Chapter 30 - 30. Getting Closer To My Projected Target. (1/2)
”Right where was I just now?” I greeted Patricia when I entered the kitchen and made an appearance. Somehow I felt that I had a glow from within from all the allocated points and she immediately noticed the difference.
”You seemed a bit stronger now, Audemars. You looked a bit different from just now. Even your tunic seems a bit fitting for you. Did you lift some weights or something when you're out at Joan's and Pointus'?” she asked as she eyed me and can't help to wonder but yeah, I could feel I had somehow being chiselled and sculpted lately.
”Oh, I was helping Pointus to carry some boxes and clearing his store earlier. I didn't actually cut it with Joan just now but I find out from her that she bathe 24 times a year and only during the gazetted holidays.” I laughed as I remembered how she smelled her armpit in front of me without feeling abit bashful after doing that.
”Oh, then how about yourself, Audemars? It seemed that you love to feel fresh every time before going to bed and early in the morning,” she asked as she prepared the ingredients that would be made for lunch.
”How I wish I could feel fresh like a newborn baby...! Right after my ongoing plans takes off, I'm sure you would want to shower 2 to 3 times a day just to feel fresh and smell good. By the way, I would be grinding till late at night, so we could cook extra and we don't really need to spend more time in the kitchen to prepare dinner later, ok?”
”As you wish, Audemars. So what would we be making?” she asked as I took a step back and observed all the spread of ingredients that was supplied by the Director just for this series. The thinly sliced pork had been placed under the sun and it had dried up quite considerably as I saw a thin layer of salt nicely covered the meat.
I saw eggs, celery, green and red bell peppers, shallots, garlic, mustard leaves, potatoes and yam. I could visualise what I could whip up 3 dishes in an hour with Patricia's help.
”Trish, could you fetch about 8 slices of meat hanging in the sun? Wash them properly to get rid of the salt and then soak it in a plate with a bit of water. After that, you could sit back as I prepare 3 dishes, you just place a cauldron and a frying wok on the stoves. Need not fire them up yet, until I've prepared the first dish, alright?”
She nodded and went to fetch the meat and followed according to my instructions. I broke 3 eggs into a bowl, then I took a green and red Bell pepper and sliced them up. Next up celery, spring onions and shallots were sliced thinly and placed into another bowl.
The mustard leaves had been washed and then chopped and placed in a plate and I place a bottle of condiment from the shop called McCormicks. It was dark oyster sauce and its good for like a dozen servings.
Next, I had peeled and diced the potatoes and yam and placed quite a considerable amount into a large bowl and this would be made into soup. I filled the small cauldron with a third of the water and placed the diced potatoes and yam into it. I drop a few drops of olive oil into it and fired up both stoves. A generous spread of condiments was added and some seasoning was sprinkled into it too.
The three eggs were beaten and had been mixed with the garnishing and a bit of salt. The slices of meat had been chopped with the cleaver and it would be made into 2 portions for both lunch and dinner. A bit of fat was dropped into the wok and once it is hot, I dropped in the shallots and crushed garlic and stir-fried it for a bit before I dropped in the first portion of the chopped meat.
After it was well done, I dropped in half portion of red and green peppers and soon the beaten eggs were dropped in as well. I held the wok in my hand and moved it around to spread the omelette evenly. I took a plate, invert it and placed it on the omelette and flipped both wok and plate around. I then replace the wok and slide omelette into it so the other side would be fried as well.
Patricia was watching me all the time and when I did the trick with the omelette, she was surprised. I explain that if a small one it could be flipped easily with just a ladle but a large circumference like this, I would need the help of a plate. I worked the bellows for the soup and the cover was gurgling with steam and from the smell of it, it would be ready once I had settled the rest.
I repeated the process for the 2nd omelette and once it is done, I placed both the omelette on a clean oval-shaped porcelain ware. The plate that was used to flip the egg was placed in the basin and immediately Patricia went to clean it.
I used the same wok, dropped a bit of fat and dropped in the garlic and shallots inside it. After a bit of stir frying, until the content is golden brown, I threw in the mustard leaves and stirred it for a while before I pour 2 tablespoons of McCormick's oyster sauce. The mustard leaves were only chopped into halves and when the oyster sauce was stirred in, I got some water in my cupped hand from the tap from my hand and sprinkle it inside.
”Wah Eh... I've never seen someone does that. It looked kind of fancy... It is like as if you just washed your hands and then sprinkle the water in them.” she remarked and can't help but marvel at the unorthodox way of me preparing the dishes. It was like creating a piece of art and not cooking at all.
The ladle that I used for the wok was making such a din because I wanted to make not a watery dish but just enough to simmer the vegetables. I took another oval-shaped porcelain ware and carried the wok to it as I carefully poured the content and scraped the sauce and slowly spread it out evenly.
I placed the wok inside the washbasin and Patricia once again immediately wash it off and wiped it dry before she hangs it back to its original place. I went over to the soup and took a ladle and tested the potatoes and yam since it had pressure cooked and it won't take a long time for it to be softened. I close the air inlet of the stove and the fire slowly died off.