Chapter 206 (Part 2): The Two-Faced Couple
Translated by Gumihou
Please read this at kitchennovel dot com
As Duan Tingxuan thumped his chest confidently, Su Nuan Nuan scowled. She pinched said chest, narrowly missing a nipple, and hissed, “What do you mean by that? What’s all this about his sickness being more serious than mine? If I’m a foodie, then what are you and old madam? You better watch your words before they leave your lips.”
Duan Tingxuan hehe-ed embarrassedly.
Su Nuan Nuan muttered, “We better strike while the iron is hot and let him know the goodness of chillies. I swear, if you really ruined my plans just for this little joke of yours…”
Suddenly, she paused, looking very thoughtful. Then, she hopped onto the bed and took down 80% of the chillies leaving the rest of it ‘hidden’ behind the decorative cloth.
Su Nuan Nuan turned to Duan Tingxuan. “Let’s go, once we’re at the kitchen, I shall let you experience the magic of these spices. No foodie has ever been able to resist the flavour of chillies. If you can still refuse to eat them after trying my cooking, I shall write the words ‘Amazing’ and present it to you.”
Duan Tingxuan was at first shocked by her actions, but then held out his thumb at her, “My wife is both shrewd and cunning, ah!”
With that, both husband and wife left for the kitchens. The moment they stepped in, Mrs. Liu was there to welcome them. “Master came in earlier and said that the Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes[1] were very delicious and would like them after dinner as well. I am already baking the sweet potatoes. It should be ready soon. The Peanut Brittle and other kinds of Dried Fruit Brittles as well as honey and milk sauce will be ready soon. We’re only waiting for missus to come and assemble them.”
Su Nuan Nuan laughed, “Didn’t I gave you the recipe already? These are all simple things, you can make them yourself. Why wait for me to assemble them? I shall be making something else and have no time for those trivial things. Mrs. Liu just continue, if there’s anything you don’t understand just ask me again.”
At this, Mrs. Liu grew pleased beyond expectations, and quickly agreed. Her curious eyes naturally trailed over the bright red chillies in Su Nuan Nuan’s hands. However, she was intelligent enough to keep her questions to herself. After having worked in the kitchen for three years, she understood that every cook has their own secret recipe or twist to making a dish. It was how cooks preserve their own value in terms of originality and gain favour from masters. That Su Nuan Nuan was willing to teach her the secrets to those delicious sweet potato snacks and various fruit brittles already made her happy beyond reason and dare not be greedy for more.
Therefore, she set about busying herself finishing the dish. First, she cut the baked sweet potatoes into half, lengthwise and scooped out most of its flesh, leaving only a thin layer of flesh on the skin. Next, she mashed the scooped out flesh and stirred in a fresh chicken egg. Once the egg and potato mixture is evenly mixed, she stuffed it back to the potato shells and steamed it once more. Once done, she drizzled milk and sprinkled crush fruit brittle onto it. She set it artfully on a plate, with some fruit brittle on the side as edible decoration before presenting to Su Nuan Nuan for inspection.
“Not bad, not bad, appearance-wise it’s no less than what I would have done. Didn’t I say that Mrs. Liu is a sharp one? So, of course you’ll easily pick up the trick for simple recipes like these.”
Mrs. Liu laughed, “When it comes to technique, it certainly isn’t difficult. The hard part is getting an opportunity to learn new things. For example, though it is easy to find Fruit Brittle [2], milk, egg and potatoes in any kitchen, until now I’ve never seen anyone use them this way. To think that even the humble potato could be made into a star dish, I must say, missus’ skill and sensitivity towards cooking is just too amazing.”
“Alright, alright, enough with your flattery.” Su Nuan Nuan laughed. She had just finished chopping up the chilli peppers and carefully gathered and sealed all the little white seeds into a little paper packet. The chopped chillies were then slid into a wok of cold oil and slowly heated up until it began to sizzle. In an instant, a powerful, pungent and spicy fragrance began to permeate the kitchen. Mrs. Liu, who was standing nearby, began to cough. Tears flowed from her eyes and she flapped desperately at the spicy smoke. “What’s this, ah? What… what is this choking smell? What is Ms. Wang making?”
“These are called Fire Peppers, but I think Chilli Peppers suited it better. We’re going to make some fragrant Chilli Oil with them. I’ll be making some Hot Spicy Beef Sauce [3] with the oil. It’s very good for increasing the appetite.” Su Nuan Nuan said cheerfully.
Suddenly, she heard Duan Tingxuan muttering in the background, “Does our master really needs something to increase his appetite? Even without the extra increase he’s already very good at eating. What would happen once it was increased?”
As the two of them laughed, a voice interrupted them, “What’s that smell, ah? Why is it so choking?”
They all turned to look, and saw that it was Su Dong Lou standing at the kitchen doorway. He waved at Duan Tingxuan, “Come on, come on, this master wants to ask you something. How do you like living here? If you don’t like it, you can come back to my place anytime.”
Duan Tingxuan knew that Su Dong Lou must have something important to convey and immediately smiled ingratiatingly at this former ‘master’ of his. “Many thanks, master. However, I must report that both myself and my wife are living quite well here. The current master treats us quite well…”
Before he could finish speaking, he was glared at by Su Dong Lou and was pulled towards an area away from potential eavesdroppers. Su Dong Lou said in a low voice, “News came from Suzhou. It seems that on the day of the Immortal’s Descent, one of King Xiangyang’s personal bodyguards got off the ship and was seen making his way over to the Immortal’s Range.”
Author White Pear Flower: Poor surname Lu, everyone please observe a moment of silence for him. Amen.
[Gumihou: Amen.]
[1] It’s not actually called Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes here, but the idea is similar enough. [2] Fruit Brittle – Is basically candied fruits and nuts that are later crushed into small pieces. [3] Hot & Spicy Beef Sauce – It’s really is a kind of sauce, hehe
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Translated by Gumihou from kitchennovel dot com.
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