Miao Chu

Chapter 263 Covert
Black char siu, fatty char siu, fresh from the scorching oven, was served on the table—even if you covered your mouth and nose with your hand, the aroma of malt sugar sizzling and oil sizzling could still find a gap and stubbornly sneak into your nose.

The fragrance is all-encompassing.

To the eye, it smells delicious – black char siu, as the name suggests, has a dark black skin.

The meat is hung in the oven to roast, the sauce is brushed on evenly, and the temperature is evenly distributed, resulting in a natural and even caramel color. The thick, dark sauce clings to the meat, almost dripping, and is very viscous.

The black color wasn't from the sauce itself, but from the caramelization of the sugar and syrup. It was steaming hot—the sauce was specially made by Song Miao, with perfect proportions and a unique technique. It tightly coated the surface with malt syrup, and the hot oil forced out, combined with the double impact of the fire inside and outside, brought out a noticeably thick and glossy appearance, as if it were shining. When it was served, it was still bubbling with oil.

It smells delicious to the ear—not even sizzling, but crackling. The moment it goes into the oven to bake is just right. If the oven temperature is not high enough, the fat, caramelized syrup, and roasted sauce cannot be quickly extracted. But if the oven temperature is too high, the maltose is very easy to burn, and if it is overcooked, it will taste bitter.

Only the perfect temperature and time can bring out the full flavor of the sauce and caramel in this plate of fatty fork.

Even before it's tasted anything, its mouth is already raving about how delicious it is—it's not talking, but constantly drooling.

Master Cao kept swallowing his saliva, his face burning from the heat of the meat on the grill, and his hands trembling slightly. Just as he was about to ask a question, he heard Song Miaoxiao point to the pieces of meat placed in front of him and say, "If Mr. Cao likes fatty meat, pick these pieces. These pieces are fattier—but they are a bit hot, so it's best to let them cool down before eating."

Then, Song Miao introduced the black char siu to the other teachers at the table. Finally, she said, "Although it has been boiled for a long time and roasted in the oven, it is still sweet and salty. Eating too much will make it greasy and easy to make your stomach feel loose. It is best for all of you gentlemen to eat less of it. It is not hard, so you can bite into it without worry."

Before she could finish speaking, pairs of chopsticks were already heading straight for the meat on the plate.

The char siu has been chopped into pieces, all of uniform size, large chunks of meat, each about a finger's thickness.

Master Cao picked up the piece of so-called "fat fork" closest to him, patiently placed it in his bowl to cool slightly, then impatiently blew on the meat a few times. When he looked up, he saw that the people next to him had already started eating, and he couldn't resist, so he quickly put it in his own mouth.

Even before eating it, he could imagine how delicious it would be. Once it entered his mouth, he couldn't help but laugh out loud from his throat. While his mouth was chewing, the laughter couldn't all come out of his mouth, so half of it came out of his nose. Thus, his nostrils and mouth made a sound like "ah," which was rather unrefined.

But no one at the table paid any attention to his rudeness.

The sauce is thick, and if you're not careful, it will stick to your lips. The caramelized crust, created by high heat, is extremely thin, making the crispness more like a crumbly texture. You don't even need to bite into it; it melts on its own when warmed by the temperature of your mouth. Even after melting, the broken pieces of crust are still connected by countless strands, which is the sticky texture brought about by the melting caramel sauce.

At this moment, the meat also melted.

It's no exaggeration to say that the piece of black char siu "melted" in Master Cao's mouth.

This piece is mostly fat with little lean meat. It is first pan-fried, then boiled, and then roasted. The fat from the fat has melted into the lean meat, and the lean meat is soaked in the sauce for a long time, making it fully flavorful.

It was originally a medium-sized pork belly, naturally firm. Even after being cooked for so long, although the inside became incredibly soft, it still retained its shape and didn't fall apart at all.

Pressed down by the mouth, it took the final blow, and instantly loosened its grip on the fleshy juice it had been holding so tightly.

