Siheyuan: A Cook in the 60s

What does Mapo Tofu taste like?

The first taste you take in your mouth is definitely spicy.

It can basically be summarized as spicy, fragrant, hot and numb.

From a scientific point of view, spiciness is just a kind of pain, but this kind of pain can be addictive. The perfect combination of spiciness and heat, numbness and fragrance makes people unable to stop, and the bright colors make people more appetizing. After taking a sip and chewing, Yang Menglan's eyes suddenly widened a little.

She was surprised that the crispness was not part of the Mapo Tofu.

It also surprised her.

As we all know, the feeling of crispness mostly appears in fried food, such as fried tofu that is "crispy on the outside and tender on the inside", fried chicken, and a series of other fried foods. However, for dishes that require thickening and are mainly based on thickening, it is actually very difficult to make them crispy. The taste will always change when the sauce is poured over them. Therefore, it is easy to make them crispy, but it is difficult to keep them crispy when thickening them.

Crispy and fragrant have always been stuck together.

It is because of this crispness that the fragrance is enhanced.

Don't underestimate this little bit of fragrance. Good dishes require more flavor and less flavor. Adding this little bit of fragrance can improve the taste without destroying the texture. The difficulty is not as simple as just adding a little bit of "crispy".

Yang Menglan was still thinking about the taste of the dish, and when she looked down, she finished half of the large plate of Mapo Tofu.

She didn't have time to think about it and just ate quickly. The people here were not good people when they were fighting for food.

Twenty minutes later.

Old Master Yang held his stomach and groaned, and Cao Wei's mouth twitched when he saw this.

Anyone who has cooked knows that, generally speaking, the cook will not eat immediately but will take a break. Therefore, by the time he has an appetite, there will be only some leftovers on the plate of Mapo Tofu.

The shopkeeper burped and gave Cao Wei a thumbs up: "Master Cao, you are this."

Cao Wei was a little helpless. Is this a legitimate pharmacy?

And Mr. Yang, you seem to know how to maintain good health. Is it really appropriate to overeat?

"Okay, you've passed the second test." Old Master Yang stamped Cao Wei with a "passed" certificate while shaving his teeth, although this image was somewhat unconvincing.

"You are busy at the factory, so how about this? Come to my place every night after get off work and I will help you identify the herbs. It won't take much time, just two hours. It won't delay your return home."

This is not difficult.

In fact, Cao Wei could leave at five o'clock every day. It wouldn't take him long to get to Baweizhai. After working for two hours, he would be home at around seven-thirty, which was not too late.

"On Sunday, if you have nothing to do, come to Baweizhai. Of course, if you have something to do, just let me know in advance. Let's just leave it like this for now and see how it goes. Then we'll continue."

"Sure, then it's settled."

"Then let's start from today." After Mr. Yang gave the order, Cao Wei had to go to work obediently.

Yang Menglan finished her lunch and originally planned to stay here for a while, but the old man didn't want to let her go and directly drove her away.

Old Master Yang looked at the departing backs of Cao Wei and Yang Menglan, then leisurely lay down on the recliner beside the courtyard, humming a little tune.

He began to think about teaching Cao Wei some real kung fu.

If for nothing else, just for the meal he made for lunch today.

It wasn’t that the food was delicious, but Cao Wei’s spirit of daring to innovate that moved him.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer." Old Man Yang clapped his hands and closed his eyes. The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard.

Yang Menglan didn't care about the old man's driving her away. She knew that the old man had the habit of taking a nap, so she went home happily. As soon as she got home, she saw her old man eating. What a coincidence, he was eating Mapo Tofu.

Liu Sandao was stunned when he saw his wife coming back: "Have you eaten? If not, let's eat together."

"I've eaten." Yang Menglan replied as usual, then she rolled her eyes and raised the corners of her mouth slightly: "What a coincidence, we also had Mapo Tofu for lunch today."

"Oh? That boy made it, so how was it? Any improvement?" Liu Sandao was not surprised. Old Man Yang also loved to eat, so it was reasonable for him to ask Cao Wei to cook a meal.

"It's not just progress. Guess what, he has made a sixth flavor of Mapo Tofu."

Liu Sandao's hand that was picking up the food paused for a moment.

He raised his head, and his expression changed from calm to doubt and then to confusion.

Liu Sandao: ???

"Huh?" Liu Sandao uttered a questioning particle.

"Yes, the sixth taste."

He knew clearly what level his wife was at. After so many years, she should be able to become an expert in cooking. If she said it was the sixth taste, then it was definitely not something that was made with crude ingredients.

“No, this kid updated the recipe and didn’t let me try it first?!” Liu Sandao’s eyes widened as if he was about to spit fire.

Is this something a human would do?!

what? !

After innovating a dish, you immediately let others make it instead of your own chef? !

"No way!" Liu Sandao felt that the food he put into his mouth had no taste: "I have to go there."

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I should do? This kid is so rebellious! I haven't even figured out the sixth flavor..." Having said this, Liu Sandao paused and stopped talking with a stern face.

"Pfft." Yang Menglan laughed out loud: "So that's what you care about. I think that kid just hasn't learned well yet. I'll cook for you when he's done. It's your fault for being so strict with him when he was a kid."

After hearing what Yang Menglan said, Liu Sandao was not so angry anymore: "Then you should let me try it first. Can't I give him some guidance?"

"Come on, you can't even make the sixth flavor yourself."

"Then tell me, what is the sixth taste?" Liu Sandao asked with a turn of his eyes.

Yang Menglan smiled and said nothing.

"Salty? No, that doesn't fit. Sweet? That doesn't seem right either..."

No matter what Liu Sandao said, Yang Menglan didn't say a word and just had a smiling expression on her face.

"You can't make the sixth flavor anyway." Yang Menglan gave Liu Sandao a fatal blow.

Liu Sandao's face immediately turned red: "How can you doubt my cooking skills like this!"

He argued, "The laws of our ancestors cannot be violated.", "Our predecessors have done a very good job.", "I am taking a different path." Various explanations followed one after another, followed by words like "I am doing this to bring out the five flavors to the extreme", which made Yang Menglan smile even more. For a moment, the small room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Someone can't sleep today!