Chapter 76

Wuxiangjiangrou (Five-Spice Braised Pork)

Xiaoming picked up the bowl of dog food that Deokgu had left and sniffed it.

‘It doesn’t seem particularly spoiled...’

Then he took a bean sprout, closed his eyes, and slowly savored it.

As he put the dog food in his mouth, the startled voices of Gaolian and the maid echoed.

“Master, why are you eating that?!”

“D-Did you not have enough to eat? S-Should I bring you another dish?”

Ignoring their fuss, he focused on the taste, feeling the garlic, sesame oil, salt, green onions, and the texture of the blanched bean sprouts on his tongue.

Since he couldn’t detect anything unusual, he put another piece of stir-fried mung bean sprouts in his mouth and savored it.

The stir-fry was made in the Sichuan style, with a moderate amount of Sichuan pepper and chili pepper to enhance the spiciness. The slight tingling spiciness was just right, and the seasoning was not bad.

To be honest, the tingling sensation from the Sichuan pepper and chili pepper made it hard to distinguish the exact flavors.

If he could distinguish anything here, it would be truly remarkable.

After tasting it, he put the bowl down, and Deokgu came over to sniff it again, looking at him with a puzzled expression as to why he was eating it.

Deokgu was really a dog with a wide range of expressions.

For a creature whose eyes were barely open due to fur and fat, it was surprising how expressive it could be...

Since he found nothing unusual in the dog food, he put Deokgu’s bowl down and decided to check the kitchen.

“Can I check my kitchen for a moment?”

“Yes, of course, Master.”

Seeking the maid’s permission, he checked the kitchen.

Even though it was his inn, he sought prior consent to inspect the chef’s kitchen.

As he entered the kitchen, his familiar space welcomed him.

It felt nostalgic to be back in his kitchen, but there were no significant changes.

Checking the kitchen, it was surprisingly clean and well-organized, unlike what one might expect from a chef in this era.

The bowls were clean and well-dried, and the cutting boards were washed and dried immediately after use, with a recently used board still dripping with water.

The floor was swept and mopped, almost dust-free and well-dried.

He also checked the containers of seasonings and spices, which were well-maintained without any dampness or mixing.

This level of cleanliness would have passed a hygiene inspection in his previous life.

If anything, it was too clean.

Since hygiene and such were not highly valued in this era, he was somewhat worried, but the maid seemed to have at least met the basic standards, if not exceeded them.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any basic issues...’

He asked the maid who had followed him.

“Do you know where the ingredients for the food are stored?”

If there were no environmental or basic issues, the most suspicious thing would be the ingredients.

Since he couldn’t see any leftover ingredients in the kitchen, he asked how they were managed, and the maid answered.

“Oh, the ingredients are purchased from a place the head of the food guild told me about, and I bring them every two to three days. The vegetables are kept in the soil outside to prevent them from wilting before use.”

Hearing this, he went outside to check the place where the vegetables were stored.

In the garden he used to cultivate, there were radishes, Chinese cabbage, taro, cucumbers, and other vegetables, some of which were slightly planted, but there didn’t seem to be any problems.

The maid, thinking he was checking these things due to the incident with Gaolian, assumed he was inspecting the store to ensure it was well-managed and answered his questions cooperatively.

‘So, the main ingredients are the problem, then?’

Since he couldn’t see any mung bean sprouts or bean sprouts, he asked again.

“What about mung bean sprouts and bean sprouts?”

“Yes, they just ran out, but I buy them from the same place as the other vegetables.”

“Can you tell me where to buy mung bean sprouts and bean sprouts?”

“That would be the stall of Mr. Luo, as told by the head of the food guild...”

“Is he still in business?”

“Yes, he stays late to sell vegetables for the night market, so he should still be there.”

After asking the maid for the location, he selected two agile warriors from those who had followed him and sent them to the market.

“Go to the location the maid told you and find Mr. Luo’s stall. Buy mung bean sprouts and bean sprouts from there. Another one of you, buy some pork from the market, but make sure it’s lean and not too fatty.”

