Chapter 241 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu returned to Vine City feeling relaxed and sent Zhou Yan various tomato products.

Their company's tomato products are much better than those on the market, perfect for cooking.

Handing a large pile of canned goods to Zhou Yan, Qing Mengzhu said with a smile, "Brother Zhou, come over to our house for tea after you get off work, and we can have a meal together. It's been a long time since we've gotten together."

Zhou Yan: "We're developing new dishes these days, we'll wait a couple of days."

Qing Mengzhu wasn't involved much in the management of the catering business and wasn't very clear about the new dishes they were developing this month. Hearing this, she asked curiously, "What new dishes?"

Zhou Yan: "You'll find out in a couple of days. I'll invite you all over to try it then."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then I'll wait."

Qing Mengzhu had been busy for so long and was really tired. After returning to Vine City, besides inspecting the farmland and arranging work, he made a point of taking a good rest.

Of course, there's also the time spent cuddling with Ming Chunxi.

That day, Zhou Yan said that new dishes were ready and invited them to come and try them.

Qing Mengzhu, holding Ming Chunxi's hand, lazily walked over.

Zhou Yan showed them the menu, Qing Mengzhu looked at it carefully. "Two dishes and one dessert?"

Zhou Yan nodded. "The other options didn't work; so far, these two dishes and the dessert have been quite successful."

Qing Mengzhu first looked at the first dish.

The first dish is Sichuan peppercorn snail slices. The Sichuan peppercorns used are from Qing Mengzhu's own farm, and this year's yield is slightly higher.

Their Sichuan peppercorns are characterized by their light fragrance and relatively mild numbing flavor. The snail slices, tossed in Sichuan peppercorn oil, are refreshing, delicious, crisp, fresh, and tender, with no fishy taste whatsoever.

After tasting it, Qing Mengzhu could clearly feel that the various flavors had achieved a perfect balance.

This seemingly ordinary dish could probably only be handled so perfectly by a master chef. It would be difficult for anyone else to control the cooking time of the various ingredients and the amount of seasonings.

Zhou Yan asked, "How is it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Fantastic! I think this dish will definitely crack the top ten most popular dishes of the month."

Ming Chunxi: "Perfect."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Then you should try this stuffed chili pepper dish."

Qing Mengzhu glanced at the red chili pepper slices on the new plate and said, "Brother Zhou, I feel like you've given these two dishes a fresh twist on seemingly ordinary ingredients and cooking methods."

Zhou Yan: "Pretty much. My keywords for this month are 'inheritance, innovation, and balance'."

Qing Mengzhu became even more interested. "You even decided on a theme? I want to try it."

The bright red chili pepper segments are arranged on a snow-white plate, drizzled with a thin layer of sauce, and garnished with leaves. Just by looking at it, Qing Mengzhu can tell that it is a little different from home-style dishes.

Qing Mengzhu picked up a piece with her chopsticks, took a small bite, and the rich, complex umami flavor immediately spread across her tongue—fresh, spicy, and delicious.

He chewed it and discovered that the filling inside the chili pepper was completely different from traditional stuffed chili peppers.

Traditional stuffed chili peppers are usually made with minced meat and have a soft texture, but Zhou Yan's stuffed chili peppers are crunchy, and crunchy in a different way.

Qing Mengzhu carefully examined the ingredients and could taste a bit of beef tendon, which had a soft, chewy, and slightly crunchy texture. After the beef tendon came bamboo shoot pieces, which had a crisp texture.

He carefully examined the peppers and could feel that even though the skin was slightly wrinkled after being deep-fried, the peppers were actually crisp.

This layered crispness creates an exquisite texture.

However, besides the texture, the flavor of this dish is also a pleasant surprise.

It's both fresh and spicy, with a perfect balance of spiciness and saltiness.

Qing Mengzhu really likes her family's chili peppers, always feeling that they have a slightly sweet aftertaste. However, she also has to admit that chili peppers are a very difficult ingredient to handle. If not handled properly, they can easily become bland or even cause stomach aches.

This dish that Zhou Yan made was completely different; it was so well-balanced, so perfect.

Qing Mengzhu breathed a sigh of relief after finishing her meal.

Zhou Yan tilted his head slightly to the side, waiting for their evaluation.

