Chapter 22: Broad Bean Stew After the broad beans are put into the mouth, they are pushed with the tip of the tongue and then...
These words were completely made up by Song Jin on the spur of the moment, but the rule is that when the truth is unclear, whoever makes it sound more like the truth is the truth.
Wa Songlu was stunned for a long while, and stopped fanning himself and talking. Hu Lan, who was sitting opposite him, spoke up: "Brother Guan, how about this dish?"
Brother Guan didn't say anything, but snapped his fan shut and said, "Two more dishes."
Song Jin didn't hesitate and got up and went to the backyard to prepare cooking.
Song Jin planned to make two dishes, one was spareribs in black bean sauce, and the other was broad bean stew.
The ribs were bought in the morning and soaked in water early, and the blood was removed.
Chop the garlic into fine pieces, add a handful of soybeans, pour hot oil over it to bring out the aroma, then add soy sauce for seasoning and color.
Song Jin felt a little disappointed. There was no difference between light and dark soy sauces here, so she had to mix them. There was no oyster sauce either. If she had enough oysters, she could make her own oyster sauce.
Unfortunately, this place is a little far from the sea. Even if there are oysters here, I'm afraid she can't afford them, so she had to give up.
After washing the ribs, Song Jin added salt and a small amount of sugar, and began to knead them with his bare hands until the salt and sugar were absorbed and a glue-like substance appeared on the surface of the ribs. Then he slowly added a little bit of water, and finally added flour to coat the ribs with batter.
After the ribs are kneaded, spread them flat on the bottom of the bowl, pour the sauce on them, mix them evenly and marinate them for a cup of tea before steaming them.
As Song Jin grabbed the meat, he felt regretful in his heart. If it was the season when taro was ripe, he could spread the taro all over the bottom of the plate. After steaming it, the taro would absorb the oil from the meat and the freshness of the sauce, and melt in the mouth. It was rich in flavor and even more delicious than meat.
Seeing this, Chunyun ran to the bottom of the pot early to light a large firewood, added enough water into the pot, and waited for the water to boil before putting the fish in to steam.
After Song Jin prepared the spare ribs, he started to cook the broad beans.
Broad beans in mid-May are about to go off the market. They are no longer sweet and tender, and the tops have turned black, which is the appearance of maturity. So Song Jin did not plan to make soup, but to make t five-spice flavor. Although it lacks chili peppers, it can barely cope with it.
The broad beans are hulled but not skinned. To cook green broad beans, the most important thing is to boil them in water at the beginning.
Put the pot in cold water, add oil and salt, bring to a boil, then remove from the pot and drain.
Song Jin did not add sesame oil, but directly scooped a lump of lard into it, which made the old woman next to him feel distressed.
"Boss, why do you put so much lard in this bowl of broad beans?"
Song Jin kept cooking without changing his expression as he said, "If you want these vegetables to be soft and fragrant, you need to add enough oil. Vegetable oil won't work. You need to add lard, otherwise the taste will not be good."
The old woman understood this principle, but she just felt distressed.
Cut the garlic cloves into two pieces, add ginger and star anise together. If the chili pepper is missing, it will be gone.
Song Jin thought that when she was no longer a citizen, she would buy some land and plant peppers. She wanted to promote the pepper industry.
After the spices are sautéed, pour in the broad beans, add salt and soy sauce, stir well, then add boiling water to cover.
After this step was completed, Song Jin covered the pot, walked to the stove and took a look at the fire, and told Chunyun: "I want to simmer it slowly over low heat. Remove some firewood and don't let the water boil dry."
Chunyun nodded obediently, removed two pieces of dry firewood, and started to light the fire there obediently.
It was already very hot in May, and Chunyun's little face was roasted red in the stove.
"Do you regret coming out with me?" Song Jin asked her, leaning beside her.
"I don't regret it. This place is good. No one beats me here."
Song Jin smiled bitterly. For them, not being beaten was a good life.
Although the spare ribs were steamed first, the lid was opened at the same time because the broad beans were easier to rot. Two bowls of fresh dishes were served in the steaming water.
Song Jin followed the waiter carrying the dishes and walked forward together. She really wanted to hear that person's evaluation.
The dishes were served on the table. The waiter respectfully asked the two to enjoy their meal and then left. Song Jin stood aside and looked at the two with a faint smile.
Brother Wasonglu Guan first looked at the two bowls of dishes and a plate of spare ribs, which were white in color and not very attractive.
Spare ribs are not popular among poor families because they have more bones than meat. For the poor, it is not cost-effective to spend money to buy them. Only wealthier families will consider it.
Even though Song Jin opened a store, he didn't dare to order every day. Fortunately, the prices were not expensive, so he could always sell them to wealthy customers.
She thought that if she encountered such dishes in the future, it would be best to make an advance reservation, otherwise if she lost a few more times, her dish would be ruined.
Wasonglu did not pick up the ribs, but instead extended his chopsticks to the green broad beans.
The broad beans were stewed in lard. Although they were vegetables, they had a meaty aroma. The soft and glutinous broad beans melted in your mouth with the tip of your tongue.
Wasonglu showed the same expression as Lake Blue that day. After a moment of confusion, he suddenly became enlightened, then confused again, and so on.
After eating a handful of broad beans, he didn't say anything and picked up a piece of pork ribs and put it in his mouth.
The ribs are fresh, and the aroma of fat is mixed with a hint of garlic, which not only relieves greasiness but also adds flavor.
