Chapter 190 Soy Sauce Success
When the weather gets warmer and the sun gets stronger, the beans receive plenty of sunlight and ferment very quickly. After two or three months of drying, the beans in the jar begin to produce sauce.
Qianhuan also began to teach everyone the process of turning the jars over and pouring oil on them. A bamboo basket was placed in the middle of each jar, and the bamboo basket was woven by everyone together with bamboo.
When the sauce ferments, it will seep into the middle of the bamboo basket. Then use the gourd ladle to scoop up the sauce in the middle of the bamboo basket and pour it on the mash outside the bamboo basket. This process is called the oil pouring process.
The flavor of the soy sauce can be increased by pouring oil on it. Because sunlight cannot penetrate the bottom of the jar and can only shine on the upper layer to heat it, the soy sauce at the bottom cannot be fully fermented. Pouring oil on it can help heat the soy sauce at the bottom and allow the beans to ferment evenly.
Moreover, the essence of the ancient method of making soy sauce lies in sun exposure and night dew exposure: sun exposure during the day, moon exposure at night, and collecting dew on the next day, and this cycle continues.
If the oil is not poured in, the dew will be evaporated by the sun the next day, so the oil must be poured in manually to allow the dew to blend in, so that the soy sauce will be more delicious.
After the sauce was ready, she taught everyone the process, and everyone would come to cook early in the morning and start pouring the sauce on.
Although it is troublesome, the soy sauce made by pouring oil tastes more mellow and delicious.
After half a year, the soy sauce was finally brewed.
Qianhuan called everyone together, took out most of the dried sauce and scooped it all into a large wooden barrel, then boiled it in a pot to sterilize it at high temperature.
It took them several days to boil and sterilize half of the soy sauce brewed in the large vat. After cooling, the real soy sauce product came out.
Qianhuan put the soy sauce into the jars and then covered the jars with lids.
Looking at the soy sauce that she had spent half a year making, she felt a sense of accomplishment.
She couldn't wait to try the soy sauce, so she scooped out a small bowl of it from the jar with a strainer, picked up a spoon and scooped a small spoonful and drank it directly. It tasted delicious and left a lingering fragrance.
She said happily, "Dad, Mom, our soy sauce making is very successful, you can try it too."
Liu and Liang Laoer also took a clean spoon and scooped it out to taste a small bite. The couple exclaimed, "Hmm, it tastes really delicious."
Qianhuan couldn't wait to try out the effect of the soy sauce she brewed herself on cooking. Before it was even time for dinner, she called everyone to the kitchen to cook and test the taste of the soy sauce.
"Let's all go to the kitchen and cook some food to try out the effect of soy sauce as a seasoning."
"it is good."
Yinhua went to the yard and fried a plate of vegetables, adding a small spoonful of soy sauce.
Liu tried a bite and couldn't help but exclaimed, "Oh my god, this ordinary vegetable tastes completely different after adding soy sauce. Her father, you should try it too."
Liang Lao Er also picked up a handful of green vegetables with chopsticks and put them in his mouth. "Is this the soy sauce that tastes similar to the meat sauce that the emperor eats? No wonder only the rich and powerful can eat it. It tastes so delicious. Just stir-frying a small plate of green vegetables with it can make it taste so good."
Afterwards, Liu Youcai and Liu's two sisters also tasted the vegetables, and they all exclaimed that the use of soy sauce to season the dishes made them more delicious.
Qianhuan was very excited after tasting the vegetables. Her soy sauce was finally brewed successfully.
Qianhuan quickly filled a small porcelain jar with a few pounds of soy sauce and went to Zuixianju in the county town to find Chu Yichen.
In order to test the effect, Chu Yichen only asked the chef to stir-fry a bowl of vegetables. Qianhuan opened the lid of the porcelain jar, and a smell of sauce wafted out from the mouth of the jar. The chef poured a small spoonful of sauce into the vegetables, and the aroma of sauce in the air became stronger.
After the dishes were cooked and served, Chu Yichen found that the color of the vegetables was better than without soy sauce. He took a bite with chopsticks and a fresh taste filled his mouth. Chu Yichen picked up several more bites of vegetables and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Qianhuan, when you said you wanted to make a condiment that could rival meat sauce and fish sauce, I didn't hold out much hope. But now after trying it, I have to believe it. When you brew soy sauce and add it to the dishes, not only does the dish taste better, but the color becomes brighter, which makes people's appetite increase at the first sight."
Afterwards, Chu Yichen asked several chefs in the kitchen to try the food, and they all gave unanimous praise.
"With this kind of seasoning, our Zuixianju's business will definitely reach a higher level." The chef expressed his thoughts excitedly.
"Qianhuan, let's go to the private room to further discuss cooperation matters." Chu Yichen stretched out his hand and made a gesture of invitation to Qianhuan.
The two of them sat down in the private room, and Chu Yichen asked the waiter to bring a pot of the best Longjing tea.
Chu Yichen asked straight to the point: "I wonder how you plan to sell this soy sauce?"
"Brother Linan, I told you at the beginning that after we cooperate, the soy sauce supplied to Zuixianju will definitely be cheaper than to others. If I sell it to others, it's half a tael of silver per small jar, but if I sell it to Brother Linan, it's only 350 coins per jar. However, I would like to trouble Brother Linan to help me promote the soy sauce after he uses it."
Qianhuan has no intention of selling her soy sauce at a low price. Although the cost of brewing soy sauce is not high, it takes a very long time. Even in modern times, this ancient method of brewing soy sauce would cost sixty or seventy yuan per pound.
The reason why many modern soy sauces are cheap is that they are all blended with chemical reagents. They are not like hers that are exposed to the sun and rain for 180 days. The soy sauces sold in supermarkets are all blended with chemicals, and a large batch can be produced for you in a few days.
Her grandmother knew that soy sauce mixed with chemicals was harmful to the body, so she brewed her own soy sauce. She also learned how to make soy sauce from her grandmother.
"No problem. When our restaurant uses your soy sauce, we will definitely help you promote it. We have 48 branches in Zuixianju. I will order 2 kilograms of goods right now."
"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to pack the jar for you and send it to Zuixianju tomorrow."
"Just pack the jars and I'll have a team of drivers I know pick them up directly from your house."
"it is good."
The next day, a group of people marched into Yunfeng Village in a mighty procession. A curious villager at the entrance of the village saw such a big scene and thought that something big had happened in the village. As a result, he saw dozens of horse-drawn carriages heading straight to Qianhuan's house.
All the carriages stopped at Liang Laoer's house.
Qianhuan brought everyone in the family and a group of helpers, all holding gourd ladles and starting to scoop the sauce into jars. When they heard the noise outside, they knew it must be the fleet arranged by Brother Lin'an coming to pick up the goods, so Qianhuan quickly asked Manager Ji to open the door.
At this time, Qianhuan's house was already surrounded by a crowd of people watching the fun.
Chu Yichen also followed the carriage to get the soy sauce. When he got off the carriage, the people around him couldn't help but talk about it, "What a handsome young man, he looks very noble at first glance."
"Yes, I don't know when the Liang family got to know such a wealthy person."