Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 64
Tled by Serena Love
Unedited
Chapter 64: Hot pot (1)
The old madam collapsed and sat with a black face. Her expression of joy from earlier shattered.
The nanny reminded her, "Old madam, although the crown prince said there is no need to mobilize the elders, we still have to save face. The maids in the third courtyard can't hold the stage, so we have to dispatch people quickly. There is also the main kitchen. They should hurry up to prepare the banquet."
The old madam did not speak and tightly squeezed the Buddhist beads in her hands.
"Old madam?" The nanny called her anxiously.
The old madam said with a calm face, "You think, why did the crown prince come over?"
The nanny was stunned for a moment and said in a stunned manner, "Didn't His Royal Highness say that he wanted to get together with his subordinates?"
The old madam sneered, "Get together? Can't they gather in the East Palace? Can't they gather in a restaurant? Even a painted boat is more suitable than the third courtyard of Duke Xie's Mansion. Why come here?"
The nanny was so dumbfounded by the question, but it made sense.
Jiang-shi's matter is still hot in her mind, so the old madam quickly figured out the key points and mocked, "He really has a skill. Yesterday I said that Jiang-shi is not beneficial to his career. Today he can invite the crown prince to Duke Xie's residence to give Jiang-shi a face. Go, get someone to open their small kitchen, and ask for what ingredients they need."
The nanny heard the old madam's plan and said in amazement, "This..." That is the crown prince. Wouldn't it be negligent in entertaining him in the small kitchen?
The old madam said in a hurry, "Then order the main kitchen to prepare a banquet. What else can we do? After all, we can count on the main kitchen to save the day." She turned the Buddhist beads in her hand again, "If you want to hit me in the face, you have to look if she has the ability first, don't just slap yourself on your face."
After she finished speaking, she slapped the Buddha beads on the table angrily, "It's in vain that I look after my youngest son. I didn't expect him to be so fascinated that he would dare to invite the crown prince over to carry her sedan chair."
Xie Xun was wronged. His Royal Highness, the crown prince's decision to go to Duke Xie's Mansion was completely beyond his expectation.
The whole thing started at noon today.
Xie Xun thought about what the old madam said yesterday and was afraid that Jiang Shuyao would be angry. He specifically went to the prince, hoping to reward his wife the next time he has any merit.
He has been accompanied the crown prince since he was a child, the two grew up together, and the relationship was close. The prince agreed without thinking.
After Xie Xun left, the crown prince felt that it was more and more interesting! This is Xie Boyuan, but he was begging for his wife!
The curiosity for gossip in the prince's heart was surging. So Lin Cheng, the big mouth, was immediately called.
Lin Cheng's eyes lit up when he heard the gossip, and he stomped his feet excitedly, "Xie Boyuan is possessed by a monster, right? How can a Taoist priest like him move his heart?"
The prince nodded in agreement, "This Jiang-shi is really a strange woman. I had heard the rumors about her when I was in Manjing City before. At that time, I thought she was worthless for Bo Yuan, and I wanted to go to my mother to oppose the marriage, but I didn't realize that a person made of ice sculpture was actually warmed. It's amazing!" His face was serious, and he spread out his papers as if he was discussing political affairs in harmony, "Is Jiang-shi beautiful?"
Lin Cheng thought for a moment, folded his fingers, and nodded, "Beautiful."
"But Xie Boyuan is not the kind of person who likes beauty, right? Every time he had a 'chance encounter' with a lady, his face was stinky."
Lin Cheng smirked, "I think Xie Boyuan's fascination has nothing to do with beauty. His wife cooks really well. The key is she cooks with the style that has never been seen, the taste that has not been tasted. Let alone him— whoever he is, they have to be tempted, slurp—"
The prince recalled the fern-root noodles he had tried that day and also swallowed his saliva.
As a prince, he had tasted the delicacies of mountains and seas, but that day was the first time he tasted spiciness, and the smooth, sour, and spicy fern-root noodles he also seen it for the first time.
Lin Cheng smacked his mouth and said with joy, "Bo Yuan has not brought any food these few days. I have a bad appetite for everything else. Alas, I feel picky. But Bo Yuan has agreed to let me go to the Duke Xie's Mansion for dinner. Hehehe. I hope to see my sister-in-law so that I can persuade her to let the Lin family quickly open some restaurants."
In fact, Xie Xun wanted to refuse Lin Cheng, but he hesitated, thinking that the old madam said that Jiang Shuyao was not a good wife who could assist her husband.
Isn't it good for his official career to let a colleague come to Duke Xie's Mansion because of Jiang-shi?
So he reluctantly agreed.
When the crown prince heard this, he became interested, "Don't go alone."
Lin Cheng dumbfounded, "Huh?"
