Chapter 52: Du Chengfeng Creates Modern Cuisine

“Young master, we didn’t mean it that way, we just… how could we let you cook personally?” the cook explained kindly. None of them dared to ridicule Du Chengfeng; after all, it was rare to meet such a good master, and upsetting him would be disastrous.

“I know that’s exactly what you’re all thinking,” Du Chengfeng said, feigning displeasure. “Hmph, if I don’t show you my skills, you’ll really think your young master is only capable of so much.”

He glanced around the kitchen, picked up a white radish, and grabbed a knife. Before their eyes, in just a moment, he sliced the radish into slivers as fine as matchsticks.

When Du Chengfeng presented the shredded radish to everyone, they were instantly dumbfounded. Their mouths hung open wide enough to fit a whole egg.

There was only one thought in their minds: the young master’s knife skills were astonishing. Even the most renowned chefs in the Tang Dynasty probably couldn’t compare to him, they all believed.

“Now do you believe your young master can cook?” Du Chengfeng looked at their astonished faces with satisfaction.

The group nodded repeatedly, tacitly acknowledging his prowess. Of course, with knife skills like that, it was obvious he had mastered the art of cooking; how could he not know how to prepare dishes?

That’s more like it, Du Chengfeng thought to himself.

“Young master, I never expected your knife skills to be so impressive. I’d love to learn from you,” the cook said, smiling like a peach blossom.

“Naturally. To be honest, the dishes you make now are so unpalatable that I can hardly eat them,” Du Chengfeng remarked disdainfully.

Could it be that the young master was so blunt because he intended to dismiss them? The cook and everyone else immediately wore anxious, gloomy expressions, worried about their future.

Seeing their misunderstanding, Du Chengfeng quickly clarified, “Don’t be so alarmed. I don’t blame you. Today, I’ll teach you how to make real delicacies.”

Hearing this, everyone finally relaxed.

In truth, Tang Dynasty cuisine was simple, with only a handful of basic preparations. Du Chengfeng had long grown tired of it.

He had always wanted to train his household cooks with some modern culinary techniques. There were plenty of contemporary recipes in the system’s marketplace, which could be exchanged for reputation points as needed.

Du Chengfeng planned to first experiment with dishes he was familiar with, letting everyone get accustomed to modern methods. Then he would select a group of cooks from both Wangjiang Pavilion and his own household for further training.

To cook, the first problem to solve was the matter of seasonings. The Tang Dynasty had few, but the essentials were available.

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For example, scallions, ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel, and so forth; only chili peppers were missing, but they could be replaced with zanthoxylum, though the flavor was less intense.

With these basic ingredients, Du Chengfeng was confident he could create many unique modern-style dishes, vibrant in color, aroma, and taste.

He had already decided in his mind which dishes to make, all based on the ingredients currently available in Tang.

First, the vegetarian options: scrambled eggs, sautéed green beans, cold cucumber salad, steamed egg custard, and other common stir-fried vegetables.

Then, the meat dishes: roast duck, braised chicken, beggar’s chicken, spicy shrimp, and especially roast duck, beggar’s chicken, and spicy shrimp—these could be signature dishes to attract food lovers. Of course, Du Chengfeng also intended to introduce dishes entirely unknown in Tang.

Unfortunately, there was no chicken essence or monosodium glutamate, and refined salt was scarce and expensive, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Du Chengfeng had considered making refined salt; sea salt was excellent, but like iron, salt was strictly controlled by the government, and sea salt was troublesome to produce and transport over long distances.

He didn’t want to go to such lengths. He recalled that the world’s largest inland salt production site was the Qaidam Basin.

However, that area was still under Tuyuhun’s control—their people unwittingly sat atop a treasure trove.

Du Chengfeng mused that after dealing with the southern advance of the Turks in a few months, he would seize the basin as well.

That basin was a true treasure, not only for refined salt but also for petroleum and other vital resources, all crucial for his future enterprises. He had to act first.

As for chicken essence, there were plenty of substitutes: chicken powder, or kelp powder, a seaweed extract, which tasted even more savory. In fact, Du Chengfeng could later specialize in such condiments, popularizing them and selling them to countless households.

However, with Tang’s current manufacturing technology, production would still be challenging. He wondered if the system’s marketplace had relevant techniques or equipment. He would check later.

“All right, you, come here—I have tasks for you.” Du Chengfeng waved toward the cook and several assistant maids and servants.

Now that he had decided what to make, it was time to prepare the ingredients.

The servants and the cook quickly gathered around, awaiting his instructions.

Du Chengfeng looked at the cook, whose name was Xiao Yue’e, a woman in her thirties, her entire family employed in the household, trustworthy and dependable.

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After a moment’s thought, Du Chengfeng took out a gold leaf from his sleeve (he didn’t have many of these; they were acquired when he confiscated the Zheng family’s property) and handed it to the cook. “Sister Xiao, you know the market best. Take a few guards with you. I’ll give you a list; please buy all the ingredients and seasonings written on it.”

Xiao Yue’e stared at the gold leaf in disbelief, nervous and anxious. She wasn’t sure how much it was worth, but certainly no less than a hundred strings of coins.

The young master handed it over without batting an eye just to buy ingredients—what trust he must have in her.

She was deeply moved, tears welling in her eyes, but remembering her task, she forced herself to hold back.

“Understood, young master,” Xiao Yue’e replied, holding back her tears.

“Zhao Chun, run over to Wangjiang Pavilion and tell Manager Lu to come to my residence in an hour. Tell him I’ve invited him for a meal, and there’s important business to discuss afterward,” Du Chengfeng instructed one of the servants.

“Yes, young master. I’ll go right away,” Zhao Chun answered, then jogged out of Du residence.

“Wang Erhu, go around the courtyard and gather everyone here to help,” Du Chengfeng directed another servant.

“Yes, young master,” Wang Erhu responded.

“And you two, set up several large pots outside the kitchen and bring extra firewood,” Du Chengfeng ordered the last pair of servants, not forgetting that two hundred clone soldiers were stationed in the rear courtyard—they needed to be fed, too.

“Yes, young master. We’ll get right on it,” they said cheerfully, running out to set up as instructed.

Soon, all the maids and servants in the courtyard had assembled at the kitchen door. Hearing that the young master would personally cook lunch, they came running, half in disbelief.

Everyone knew the young master treated them exceptionally well, but they never imagined he could cook, too. Naturally, anticipation filled the air.