The fatty meat isn't greasy, and the lean meat is thoroughly tender and smooth, yet still retains a stubborn elasticity. With one bite, the rich meat juices and abundant oiliness flow freely in your mouth, as if it's filled with hot, juicy goodness—a satisfaction that's hard to describe to outsiders.

The maltose and yellow rock sugar are heated in a hot pan to reduce the sauce and then baked at high temperature. The rich sweetness that comes from the fusion of maltose and yellow rock sugar is like honey. It is bitter but not bitter at all. It gives you a slight illusion of bitterness that you can't taste. It's all in your imagination. The non-existent bitterness sets off the rich sweetness, making the sweetness less direct and more flavorful.

The sauce base is a specially made Worcestershire sauce with a deep and thorough flavor. The addition of fish sauce and fermented bean curd allows the salty and savory flavors of the seafood and fermented bean curd to blend into the Worcestershire sauce, layer upon layer, like a continuous mountain range, one mountain higher than the next.

But all this exquisite seasoning is simply to enhance the flavor of the meat.

Freshly slaughtered pigs, specially selected medium-fat pork belly, are marinated as soon as they get home. The flavor is infused through repeated kneading rather than prolonged marinating, making them incredibly fresh. The aroma and freshness of the meat are concentrated during frying, boiling, and roasting, and then sealed inside the meat by the outer shell. The moment you put it in your mouth, it is all released instantly.

Thus, the aroma of caramel and sweetness blend together, with a balance of saltiness and umami, along with the fragrance of rose dew, a hint of licorice and tangerine peel, and a subtle peppery aroma. All of these elements enhance the meat's aroma and freshness, making it rich, tender, and allowing one to linger in its full flavor.

What's even better is that all of these flavors are crisp and refreshing, and after eating them, the lingering aroma in your mouth will last for a while, but they don't feel cloying at all.

Eating black fork is addictive.

With white rice, Master Cao ate one piece after another.

A small patch of rice was soaked in the sauce, and when I put it in my mouth along with the black char siu, the oil and juices burst out as I pressed it in my mouth...

As he was eating, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

—I've always loved fatty meat, and as long as it tasted good, I could eat a few more bites. But after eating this black char siu, I can't even remember the taste of meat from before…

What will we do in the future?!
***
Besides black char siu, there are naturally other dishes as well.

There are also dishes like braised pork with dogwood and stuffed tofu, perilla cucumber, braised fish, stir-fried cabbage, and a stew.

The tofu is fragrant on the outside and tender on the inside, with a very strong tofu flavor and a hint of spiciness. The perilla and cucumber dish is also very appetizing. The braised fish has few bones and the meat is not thick, but the texture is very tender. It is cooked without any fishy smell and is savory and fragrant...

There's also the olive stew, which is sweet and refreshing, and very good at cutting through greasiness. Drinking it makes you break out in a light sweat, and you feel much more relaxed.

As always, the table full of food was devoured.

There was still some sauce left on the plate of black char siu, which Master Cao used to dip a white flour pancake in and clean it all.

The group of scholars, still wanting more, asked Song Miao, "Little Song, is there any extra black char siu left? Can we have another plate?"

"Exactly! Give us another plate. The last plate looked like a lot, but when it was divided up, each of us barely got any pieces!"

Song Miao explained, "It's char siu made with pork belly. It's too fatty and oily. This portion is just right. Any more would be too greasy..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a group of old scholars at the table, a rare occurrence for her.

"Where is it fat?"

"What?! Oil?! What kind of oil?! Is my face oily?!"

"Miss Song is talking nonsense! May I ask where the greasiness is? I didn't taste it at all, it just felt soft and moist! I didn't feel it was fat at all!"

"Both lean and fatty meats are delicious, and this time the meat doesn't get stuck in my teeth at all! If it did, I could eat another plate!"

Everyone eagerly offered their opinions.

"Don't you know any manners?! You're unworthy of being teachers! Xiao Song hasn't finished speaking yet, what are you interrupting for? Xiao Song, continue, but don't mention that black char siu is greasy again, it was just crying out in my stomach!"

—This last sentence was Master Chen's final word.

