Chapter 45: Byproduct - Facial Muscles

  Pitying the world's parents, Wang Kuang decided to help this Deng surname chef once. Although it was possible that this Deng surname chef was deceiving people in order to obtain the method for making Qingmian noodles, there wasn't time to investigate and Wang Kuang didn't put his mind on it either. Business secrets, keeping one or two was enough, too many would attract too many prying eyes.

  At this time, Kuang Da and Wang Shifu also came out, touched the surface of the water, and tried it again according to Wang's method earlier. They were also surprised. Kuang Da had seen the surface of the water before, but now he heard Xiao Dongjia's tone, as if Xiao Dongjia knew how to do it. He was overjoyed because he knew that this thing called the surface of the water was a must-have ingredient for refined food in the homes of high-ranking officials and nobles. However, there were very few chefs in the world who could make it, and they all kept their techniques secret and never passed them on to others.

  Wang Kuang actually had never made noodles before, but later generations liked to eat noodle gluten, so he specially went online to check the method of making noodle gluten and only then did he know that noodle gluten was just a byproduct of starch noodles. He also knew the method, which wasn't complicated, just tedious. Wang Kuang said to Chef Deng: "I actually know how to make this, but I haven't done it myself either. Whether it succeeds or not depends on trying it out."

  Deng, the chef, stared at Wang Kuang with wide eyes. When he heard Wang say this, he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "Young master knows the method, please tell me, whether it succeeds or not, it's all about my son's life. No matter what, I will thank you, young master. From now on, if you have any orders, I will rush to do them without hesitation."

  "Come on, it's not that serious, the method is not complicated, and the possibility of success is still great. Besides, if I can save a life because of this, I'll be happy." He also called over Gao San, who was making faces at Wang Shifu and Kuang Da, to find a fine-mesh sieve and a wooden basin larger than the sieve to wash and prepare. He also asked Wang Shifu to bring a kilogram of flour, soft or hard, it didn't matter.

  Before long, all the tools were ready and the dough was mixed. Wang led Deng, the chef with the surname Deng, to the kitchen and had him watch from the side while he sat down on a small wooden stool in front of the stove. He placed the sieve at an angle in the wooden basin and put the dough on top of it. After all this was done, he had Deng scoop up a ladle of water and slowly pour it onto the dough, specifically instructing him that the flow of water couldn't be too big, about the thickness of a chopstick would do. When the surface of the dough was all moistened, Wang began to knead with his hands, while having Deng continue pouring water, doing this back and forth until three ladles of water had been poured, at which point the dough had shrunk to half its original size. At this time, Wang didn't have Deng scoop up any more clear water, but instead had him scoop out the water from the basin and pour it onto the dough again.

  After rubbing for a while, Wang Kuang had a number in his heart and felt a bit strenuous. He was still lacking in exercise, and his body couldn't take it. It seemed that he would have to exercise more in the future.

  He took a look at Kuang and the others, saw that they were all eager to try, thought for a moment, gave up his position, and let Master Deng take over. Kuang and Master Wang would have plenty of time to get familiar with the procedure later. As for this Master Deng, he had to operate personally to put his mind at ease and avoid making mistakes when he returned home. If what he said was true, it would be a matter of life and death. If something went wrong, they wouldn't be able to save his son's life, which was not what Wang wanted to see.

  The chef with the surname Deng saw that the dough was getting smaller and smaller as it was washed, while the young master's expression became more and more determined. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, had already put down half of its worries. Now that Wang Kuang let him take over, he knew what Wang Kuang was thinking, so he willingly sat down to knead the dough with all his might. As an old chef who had spent many years working in the kitchen, he was much better at controlling the force than Wang Kuang, who was just a novice chef who cooked for fun. In no time, the dough had been kneaded into a small ball that could not be kneaded any further, and this remaining small ball was the by-product, mian jin (dough tendon). Only then did Wang Kuang let him stop, putting aside the half basin of cloudy water that had been washed out, saying: "Let this water sit quietly for now. After it settles and the sediment sinks to the bottom, pour off the top water and dry the remaining mixture in the sun before grinding it into a fine powder - that will be your mian liang (wheat starch). However, Chef Deng, you'd better take a break for a day or two. Wait until this dough is finally made into something edible, then try some to see if it's what your master wants before leaving."

  "Young master, I've been defeated and won't dare to call you Master in front of you from now on. From today onwards, you are the great benefactor of Deng Shi-yi. Logically speaking, you taught me this method, and I should call you Master, but I also understand my own foolishness and don't dare to call you that. Let's just follow what the benefactor said, I'll wait until this dough is ready before leaving, it won't be too late." It turned out that this Deng surname chef was following the main household's surname Deng, and their ranking wasn't based on closeness of relationship, but rather all the Deng surname servants in the Deng household were ranked together. After thanking him profusely, he looked back at the bowl of dough three times before following Gao San to rest, he really couldn't hold on anymore, for half a year he had been unable to eat or sleep well, now that success was in sight, the string in his heart suddenly relaxed, and he lost all his energy.