Ming Chunxi put down her chopsticks. "The flavor and texture of this dish are perfectly balanced."

Zhou Yan looked at Qing Mengzhu.

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment, then organized her thoughts and said, "I can taste the beef shank, bamboo shoots, chili peppers, and scallions inside, but I can't taste anything else. However, there's a very rich and savory flavor in it, so I feel like there's probably another kind of meat in it."

Zhou Yan said, "What you tasted was probably shrimp paste. I used shrimp paste instead of oyster sauce to enhance the flavor and bind the other ingredients together."

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "I was wondering why I'd never tasted this fresh flavor before? But besides shrimp paste, is there any other meat or meat juice?"

Zhou Yan: "That should be the sauce."

Zhou Yan pointed to the sauce and said, "This sauce is made from chicken feet and chicken meat. The broth from cooking the chicken feet is thickened and seasoned, then poured over the chili peppers. It clings to the chili peppers, giving them a complex umami flavor that is lighter and more delicious than chicken broth."

Qing Mengzhu suddenly realized, "I understand now, no wonder it tastes so delicious!"

Zhou Yan: "What do you think of this dish?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Perfect! I love this dish. I think it's ready to serve anytime, and customers should love it."

Zhou Yan: "Then I'll decline. You should try this bird's nest and lotus seed soup instead."

Qing Mengzhu in surprise, "Is bird's nest added to lotus seed soup now?"

Zhou Yan: "Using high-grade ingredients yields higher profits."

Qing Mengzhu had no objection to Zhou Yan's business philosophy, but she did try the bird's nest and lotus seed soup.

The lotus seeds used inside are fresh lotus seeds that were just harvested this year. They are very fragrant, sweet, soft, and glutinous, and taste great.

The bird's nest was of the highest quality, and all of it had passed quarantine and inspection. Qing Mengzhu tasted it and found it to be very good.

Even this bowl of bird's nest and lotus seed soup had a unique aroma, but he couldn't immediately discern what it was.

After tasting it carefully for a while, Qing Mengzhu looked up and asked Zhou Yan, "There's honey in it, isn't there? It's honey from our orchard, which is why it has a special aroma."

Zhou Yan laughed, "You guessed right, I knew you could tell. Besides honey, I added something special."

Qing Mengzhu scooped up another spoonful and tasted it carefully. "What's so special about it? I think I can indeed taste a faint fragrance, quite rich in flavor."

Zhou Yan simply smiled and prompted, "Think about it again."

Just as Qing Mengzhu was about to say she couldn't think of anything, a sudden inspiration struck her, and she blurted out, "It's dried tangerine peel, isn't it? I should be able to taste the aroma of dried tangerine peel, but it's used in very small amounts, just to enhance the flavor."

Zhou Yan: "Congratulations, you guessed right."

Qing Mengzhu exclaimed with delight, "So it really is dried tangerine peel! I was wondering why it looked so familiar; the aroma of dried tangerine peel is truly the finishing touch!"

In China, specific varieties of mandarin oranges such as tea branch mandarin oranges, Ou mandarin oranges, and Sihui mandarin oranges are generally used to make dried tangerine peel. However, the mandarin oranges used by other manufacturers are just ordinary oranges from their own orchards. The dried tangerine peel they make is also very good, and its taste, aroma, and medicinal value are even stronger.

They probably only have this bird's nest and lotus seed soup with dried tangerine peel and honey.

After finishing the entire bowl of bird's nest and lotus seed soup, Qing Mengzhu said, "Delicious! I imagine it would taste even better chilled."

Zhou Yan: "We'll offer two options then, depending on whether the customer wants a cold or hot drink."

Qing Mengzhu: "I think it's a good idea. After eating the fresh, spicy conch slices or the crisp and fragrant stuffed chili peppers, a bowl of bird's nest and lotus seed soup is the perfect way to cool down the spiciness. If this set meal were sold as a set, it should sell quite well."

Zhou Yan: "We'll probably have to see about that later."

As they were talking, Qing Mengzhu's phone rang.

He answered the phone, but all he heard on the other end was Zhao Hexi's panting voice.

Zhao Hexi said, "Mengzhu, when we were working down the mountain just now, we heard your cow mooing up the mountain, it sounded a bit urgent. I came over to check and it seems your cow is about to give birth."