish delivered, weighing at least more than ten pounds.
We are already eating crayfish, would it be better if we pair it with some fruit wine?
There's no iced beer these days, so some fruit wine will do.
But since you are already in charge of the west kitchen, are you still afraid of not having this?
Su Wan asked Yu Shu to go to the kitchen to ask the head maid where she could buy some fruit wine. She had received a reward today, so she wanted to buy some fruit wine for everyone to enjoy together!
There are so many crayfish, calling for Deputy Prime Minister Xi to take charge, and the senior palace maids to come together.
Isn’t the point of eating crayfish in summer to get everyone together at the same table and chat?
But Su Wan thought of Yan Pei.
It would be nice if he could come too.
As Yan Pei's figure flashed through her mind, there was another knock on the kitchen door. Before Su Wan could open it, she saw Yan Pei pushing the door open.
Yan Pei looked at Su Wan and felt relieved to see that she was safe and sound.
Although the guards have already confirmed it, it would be better for him to come and take a look.
The two of them were relatively young, and at this moment they seemed to have a sense of mutual respect.
Although Su Wan acted calm, she also came from the inner palace, and Yan Pei avoided others, so they both had different difficulties.
But they didn't take these things to heart.
Yan Pei said: "Fortunately your soup is fine."
"Are you the one watching the fire? I've been worried about it the whole afternoon." Su Wan smiled and swiftly tore a duck leg for Yan Pei. "Try it quickly. If you don't eat it now, it will be gone soon."
There was only one duck and two legs, which was just right for the two Shangbaojians to share.
Yan Pei didn't refuse. He had been worried all afternoon. He pointed at the other duck leg without saying anything: "Together?"
"Together!"
Yan Pei tore off another leg and gave it directly to Su Wan. The two exchanged the duck legs in their hands and then touched each other.
Cheers to a day of nothing happening!
The duck leg bones that have been slow-cooked over low heat for a day are crispy and fragrant, not to mention the meat on the leg bones.
But Yan Pei couldn't stay for long, not because he was worried about being seen by others, but because the situation in the capital was gradually changing and he had a lot more things to do.
Not many people in the West Outer Palace knew him, or rather, not many people in the entire imperial palace knew him.
There is naturally nothing much to say about the almost transparent Third Prince.
But it is best to be cautious in everything, and that is how he always does things.
Su Wan felt a little regretful when she heard Yan Pei was leaving: "I'm going to make crayfish tonight, it would be great if you could taste it."
"If possible, just put it in the Guandi Temple." Yan Pei thought for a moment and said, "No matter what happens, you can put a note under the incense burner in the Guandi Temple, and I will see it when I pass by."
The guards will also talk to him.
This method is good!
Su Wan nodded: "Okay, I'll put it in Guandi Temple after I'm done. Anyway, the crayfish can be eaten even if it's cold."
Yan Pei smiled and left the kitchenette.
But Su Wan looked at the old duck soup that was missing two duck legs. This wouldn’t work, it would be discovered.
Su Wan directly took out the duck and cut it into duck pieces with a knife.
alright!
This way no one would find out that she was having an affair with Yan Pei!
But speaking of ducks, Song Cui, the chief maid of the Imperial Kitchen, brought her two live ducks. She would roast them tomorrow. The sizzling roast ducks were delicious just thinking about them. Roasting the tender ones or making soup with the older ones would be good.
Not long after Su Wan came back from the inner palace, Yan Pei came first, and then several stewards sent people to visit.
The old prison manager and the eunuch in charge even came here in person, and were relieved to see that Su Wan was fine.
The other managers not only received the news that Su Wan was fine, but also received a message asking them to come to the small kitchen in the evening to eat crayfish and duck blood vermicelli soup.
Come here quickly.
Although everyone came in a hurry, Su Wan was not worried. The old duck vermicelli soup was ready, and the crayfish would also be easy to make.
As soon as Su Wan came back, she soaked the lobsters in water and added vinegar and salt for easy cleaning. While she was making the old duck vermicelli soup, Yu Shu, Wei Jun and Zhuo Hui were bathing the crayfish with a small brush.
To be honest, this was the first time they had seen the way of eating that Su Wan described.
Cook it with the shell?
Is it possible?
That's not very fishy.
But when I thought that this was Su Wan, it was okay. No matter how I cooked it, it would definitely taste good.
After learning that Su Wan had asked Yu Shu to buy some fruit wine, the two managers of the Shangbaojian said with a smile, "Why buy this? I'll just ask someone to get it."