The crown prince went to Xie Xun with great interest. Of course, he wouldn't say it clearly. The excuse he gave was the same plan as the rhetoric that was "guessed" by the old madam, but Xie Xun saw through his plan at a glance.
His serious face is like an ice block, "Your Royal Highness." Xie Xun and the crown prince are more like good brothers. There is no formality between monarchs and ministers, so he bluntly said, "Your status is honorable. I am afraid that Duke Xie's mansion will not be able to serve you well."
Lin Cheng probed his head and said, "Casual, casual."
The prince nodded in agreement.
"It is not reasonable." Xie Xun said as he squeezed a gentle smile.
A bright moonlight smile, soft and soothing tone... appeared on Xie Xun.
Terrible!
The prince pushed Lin Cheng forward, and Lin Cheng shivered, "Bo Yuan, I think you are right. His Royal Highness is very honorable, and it is improper if the hospitality is insufficient. But I am different, I can eat anything! My sister-in-law can make whatever, I will eat it all!"
Crown prince: Ah... friendship for so many years... so fragile.
The crown prince said, "Bo Yuan, you have to relax. When you and I were ordered to inspect the Huaizhou army, wasn't it also a solar eclipse, and we had some coarse tea and plain rice? When I went, there was a hurry. I hurried on the road and swallowed dry food for several days without touching any hot food."
The prince then said, "I just want to get together with my subordinates. Why pay attention to rules so much? Can't the East Palace hold a private gathering?"
Xie Xun thought silently for a few seconds. If he wants the old madam to throw away her contempt for Jiang Shuyao completely, the crown prince's visit to the house is indeed a good opportunity.
He reluctantly agreed, "Okay."
Before Lin Cheng had time to be happy, a group of people came out behind him.
"Ah, Your Highness, you said about gathering with your subordinates?"
"Bo Yuan, did you plan to host a banquet at Duke Xie's Mansion?"
There was so much noise that Xie Xun's temples pulsed.
"I--" He said, everyone was quiet immediately.
"I don't mean to host a banquet at the Duke Xie's Mansion. You are confused."
Naive, too naive. To be mixed up in politics to this point, even if they were not from several generations of a big family, at least they had known some tactics since childhood.
As soon as his voice finished, the colleagues spoke up and down,
"Well, since the prince is going, this minister will send you off?"
"Bo Yuan, our two mansions happen to be on the same street. Shall we go back together?"
"Yes, your Royal Highness is out of the palace. How can we not go with you?"
Xie Xun gritted his teeth. They decided to fix him together, right?
So supported by various reasons, a group of people from the East Palace arrived at Duke Xie's mansion mightily.
There are the crown princes with the position high above them and descendants of various aristocratic families. Every single person is full of weight. At the door is a gathering of the court's future leaders, both the emperor and the courtiers.
Jiang Shuyao was dazed when she faced this scene as soon as she returned from the second branch.
Xie Xun placed the group of people in the hall, found Jiang Shuyao in the wing, and explained it carefully.
Jiang Shuyao nodded in a daze and asked Xie Xun how to arrange the banquet.
Xie Xun thought about the group of people and had a headache, "I will ask the main kitchen to move a table for the banquet and prepare dinner for the banquet."
Jiang Shuyao looked at the sky and wondered, "Are there enough time?" The ancient banquets were not playing around in terms of preparation to serving.
Xie Xun is actually very worried, "It shouldn't be a problem to prepare a simpler one."
Jiang Shuyao didn't know how Xie Xun was in the East Palace. To her, she felt like her husband's colleagues and boss had come to her house for dinner. If she didn't bring out her signature dishes, she would be afraid of shaming her husband.
"Or, let me prepare it?" She still has this confidence.
"No." Xie Xun refused without thinking, "It will make you tired."
Jiang Shuyao said, "No." Before, she had no pressure to cook alone when friends had dinner, not to mention that she didn't plan to make sophisticated dinner today.
"The iron pot that I ordered before has already been delivered. It just happened that today I was practicing making hot pot ingredients in the second branch with second sister-in-law, which just happened to come in handy."
"Hot pot?" Xie Xun blinked.
"Yeah." Jiang Shuyao nodded and pushed his shoulders, "Don't worry, go chat with them and wait for a while to eat."
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Xie Xun was confused and pushed out of the room door. Looking back at her with a bright smile, he suddenly felt soft.
He strode over, bowed his head, and said to Jiang Shuyao, "Thank you."
Jiang Shuyao was embarrassed by his serious tone, "It's really nothing, you go quickly, don't leave the guests hanging."
The crown prince thought in his mind that he didn't think Jiang-shi could make any delicious food that would surprise everyone.
First, there are too many people, and she can't make food for so many people in such a short time.
Second, it is easy to make something delicious but hard to make something amazing. The fern-root noodles he ate that day were indeed amazing, but he did not believe that Jiang Shuyao could casually make a delicacy beyond fern-root noodles.
