The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: A New Method

Since they had decided not to add meat, they needed something substantial. Wheat gluten was the best choice.

The prepared gluten could be torn by hand into thin strips and added to the soup. It would be chewy to eat and also make the soup look like a good value.

Widow Xie didn’t know what wheat gluten was. "Do you just mean kneading the dough to make it chewier?"

Ji Huan couldn’t help but laugh. "Let me show you."

She scooped two ladles of flour from the sack into a basin, mixed in a small amount of salt, and slowly added water, kneading it into a dough.

After letting it rest for about half an hour, she began to wash the dough.

Washing the dough was really just kneading it in water. She put some water in the basin—not too much—then placed the dough inside and kneaded it vigorously.

She kneaded until the water turned into a white, starchy liquid, which she then poured into another basin to set aside. This could be used later, saving them the step of making a thickener.

Then she replaced the water and washed it again. She repeated this process five or six times, until all the starch had been washed out of the dough. By then, the dough had darkened in color, felt firm and springy to the touch, and was no longer sticky. When soaked, it didn’t cloud the water. The wheat gluten was now ready.

Finally, she gathered the gluten with her hands, removed it, and let it soak in a basin of clean water.

The process was simple; it just required a bit of muscle. Widow Xie watched once, then tried it herself, and more or less got the hang of it.

"When the time comes, just bring the soup to a boil and toss the gluten in to cook. If we get too busy, we can also precook it in boiling water."

There was actually another method: draining the washed gluten with a strainer, placing it on a plate to be steamed, then taking it out, letting it cool, and cutting it into small pieces.

However, that resulted in a drier gluten. For the hot and spicy soup, fresh gluten was better.

Setting aside the soup base, there were many ways to make hot and spicy soup. The texture and side ingredients varied from region to region.

Ji Huan, based on the ingredients she could find, stuck to the principle of being economical and practical, opting for the simplest method.

She decided on the main additions: wheat gluten, tofu, tofu skin, shredded kelp, and their own homemade dehydrated vegetables.

The tofu and tofu skin they could get from their neighbor, Uncle Fu. They already had a stash of dehydrated vegetables, and the wheat gluten was easy to make anytime.

As for kelp, Jiaozhou Island was not far from Yeyang County and bordered the sea, which made it relatively convenient for them to get seafood products.

The seasonings were simple: just scallions, ginger, and salt. They had no MSG, and sesame oil was too expensive.

But that was enough. After all, the real magic was in the ingredients on her list.

Hearing Ji Huan’s breakdown, Widow Xie realized that aside from tables, stools, bowls, and chopsticks, the other costs were minimal. The ingredients were either things they already had or items that were common and cheap. Even if they lost money, the blow wouldn’t be too severe.

Hu Liang asked around the county town and, just as expected, found a small restaurant that was closing down and selling everything off cheap.

He went in for a look. The tables and stools were quite old and made of thin wood, so they weren’t very sturdy.

But they didn’t need anything fancy for a stall. In fact, this type would be lighter and easier to haul around.

After some haggling, he settled on nine tables. Each table came with four long benches and could seat eight people.

He took the bowls and chopsticks as well. They were all clean, and at worst, they could just soak them in boiling water and wash them again back home.

He also bought two large pots and various other items like ladles and spatulas. The final price for everything was less than half of his original budget.

’He couldn’t help but feel relieved. ’Good thing I listened to Wan. If I’d bought everything new, who knows how much money I would have wasted.’

With these purchases out of the way, it was time to buy what Ji Huan had called the "most important of all."

Hu Liang had planned to buy them in the county town as well, but he remembered that Ji Huan had specifically told him to go to Yide Hall, so he had the mule cart make a special stop in town.

’Since Wan insisted on this place,’ he thought, ’theirs must be the best.’

Ji Huan hadn’t thought that much about it.

She just felt that the medical hall was too quiet. Since she needed the ingredients anyway, she figured she might as well give them some business. Besides, they had given her a good discount when Dabao was treated there.