When they have nothing to do, they just enjoy themselves in Shangbaojian. With delicious food to eat every day, how could they not have good wine?
There was a lot of fun in the small kitchen yard.
Several stewards were chatting under a tree. They were all old people in the palace and had a lot of topics to talk about.
When the manager of the Baochao Department finally arrived, he brought some fruits and snacks. It turned out that he never came empty-handed!
Yu Shu, Wei Jun and Zhuo Hui clean crayfish.
Su Wan started making old duck vermicelli soup.
This meal is also a very classic dish, especially in the wealthy Jinling. There is a saying that goes, no duck can walk out of Jinling alive.
The history of eating duck there is also quite long, of which old duck vermicelli soup is just a small category.
There are so many kinds of duck, such as salt-pressed duck, salted osmanthus duck, and braised duck.
Whether it is a braising pot or a soup pot, each has its own flavor.
During the Spring and Autumn Period in Su Wan's time and space, there was a tradition of raising ducks in Jinling, and that place was also suitable for raising fat ducks. It would be great if one was lucky enough to eat ducks raised in Jinling.
Su Wan was just thinking about it. It’s not that bad in modern times. You can just buy a ticket and get there.
Now the only way to get the ducks is to rush them over a distance of three hundred miles. That is a treatment only available to saints and queens. She just needs to think about it.
Because the old duck soup had already been cooked, the whole yard was filled with fragrance, and several managers even wanted to say, why not stop making it and just start eating now.
Just let them each have a bowl of soup.
The old duck soup was already tasty enough at noon, and the taste was so unforgettable that I couldn’t even walk anymore.
But the aroma of the duck offal that Su Wan was about to fry was equally tempting.
Several managers who were chatting couldn't help but ask.
Su Wan cut the duck gizzards, duck blood and duck intestines, and wanted to stir-fry the gizzards with seasonings in a pan. After the aroma came out, she added rice wine to remove the fishy smell, and finally poured in the broth that had been boiled long ago.
The broth has not been turned off the fire, so it will boil quickly. Add the soaked beans at this time, and finally the soaked fine vermicelli. Such fine vermicelli is easy to absorb the flavor and is most suitable for such a rich soup.
Boil over high heat for three times, then add the duck intestines and duck blood. Cook these two ingredients until they are done. They will not taste good if cooked for too long.
The whole process takes less than a quarter of an hour and the old duck vermicelli soup is ready.
The soup was ready, and Yu Shu and the others had already cleaned the crayfish. After rinsing them several times, no stains were seen.
And according to Su Wan's request, the place where sand was hidden in the head of the crayfish was removed, and then the shrimp line could be pulled out smoothly by twisting the shrimp tail.
At first the three of them were a little clumsy, but after learning Su Wan's techniques, they became faster and faster, and they only had to process two-thirds of the food, and the rest could be saved for making shrimp paste tomorrow.
Zhuo Hui repeatedly confirmed: "Really? We don't need to remove the shells? Can we eat it like this?"
"Of course, crayfish with shells are especially delicious." Su Wan nodded, and she had already heated the oil.
Add onion, ginger and garlic to hot oil and start stir-frying the crayfish. When the crayfish turns red, you can put them aside.
On the other side, start frying the seasoning over hot fire.
Because I want to stir-fry garlic crayfish and spicy crayfish.
The former is definitely fried and chopped garlic, and the latter is chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.
Crayfish has a strong fishy smell, so you must add more of these seasonings to make the taste absolutely delicious. White wine is also indispensable.
How does the saying go? Fresh fish goes well with chili peppers and fatty meat goes well with liquor, both of which are used to remove fishy smell and relieve greasiness.
Now that we have both, we can naturally conquer the taste of crayfish.
Just by the time the ingredients are fried, the fragrance can be smelled from ten miles away.
However, the chief steward of the Baochao Division looked at the way Su Wan used oil and ingredients when cooking, and he didn't seem to think it was a waste of so many things?
In today's terms, it's called the Dubai seasoning method.
Don't care about the prices at all.
The master said that Su Wan's family background was average and she had suffered a lot at home since she was a child. This was not the kind of child that could be raised in a miserable family.
Could it be that she was sent by someone to deliberately get close to the master?
As soon as this thought came to mind, the crayfish had already been put into the fried ingredients, and water was added to allow the crayfish to absorb the flavor.
In less than fifteen minutes, two pots of crayfish can be prepared.
