Goldfield
Chapter 77: Boiled Food

He used scissors to cut out the chicken's intestines and then used cold water to clean all his feces. While they were repairing the backyard, he purposely directed people to create a channel next to the well connected to the hole***** latrine. By having this, they can wash the laundry and the vegetables and dirty water will just flow.

“Cao’er, what can I do to help?” Madam Liu could not bear to see the two sisters busy and walked over.

Yu Xiaocao smiled at her and said, “Mother, you came at the right time. Is there any rough salt left in the house? You can take it and use it to forcefully rub the inside of the chicken intestine. This will remove the strange smell from it. ”

“Use coarse salt to rub? Are you sure you can sell this for money? When the time comes, I hope you can sell it because otherwise we will not be able to eat it and will waste all these ingredients! ” Although rough salt is cheap to buy in areas by the sea, about one copper coin can buy half the bottle, Lady Liu is used to frugality and cannot help warn her daughter.

Xiaocao pursed her lips and said, “Mother! Relax! My methods were given to me by the God of Fortune and will definitely not fail! ”

After the little girl used the name of the god as a rebuttal, Lady Liu said nothing more and squatted down to rub the chicken intestines clean with salt. She was meticulous in her work because she was afraid that if she was not clean, she would cause more trouble for her daughter.

Xiaocao began to concentrate fully on preparing the chicken liver and amperes. The most important part when cleaning the liver is to cut the gallbladder above it. This is a difficult job because if you are not careful, it is very easy to cut off the gallbladder and remove its contents. With the spill, the liver will have a bitter taste that will affect the taste of the last dish in a bad way. Fortunately, he had over ten years of experience from his previous life in preparing for this and could even do it in his sleep.

On the other hand, the ampella is a little more troublesome as she has to split it apart, clean her poop, and then cut the inner layer of the yellow film. However, this layer of yellow chicken ampella is an important medicinal ingredient and is also called ’emas part in poultry’. If a child has indigestion due to eating too much, the inside of dried poultry gold can be ground into powder and taken. After drinking it, digestive problems will disappear.

Xiaocao was an expert in peeling this membrane. Out of the forty layers of chicken ampoules he had to remove, all were intact and not a single tear was visible.

After the chicken intestines, liver, and amperes were all cleaned, Xiaocao told his mother to go for a break. He then pulled Xiaolian into the kitchen with him. The plan was to finish cooking all this meat tonight and then go to town the next day to see if he could sell it.

“You want to sell this in the city? The inhabitants of the city were arrogant and picky. If they find out that you made this dish out of chicken innards, they will probably beat you to death. In my opinion, you should try your luck at the pier. First of all, we stayed closer to the pier as it took less than two hours to walk there. Second, the people who work there like fish traders and port porters, all wake up early. Most of them bring their own breakfast from home or buy something. These people do not have high expectations for their food. As long as it tasted good and the price was reasonable, they would think nothing of spending a few copper coins on food. ” Xiaolian had heard her eldest maternal aunt explain her small business at the dock and proposed this idea to Xiaocao.

Xiaocao thought for a moment and then nodded his head, “OK! You're correct. Tanggu Pier is very crowded. There's a decent market for food even if we just count those port workers. We will go there tomorrow to try our luck! ”

The two sisters went to the kitchen and lit a fire to boil water. After the water boils, they first boil the chicken to remove the strange smell. Next, they need to make a seasoning sauce. Whether a boiled dish tastes good or not, depends a lot on the sauce. There are three common types of seasoning sauces for boiled foods: red sauce, white sauce, and yellow sauce.

In his previous life, Xiaocao had received the original recipe for the sauce from his store boss. All the sauces are her specialty. He thought for a moment and then asked Xiaolian, “Xiaolian, give me some more coins, I have to go to Doctor You to buy some herbs and then I will come back ..”

In early spring, Doctor You had returned to the village with a boy about ten years old. It is said that this boy is his grandson or relative. Xiaocao had returned the medicine suitcase with all the money he earned during the fall and winter back to him. The villagers are also relieved. Although most of the people had recognized his medical skills, the villagers still preferred to have an older doctor to treat them.

“Truck plant?” Can you really cook with it? ” Xiaolian asked, confused.

Xiaocao grinned, “Of course. Wouldn't the wealthier families often eat ginseng chicken and angelica sinensis boiled with chicken? Doesn't that dish contain medicinal ingredients? ”

Xiaolian muttered softly, “How can we compare to those rich people?” However, she still returned to the room and took out the embroidery pouch that Xiaocao had returned to her that afternoon and placed it back into her sister's hands.

The medicinal herbs that Xiaocao needed were all very common and, hence, cheap. He only spent ten copper coins for many different types. When he got home, he started making sauces. Since the weather was now cold, he made sure to mix most of the seasoning sauces.

Boiled cooking sauce can be used many times as long as it is stored properly. In fact, the more often the sauce is used and the longer it is fermented, the better the taste and quality. This is because the percentage of soluble protein in the sauce increases with time. This is also the reason why dishes boiled with older sauces have a softer and richer taste compared to newer sauces.

Xiaocao began to measure the ingredients. The recipe is needed: 20 grams of star anise, 20 grams of chinese cinnamon, 50 grams of dried orange peel, 20 grams of Sichuan pepper, 15 grams of fennel, 20 grams of bay leaves, 15 grams of licorice root, 100 Grams of dried spicy chili, 150 grams of chives, 150 grams of fresh ginger, one starch of yellow wine, 400 grams of soy sauce, 200 grams of salt. (Note author: Please do not try to make it at home, (Please try to make it at home, this is a simplified recipe.)