When Hu Liang got home, he unloaded everything from the mule cart into the courtyard. After paying the driver and seeing him off, he handed a large bag to Ji Huan.

Ji Huan opened it and looked inside. Yes, these were exactly what she needed.

She called Widow Xie and Hu Liang into the kitchen to show them exactly how to prepare the soup base.

The real secret was the blend of more than twenty spices and the precise ratio of each one.

The preparation was simple: just grind the spices in a trough and then run them through a sieve.

"The thing I asked you to borrow from Doctor Xin..."

Hu Liang smacked the back of his head, ran out to the yard to rummage around, and returned carrying a boat-shaped iron object.

This was a grinding trough, also known as a medicine grinder. It had a roller in the middle with handles on either side that could be gripped or stepped on. It was often used to grind medicinal herbs from coarse chunks into fine particles or powder, which made it much better for processing spices than their stone mortar.

Ji Huan explained the technique, and Hu Liang naturally provided the muscle. She and Widow Xie helped by sieving and sorting beside him.

Once everything was processed, they packed the mixture into a dry, sealed jar. Tonight, they would test it out with their freshly ground hot and spicy soup base!

She added water to a pot, followed by a proper amount of the hot and spicy soup base. Since things like pepper and Sichuan pepper were already included in the mix, there was no need to add them separately.

After bringing the pot to a boil, she took the gluten she had made earlier. She stretched it with her hands into a large, thin sheet, then slowly swished it in a basin of water to form strands. After adding the strands to the pot and cooking them, she turned to the starchy water set aside from washing the dough. She carefully drained the clear water from the top, then stirred the settled starch at the bottom into a thin slurry. She gradually poured this slurry into the pot to thicken the soup, stirring constantly with a rolling pin.

Once the soup reached an even consistency, she added the dehydrated spinach, shredded kelp, and diced tofu. Lastly, she added the scallions, ginger, and salt, and brought it all to a rolling boil over a high flame.

The moment the lid was lifted, a tantalizing aroma filled the entire room.

Even Widow Xie and Dacheng couldn’t stop themselves from gulping.

Hu Dacheng squatted by the stove, keeping one eye on Dabao, afraid the little one might set the house on fire. His other eye, however, was glued to the pot.

"Sister Wan, this is way easier than what we made yesterday."

Hu Ximei counted on her fingers. "Yesterday, we had to wash bones, boil meat, and then chop the meat... It was so much trouble." ’But the meat was delicious,’ she added in her head.

Ji Huan smiled at them. "Can you compare what we make to sell with what we make for ourselves? Even though there’s no meat this time, I didn’t skimp on the ingredients at all. It will definitely taste good. Don’t believe me? Have a taste."

With that, she ladled a bowl for everyone.

Dacheng and Ximei focused only on eating, but Hu Liang held up his bowl and examined its contents carefully.

Thanks to the new soup base, the color was much more appealing than yesterday’s. The soup was a translucent, thick broth, and its aroma was far richer.

It was steaming hot, and just looking at it made you feel warm and cozy, whetting your appetite.

He tentatively took a sip.

The first sensation was fragrance, followed by a numbing tingle, and only then did the spiciness begin to bloom.

It was spicy, but not overpoweringly so; it was a pleasant heat. In fact, one bowl wasn’t enough—it left you wanting another.

Hu Liang was in disbelief.

’To think that a soup made from just a bunch of strange herbs could taste even better than the meat broth!’

He gave Ji Huan a thumbs-up.

The next morning, around the fifth watch, the Hu Family was up before dawn.

Hu Ximei was very unhappy. They were all going to town, while she had to stay behind to look after the elders and her nephew. ’Why am I always the one left behind? I want to go, too!’ she thought.

Ji Huan sighed. ’This silly girl,’ she thought. ’On such a cold day, and at this hour, wouldn’t it be much nicer to be tucked away in a warm bed?’

But she had no choice. Widow Xie and Hu Liang were still new to the process and not yet proficient, so she had to go along for the first few days to lend a hand.

After loading all their gear onto a flatbed cart, the group, bundled up tightly against the cold, set off in the dark.

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