Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 16
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure
Chapter 16: Crystal Clear Soup Dumplings
After eating enough, Xie Xun returned to the study room to read a book. They weren't considered a couple or friends when they got along. They could barely count as a meal partner, but it was kind that Jiang Shuyao warmly invited Xie Xun to eat.
After calculating the days, Jiang Shuyao was quite excited. Xie Xun had eaten a few of her meals, promising her a small request was not too much.
She ate too much this time, and sitting was uncomfortable, so she ran to the kitchen to prepare tomorrow's breakfast. This way, the food would digest while she was standing.
Chinese breakfast culture is colorful and splendid. Although Northern and Southern habits were mostly different, delicious foods, such as steamed buns, unified the two regions.
There was no end to the list when it came to the types of steamed buns. Looking at the front of the steamed bun shop, the densely packed variety on the sign was enough to dazzle people. Preserved vegetable meat buns, marinated meat buns, beef and vermicelli buns, red bean paste buns, custard buns... But Jiang Shuyao's favorite was Xiaolongbao or soup dumplings.
The skin and stuffing of soup dumplings were exquisite. Every step of the process, including making dough, raising the dough, and kneading the dough, had to be carefully followed. The stuffing was the same. The meat filling should be made from pork leg with the right fat ratio. Ginger and green onion had to be chopped finely, and the stuffing stirred in one direction to make the meat filling taste perfect.
The most important step was making the gelatin. Pig skin was beaten and chopped, marinated in seasonings, and then boiled slowly over a small fire with chicken broth. After cooling, this soup becomes frozen. After dicing the skin and stirring it with the meat, the steamed dumplings would have the so-called "soup."
This was where the essence lies—when eating soup dumplings, one could use chopsticks to pierce the thin layer of skin or take a bite directly to the mouth. The hot and delicious soup would overflow instantly, making the tip of the tongue slightly tingle. The eater had to blow again and again and then carefully sucked away the soup.
When Jiang Shuyao finally made the fillings, it was already late.
After she turned off the fire and walked out of the kitchen, Xie Xun opened the door at the other end of the yard.
When the two saw each other, they were a little surprised. The court was quiet, and the yarn-like moonlights, sprinkled on the ground like dreams and illus, gave the yard a tranquil and calm atmosphere.
Xie Xun took the lead to break the embarrassment and said, "It's so late, still making food?"
Jiang Shuyao nodded, "I’m preparing for tomorrow's breakfast."
Xie Xun could not find other words. He nodded, indicating that he understood.
The two looked at each other in silence, Jiang Shuyao had nothing to say, and she was about to turn back to the east wing.
Xie Xun thought that it was late at night so she didn't see him nodding just now. Maybe she would think he didn't respond, which would be rude.
Seeing that she was about to leave, he was anxious and said, "Thank you for your hard work." He almost bit his tongue after he finished speaking.
Jiang Shuyao turned to look at him, opened her eyes slightly, her expression was a little surprised.
Xie Xun's ears turned red.
The two of them were far away, inexplicably talking across the huge courtyard. This scene was really funny.
Jiang Shuyao was amused, tilted her head, and smiled, "You are working hard. You are still reading until it's so late."
Xie Xun heard the smile in her voice, and subconsciously squeezed the wooden door with his hand.
The moonlight was dim, and Xie Xun couldn't see her expression clearly, but could imagine her clear and bright eyes slightly bent, and a smile appeared in her eyes.
"It's not hard, cough... Reading is not hard." He didn't know why he became so clumsy, and added embarrassingly, "I don't feel tired because it is interesting."
Jiang Shuyao agreed, "I also like to cook, so I don't find cooking difficult."
Xie Xun became curious about her words for some reason. Obviously they had nothing to say to each other, but he had a lot of questions to ask her, such as why she liked to cook, and if she often cooked when she was in the boudoir.
Before he could ask, Jiang Shuyao interrupted his thoughts.
"By the way, tomorrow I am going to steam some soup dumplings, do you want to eat them?"
Xie Xun was taken aback, his ears became redder. He nodded and replied, "Yeah."
"I'll go to the main kitchen to steam some tomorrow. I will let the maid bring it here."
"Okay."
Now there is nothing else to say, so Jiang Shuyao turned back to the room.
Xie Xun was left alone standing in place, thinking about his inexplicable performance just now. Suddenly he raised his head and looked at the bright crescent moon resentfully.
He blamed the moonlight for misleading him.
＊
Early the next morning, Jiang Shuyao invited the maids to the main kitchen with great fanfare.
The dumplings were already wrapped, so they just needed to be steamed.
Jiang Shuyao didn't need to do it himself, so she hurried to the main hall after explaining carefully.
After a while, the aroma of the steamed dumplings overflowed from the basket, and after the lid was lifted, the crystal-clear small dumplings made people salivate.
Everyone was envious when thinking that the third lady would have left a bamboo basket with these dumplings for the four maids. It seems that there is nothing wrong with following the third lady. Although she was not favored, she was left alone in her yard for a leisurely life. There was not much difference with the other two ladies.
When Jiang Shuyao came to the main hall, Xu-shi unexpectedly took the initiative to talk to her.
After Xie Pei's trouble yesterday, Xu-shi was unavoidably concerned, and asked, "Did you make breakfast today?"
Jiang Shuyao obviously did.
Xu-shi continued to ask, "Is it still tofu pudding like yesterday?"
"Of course not." Jiang Shuyao smiled slightly, "I have to change the dish. After all, I'm here to please the old madam."