  After Deng Shiyi left, Wang Kuang looked at the remaining small piece of dough and thought about the leftover chili pepper from a few days ago. His mouth started to water again, but this piece of dough was only about 2-3 liangs (a unit of weight), which wasn't enough for one bite. Seeing Wang Shifu and Deng Dajun rubbing their fists and preparing to fight, he asked them each to add two more jin (another unit of weight) of flour to practice their skills. This way, they could get about one jin of dough, enough to make a dish of cold skin noodles.

  There are many ways to make noodles. Cleaned noodles can be steamed or boiled, and if you want a better texture, you can add some flour and steam or boil again. Noodles won't become mushy no matter how they're cooked in water. After cooking, the noodles can be sliced and served cold, stir-fried, or used to make soup, with different eating methods depending on individual preferences.

  Wang Shifu and Kuang Da were very diligent, taking turns to work on the dough. One of them cooked for the guests in the hall while the other washed the noodles. In less than an hour, the noodles were done, and Wang Kuang personally kneaded the dough a few more times, shaping it into long strips about five or six inches long and as thick as a thumb. The water in the pot had already boiled, so he directly threw the noodles in to cook. He then went to his own courtyard to fetch a small wok, which was rarely used since Wang Kuang's kitchen renovation. Firstly, Wang Kuang was lazy and didn't like to move unless he wanted to eat something, and even then, it was just stir-frying some vegetables or whatnot. Secondly, whenever Wang Kuang started cooking, the people in the inn would gather around, which Wang Kuang disliked, so he rarely used the wok.

  After the wok was brought over, it was directly placed on the stove to heat up. Some oil was poured in and when the oil started smoking slightly, the wok was moved away from the stove. Then, some of the chili pepper paste made last time for the mud eel dish was added in, along with a bit of sesame seeds and a splash of wine. Unfortunately, there were no peanuts (it's unclear whether peanuts originated in China or were introduced; there are two theories - one says they came from South America, while another claims they originated in China and spread outwards. However, it is certain that peanuts existed during the Tang Dynasty and have retained their name ever since). Before long, coughing sounds could be heard coming from the kitchen. Wang Shi Fu and Kuang Da couldn't take the pungent smell of the oil and chili peppers, so they quickly covered their noses and mouths and ran out, only daring to breathe again once they were outside.

  "This smell is really choking, but it's also really fragrant." Kuang Da Xin looked at the kitchen with lingering fear, tugging on Wang Shifu's robe, "I'm saying, our young master Dong is really something, casually whipping up dishes we've never even seen before."

  "That's right, who would have thought that when Xiao Dong first came, he was so miserable, without a complete set of clothes on his body, and his face was pale and thin." Master Wang sighed as he recalled Xiao Dong's appearance when he first arrived. "However, this is also Xiao Dong, you see him often listening to people talk about strange and interesting things, which is why he has achieved what he has today. Don't look at Xiao Dong as if he has nothing to do with his daily life, but take a look, this one move of his is a big deal."

  Wang Kuang's arrival at the inn was already known to Guan Da, who also heard Wang Shifu sigh and said with a tinge of admiration: "This is also due to Xiao Dongjia's cleverness; if it were you or me, we might not have been able to glean anything from these strange tales."

  While the outside was being sentimental, Wang's situation inside wasn't idle. At this time, the noodles had already been cooked and were scooped up to be soaked in cold water. After slicing them, some bone broth was heated to a boil and the noodles were added to simmer on low heat until dry. Then, they were quickly cooled with cold running water, placed on a plate, drizzled with garlic juice, mixed with the freshly made spicy chili oil, sprinkled with salt, dripped with soy sauce, and finally topped with vinegar. After mixing everything together, a dish of cold noodles was complete.

  Just as the two were still discussing, Wang Kuangdian brought out a plate of things. Upon closer inspection, the grayish-brown noodle pieces on top were full of small holes and wrapped in a layer of red oil, not looking very appetizing. He curiously asked: "Little Dongjia, is this really the noodle tendon you mentioned? It doesn't look very good."

  "Hehe, it's easy to make it look good, just sprinkle some scallions on top, but since there's already garlic in here, I didn't add any more. Don't judge this noodle dish by its appearance, it's actually very tasty and chewy. Too bad it's missing one flavor, otherwise it would be perfect in terms of color, aroma, and taste. If you want to sell it, just put some thought into presentation and it'll be great."

  "What's missing?" Guan Da couldn't help but ask curiously. In his opinion, Xiaodong's family already knew enough, and now they said that one flavor was lacking - could it be something extremely important? Must they go to another country to search for it again?

  "Peanuts, I don't know if they have them." Wang Kuang was quite uncertain whether there were peanuts at this time, but even if the peanuts came from South America, they must have taken the route of Nanyang or Quanzhou. Jian'an is not too far from these two places and should have heard something about it.

  Wang Shifu listened and didn't say a word. He ran into the warehouse behind the yard, rummaged for a while, and pulled out a bag. "Is this what Xiaodong's family said?"

  Division

  Please recommend collection and vote, your support is the motivation for Sparrow Grey.