Chapter 4

A bowl of Jajang, the Ge Jia family's son-in-law Jajang noodles. (4/605)

Jajang noodles.

The Chinese people love noodle dishes very much, and for this reason, they call noodle dishes by various names based on the cooking methods.

Boiling noodles and pouring hot broth over them is called Tang (湯).

Stir-frying noodles with various ingredients is called Chao (炒).

Mixing noodles with various ingredients is called Ban (伴).

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

Boiling noodles in broth is called Wei (猥).

Steaming or boiling noodles and then frying them in oil is called Zhuo (綽).

Therefore, the Chao Mian (炒麪) I recommended to the man is a noodle dish from China, which involves stir-frying noodles with various ingredients.

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-to-enjoy dishes.

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

Of course, they can also prepare and sell other dishes that take a long time to cook, such as duck soup, but it's impossible 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 they insist on selling duck soup, it might go like this:

"Bring me a bowl of duck soup."

"Yes, sir. Please wait for a while."

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 (汤面), 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 (鸭汤面), or Duck Broth Noodles.

However, since the long-simmered broth disappeared without a trace due to the earlier chaos,

I decided to substitute it with Chao Mian, which requires the least cooking 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

The fresh air injected by the bellows into the stove caused the flames to burn bright red.

The scorching 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 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 overheating, I poured about half a cup of water, which immediately turned into steam, obscuring my vision.

-Sizzle

With the wok steaming, I immediately 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

The pork began to sizzle and emit a delicious aroma as it touched the hot surface of the wok.

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 overheating but also to prevent the pork from sticking to the wok.

When the pork is placed in a heated 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.

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 Tian Mian Jiang (甜面酱) with my right hand and poured it into the wok, where it began to stir-fry with the pork oil, emitting its characteristic aroma.

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

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

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

Chao Mian (炒面) involves stir-frying noodles.

Since the noodles need to be boiled once and then stir-fried again,

they must 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. I now 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, which were already strained by the weight of the wok and the five servings of noodles.

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 evenly 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 served the food in four bowls, placed them on a tray, and headed towards the waiting customers.

"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 final touch is the decoration.

'What a mistake a beginner cook might make!'

After sprinkling all the peanut powder and scolding myself for almost forgetting the decoration, I carried the tray outside.

As I emerged from 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. Their faces lit up as the food was placed before them.

They must have been cold and hungry from the rain, making the saying "the market is the side dish" very fitting.

The man, upon receiving his share, said with a delighted face,

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

He picked up his chopsticks and, with an eager look, examined the bowl. Then, his face stiffened, and he carefully asked,

"Sir, I know you worked hard to prepare the food in difficult circumstances, 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.

It's natural to feel that way.

A new dish can sometimes cause a slight sense of rejection.

Moreover, 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 urging, 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 in my youth, 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 enchanted by a single bite of my noodle dish, asked with bright eyes. It's natural that he had never tasted this dish before.

After all, it was a dish I made myself.

Ah, I made it myself, but I didn't invent it. However, in this world, only I know the recipe, so I am essentially the inventor, and it's natural that he is trying it for the first time.

The most satisfying moment for a cook is when someone praises the food they have prepared.

I lifted my chin slightly and said to the man with a look that said his reaction was expected,

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

"Indeed, this is the first time I've tasted such delicious noodles. 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, Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面)."

'What is it? It's Jajang noodles!'

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