There are so many people and the time is short. He estimated that the mansion would get the main kitchen to prepare the banquet, then Jiang-shi will cook one or two dishes casually. They will taste the dishes separately, which is in line with Xie Xun's mind to give her face and not neglect the guests.
With this thought, he waited for the food with the attitude of watching a show.
Unexpectedly, the speed of serving dishes was beyond his expectations, and the maids came over with three iron pots.
Everyone was stunned, staring at the empty weird-shaped pot. What does this mean?
Before they could guess the purpose, the maids brought some plates again. This time everyone had dishes in both hands.
Everyone is a little surprised. Is the food served so fast in the Duke Xie's Mansion?
When the maids put down their plates, they were all dumbfounded.
Raw?!
There were green, white, red, yellow, and various colors when they looked at the table. There were meat and vegetables, and the dishes were plentiful, but they were all raw without exception.
Vegetables include cabbage, tofu, mushrooms, gluten, lotus root slices, kelp, tofu, and so on. For proteins, there are meat rolls, beef rolls, spicy beef, coriander balls, quail eggs, tenderloin, fish fillets, etc.
There are also fish balls, crab sticks, blood tofu, goose intestines, duck intestines, tripes, loin slices, etc., that can't be seen at a glance.
Everyone was dazzled and couldn't tell what was going on.
Jiang Shuyao has prepared all sorts of ingredients regardless of their status or preference. There are many internal organs that people think are dirty, but they can't recognize them anyway.
"Bo Yuan, what does this mean?" The crown prince asked everyone's doubts.
Xie Xun couldn't figure it out either. If Jiang Shuyao were here, she would definitely explain it patiently, but this group of people hatefully running here today.
He unconditionally believes in Jiang Shuyao, without being salty nor plain, he said, "It's just a new way of eating."
He didn't have to say more because this group of top aristocrats had a guilty conscience to enter his house, so they didn't dare to ask more.
The dishes were ready, and the maids served a few more dishes.
The dry dipping ingredients are crushed peanuts, sesame powder, pepper, chili powder, etc.
The dipping sauce is made with sesame oil, and minced garlic, coriander, salt, vinegar, etc.
There is also sesame dipping sauce which is loved by northerners. It is made of thick sesame sauce and red fermented bean paste, sugar, and other seasonings that make the sesame sauce full of color and fragrant.
It's not over yet. The maids put the hot pot base into the pot and poured the rich milky white and clear broth. Then they lit the charcoal fire under the pot, and a hot, spicy, and fragrant scent instantly emerged and overflow from the pot.
This taste is extremely overbearing, rich and spicy, and instantly awakens people's appetite. The soup in the pot was bubbling, and there was a layer of clear red oil floating on the surface. The floating oil is rolling with the bubbling of the hot soup. The color alone made people swallow.
Bai Zhi wrote down Jiang Shuyao's words and read them to introduce the food, "This thing is called hot pot. This pot is spicy, that one is slightly spicy, and this is light mushroom soup."
"All the dishes on the table are side dishes. You can put whatever you want. Don't be afraid of the smell. Just pay attention to the heat. For example, this blood tofu will be stale if it was cooked for a long time. At first bite, it would be tender as it melts quickly, and it is extremely fresh."
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"There are also goose intestines. When blanching in the hot pot, pay attention to the amount of "ups and downs." Don't overcook it accidentally. It cooks quickly. When the time comes, you should fish it out immediately. This way, the duck intestines will remain crisp and will not be too tough to chew."
Bai Zhi introduced the ingredients one by one. Everyone was dizzy. It was clear that the food on the table was raw, but everyone couldn't help drooling when she was talking. Not to mention the spicy and delicious smell were floating on their nose. After smelling it, there seemed to be a refreshing smell of Chinese herbs pouring into their nose.
Bai Zhi finally finished the introduction, stepped back, and waited for further instructions.
As the person with the highest status here, the crown prince is naturally the first to speak, "You don't have to be cautious. Just move your chopsticks."
As soon as his words finished, everyone was fully demonstrating what it means to be informal. They picked up their chopsticks in a swift manner, their eyes glowed, and they rolled up their sleeves and looked towards the table- and then they were in trouble.
What should I eat first?
Several chopsticks froze in the air. In fact, some pairs of chopsticks were lowered down.
Xie Xun elegantly picked some meatballs and explained calmly, "As the maid said just now, let's put the ones that are difficult to cook first."
Everyone praised him secretly. Just now, they were busy controlling their saliva, so no one paid attention to what the maid had said. As expected, Xie Boyuan was able to be elegant, calm, and sober no matter what situation he was in.
Xie Xun knew what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions.
Oh, I'm sorry, wifey has fed me too many delicacies, so I'm not so ignorant and strong-minded.
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