The man tasted the ribs, then went back to pick up some broad beans. He then turned back to Song Jin and said, "Your ribs are ordinary, but the broad beans are delicious. They are sweet, fragrant and sticky. One bite will leave a lingering fragrance in your mouth."
Song Jin did not argue for the spareribs. After all, taste is something that everyone has their own opinion on, and it is beautiful without the need for a unified approach.
"If you like it, you may come often. The broad beans will soon be off the market, and in two months the corn will be ripe. The way I cook corn is also unique."
"Two months later?" the man asked doubtfully, "Don't you have any special dishes during this period of time?"
Song Jin said: "Of course there is, but I haven't prepared anything today, so I dare not boast about it."
"It's okay," the man waved his sleeves, "You don't have to brag to me. I know someone in Suzhou who is famous for his love of eating. It's useless for you to use this dish to convince us. If you can convince this person, then your small shop will have a foothold in Suzhou."
Song Jin was delighted when he heard this. Isn't this the arrival of the rumored big boss? It's a perfect publicity case.
Just as she was about to ask when she could invite someone, she suddenly stopped and thought:
I'm expected to believe him just because he boasted? I'm not a rookie. What if he pretends to be a big shot and starts to act pretentiously in front of me? How should I end up like this?
"There is no stomach in this world that I, Wen, cannot convince."
Make big promises first, and talk about whether you can win later, but you can’t lose momentum.
The man did not expect Song Jin to be so arrogant. After a moment of hesitation, he said to Hu Lan opposite him: "Brother Ye, please come here first today. When I meet Brother Chai, I will let him know if he is willing to come..."
At this point, the man looked at Song Jin and said, "Whether it is a blessing or a curse depends on the ability of the shopkeeper."
Song Jin smiled and said, "I will not let you down, young master."
The man stood up without stopping and said, "Wait for my message, and prepare the dishes. The young man I'm talking about eats from heaven to earth, from the river to the sea. These two dishes may scare me, but they can't scare him."
Song Jin smiled and bowed to express his gratitude.
Looking at this man again at this moment, I don’t know whether he brought up the big shot because he lost the argument and felt humiliated, or he just wanted to help others find delicious food.
She had seen sleep testers in the 21st century. Could it be that there were still food tasters in the Ming Dynasty?
Or is he someone who helps out customers? Looking for small shops to introduce to others?
Song Jin was not sure, but she knew that her test was coming, and she was really nervous now.
Regardless of whether what this person said was true or false, she had to prepare well.
If he is really a foodie, then these ordinary dishes will not fool him, so she has to think of a way.
The first solution Song Jin thought of was to go back to the Bai family and steal peppers.
Chili peppers are ornamental plants and were not commonly used as food in the Ming Dynasty, so the novelty of this is very good.
Song Jin decided to do it as soon as she thought of it. She was too busy at the moment, so she decided to go back to the Bai family early the next morning when the restaurant was open and not busy yet, to see how the peppers her father planted were growing.
After a busy day, the few of them saw that the last customer was about to finish his meal, so Song Jin and the accountant A Rong calculated today's bill together.
At first she thought Wen Ya gave her an accounting office to guard against her, but now it seems that it is not entirely the case, because she really can't do the math for the Ming Dynasty.
The skill of using an abacus had long been lost to her grandmother. Looking at Arong's fingers flying up and down, she felt that she would not be able to learn it in a short time.
There is more than one account book. The one used during the day is the only one in which notes are made hastily. If it were handed to Song Jin to look at, he would definitely not be able to make any sense of it.
"This is called Cao Liu. We should memorize it and read it by ourselves. Others will not understand it, so we have to copy it again for the master."
As A Rong spoke, he copied the account book from Cao Liu into another account book.
"Is this what you're showing grandma?" Song Jin asked.
"Not really. At the end of the month, we have to calculate it again and record it in the final account. If I ask my grandmother to look at every single one of them, she will be blinded."
Song Jin thought that the ancients' accounting method was quite scientific, and they even had summary tables.
Ah Rong was good at accounting, and Song Jin just watched from the side. It was almost impossible for a newly opened store to make a profit, and Song Jin had a plan in mind for this matter.
Every evening, the two of them would calculate the accounts and estimate the money to be paid the next day, and leave it all to Arong to take care of.
He lives in the store, so it is very convenient. Song Jin has to go back to Mati Lane most of the time. Occasionally, when it is too late and there is a curfew, he can only stay here.
Because of this reason, she hasn't seen Wen Xin for some time. She doesn't know what he is busy with over there, but she can tell from casual thought that he is much more relaxed than her.
Ever since the fire that burned down the West Garden that day, burning many medicinal herbs, the Bai family had to buy more. So the medicinal herbs that were originally bought were moved back to the Bai family one by one and turned into cash quietly.
After Wen Ya proposed to establish Ai as the successor, the Bai family came into conflict with Wen Ya. Both sides were looking for lawyers. Song Jin estimated that the lawsuit would start soon.
She was busy all day in Anju Lane, her hands were always busy, but her mind was very relaxed.
No need to engage in intrigue or be scolded. She can just concentrate on studying the recipes with the old women. Now, she has an additional task to study the banquet. She vows to entertain this great gourmet well and spread the reputation of Shidinglou.
As long as Shidinglou becomes famous, her reputation as the owner of Shidinglou will naturally rise as well. Then it will be easy to make money.
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