The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

Pickled tofu dregs is a specialty of Zongzi. The Zongzi State was an ancient state established by the remnants of the Xia and Shang dynasties. It was contented governing their small sovereign state and wanted to restore it. However, it was later annihilated by the former famous general Zi Kong. Although it was still known as the Zongzi State, it had merely become a county of Da Chu.

Lin Dan did not expect anyone to know such a remote place and who could even describe the cooking process of the local specialties in detail. She could not help looking at the handsome man. The man glanced back at her before continuing to eat the dry food in his hand.

The meat slices in the wok had all been covered with a layer of pickled tofu dregs. The rich animal fat sizzled and gave out a crisp sound, exuding a strong aroma. Lin Dan retracted her gaze and said to the maid who was sitting next to her, "You may pour the water now."

The maid hurriedly poured the water from the clay jug into the wok. As water flowed into the wok, the dish that did not look attractive appeared even more turbid, but the pungency that stung the nose had greatly reduced. This had intensified the fragrance of the beans and the aroma of the meat, creating the original flavor of the dish.

The change in smell was immediately carried away by the spring breeze and spread the entire place. The three men who were sitting nearby could not help but took a whiff. Their mouths that were originally dry suddenly secreted a lot of salivae. They could already swallow the hard buns smoothly without drinking water. But when they looked at the hard buns in their hands, they seemed to have lost any appetite to consume it.

Lin Dan did not care about the feelings of those people at all. She seemed to feel that the food in the wok was not flavorful enough and added several kinds of seasonings before stirring it slowly with a spatula. The broth was already boiling and bubbling. The white water vapor carried the overbearing scent and spread the area, stimulating everyone's sense of smell and taste.

The maid asked while swallowing her saliva, "Master, why did you add the peppercorns after the broth has been boiling for a long time? Wouldn’t it make the flavor difficult to absorb into the dish?”

Lin Dan replied slowly, "This is rattan pepper, not peppercorn. Peppercorns numb your tongue while the rattan pepper has an astringent flavor. I added it at the end because cooking it for an extended period of time will make the food bitter. The numbing sensation of the rattan pepper is actually better than peppercorns and tastes more authentic. There’s no need to stir-fry it with oil, and it will give out a spicy flavor just by boiling in water for fifteen minutes.”

The maid nodded as she had learned something new. Lin Dan added the cut bamboo shoots and boiled for a while before adding a couple of washed wild onions into the wok as well.

The little girl hurriedly pulled up her sleeves and wondered, "Master, you once said that it is of great importance to avoid turbidity in this dish. But why is your dish showing the opposite? This dish already has a strong taste, but you still added the wild onions that have a stinging smell. I’m afraid that it will ruin the dish! I think it already tastes very good, and no other condiments are needed."

Lin Dan smiled at her and explained tenderly, "Do you remember the seasoning technique I taught you? Dishes with strong taste need to be enhanced to highlight the richness of the flavor, while dishes with lighter taste need to have its flavor reduced to bring out its freshness. Besides these techniques, I’ve also taught you the mixing method, flavor changing method, and so on. For this dish, I have chosen to enhance its flavor with a strong taste by adding the sourness and spiciness of pickled tofu dregs to the smoked and salty cured meat, before adding rattan pepper which gives the numbing sensation. Since the sourness, spiciness, and numbness can make the dish turbid, I’ve added wild onions to give it a slightly sweet, astringent, and bitter taste to it. Adding the unique fragrance of wild onions to the unique pungency of the pickled tofu dregs, it creates a dish that contains different layers of flavors and creates an excellent dish. We avoid turbidity not by reducing the number of condiments, but by ensuring that each flavor is distinct. Turbidity is referring to the taste of the dish and not its appearance. Also, different tastes can affect each other differently, such as sourness can reduce saltiness while saltiness can increase sweetness and so on. This makes cooking very interesting. This is also why I did not boil the cured meat in water because the sourness of the pickled tofu dregs will reduce the saltiness of the meat. If it is blanched in water, it will make the meat bland and reduce its flavor. You should pay attention to this in the future."

As Lin Dan was speaking, she added the wild onions into the wok and stirred gently. The tofu dregs soup that was originally all mixed up suddenly appeared white, red, and green. The distinct colors were beautiful and an indescribable aroma filled the air.

As the maid’s mouth watered, she exclaimed, "Master, you are really amazing! After adding the wild onions, the taste of this soup has changed indeed! A dish that has changed its flavors three times – I wouldn’t even know how to make this if you’ve never taught me!”

Lin Dan chuckled, "Let me test you then. Why do you think I added the bamboo shoots?"

"When the bamboo shoots are added to the cured meat, it makes the dish taste better." The maid was an amateur in cooking and was still learning the ropes.

Lin Dan explained patiently, "Pickled tofu dregs and cured meat are both preserved food. Although they taste good, one of their biggest weaknesses is the lack of savoriness. These bamboo shoots are used to enhance the freshness of the dish and make up for the lack of savoriness. Try the dish, don’t you think there a taste of freshness on the tip of your tongue after adding the bamboo shoots?"

Lin Dan scooped some soup and brought it near to the maid's mouth.

She took a sip and immediately gave a thumbs up. "It's delicious, Master! You’ve turned this dish alive!"