Xu-shi's face stiffened slightly. She didn't expect joy, but she was disappointed.
She remembered yesterday's breakfast, and she was curious and could not forget the sweet tofu puddings. Because she didn't eat it, she craved it even more.
The maid drew the curtains, and the three of them entered the hall and saluted together.
Seeing Jiang Shuyao's figure, the old madam pressed her temples with a headache.
This daughter-in-law, she didn’t care if she treated her coldly. She may as well leave her alone and worry about herself. But she was not a cruel mother-in-law who would use any means to bully her daughter-in-law, so she couldn’t do anything about it.
Forget it, the old lady thought to herself, and said abruptly that Jiang Shuyao did not have to give morning greetings in the future.
Although Jiang Shuyao was puzzled, she still agreed. Of course it was best if she did not have to wake up early, and pleasing the old lady was not worse than this morning meal.
When it was time for breakfast, Jiang Shuyao's maid came up again and brought the steaming basket.
The old madam was a little disdainful when she saw this. Would the dumplings have anything special?
It turns out that it did.
Uncovering the lid of the bamboo basket, the white mist rose up. After the mist dissipated, everyone saw the neatly folded dumplings.
The dumplings were small, exquisite and translucent, with a crystal-clear skin. They were so thin that people could vaguely see the meat and the jiggling soup inside.
"There is soup in these steamed dumplings. Mother, be careful not to scald. You can poke the skin of the dumplings with chopsticks first, and wait for the soup to cool slightly before eating." Jiang Shuyao stood beside the old lady and served her dish, "But it's better to bite around it. It tastes delicious when you bite the skin off with your mouth. The soup is fragrant and hot. Make sure to sip slowly so that you don't get burnt."
Her description was really tempting, even Xu-shi, who had just eaten breakfast, felt a little greedy.
The old madam, keeping her indifferent face, gracefully picked up a dumpling to her bowl.
The skin of the soup dumpling was extremely thin and soft, but it was tough enough not to break. When it was clamped by the chopsticks, the soup inside the dumpling swayed, as if it would burst in the next second.
The old madam remembered Jiang Shuyao's words and ate carefully. First, she bit off the thin and tough translucent dumpling skin, and the hot soup flowed into her mouth. She shrank because of the heat, and subconsciously blew indecently at the dumplings . As a result, the temperature of the soup flowing into her mouth was just right.
The soup is extremely fresh and delicate, and the old madam's appetite was lifted after tasting the soup. She couldn't wait to swallow the whole dumplings.
The dumplings were exquisitely made, and it was the right size just for one bite.
The hot dumpling's skin was thin and tender, and there was still some soup in it, so the fresh soup would overflow the mouth with the bite.
The tender and juicy meat, the slightly elastic and tender thin skin, every bite was enjoyable.
The soup dumpling was too small, and the old madam realized that she swallowed it without chewing a few times. There was still a hot scent in her mouth, and her stomach was completely hooked.
This soup dumpling was not only delicious, but also exquisite.
The old madam ate half a basket of soup dumplings in one breath before she suddenly recovered.
She ate too fast and too much.
She put down her chopsticks uncomfortably and drank porridge to hide her embarrassment.
But even though she hesitated, she still could not resist the temptation of delicious food. She ate a basket of soup dumplings cleanly, and did not move her chopsticks to the pickles she usually ate daily.
After eating, she didn’t have the face to continue to treat Jiang Shuyao coldly. She smiled at Jiang Shuyao, "I haven't eaten such a satisfying breakfast in a long time. It is thanks to your filial piety."
Jiang Shuyao took advantage of this opportunity and flattered her, "If Mother likes it, how about daughter-in-law often come here to cook breakfast for Mother?"
How could the old madam agree? First, she did not want to see Jiang Shuyao every day. Second, if a daughter-in-law occasionally cooked for her mother-in-law, it was filial. But doing it every day meant the mother-in-law was viciously grinding her daughter-in-law. This good little lady was not here to be a cook. If Countess Xiangyang and Noble Consort Lin heard about this and made a fuss, Duke Xie's mansion would have no face.
The old madam hurriedly refused and said mildly, "No, it's enough for you to have this filial piety in your heart." After hearing this, Xu-shi couldn't help but glance at Jiang Shuyao a few more times. This younger sister-in-law could really catch the old lady's weakness. Maybe she isn't as naive and stupid as she seemed?
The main hall was full of joy, but Xie Xun didn't feel well.
Jiang Shuyao reminded the old madam to pay attention to the hot soup when eating soup dumplings, and also reminded her maids to be careful when eating, but she forgot to remind Xie Xun.
Xie Xun was hungry when he woke up early in the morning, and he saw that the soup dumplings were small and crystal-like, and looked very good. Naturally, Xie Xun didn't pay attention and just stuffed it in his mouth... and suffered.
Although his tongue was burned red, he ate all of the soup dumplings, which made the burns more serious.
He was working in the East Palace and did not dare to touch tea the whole morning. When it came to lunch time, he didn't want to endure eating the cold and boring meal, which aroused Lin Cheng's incomparable sympathy.
Bo Yuan's appetite is getting worse day by day. How annoying was this daughter of the Jiang family? It makes him so worried.
Lin Cheng thought this way and was also losing his appetite, so he put down his chopsticks.
Xie Xun was quite comforted when he saw this.
Lin Cheng also couldn't eat the food here. It seems that the food did not taste well these few days, and it was definitely not because he was picky.
If you enjoyed Serena’s work, buy her a ko-fi! 