When Xiaolian saw the materials worth forty copper coins wrapped in a thin cotton cloth and thrown into the basin, he hurriedly said, “May I produce that much on the first try? What if it turns out bad.. ”.

“There will be no problem with that!” Xiaocao cut him firmly. Perhaps her confidence made Xiaolian feel more confident as she did not comment anymore and simply followed Xiaocao's instructions to increase or decrease the heat on the stove.

“The smell is great! Mom, did you smell it? This must be the smell of Second Brother's innards. I'll go look for him! ” Little Shitou, who is lying in bed digesting her food, is like a police dog kissing something interesting. He rushed down from the bed, hurriedly wearing old and worn cotton shoes, and ran out of the room. He ran so fast that he almost tripped over the doorway.

Yu Hai was also very curious so he nodded his head and immediately put on his shoes to go to the kitchen.

Forty portions of chicken innards have been boiled together in one large pot and simmered cheerfully with a small flame on the stove. Little Shitou waited impatiently at the side of the stove, her eyes flickering with a hot and excited light. He was similar to a small puppy who saw a watery and fat bone. All he lacked was a wagging tail and an outstretched tongue.

Xiaocao felt the time was right and opened the lid. He scoops some chicken intestines and blows them a few times before offering them to the little boy's mouth.

Little Shitou shook her head refusing, “This will be sold for money, I must not eat it ..”

“It's just a small bite, we don't need to keep it” Xiaocao forcefully put food into the little boy's mouth. Boiled intestines have a good taste and a very crunchy texture that makes it feel very good in the mouth. The little boy closed his eyes happily and carefully chewed the food because he wanted to enjoy the taste as long as possible.

Xiaocao also gave everyone a share so that they could all taste. Yu Hai and Xiaolian willingly opened their mouths to eat it. Madam Liu, on the contrary, was much more hesitant. She asked her husband doubtfully, “How does it feel? Does it smell or taste bad? ”

Xiaocao did not know if he should laugh or cry and said, “Mother, do you think my cooking is that bad?”

Yu Hai calmed his ego by nodding his head, “Enak, so good! You really don't know this is chicken intestine. They have no chicken taste —, they are even tastier than your red boiled chicken pieces! Yes, if you are going to sell this, there will definitely be people who want to eat it! ”

Xiaolian also excitedly nodded her head to express her agreement. Xiaocao also tasted it himself and slightly frowned and said, “It's a shame we don't have MSG or bone broth. It doesn't feel as good as it should be. However, it is still pretty good! ” As soon as Madam Liu saw everyone praising the food endlessly, she got the courage to try a mouthful. As soon as he put it in his mouth, the fragrant and concentrated aroma stunned him, “This.... is this really the taste of that dirty chicken intestine? This is really too unimaginable !! ”

Xiaocao also put the remaining chicken blood from the previous night into the stew. After boiling it together, he planned to sell it along with his chicken innards.

“How much price should I sell for one kati?” Xiaocao was a bit anxious talking to himself.

Yu Hai gave him a very good idea: Port workers can usually earn around thirty to forty copper coins a day. When business is not good, they can still earn over twenty coins. The boiled food Xiaocao made still had a meaty taste despite being made with chicken innards. If he sold it at a low price, then he would not make much money. Conversely, if the price is high, no one wants to buy it.

However, if he divided into several small packages of food and sold them with one copper coin one package, then the workers would definitely not care about spending one to two copper coins. After all, it was a food that had meat in it and was tasty and cheap. How can't it sell?

Xiaocao felt like he had reached the light at the end of the tunnel and looked at his father with sparkling and amazed eyes. He had to admit, his father actually had a head for business!

Yu Hai felt his pride swell up when he saw the gaze full of adoration of his daughter. He chuckled as he went to look for the oiled paper. The whole family worked together to make sixty packages of boiled chicken offal with small portions. Each packet has several intestines, liver, and ampella. Chicken blood was not easily packed into oil-stained paper, so they put everything in a jar. When they sell food, they can add a little chicken blood to each portion. This way, the portion size of each copper coin pack will not be small!

That night, Xiaocao was so excited that he threw and lit the bed for a long time but still could not sleep. It was only after about 3am that he finally fell asleep for a while before he woke up at dawn. As Yu Hai looked at the dark circles under the eyes of his youngest daughter, he laughed and teased her, “Still inexperienced, huh! Aren't you very confident in your own abilities, huh? What are you worried about? ”

‘Hey, do I look worried, eh? I'm very happy, okay? ‘

After finishing breakfast, Xiaocao refused his father's offer to go with him. Instead, he carried the equally excited Little Shitou and started walking towards the pier, with a large basket filled with their belongings.

As the morning sunlight shone on the pier, the area was as bustling and lively as ever. The voices of the hawkers advertising their wares, the shouting, and the singing of work are intertwined together again. A cargo ship from afar had just reached the shore and the dock workers were busy unloading the goods.

This was the second time he had come to the dock. As before, Xiaocao observed the sights and sounds of the scene with an interested curiosity.

“Second Brother, where should we go to sell our boiled food?” Little Shitou strongly believed in her sister and was eager to start.

Xiaocao thought a little. Pier workers and fishermen most likely brought food from home with them. However, in the cold dawn air, most of them still needed to drink a bowl of warm soup to warm themselves up. Hence, he walked towards the row of low-straw sheds with baskets in hand.

The stalls here sell porridge, hot gravy noodles, or freshly steamed bakpaos. There were also people like him with baskets on their arms, selling some small appetizers from home or some pickled vegetables. For example, Xiaocao's eldest maternal aunt was one of these people.