Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 524: Congee and pickles, the Queen Mother enjoyed this meal

Shen Yu picked up some pickles of various kinds with clean chopsticks and placed them in a small dish. After tasting them carefully, he decided to mix the pickles of Chinese mustard and sour beans.

These two dishes taste sour and crispy. After being boiled in hot water, they are slightly salty and are perfect to go with boiled white porridge.

When preparing the dish, Shen Yu specially boiled some sweet vinegar and poured it on top, and also added a little ground sesame seeds and fried pepper that he had brought with him.

Take out a piece of pickled ginger, cut it into thin slices, and then cut it into fine ginger shreds. Add some of the fine ginger shreds to both pickles.

Ginger and pepper are both good remedies for driving away the cold in winter.

Before coming to Beijing, Doctor Sun told Shen Yu that when he first cooked for the empress dowager, he should find a way to add some of these two ingredients, which would help regulate the empress dowager's spleen and stomach which had been affected by the cold.

Wait until your appetite improves, then slowly eat nourishing and light food to replenish the lost nutrients.

During the whole process of preparing the pickles, everyone watched without blinking, but they did not see anything special about these small pickles. Instead, they felt that they were too simple.

It was not like the chefs in the palace who would pour hot oil on the dish and add all kinds of exotic seasonings as if they were free.

The chefs were inevitably a little disappointed, thinking that the food Shen Yu prepared and served would not be any better than theirs.

After the pickles were prepared, Shen Yu put them into small plates.

There was still some left in the big bowl of pickled vegetables soup. Everyone tasted it curiously and said in confusion: "Miss Shen, you don't even add sesame oil when you make pickled vegetables. It's too bland."

Shen Yu said calmly: "The sesame oil tastes good, but it also covers up the original salty and fresh taste of these two ingredients. In addition, fried sesame crumbs are added here, and its fragrance is enough."

People in the small kitchen are used to cooking food with heavy oil and flavor on weekdays. When they first tasted this, although it tasted delicious, they always felt that the taste was not strong enough and it tasted a little bland in their mouths.

But looking at Shen Yu's calm and composed look, it was difficult to say anything, so he could only wait quietly for the results.

The porridge was simmered for more than half an hour in a half-boiled state. The rice in it was boiled to the point of blooming, but the grains were still distinct. It smelled of the unique sweet flavor of rice soup.

Shen Yu took a look and felt that the fire was enough, so he took the casserole off the stove, placed it on a wooden tray that had been prepared long ago, and covered it with a lid.

Shen Yu followed the eunuch who served the meal and brought the cooked rice porridge and pickles to the warm room of Chunhui Palace.

At this time, the Queen Mother had just taken a short nap and was chatting with the Lady Dowager.

Seeing that Shen Yu had prepared the porridge and brought it in, Zhen Niang hurried in to report, came out with two palace maids, and took the tray from the eunuch who served the meal.

Someone had already set up the kang table inside. Zhenniang personally served the empress dowager half a bowl of rice porridge and two plates of pickles, and then brought it to the kang table on a small tray for the empress dowager.

The palace maids brought basins of water and helped the empress dowager wash her hands. They also helped her tuck in the large towel she used when eating and rolled up her sleeves. Only then did the empress dowager sit cross-legged comfortably on the kang.

The rice porridge in front of me was steaming.

A bowl of clear porridge looks clean and shiny. It is neither too mushy nor has the layer of oil floating on the surface of the common meat porridge. It looks fresh and appetizing.

The same goes for the two small plates of pickled vegetables, which are bright green, mixed with some tender yellow and translucent pickled ginger shreds and some sesame crumbs. There is not a drop of oil, and they smell sour and salty.

Somehow, the empress dowager's stomach growled, and in the warm room where everyone held their breath and dared not speak loudly, the sound was particularly loud.

Zhenniang, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but exclaimed "Ouch" in surprise, only then did she realize that she had lost her manners.

She knelt down and apologized, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was so happy that I forgot myself for a moment."

"The imperial physician said that if the queen mother has rumbling bowel sounds, it means she has an appetite. I have been paying attention these days and have never heard any."

The Queen Mother didn't take it seriously and said with a smile, "Get up quickly. I'm really feeling a little hungry now when I smell the sour aroma of these pickles. I want to have a mouthful of porridge."

Zhenniang smiled and answered yes, then stood up and stepped aside.

Everyone in the room couldn't help but look at the Queen Mother with expectant eyes, secretly hoping that she would be interested in the food cooked by Miss Shen.

The Queen Mother scooped a spoonful of porridge with a spoon.

Mm, not bad, refreshing and sweet.

The aroma of rice fills your mouth, pure and rich.

The porridge is cooked to perfection. The rice soup on top is mellow and sweet, while the rice inside is still distinct grains. Use a spoon to scoop a spoonful and put it in your mouth. It melts in your mouth without chewing. It tastes smooth and enjoyable.

The pickled vegetables also have a refreshing taste.

In addition to the crispy and salty taste of Chinese mustard greens, there is also the unique sour and appetizing taste of sour beans, as well as a hint of spicy ginger and pepper.

After taking a bite, I felt a warm feeling in my stomach, which was very enjoyable.

As I swallowed mouthful after mouthful of hot porridge, the cold and heavy feeling in my stomach that I had had for the past few days slowly disappeared.

After finishing half a bowl of porridge, the Queen Mother handed the bowl to Zhenniang and said, "This porridge tastes good. Give me another bowl, and more."

Zhenniang was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She nodded in agreement repeatedly, her hands shaking. She quickly walked to the small table next to her and served the empress dowager half a bowl of porridge.

The people in the room looked at each other, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Looking at the empress dowager who was eating happily at the table on the kang, Zhenniang winked at a little palace maid beside her.

The clever little palace maid quietly retreated and went to report the good news to Eunuch Qin who had been waiting outside the palace.

The Queen Mother enjoyed the meal very much.

After eating half a bowl, I still wanted more.

Zhenniang hesitated and didn't dare to serve more, but Old Madam Lu persuaded her, "It's almost evening now. Eating too much will make it difficult to digest."

The Queen Mother then stopped and asked someone to wring out a hot towel to wipe her hands and face. She smiled and said to Old Madam Lu, "I'm sorry to make you laugh. I've sweated all over. I feel much lighter and more comfortable. I just want to put on my pajamas and have a good sleep.

Madam Lu didn't dare to laugh at the Queen Mother, so she hurriedly said something nice: "The Queen Mother ate this meal with relish, her appetite has been aroused, I believe her illness will soon be cured."

"We won't stay here. Your Majesty, please take a good rest. Maybe you'll be all right tomorrow after a good night's sleep."

The Queen Mother was about to nod and let Madam Lu go back first, but Shen Yu mustered up the courage to step forward and said, "Queen Mother, you just had a meal, it's not appropriate to lie down and sleep now, it will cause indigestion."