“Yes, understood, Master.”

“Understood!”

The two agile warriors dashed out, covering the distance of several steps in a single leap.

After trying a few times, he realized that these warriors trained in lightness skills were perfect for errands and deliveries.

Thinking about it, when he opened the inn later, he should hire a fast runner for deliveries.

The maid, curious about what was happening, asked.

“Why are you so concerned about mung bean sprouts and bean sprouts?”

“I need to confirm something.”

After sending the two delivery men, he waited for a while, and the warrior who had gone to buy pork arrived first, carrying pork tied with string in both hands.

Deciding to check the bean sprouts and mung bean sprouts later, he started preparing a dish to treat and check Gaolian’s symptoms.

“Maid, can I borrow your kitchen?”

“Oh! You’re going to cook yourself? I’ve heard a lot about it. I’m looking forward to it.”

The maid clapped her hands in delight, and the children and Gaolian gathered outside the kitchen to watch.

First, he revived the embers in the stove and stoked the fire.

The flames rose quickly as he added firewood, soybean husks, and straw.

He placed the wok over the hot flames, oiled it, and started stir-frying the lean pork cut into small pieces.

*Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle*

The sound of the pork sizzling on the hot iron was thrilling, and the aroma of the meat made everyone’s mouths water.

*Crackle, crackle*

Like an artist performing a symphony of sound and scent, he quickly moved the wok, ensuring all six sides of the pork pieces were evenly browned.

Before moving on to the next step, he asked Gaolian and the children to bring his box.

“Go to the lady and bring me my box.”

“The box? Understood, Master.”

While Gaolian and the children were gone, he tied the meat with string and added water to the wok.

The next ingredients for the dish were Jiangyou (Chinese soy sauce) and Laodouyou (aged soy sauce) for color.

These would determine the overall taste and color of the dish, so he adjusted the ratio to make the seasoning slightly mild and the color subtly rich.

Since the dish would reduce in volume as it cooked, he made the seasoning and color slightly mild to avoid it becoming too salty later.

“Master, here is the box.”

After the preparations were complete, he took the box Gaolian brought and dissolved the powder inside in water.

The powder in the box was homemade Wuxiangfen (five-spice powder).

It was made by grinding cinnamon, fennel, star anise, Sichuan pepper, and cloves in the right proportions.

In Chinese cuisine, Wuxiangfen is a blend of five spices commonly used, and in his previous life, he used to sell it as a pre-ground seasoning.

However, since it wasn’t sold that way in this era, he had to grind it himself whenever needed or use it in whole form, which had the drawback of varying aroma intensity depending on the spice.

That’s why he prepared it in advance while at the Zhuge family.

He added a bit of ground pepper and sugar to the mix, completing the preparation of the ingredients.

Finally, he added minced garlic, ginger, and green onions and started boiling the mixture.

The dish he was making was Wuxiangjiangrou (Five-Spice Braised Pork).

It was a dish to treat Gaolian’s tongue.

Wuxiangjiangrou originated from the city of Suzhou, near Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province.

It could be described as a Central Chinese-style braised pork seasoned with five spices and soy sauce.

The unique aspect was that it was served cold with a tangy sauce.

It was a dish that had been enjoyed since the Song Dynasty, but he hadn’t found anyone making it in his current life. It was a simple home-cooked dish, and the recipes varied.

The method he used was one he learned in a hotel in his previous life, modified to prepare the dish in an hour instead of several hours.

After a while, the fragrant aroma of soy sauce mixed with the five spices began to fill the air.

He checked the broth of the boiling Wuxiangjiangrou, pierced the meat a few times with chopsticks to ensure the seasoning penetrated, then turned down the heat and waited outside.

Not long after, the warrior who had gone to buy the bean sprouts and mung bean sprouts arrived with a basket containing both.

“Apologies, Master. It took a while to find a basket.”

“No, it’s fine.”

He realized that in this era, there were no plastic bags, so he should have sent a basket with them.

It seemed they had to buy a basket, which delayed them.

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