NOVPUBThis chapter is a bonus update for "The Glorious Battle Song."
————
With Chris Truth overseeing the experiment of Flame Mushrooms, Liszt was relatively at ease. It was now early May, and although most of the crops were not yet mature, many crops blessed by Cordyceps could already be harvested.
Thus, for the first time, corn cobs and corn rice appeared on Liszt’s menu—the taste of the corn cobs was a bit sweet, albeit slightly different from those on Earth. The cobs were larger, but the grains were sparse and not plump, indicating inferior quality corn cobs.
Corn rice was made by cooking the hulled grains, and compared to millet rice, it had a stronger, more fragrant flavor and a smoother texture.
Without knowing whether rice was available, corn rice could successfully replace rice, as Liszt did not particularly enjoy eating wheat-based food or millet rice every day.
"From now on, I shall have corn rice as my staple food, eating it for lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and wheat-based food for dinner; on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I shall have corn rice for dinner and millet rice for lunch; as for breakfast, I will add two corn cobs to each meal."
"Yes, m’lord," Butler Carter noted down Liszt’s instructions.
He then gestured for the servant to bring over three stir-fried dishes and said, "My lord, these are scrambled tomatoes and eggs, stir-fried onion and shredded meat, and stir-fried green beans cooked with freshly pressed corn oil. Mrs. Abbie hopes you would taste them and then make a suggestion on whether to switch to using corn oil for cooking."
Liszt picked up his chopsticks.
After taking a sip of water and rinsing his mouth, he picked up a piece of the scrambled tomatoes and eggs, chewed it for a moment, and couldn’t help but nod his head, "The taste is good; I couldn’t detect the flavor of corn, and the oil taste is very light. Instead, the flavors of tomato and egg are more pronounced."
After rinsing his mouth again, he switched to the stir-fried onion and shredded meat, and lastly, the stir-fried green beans.
After tasting all three dishes, he more or less had his answer: "Use corn oil for the scrambled tomatoes and eggs and the stir-fried green beans, but continue to use soybean oil for the stir-fried onion and shredded meat. As for the oil used in other stir-fry dishes, I will decide after tasting them one by one."
"Yes, m’lord," responded Butler Carter.
The castle kitchen’s cooking oils included millet oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, and grapeseed oil, and now with the addition of corn oil, the options for pairing had become even more abundant. It’s believed this would further enhance the taste of certain dishes.
In regards to eating.
Liszt was not a big eater, but there weren’t many forms of entertainment in this world. One could either watch a stage play, a comedy show, read a book, go horseback riding, hunting, or fishing at sea, all of which could become boring over time. He wasn’t fond of playing mahjong or poker, so he simply began to delve into food and drink.
He didn’t mind making each dish with the utmost delicacy.
Just the chef team he had in the castle outnumbered those in many other marquis’ castles. Moreover, they specialized in different types of cuisine—including pasta, stir-fry, pastries, seafood, barbecue, and fruit and vegetables—abundance in variety.
And right after he had sampled the dishes cooked with corn oil.
A personal servant came to report: "M’lord, Chef Bawel from the tavern seeks an audience."
"Bawel?" Liszt’s eyebrows rose. This was the chef he sponsored to research tofu, and it had been a long time since there had been news, "Bring him to see me."
A moment later.
Bawel entered the dining room, knelt to pay his respects, and without waiting for Liszt to ask, he excitedly announced, "Praise the lord, under the knights’ glorious favor, Bawel has finally made tofu! It’s white and tender, just like the tofu Lord Landlord described!"
"Oh, has the tofu been made? Did you bring it?"
"The tofu is very soft. Bawel left it in the tavern kitchen and did not bring it over."
"Forget it, I’ll just go over and see for myself." Liszt couldn’t wait any longer and stood up to witness the long-anticipated tofu. The retainer knights immediately brought over the Blue Blood Treasure Horse for him to ride.
As he traveled through Fresh Flower Town.
Liszt no longer rode the Landwalker bird Loki. He had given his former Li Dragon Horse to Paris to ride, and he now rode the Blue Blood Treasure Horse named "Gemstone," presented to him by the Grand Duke. As an honorary member of the Blueblood Knight Order, he couldn’t lend it to anyone else; he alone could ride it.
Moreover, Gemstone was indeed of exceptional quality, a very outstanding warhorse that could follow him into battle in the future—knights could have many mounts and switch them at will.
After arriving at the tavern.
The patrons dining on the second floor were immediately asked to leave by Liszt’s retainer knights, and no one dared to cause trouble or complain. Such was the authority and status of nobility.
The servants wiped down the tables and chairs, and Liszt took a seat.
Bawel had already served up a whole basin of tofu, pure white indeed, but the surface was rather coarse. It differed slightly from the tofu Liszt remembered, but fortunately, the difference wasn’t significant. He scooped up a bit with a wooden spoon; it wasn’t very soft, but it wasn’t too hard either—barely passable.
"Have you tried it yet?"
"Replying to Lord Landlord, I managed to make tofu half a month ago, but I was not confident that it was indeed tofu, nor whether it was poisonous or safe to eat. For this half month, while testing its toxicity, I continued to refine the technique for making tofu. Only when I felt it met the standards did I dare to report to you, my lord."
"You made it half a month ago, did you? Tell me the production process."
"I first repeatedly extracted juice from the soybeans, then started to boil the soy milk. Afterward, according to the method you taught, I added the brine. I tried many substances, but in the end, successfully used seawater to create soft tofu curds. I scooped out the tofu curds and then used a wooden board to press out the liquid, and thus produced these blocks of tofu."
"Seawater can be used for brining?"
"Initially, I discovered that seawater could solidify the cooked soy milk into tofu curds, but the resulting tofu was incredibly bitter and astringent. After much trial and error, I found the right method to use seawater for brining, finally producing a tofu with a texture that meets your standards, Lord Landlord."
"I see." This was the first time Liszt had heard that seawater could also be used for brining; regardless, the tofu was now laid out before him.
He immediately began to taste it.
Upon tasting, the familiar flavor of tofu instantly filled his mouth, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Good, this is indeed the tofu I’m familiar with! Bawel, even though it took you quite a while to develop the tofu and cost me quite a few gold coins, you still managed to make it and certainly deserve a reward!"
On the spot, he rewarded Bawel with a gold coin.
Taking the gold coin, Bawel replied with great joy, "Thank you, Lord Landlord!"
Discover more stories at freewebnovel
"Although you have made the tofu, it’s still quite rough; I will continue to fund your research to refine the production process. Furthermore, from now on, you will be in charge of supplying tofu to the castle. Also, leave the Fresh Flower Tavern to someone else to manage the kitchen. I will build a tofu workshop which you will oversee."
Bawel was a serf.
Naturally, he had to do whatever Liszt ordered. Besides, switching from a tavern chef to a steward of a workshop significantly raised his status—there was no reason for him not to want this.
Bavel, delighted with the prospect, quickly complied with the Lord Landlord’s request and stir-fried a dish of braised tofu.
Indulging in the familiar taste, Liszt felt an exceptional sense of satisfaction. "From now on, the tofu workshop will be a key protected area of the territory. The tofu recipe must be kept strictly confidential; tofu will become another significant specialty of the territory!" Due to tofu’s short shelf life and unsuitability for long-distance transport, he had no plans to sell it far and wide.
Only by coming to Fresh Flower Town could one enjoy the delicious taste of tofu.
