"Miss, yes." Duo'er came over and stood with the other apprentices of Master Cheng and Master Yang, waiting for orders.
Xiangbei first took out dried chili, pepper, and peppercorns to be ground into powder. Then two large earthen pots were brought, with soybean paste and sesame oil spread at the bottom, a small amount of honey added. Chopped green onions were placed in half of one pot; ginger, garlic, and fermented soybeans were mixed and spread in a thick layer; dried mushrooms ground into fine powder mixed with refined salt and pepper were sprinkled on top. In another pot, a layer of dried red chili powder and a small amount of peppercorn powder were added, a thin layer of refined salt was sprinkled, and then a layer of fresh green and red chili peppers were spread on top. When tea seed oil on the stove smoked green, Xiangbei scooped out two ladles of hot oil into the large earthen pots. The boiling oil danced on the chili and garlic, and when everything settled down, the room was filled with the spicy and fragrant aroma.
The cured meats were steamed and divided into two portions. The braised dishes, including pork, lamb, deer meat, chicken breast, and tofu, were sliced into pieces, each portion mixed with non-spicy and spicy seasonings. The braised heart, liver, tongue, stomach, ear tips, chicken wings, sliced or shredded, were all mixed with the spicy seasoning. Xiangbei added a large pot of honey water and squeezed an orange into it. Then she stepped back and invited everyone to taste the dishes. She picked up a piece of non-spicy braised tofu with chopsticks and fed it into Chengmo's mouth.
Chengmo, as if he had no hands, finished the food gracefully, nodding and tilting his chin in a certain way. Seeing this, Xiangbei picked up a large piece of lamb leg, mixed with spicy seasoning, and stuffed it into his mouth. Then she mischievously watched him turn red from lips to eyebrows, trying to maintain his composure. He covered his mouth and nose, dared not spit or open his mouth, until she handed him a cup of honey water, scolding him gently, "I told you, without hands, you have to wait for someone to serve you!"
Chengmo continued to drink water without saying a word, his eyes filled with grievances. Xiangbei deliberately raised her voice, "This is the authentic and exclusive spicy skill of the Tong family!"
"How did this delicious seasoning become a deadly skill?" Yang, who had been indulging in the spicy flavor, was the first to stand up against it.
"Hehe, Master Yang, is it delicious? Is this kind of spicy and fragrant enough for you?" Xiangbei deliberately asked him since the last time they had fish in hot chili oil, knowing he enjoyed such stimulating flavors.
"I knew you would like it," Xiangbei laughed, watching Master Yang nodding as if pecking at rice, hands on hips, imagining herself with the imposing presence of an eagle on a mountain. No, it should be the majestic aura of a certain great person from the Celestial Empire. "So, as I said, to conquer him, you must first conquer his stomach. In the face of delicious food, all enemies are paper tigers!"
"What nonsense, don't talk like this outside," Chengmo reached out and grabbed Xiangbei, who was still posing and making fun, pulling down her hands on her hips and spoke, "Let's call it the 'Fuhai Tower Spicy Secret Technique.'"
"Why? My Tong family's secret technique, how did it become Fuhai Tower's?" Xiangbei retorted, ready to argue.
"Where do you want to put your hands? At such a young age, where did you learn this style of street cursing?" Chengmo directly clasped her hands and scolded her gently, "You are the host of Fuhai Tower. You ask Master Cheng for help in cooking and tasting dishes here, and also ask Master Cheng to promote it. You can't say it's not Fuhai Tower!"
"Then, if I continue to make more seasonings here, won't it all become Fuhai Tower's?" Xiangbei argued.
"Of course, even you are Fuhai Tower's. What you make here is naturally Fuhai Tower's," Chengmo stated firmly.
"Yeah, Fuhai Tower is mine too. What you said makes sense. Okay, let's call it the 'Fuhai Tower Secret Technique'!" Xiangbei, without realizing the mistake, confidently named the future popular brand in the Cloud Dream Dynasty.
Next, Xiangbei prepared pepper sesame sauce. She fried sesame seeds in an iron pot until they produced oil powder, added soybean paste and a minimal amount of honey, stirred evenly, and divided it into two portions. Chopped and deseeded dried red chili peppers, green and red Sichuan peppercorns were pan-fried until crispy and aromatic, ground into fine powder. Added pepper powder, refined salt, and poured in hot oil. One portion was mixed with one of the sesame oil bowls, creating a dual-flavored spicy sauce.
"Masters, let's make some soup noodles, but they should be a bit thinner. The width of my pinky finger is just right. This is definitely the most convenient and delicious sesame sauce noodles." As the junior apprentices prepared the soup noodles (modern-day noodles), Xiangbei added a small spoonful of salt to the boiling water, watched it boil, and then added cold water, repeating this process three times. The noodles would certainly be more elastic. Once cooked, she scooped them out, and the soup noodles, mixed with the prepared sauce, were almost snatched up. The pot kept boiling with more noodles still being added.