Chapter 62 (2/2)
“Hehe, it’s pa.s.sable,” said Hong Xiaobao with a smile. “It’s only surface level knowledge. Ever since I was a child, I’ve always liked experimenting with things like these. It’s fortunate that I’ve been able to put the stuff I’ve learned to good use.”
“Oh…” mumbled Qingqing before she stopped talking altogether.
Quickly, Guan Juxiong returned with a bag of ingredients Hong Xiaobao had ordered. As if he was running at the speed of light, he arrived at the entrance in an instant. With a smile, he said, “Your Majesty, here are the things you’ve requested. Are they correct?”
As he placed the items on the table, he said, “Half a jin of True Fire Orchid cost 16 silver taels while Tiger-eyed Dew cost a little more at 140 taels for 2 jin. Here’s the change, hehe.”
En, good job!
Hong Xiaobao expressed his satisfaction and said, “Great, keep the rest of the money and get yourself some nice wine to drink. I’m going to start cooking now, so stay outside and protect Little Sis Qingqing. Remember, don’t frighten her.” After that, he shut himself back in the kitchen.
Within the kitchen, the fire was burning rather fiercely with the fish’s innards already removed. “Alright, everything’s ready. How should I make the soup?” asked Hong Xiaobao to Meng Xianji.
“It’s simple,” he replied, “simply get the prepared fish and cut it into pieces before marinating them in salt, soy sauce, ginger and onion for 15 minutes. Heat up the wok and add some oil into it and wait for it to heat up to around 80%. After that, put the pieces of fish inside and grill them until the color turns slightly yellow and add some vinegar, garlic and more soy sauce with some water to let the fish simmer within it, but not too much.”
Hong Xiaobao followed each instruction to the bone. After that was done, Meng Xianji said, “Make the fire smaller and let it cook for about half an hour before adding the Tiger-eyed Dew, after which you will continue to heat it up for a bit with a stronger fire. Give it a couple of minutes and it’s done!”
With Hong Xiaobao’s dextrous skills and Meng Xianji’s profoundly deep knowledge on cooking and ingredients, they were truly a perfect pair! After the dish was finally done, the whole kitchen filled with a strong fragrance of the fish soup.
“Wow, it smells so good!” Qingqing was the first to pick up the smell of the completed dish and said outside the kitchen, “Brother Xiaobao, is that coming from the fish soup you cooked? It smells great! What is this soup called?”
“Hehe, come!” said Hong Xiaobao as he scooped the soup from the wok and poured it into a large bowl before adding some True Fire Orchid into it and bringing the bowl out of the kitchen. “This is called the Fire Orchid Dew Carp Soup. Little Sis Qingqing, come give it a try!”
As he placed the bowl on the dining table, a voice sounded nearby. “Eh? What a fragrant-smelling fish soup dis.h.!.+ Xiaobao, was this cooked by you?”
Hong Xiaobao turned his head to find Fang Xinghan and ten other craftsmen rus.h.i.+ng over. Fang Xinghan’s eyes were glued to the dish as drool seemed to almost ooze out of his mouth. However, he still tried hard to keep his composure. However, based on his incessant swallowing, it could be seen that he was really trying hard to hold himself back.
It seems that he doesn’t only like good poems but good food too!
“Ah, this is indeed cooked by me, Uncle Fang. Please, sit down and have a taste!” Hong Xiaobao quickly invited Fang Xinghan to the table and said, “This dish is called the Fire Orchid Dew Carp Soup. It’s fresh out of the wok so try it while it’s still hot!”
“Wow, it sure is steamy!” praised Fang Xinghan. As he was about to grab a bite, he saw Qingqing glaring at him from the other side of the table and his face reddened. “Hahahaha, Your Majesty hasn’t had any yet, right? Come on, let’s eat it together!”
“Ah, I’m not in a rush. I had my guards go buy some food so they should be back soon…” After Hong Xiaobao said that, the guards returned chatting happily. Quickly, they arrived in front of Xiaobao and Zhao Four said, “Your Majesty, we’re back! Oh, and there was a situation when we were on our way to buy food, haha!”
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