The small dining table had been open for so long that Song Ji and the teachers were no longer just ordinary host and guest. Especially Teacher Chen, because the other party treated her so well, truly like taking care of a close junior, which was not the usual way of doing things. So Song Miao returned the favor and dared to say a few more words.

She said gently, "Even if it's not that fatty, it's still high in fat and oil, so it's not good to eat too much, otherwise it will cause stomach upset and heartburn. If you gentlemen really like it, I will make it often in the future, but I still have to watch the amount. If I only care about my appetite and then feel uncomfortable in my stomach afterward, I will be too embarrassed to make it again!"

The scholars were just shouting loudly, but they knew perfectly well that the black char siu was actually very fatty and shouldn't be eaten in large quantities. They were just relying on their cravings to embolden the old men to howl like that.

After being persuaded by Song Miaoyi, and knowing that they wouldn't get any better out of it, they could only dejectedly agree.

Master Cao couldn't help but ask, "If it's not good to eat it today, can it be done tomorrow? Can it be made again tomorrow?"

Song Miao hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's possible, but the small stove was only just finished. I was originally planning to make all sorts of things in the next few days to test the stove. I was originally planning to roast pigeon, but since I want to eat char siu, should I switch to char siu instead? If there's too much meat in one meal, my spleen and stomach won't be able to digest it."

The group of people were all getting on in years; they ate too much during the day and ended up spending their evenings munching on hawthorn pills in bed. As soon as this was mentioned, someone at the table immediately exclaimed, "Hey! Hey! I want some roast pigeon too!"

"Old Cao, Old Cao! How about we try the pigeon first, and then have char siu next time?"

"Xiao Song's roasted pigeon sounds delicious!"

"Do you all want to try the roast pigeon? I still want to eat the char siu! What should I do?"

The people at the table were all talking at once.

Even Master Cao, who was eager to eat char siu, was torn between the words "roasted pigeon".

He said, "I really want to eat both..."

Song Miao smiled and said, "How about this—lunch will still be roast pigeon, and I'll make some char siu tomorrow afternoon and have someone deliver it to the Imperial Academy. Anyone who wants some can take some home."

"I'll add some sauce. Although it won't have that crispy crust like when it's fresh out of the oven, it'll become soft, tender, and succulent after being reheated. It'll still be delicious!"

At this point, she added, "Pork belly is too fatty. Tomorrow I'll use pork neck, which is more tender."

Who could resist bringing home such delicious char siu?
So everyone at the table raised their hands, ready to call out their numbers.

He said, "My family is large, one serving isn't enough, I'll need at least two or three!"

The other person said, "I'd like several more servings—can I take the roast pigeon with me?"

Because Song Miao said that the flavor of pigeon changes too much after it cools down and it is not easy to reheat, she did not recommend bringing it, which caused many people to sigh with disappointment.

At this table alone, almost everyone ordered several servings of char siu, and some even brought paper and pen with them to count the items on the spot and record them for Song Miao.

"Why did you all buy so much! Be careful you can't finish it!"

When Song Miao heard everyone reporting their numbers, she felt something was wrong. When she looked at the order, she was even more shocked.

At this quantity, I'm afraid a small oven won't be enough; we'll have to use a large oven!

The group of old men had their own explanation. After they finished speaking, they all, with their full bellies, either with their hands in their sleeves or behind their backs, ran to the backyard to look at the two finished stoves and started pointing and commenting.

"Wow, what a huge furnace!"

"We really need a big stove like this. Otherwise, when Little Song's restaurant opens, how much food can that small stove next to it hold? It won't even be able to keep up with the cooking. Are we just going to make the customers wait?"

"So, will we be roasting pigeons again in the future? And what other things will we be roasting?"

When asked, Song Miao replied, "Many are preparing to try it out, so this is a good opportunity to test the waters—roast duck, goose, chicken, lamb, and pork, one after another, and I will try to make them as tender as possible."

"Does that mean I'll have to add a few more dishes to the Songji menu I wrote?"