Lin Dan smiled and shook her head. She then called the other servants who were already drooling, "Everyone, lunch is ready!"

"It’s lunchtime! Get the bowls and chopsticks ready!" The people who had already surrounded them got their rice ready as quickly as possible. They took the food and started feasting. With the clanging sound of chopsticks hitting the bowls, as well as the sound of the mouth chewing and swallowing the food, everyone had eaten quickly as if they had gone hungry for several days.

As the maid feasted, her cheeks were flushed and she was all sweaty. She could not help but remark, "Master, as you’ve been ill, we have not eaten well for a long time. We’re so used to your cooking that other foods taste bland in comparison."

Lin Dan patted her head with tender-loving eyes. She took a few mouthfuls and got back into the carriage to take a rest. She was still ill after all and all the smoke she inhaled was making her throat hurt again.

When Lin Dan was cooking, the two strong men who were sitting nearby could not swallow the buns anymore. They craned their necks and looked into the wok. Even the cool leader could not help and look at it several times. His speed of eating the buns was getting slower and slower. When Lin Dan started to talk about the seasoning method of this dish, he could no longer eat the bun. He threw the water bag aside and listened to what Lin Dan was saying attentively.

Lin Dan spoke in a steady and soft manner and she was very vivid in her language. One can easily imagine the taste of the pot of pickled tofu dreg and stewed meat only by listening to her narration without looking at how tasty the food in the pot was. When the servants began rushing for food, the three men’s imagination of the food turned real. Their stomachs were growling and they were experiencing hunger pangs.

"Darn it, I can't take it anymore!" The sloppy and brawny man wiped off saliva with his sleeve.

"It’s such a big pot of food, do you think they can finish it?" Another brawny man asked with anticipation.

The handsome man did not answer, but his a pair of narrows eyes were staring at food in the wok. His throat shook slightly, seemingly swallowing the saliva that was forming in his mouth as well.

The three of them remained silent as they watched people on the other side pick up the cured meat, bamboo shoot, and wild onions in the wok using chopsticks. After the people were done, they even scooped out the tofu dreg soup and mixed it with their rice. Somehow, the three men could sit still no more.

"Old Zhao, can you go and ask if they have any leftovers? We will pay them for the food." The sloppy and brawny man nudged his companion.

Zhao Liu cursed in a low voice, "What the hell? Why don't you go instead?"

"Didn’t I just scold the young servant? I’m not that thick-skinned!"

"What makes you think I’m not?" As soon as he said that, a gust of wind carried the rich aroma of the dish to their noses. They could smell the numbing flavor, spiciness, and sourness that were mixed with the salty cured meat. They could already imagine the heartiness of the dish even though they have not tried it. “It was truly alluring!” They thought.

"Whatever, I’m gonna disregard my embarrassment and approach them!" Zhao Liu got up immediately and ran over with a couple of silver taels.

The young man, who had been mercilessly rejected and mocked by the two before, took much energy to lift his face from the bowl. He rolled his eyes and said, "It’s not much food for the six of us. How can we not finish it?"

"Can't we pay for it?" Zhao Liu took out two taels of silver and gave him a fawning smile. The soup kept boiling as the firewood burned and the fragrance of the food was driving him crazy. As soon as he approached the wok, he could move no more and his mouth watered uncontrollably.

"Nope." The servant walked around him to the work and took a few more slices of meat, some bamboo shoots, and wild onions. He shoved them into his mouth at once and did not bother to speak anymore.

Zhao Liu stared at his greasy mouth with a pitiful expression.

Seeing that his subordinate was an embarrassment, the handsome man ordered in a deep voice, "Come back."

Zhao Liu took another look at the servant's bowl of soup mixed with rice and at the boiling wok before returning reluctantly. The three men took the water sac unanimously and filled their stomachs with water, slowly losing their appetite. After resting for a while, they pissed, and the water they had immediately left their bodies. They became hungrier and stared at the food in the wok with eyes green with envy.

Chills ran down the servant’s spine as the three men were glaring intently towards him. He thought to himself, “Although we will part ways tomorrow, we may still meet later in the afternoon and in the evening. Perhaps I should share some food with them.” He started to scoop out the leftovers using the spatula and filled it up in a large bowl. He yelled, "There is still some food left, do you still want it?"

"Oh yes, yes! Thank you so much, young man!" Zhao Liu ran over as fast as he could. Although the other two tried their best to control themselves, their Adam's apples moved as they swallowed their saliva.

The leftovers always tasted the best as it had been stewed for a long time. The cured meat was soft and tender, and the tofu dregs were half-melted. The appearance of the dish may not be best, but the taste was excellent. The men tore the dried buns and soaked it in the bowl of soup before giving it a bite. With only one mouthful, the dryness of the bun was immediately replaced by a chewy texture that was combined with the sour, salty, spicy flavor. It made people wanting for more.

The three big men huddled together, each holding a piece of bun and dipped it in the soup. They also sandwiched the cured meat in between two pieces of buns and chomped down the food heartily. When there was only some soup left, the two men dare not move when the handsome man stared at them with his narrow eyes. With teary eyes, they watched their leader tore the steamed bun into pieces and threw them into the bowl before finishing all the food completely.

When Zhao Liu returned the bowl, his face was flushed with embarrassment. There was all because the bowl looked so clean that it seemed to have been cleaned with water.