I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

While Xiao Jingshi was in Jiangnan, vigorously implementing his "iron-fisted epidemic prevention" policy, Ye An'an, far away in the capital, was restless.

Xiao Jingshi has been gone for almost half a month, but no news has come back.

In this era, information traveled extremely slowly; even with express delivery, it would take ten to fifteen days for a letter to travel from Jiangnan to the capital.

Ye An'an counted the days on her fingers every day, her heart filled with anxiety.

She didn't know what was happening in Jiangnan, whether he was in danger, whether he was eating properly, or whether he was safe.

This feeling of being constantly worried made her lose all motivation to do anything.

Even her favorite foods have lost their flavor.

"Your Highness, please don't worry. His Highness is a lucky man, and with Lord Lu and Lord Xie assisting him, he will definitely be alright." Chenzhu looked at her mistress's increasingly gaunt face and comforted her with heartache.

"Yes, Your Highness, you haven't been eating properly these past few days." Fuyun also held a bowl of bird's nest soup, her face full of worry. "Look, you've lost weight."

Ye An'an sighed. She knew they were right, but she just couldn't help worrying.

She forced herself to stay awake and drank two sips of bird's nest soup, but found it bland and tasteless.

No, this can't go on any longer.

Xiao Jingshi was risking his life for the country, and she couldn't just wallow in self-pity at home.

She needs to find something to do to distract herself.

What are you doing?

Ye An'an's gaze fell on the "Fragrance Comes" account book on the table.

Since its opening, "Wenxianglai" has been extremely popular, with daily revenue reaching an astonishing level.

However, relying solely on braised dishes and stinky tofu makes the product line too limited.

Moreover, both of these dishes have rather strong flavors, and as the weather gets warmer, guests may prefer something refreshing and appetizing.

Yes, develop new products!

The thought of food finally rekindled the light in Ye An'an's eyes.

She wanted to expand and strengthen "Wenxianglai" to make more money. That way, Xiao Jingshi wouldn't have to worry about money no matter what he wanted to do in the future.

Thinking of this, her anxious heart seemed to find a place to rest.

What new products should we develop?

It needs to be refreshing, appetizing, relatively simple to make, suitable for mass production in shops, and also... have some unique features that can catch people's eye.

Ye An'an quickly went through her "Chinese Culinary Treasury" in her mind.

Suddenly, a dish flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning.

Braised chicken feet!

Yes, that's it!

Chicken feet, or phoenix claws, are considered as unpalatable as pig offal in this era.

But after being soaked in the brine, it will be transformed into a delicious snack that is salty, fresh, and refreshing, full of collagen, and has a subtle aroma of wine.

This dish is easy to make, inexpensive, and refreshingly cool, making it perfect for the upcoming hot summer.

Just do it!

Ye An'an immediately regained her usual energy and plunged into the small kitchen to begin her experiment.

The most crucial element in making braised chicken feet is the "braised sauce".

"Zao" refers to wine lees. Ye An'an asked the Imperial Household Department to bring several jars of freshly brewed, high-quality yellow wine and to collect the wine lees that had settled at the bottom.

Just having fermented grains isn't enough; the flavor is too bland.

She added a lot of spices, such as Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, as well as dried chili peppers to enhance the flavor and scallions and ginger to add aroma.

Put everything into a large pot, add enough water and salt, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer slowly.

The simmering process is to allow the aroma of the wine and spices to fully blend together.

Soon, a peculiar aroma, a blend of rich wine and spices, wafted from the small kitchen.

This smell is so enticing, it makes you feel slightly tipsy.

The prepared braising liquid cannot be used directly.

Use cheesecloth to filter out all the lees and spices, leaving only a clear, pale yellow "lees brine".

This fermented sauce is the soul of this dish.

After processing the brine, the next step is to process the chicken feet.

She had the kitchen send over a hundred fresh chicken feet, and asked Chenzhu and Fuyun to help her trim the nails off each one and clean them thoroughly.

Next, put the chicken feet in a pot of cold water, add ginger slices and cooking wine, and blanch them to remove the fishy smell.

After blanching the chicken feet, immediately place them in prepared ice water.

"Your Highness, why do you put it in ice water?" Fuyun asked, puzzled.

"This is called 'cooling down'," Ye An'an explained. "You know, thermal expansion and contraction, right? This makes the skin of the chicken feet tighten instantly, resulting in a more chewy and crisp texture."

The two maids only half understood what they were hearing, but seeing their mistress's confident demeanor, they could only admire her.

The chicken feet were soaked in ice water for a full fifteen minutes, which made them firm and elastic.

Ye An'an scooped it out, drained the water, and then put it into the pot of completely cooled, golden and translucent fermented rice wine.

"Alright, let them soak quietly in there for a day and a night until the flavors have penetrated them, then they're ready to eat."

She put the lid on, a hopeful smile on her face.

She could almost picture how delicious the bouncy, crisp chicken feet would be, bursting with a savory, wine-like aroma in her mouth.

This dish is sure to cause a sensation in Beijing once again!