Chapter 4

Jajangmyeon.

Chinese people love noodle dishes, and for that reason, they call noodle dishes by various names depending on the cooking method.

When noodles are boiled and hot broth is poured over them, it is called Tang (湯).

When noodles are stir-fried with various ingredients, it is called Chao (炒).

When noodles are mixed with various ingredients, it is called Ban (伴).

If the sauce for mixing the noodles is cold, it is called Yangban (凉伴).

When noodles are boiled in broth, it is called Wei (猥).

When noodles are steamed or boiled and then fried in oil, it is called Zuo (綽).

So, the Chao Mian (炒麪) I recommended to the man is a noodle dish stir-fried with various ingredients in Chinese cuisine.

A guesthouse is a dining and lodging facility for travelers and merchants on the continent where roads and waterways are well developed.

Therefore, in a remote village like this, most of the guests at the guesthouse are travelers or drifters.

Since the business targets such travelers and drifters, most guesthouses prepare very quick and easy meals.

The restaurant in a guesthouse is like fast food on the continent.

Of course, other dishes that take a long time to prepare, such as duck soup, can also be made and sold, but it's not possible to sell duck soup, which takes several hours to cook, to people who arrive hungry.

Moreover, guests who enter the guesthouse hungry after a long walk usually don't order such dishes.

However, if duck soup were to be sold, it might go something like this:

"Bring me a bowl of duck soup."

"Yes, sir. Please wait for about an hour."

For this reason, most guesthouses can only sell dishes that can be prepared quickly, and the menu is limited to dumplings, noodle dishes, simple side dishes, and alcohol.

On the first day of opening, the noodle dish I prepared was Tang Mian (湯麵), a dish where boiled noodles are served with a rich broth made from duck bones simmered from early morning.

If I had to name it, it would be Ya Tang Mian (鸭汤麵), or Duck Broth Noodles.

However, since the long-simmered broth was completely used up in the earlier chaos, I decided to substitute it with Chao Mian, which requires the least preparation time and no prior preparation.

I entered the kitchen, put five servings of dried Chao Mian into a pot of boiling water that I had previously filled with hot water, and closed the lid.

Then, I placed the wok on the stove next to me and stepped on the bellows a few times to increase the heat.

-Whoosh, whoosh

As the bellows injected fresh air into the stove, the flames burned bright red.

The blazing flames began to spurt between the stove and the wok.

Before long, the iron wok began to heat up and emit steam.

Checking the temperature of the wok is essential for a cook.

The intense heat I felt when I brought my hand close to the wok.

I confirmed the heat rising from the wok with my hand, and to prevent the wok from getting too hot, I poured about half a cup of water, which immediately turned into steam, obscuring my vision with a mist of steam.

-Sizzle

With the steaming wok on the side, I pulled out the Chinese kitchen knife (中食刀) from the cutting board and sliced the fatty pork I had washed earlier into appropriate sizes, then threw them into the wok.

-Sizzle

As the pork touched the hot surface of the wok, it began to emit a delicious sound and aroma.

The aroma of pork fat mixed with the steam from earlier.

I added a little water to the wok not only to prevent it from getting too hot but also to prevent the pork from sticking to the wok.

When the pork is placed in a hot wok, it immediately sticks to the surface, so I added a little water.

When the pork and a little water are stir-fried, the water prevents the ingredients from sticking to the wok.

Although it might seem strange to add water to a stir-fry, the water quickly evaporates, and in the end, only the fat and meat remain, which is the essence of this water stir-fry.

As I quickly stir-fried the pork with a snap of my wrist, the water had already evaporated, and the wok was now filled with the fragrant oil and well-cooked pork.

The oil from the pork glistened in the wok.

I scooped up a ladle of sweet bean sauce (甜麵醬) with my right hand and poured it into the wok, where it began to stir-fry in the pork oil, emitting its characteristic aroma.

I added a little brown sugar and quickly stir-fried it.

The brown sugar and sweet bean sauce quickly turned a dark brown color as they stir-fried together. I then added finely chopped onions, cabbage, bok choy, and bamboo shoots and stir-fried them over high heat while checking the noodles that were boiling.

I fished out a single noodle and broke it in half with my fingernail to check the cross-section.

Chao Mian (炒麪) is about stir-frying noodles.

Since the noodles need to be boiled and then stir-fried again during the cooking process, they should not be fully cooked.

The noodles should be slightly undercooked so that they can finish cooking during the stir-frying process.

When I checked the cross-section of the noodle I had broken with my fingernail, I saw a slightly undercooked noodle with a core as thick as a strand of hair.

"Perfect."

The noodles are now in the optimal state for stir-frying.