"What? You wrote the menu for Song's Restaurant? I clearly wrote mine too. In the end, it's unclear whose menu was used in the final judging!"

A group of old men dismantled the platform and boarded the carriage, bidding farewell to Song Miao without further ado.

After seeing off the group of teachers, Song Miao returned to the backyard and studied the stove again.

There were two tables, one large and one small. The larger one was particularly big and was originally intended for use after the restaurant opened. However, it turned out that it was already being used because there were only two guest tables in the front hall.

Since we're going to use it anyway, we might as well make more.

Even after reheating, the char siu retains about 70-80% of its original flavor, making it perfect for taking home as an extra dish.

She currently has quite a few customers who have ordered breakfast, dried meat, pastries, and so on. The quantities are quite large, so why not make them and bring some along when she delivers them to everyone? Maybe she can attract a few more customers—the alley is deep and relies entirely on regular customers to help spread the word!

However, as a result, there was more and more to do. Two new aunts had been added, and they were busy making steamed buns for the Imperial Academy. They were also helping to make dried meat and dried cuttlefish for various families. In addition, there was washing, preparing, and cleaning. It was fine at the moment, but once the restaurant opened, it seemed that there were not enough people to handle everything.

Just as Song Miao was thinking about the staff at the restaurant, she looked up and saw Zhang Si Niang walking over from across the street. She said, "Madam, Master Cheng from the Xu Family Martial Arts School is here!"

She hurried forward, and sure enough, Master Cheng chose a stool and sat down to the side. When he saw Song Miao come out, he stood up to greet her and politely called out, "Miss Song." He then said, "Last time I bought your steamed buns and glutinous rice, everyone said they were delicious and wanted to order more. I happened to be leaving the city today and was passing by, so I came to ask how to buy them."

Song Miao smiled and thanked her, then said, "We deliver meals to your door every day. Master Cheng just needs to tell the delivery person what to order the next day and agree on the time."

She took out another price list, handed it to the other party, and said, "Everything else is negotiable, it's just the price..."

Master Cheng laughed heartily and said, "I know, as I said before, Miss Song won't lower the price!"

He added, "It's alright, everyone has tried it and knows your food is good, made with the finest ingredients!"

He folded up the price list and put it away, saying, "I'll go back and ask around. Once we've discussed it, I'll send someone to give me the deposit!"

***
Sometimes, once business picks up and a reputation is established, you don't need to rack your brains to come up with new customers; they'll refer one to another on their own.

Even though Song Miao Restaurant hasn't officially reopened, its orders are increasing day by day, showing great success, which has naturally attracted a lot of attention.

At Nanlu Academy, Lin Yiwen appeared rather lost and dejected.

It was lunchtime, and because no one paid him any attention—even the few people he used to know had recently made excuses to avoid him—he ate lunch alone.

While eating, I overheard the conversation at the next table. They learned that Song Ji's steamed buns had been sold at the Imperial Academy, and that Master Chen, Master Cao, and other senior scholars went to Song Ji for special meals every day.

He felt an itch in his heart.

That's Mr. Tingqing!
If I hadn't severed ties with the Song family, I could definitely find a way to get in touch with them through Sister Song and ask for their guidance.

She's neither a wife nor a concubine in this predicament, and her mother hasn't been able to convince her father yet, which is making it difficult for her to act...

He was very anxious.

As he pondered this, Lin Yiwen walked toward the outhouse.

It was already late. Usually, everyone would either go back to the study or their dormitories, but for some reason, today all the sheds in front of him were occupied and had their doors closed. He had no choice but to keep walking past the back, his eyes scanning the doors, his heart already pounding with anxiety—he still needed to re-establish contact with the Song family as soon as possible.

Firstly, he could clear his own name; secondly, he could reclaim the beauty who was already his, and that beauty was exceptionally capable and could easily make money; thirdly, Sister Song's business had been booming lately, and besides Old Master Chen, there might be other connections he could use to climb the social ladder; fourthly…

Four items...

When Lin Yiwen looked up, everything went black as if something had covered his head.

He panicked and only had time to let out a scream.

(End of this chapter)