delicious little cook

Chapter 103 Master Chef Qualification Acquired

"This morning the eldest lady sent someone to convey the message that the last menu was not satisfactory and needs to be revised. Manager Zeng Zhu can't write a new menu."

"Why? She can't write?"

"It's not such a simple question."

"Her level dropped?"

"To be precise, it was Wen Gushan who deliberately lowered the standards of the stewards so that he could continue to keep his position as the chief steward in next year's promotion competition."

"Slow down! There should be a time process in between! This can't be a temporary idea. Zeng Zhu really said that?"

"Well, the steward Zeng Zhu made it very clear that the old Duke had been in bed for more than a year before his death, so Wen Gushan was already thinking about this idea at that time. Detained in the mansion, they are not allowed to go out at will, Zeng Zhu said that in the past three years, the happiest time for them to go out is to spend a few days buying our apprentices."

"Wen Gushan courts death!" Gu Yun was really angry this time.

"Wen Gushan won't come back in a short time. Quitting smoking and recuperating from illness are not trivial matters. While he is away, please ask the eldest lady to clean up the East Kitchen."

"Most definitely."

Knowing that the conversation was over, Bai Kou saluted and retreated to the small kitchen to prepare supper.

In the early morning of the next day, Bo Yan sent someone to bring the ingredients for the day. Everyone was busy sending the third young master to school, and then everyone watched Bai Kou make braised pork.

Braised pork with fermented glutinous glutinous rice has special cooking requirements. Bai Kou secretly rejoiced that she was lucky. Put the pieces of pork belly on the stove and roast the skin with fire.

The rice-washing water used to wash the pork skin is from the West Kitchen. When they cook breakfast, they wash the rice and cook porridge, and they specially leave a basin of the thickest water for her, which happens to be sent along with the ingredients.

At the same time as the barbecue, the girls were not idle, and boiled water according to Bai Kou's instructions. When the skin of the meat was baked and soaked in rice washing water, the boiling water was also placed in the courtyard to cool slowly.

When the meat had to be soaked in the rice washing water for a stick of incense, Bai Kou washed her hands and went to the chore yard next door to do the laundry. When she came back, it was about the same time.

The boiling water in the yard was still hot, so Bai Kou divided the boiling water into two basins and poured varying amounts of cold water into them, making one of the two basins warmer and the other warmer, and another basin of cold water was placed in the other basin. The hot water takes turns to wash the pig skin, and the scorched black on the skin and the pig hair are washed clean.

After the meat is cleaned, it can be boiled in a pot. The water in the pot should cover the meat, and put the onion, ginger and cooking wine. When the pot sits on the stove, the little girl will light the incense stick for timing Simmer for about two quarters of an hour.

While the meat was cooking, Bai Kou was also preparing the marinade for the stewed meat. The broth for the sauce was left on purpose yesterday, because the daily fresh broth of the East Kitchen was being stewed on the big stove at this time.

Stir the marinade with all kinds of aniseed ingredients, put it aside for later use, tell the little girl to watch the heat and time, and Bai Kou went to the courtyard to exercise and practice kung fu several times.

Two quarters of an hour passed by, and Bai Kou walked into the small kitchen sweating profusely after practicing, and replaced the pork belly that had no fishy smell into the marinade pot, and then put it on the fire to simmer for half an hour. And told everyone that when the time is up, just take it out and let it cool down, and then wait for her to come back at noon before doing the rest of the work.

After hearing her words, everyone agreed and set a time to watch over the pot of meat. Bai Kou brought a pot of warm water and went back to the room to wipe and change clothes before going to work in the east kitchen.

It wasn't until I arrived at the East Kitchen that Zeng Zhu was called to Jicheng Hall to inquire about the new menu and came back not long ago. Seeing Zeng Zhu's ugly face, Lu Meihua gloated a little.

Zeng Zhu ignored Lu Meihua's ridicule, and assigned errands to the cooks and cooks step by step, and cooked the masters' lunch. When everyone in the kitchen was eating, she only took two steamed buns, carefully avoiding other people's sight , Go out from the kitchen door, go around the aisle, and talk to Bai Kou.

Bai Kou was still with Ludouhongsu and Wan Qiu, and Wan Qiu sharply saw Steward Zeng coming over and standing in the shade, eating steamed buns, and beckoned to Bai Kou, signaling her to come over.

Cautiously looking around to see if there are no outsiders, Bai Kou quickly walked towards Zeng Zhu and saluted her.

"Don't be so polite at lunch time, we just chat."

Bai Kou immediately returned a cute smile and took a bite of the rice.

"The eldest lady called me in this morning. On the surface, she was urging me to ask about the menu. In fact, she was asking me about Wen Gushan's intentional detention of us. You really don't wait for anyone."

"Master Zeng, last night the third young master specifically asked if our kitchen was in peace recently, and the maid did not dare to hide it. I think he must have told the eldest lady while he was saying good morning."

Zeng Zhu broke off a small piece of steamed bun and threw it into her mouth, sighing faintly.

"I didn't mean to blame you. It's a good thing to let the masters know. At least the eldest lady didn't force me to bring out the menu as soon as possible. I think I will write the menu for you in the end. It can be regarded as fulfilling your wish in advance."

"The eldest lady now knows that the culinary skills of the old chefs are declining due to Wen Gushan. If she cleans up the East Kitchen, what will happen to everyone?"

"I don't know. There is no precedent for this. It's really unpredictable. I don't think there are many people who can escape. If I come as a dowry, I won't touch me. You newcomers will stay. The most dangerous ones are those old chefs. , I don’t know where I will be sent if I leave the kitchen.”

"After the filial piety, the Duke's mansion resumed normal social interaction, and the family has not been separated. At that time, the master, wife, and young lady of the third bedroom will hold a small banquet from time to time. It will require manual work. If it is earlier, there will be time to make up new people. Now It might not be a good thing to send away a group of experienced chefs at this juncture."

"This is what makes people hesitate. The standard of the veteran chefs has declined, but the foundation is solid. They are good at all kinds of things under the stove. Just for this reason, they have value."

"If the foundation is solid, if someone teaches, there is still a chance to improve the cooking skills again, but they are generally old, and to what extent are they willing to learn?"

"If it is such a person, it is not worthy of sympathy to send it away."

"I still have to sympathize. The third young master said last night that he will drag everyone down by not working honestly. He will be sold to the mine."

"real or fake?!"

Bai Kou shrugged, and put a mouthful of food into his mouth, "I don't know, anyway, what the third young master said, I'll just repeat it, anyway, my mouth is too fast to wait for anyone."

Zeng Zhu was amused, and freed up her hand to poke Bai Kou on the forehead, "You just don't have a good mouth."

Bai Kou giggled, and flashed back to Lu Doudou and the others with his rice bowl in his arms.

(End of this chapter)