From now on, it's a race against time.

If I wait even a little longer, the noodles will be fully cooked and will burn when stir-fried again.

After draining the noodles in a colander and shaking off the excess water, I quickly pushed all the noodles into the wok where the sauce was stir-frying.

The next step is heavy labor.

With five servings of noodles and the stir-fry sauce in the heavy iron wok, the weight has significantly increased. Now, I need to stir-fry it.

The wok, now heavy with five servings of noodles, can no longer be handled with one hand. I held the wok with both hands, giving it a snap to mix the sauce and noodles while stir-frying.

-Sizzle, sizzle

"Huff... huff..."

Every time I lifted the wok, the heat from the stove scorched my arms, and the weight of the five servings of noodles and the wok made my arms ache.

I could feel the sweat-soaked cotton tied around my forehead.

The key to this stir-fry is to ensure that the sauce, pork oil, and vegetables are well mixed with the noodles.

As I repeatedly mixed the contents of the wok with both hands, sweat dripped down my back.

When the process was complete and the noodles in the wok were coated with the appropriate color, the cooking was finished.

I quickly filled four bowls with the food and placed them on a tray to serve the waiting guests.

"Oops!"

-Clang, clang

I took roasted peanuts from the cupboard and crushed them with the side of the Chinese kitchen knife, then sprinkled a little on each bowl.

The finishing touch is the decoration.

'Almost made a rookie mistake!'

After sprinkling the peanut powder and scolding myself for almost forgetting the decoration, I headed out with the tray.

As I came out of the kitchen, two servants and a middle-aged man who couldn't wait any longer were sipping tea.

"I'm sorry for the wait."

"Well, I heard that preparing the food was difficult, but what is it that smells so good? I almost forgot my dignity and came to the kitchen."

The man joked.

I served the food first to the man, then to his daughter and the servants. The faces of those who saw the food in front of them lit up.

Considering they were cold and hungry from the rain, the saying "hunger is the best seasoning" fits this situation perfectly.

The man, upon receiving his share of the food, said with a pleased look:

"Well, let's see what kind of food smells so good."

He picked up his chopsticks and, with an expectant look, examined the bowl. Then, his face stiffened, and he carefully put the chopsticks back on the table and asked:

"Sir, I know you worked hard to prepare the food in a difficult situation, but is the food burnt? What is this black food?"

The man seemed to feel a sense of rejection towards the blackened noodle dish, which he had never seen before.

Of course, it's natural to feel that way.

A new dish can sometimes cause a slight sense of rejection, and a blackened noodle dish is not a common dish in this world.

I smiled and said to the middle-aged man:

"Sir, how could I serve you something inedible? Please try it."

'Just give it a try.'

Although the man picked up his chopsticks at my suggestion, he hesitated to put the food in his mouth. At that moment, the servants' voices suddenly rang out:

"It's delicious!"

"It's sweet and delicious!"

-Slurp, slurp

The man, surprised by the servants' voices, looked at them and saw them burying their faces in their bowls, enthusiastically eating the noodles. He then looked back at me with a surprised expression.

I smiled and gestured with my right hand, encouraging the man to try the food.

The man, seeing my gesture and the servants' behavior, cautiously wrapped a strand of noodles around his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.

He put the noodles in his mouth and chewed a little, then his eyes widened and he asked:

"Is this...?"

-Slurp

He then took a large bite with his chopsticks and began to slurp the noodles into his mouth.

-Slurp

After slurping a few strands of noodles, the man's face lit up with satisfaction as he wiped the sauce from his beard and said:

"Is this... what kind of food is this? I've traveled to many places, but I've never eaten or seen such a dish. The taste and flavor, the sweetness and richness, are amazing! What is the name of this dish?"

The man, seemingly completely captivated by my noodle dish, asked with bright eyes. Of course, it's natural for him to be trying this dish for the first time.

Since I made it myself, it's only natural that he would be trying it for the first time.

Ah, although I made it myself, it doesn't mean I invented it, but in this world, only I know the recipe, so I might as well be the inventor, which is why he is trying it for the first time.

The most satisfying moment for a cook is when someone praises your food.

I lifted my chin slightly and, with a look that said "of course you would react this way," said to the man:

"Ha ha ha. You flatter me, sir. I'm glad that my humble skills could please you. I was worried that it might not suit your taste."

"Ah, this is the first time I've eaten such a delicious noodle dish. What is the name of this dish?"

I smiled at the man, who kept asking for the name, and said:

"That is my unique dish, Zajiang Mian (炸醬麵)."

'What is it? It's Jajangmyeon!'

My first dish at the guesthouse was Jajangmyeon. I decided to erase the memory of the first customer...