Chef Hua
Chapter 325: Episode 186 Home Style Taste_2

Chapter 325: Episode 186 Home Style Taste_2

"Little Squeak," was the nickname of a young helper in Zhenwei Garden, given because of his small and nimble stature, and everyone in the village called him that. Lei An seemed to have already adapted to local customs.

Hua Xiaomai indeed followed him to check the various ingredients and nodded with a smile, "I know Master Lei and Sister Lei are both experts in the field, and they were meticulously sought after by Master Wu, so I naturally trust your work. I do have some understanding of several commonly used sauces. Today, as we make them for the first time, please take note of the ingredients and the steps I use. From now on, follow these methods. Besides these, there are many other sauces that I am not familiar with, so I will rely on you both to manage them."

"That’s easy to say," Lei An nodded, turned around and ran upstairs to grab pen and paper, and the three of them sat down under the shed used for drying sauces and finalized the various sauces to be prepared.

Among the various sauces Pan Ping’an used to transport to the Provincial City to sell, single-ingredient soy sauce, immortal sauce, and dried fermented black beans were the most popular. Naturally, these three were indispensable. In addition, "Immortal Vinegar," Sichuan pepper soy sauce, and aged lees oil were added, totaling eight kinds, becoming the first batch of sauces produced by Zhenwei Garden.

After the consultation was settled, Hua Xiaomai rolled up her sleeves and demonstrated how to make single-ingredient soy sauce and dried fermented black beans. Seeing Lei An meticulously noting down everything on paper, she arranged with him to send two helpers to pick fresh peach leaves and then proceed to make immortal sauce the next day.

Lei An took note of her requests, ensuring every single detail was remembered, and turned to call Sun Great Saint and a few others to start work, leaving his wife behind to accompany Hua Xiaomai. Hua Xiaomai had been pondering the few dishes from lunch and took the opportunity to probe, "Sister, the four pork dishes you brought at noon today, I have tasted all of them, and they are excellent. Having run a restaurant myself, it’s my first time encountering such flavors in dishes, and your culinary skills are truly admirable."

Lei An’s wife, probably not expecting such high praise, blushed slightly and quickly waved her hands, "My modest skills do not deserve such compliments from you, the owner. They are just simple home-cooked dishes, incomparable to your culinary arts. Please don’t..."

"I am being sincere, not just being polite!" Hua Xiaomai nodded emphatically at her and asked, "You don’t seem to be someone who has formally learned cooking, where did you acquire such skills?"

"What skills do I really have?" Lei An’s wife saw that her words seemed heartfelt, so she smiled slightly, glanced downward, and said, "The dishes I can cook are just the same few ones over and over. My parents also used to be sauce makers, and every time work started, they would cook up a pork dish. I grew up watching and naturally learned over time. In any sauce maker’s household, the meals are prepared according to the family’s tastes. My mother knew exactly what my father liked, so the dishes she cooked were naturally to his liking."

As she spoke, she lifted her chin, pointed to Lei An busying in the courtyard, and said with a smile, "After we got married, I took charge of the cooking. I would adjust the seasoning according to his tastes, just making some additions and subtractions, nothing more than that, and that’s all there is to it."

Hua Xiaomai started to understand.

Those in the food industry always hope that the dishes in their restaurant have a "specialty." Only with this label can they hope to stand out amidst fierce competitors. Instead of racking one’s brains to carve out a niche, it might be better to start with the tastes of one’s own family. Such "specialty" would indeed be something no one else could imitate or steal.

At that moment, she also felt a pang of guilt.

Before marriage, she used to live with Hua Erniang and Jing Taihe, where she could prepare meals according to their preferences. But after marrying Meng Yuhuai, even though she always made sure the meals were ready each day, it seemed as if she never really asked what kinds of vegetables they loved or disliked, simply cooking as if she were completing a task.

It was also thanks to the fact that Mother Meng wasn’t picky about food and would eat anything; otherwise, with Hua Xiaomai’s perfunctory approach, it would have certainly provoked her into a thundering rage!

If she couldn’t even take care of the two people at home, how could she expect patrons to enjoy the taste of home at the restaurant?

With these thoughts in mind, Hua Xiaomai turned somewhat silent after being brought back home by Meng Yuhuai that evening, sitting at the table deep in thought, not saying a word for a long time.

Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Usually, no matter how tired she was, once they were behind closed doors, she would always chat away, either with a smile or with a furrowed brow, incessantly chattering until she was tired enough to go to bed and rest. But why was she so quiet today?

"What’s wrong?" he asked as he went over and sat next to her, reached out to touch the top of her head, and smiled, "Are you too exhausted to even speak, or did someone upset you today at the restaurant and Sauce Garden?"

Hua Xiaomai stole a glance at him and rubbed her nose, her voice soft, "I was thinking... could you tell me whether you prefer light or strong flavors? And the meals I prepare daily, do you find them too salty or too bland, is there anything that doesn’t suit your taste?"

Meng Yuhuai seemed a bit surprised and looked down at her, raising an eyebrow after a long moment, "...You really don’t know?"

At a loss for words, Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips and said quietly, "I was so preoccupied with the restaurant every day that I took our own meals for granted..."

Realizing she felt a bit of guilt, he touched her cheek with his fingers, finding it somewhat hot, and couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, laughing, "What’s the trouble? Anyway, neither my mother nor I am fussy; I love whatever you cook."

"Be serious!" Hua Xiaomai persisted, tugging at his sleeve, "Tell me!"

Meng Yuhuai, unable to escape, pondered and said, "Whether it’s mild or strong doesn’t matter to me, but I don’t really like too many spices in the food. Apart from that, I generally stay away from anything too sweet. As for my mother, you’ll probably have to ask her yourself."

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) and cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)