Smelling the aroma of the food, the new manager of the Baochao Department has already forgotten his previous thoughts!
never mind!
Even if there are problems, the Lord can solve them!
It’s better to numb myself with delicious food now.
The Deputy Prime Minister of West, the left and right officials, and two senior palace maids who were not on duty approached the small kitchen and were shocked by the delicious food there.
Such a rich aroma, is this what they are going to eat tonight?
Smells so good.
At this time, all the wine, food and snacks are ready.
The small kitchen had to be temporarily put together with two tables to accommodate the needs.
The small kitchen, which was deserted in the past, gradually became lively because of Su Wan's appearance.
Deputy Prime Minister Xi and the others also brought excellent news.
That is, after several days of negotiation, the food portions for the western kitchen were finally determined!
Next month's ingredients will be more abundant than you can imagine, with pork, mutton, chicken, duck and goose available for you to eat every day!
No matter what Imperial Concubine Jiang thinks, the things have already been decided, and they can just take the redemption cards to claim the things.
The hard days of the past are gone forever!
There is so much delicious food and such good news.
This summer's small kitchen yard is as happy as the New Year.
But when Su Wan brought the cooked crayfish, everyone was silent for a moment.
Can this thing with a shell really be eaten?
It is usually used to make shrimp paste, which tastes quite good.
Now it has only shell and whiskers, and it looks really disgusting.
I think the old duck vermicelli soup next to it is more to your taste.
Su Wan couldn't help but raise her eyebrows when she saw this: "You really don't want to eat? Don't regret it later."
Unexpectedly, among this group of people, the one who hid the farthest was the chief guard of Shangbaojian. He always loved eating and drinking, but he was really afraid of this thing!
Especially when it is cooked and turns bright red, can it really be eaten?
He was very suspicious!
In the end, it was a few female officials in the west kitchen and the old steward of the old prison warehouse who were ready to grit their teeth and take action.
Don't embarrass your children.
Unexpectedly, Su Wan didn't mind at all. She rolled up her sleeves with a smile, picked up a crayfish, and skillfully peeled open the lobster shell to take out the shrimp meat inside. She also dipped the shrimp meat in the sauce, and when she took it out, the shrimp meat was soft and cute.
Su Wan deliberately said, "If you don't eat it, then I will eat it."
Does this look okay?
Why not give it a try?
Everyone followed Su Wan's actions, removing the lobster head first and then peeling off the outer shell. They might not have peeled it as completely as Su Wan, but at least they peeled it.
The chief eunuch of the Shangbao Palace couldn't help but say, "It's so troublesome to eat something."
As he spoke, he dipped the shrimp meat in the garlic crayfish broth and put it into his mouth.
First, the aroma of the seasoning instantly bursts in your mouth, then the tender, smooth and fresh shrimp meat, and then take another bite. The taste of pure shrimp meat is good enough, and there is also a lingering garlic aroma.
This thing is so delicious!
What's the trouble?
What's the trouble with eating?
First the garlic flavor, then the spicy flavor.
Both flavors were delicious.
Only the chief guard who was so scared that he retreated couldn't help but ask, "How about you peel one for me to taste?"
He was afraid, but he wanted to eat it. Seeing everyone eating so happily, it must be delicious, right?
If someone else answered this, they would definitely say that you removed the word "吧"!
This is really delicious!
Especially delicious!
The spicy and garlicky taste are both exquisite.
In the end, Wei Jun was quick and nimble enough to peel a few for the chief steward of the Shangbao Supervisory Bureau, but he was too slow and Zhuo Hui next to him had already eaten several more!
The frightened chief guard finally put the shrimp into his mouth.
The shrimps he had eaten before were all peeled, but this was the first time he saw them cooked with the shells on.
I was afraid at first, but after taking the first bite, what was there to be afraid of?
He is not afraid anymore!
Expecting others to peel shrimps is too slow, so just do it yourself!
Su Wan found it funny. He was peeling shrimps with his eyes closed, so how come he was so fast?
It seems that eating is also a talent?
Everyone on the table devoured the food in no time. No one wanted to be outdone. Even if the spicy crayfish was so spicy that they slurped their food, they couldn't slow down! Otherwise, they would have to eat less!
I took some time today, and it was dark when I finished cooking. Now the moon is on the branches, the wind is clear and the clouds are bright, and there are delicious food to accompany us.
It is truly a blessing in this world.
Crayfish! It’s a must-have food for parties!
The author has something to say:
Have you eaten crayfish this summer?
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