I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Making Some Laozao to Eat

Afterward, everyone craned their necks to look out the door and windows.

But they couldn’t see anyone.

Li You smiled. ”They’re in the orchard, so you can’t see them from your seats right now. But they should be back soon.”

Hearing this, everyone’s faces lit up with joy.

’Alright, let’s just keep eating while we wait.’

’With noodles and dishes this delicious, you have to savor them slowly.’

’So, it’s perfectly reasonable to eat a little slower, right?’

Not long after, two stunning figures did indeed walk in through the door.

Everyone’s eyes widened in delight.

’Are these the two girls?’

’They really are gorgeous.’

And they were practically radiating youthful energy.

’No doubt about it, it has to be them.’

’So young and beautiful!’

’Girls like this come to eat here often, and I heard that sometimes a whole group of them comes at once. Isn’t the boss just too lucky?’

Everyone was incredibly envious!

’So this is how amazing life can be when you master the art of cooking.’

’Damn it, if I’d known, I would’ve gone to culinary school too.’

’What a shame!’

Everyone shook their heads in regret.

The two who had just entered were, in fact, Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye.

After playing in the orchard for a while, they were ready for dinner.

”Boss, we’d like two large bowls of beef noodles and one order of Cabbage in Supreme Broth,” Xia Xiaoyue said.

They hadn’t had the beef noodles or the cabbage in broth at lunch, so they were ordering them for dinner.

Li You nodded. ”Alright. I’ll get right on it for you.”

”Thank you, Boss.”

A little while later, the man in the black t-shirt, the man in the white shirt, and the others finally, and quite reluctantly, finished their food.

Fortunately, they had waited long enough to see the two girls return, so they could now pay their bill and leave, completely satisfied.

After paying by scanning the code.

”We’re heading out now, Boss.”

”Alright, please come again.”

”Haha! We definitely will.”

The group left, looking rather reluctant to go.

A little while later.

In the kitchen, two large bowls of beef noodles and an order of Cabbage in Supreme Broth were ready.

He served them to Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye.

Unsurprisingly, Mu Qingye was once again utterly amazed by the beef noodles and the Cabbage in Supreme Broth.

She couldn’t believe that beef noodles, a dish she ate so often, could be this delicious.

After they slowly finished their meal, it was 6:30 PM.

After settling the bill, they wondered if the glutinous rice had finished soaking.

Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye walked over to the basin where the glutinous rice was soaking.

Mu Qingye picked up a grain of rice and rolled it between her two fingers. She could basically crush it.

’Does this mean it’s done soaking?’

Mu Qingye was thrilled and quickly said to Li You, ”Boss, come take a look! Is it done soaking?”

Li You replied, ”Sure, let me see.”

He walked over, picked up a grain himself to test it, and smiled. ”Yep, it’s pretty much done. In that case, let’s officially begin.”

”That’s great!” Mu Qingye was full of anticipation and eagerly asked, ”What’s the next step? What do we do?”

”We cook the glutinous rice. Steaming it works too. Boiling or steaming, either is fine. But boiling seems to yield more wine, so we’ll boil it,” Li You said.

”So the second step is to cook the soaked glutinous rice? Okay, I’ve got it,” Mu Qingye said.

Xia Xiaoyue, however, asked, ”Boss, is there really a difference in the wine yield between boiling and steaming the rice?”

Li You said, ”That’s just what I’ve heard. I haven’t tested it myself, but it seems likely.”

Xia Xiaoyue nodded. She hadn’t heard that before.

However, it did seem plausible.

Before cooking, the soaked glutinous rice needed to be rinsed.

This was simple. Mu Qingye volunteered, saying she would do the washing.

Li You was naturally happy to let her.

After Mu Qingye finished rinsing the rice, Li You poured it into a pot, added water, and started to cook it.

It was fine to add a little extra water.

Throughout the cooking process, Mu Qingye wore a constant look of anticipation.

Soon, it was cooked through.

Now it was time for the next step.

Draining the glutinous rice.

For this, they used a tool called a bamboo colander.

It’s a tool woven from bamboo strips.

In the countryside, it’s an essential tool found in almost every household.

It’s the most convenient and effective tool for draining water.

Li You began the process.

Mu Qingye watched with wide eyes, not blinking once.

Of course, if they had steamed the rice, this draining step wouldn’t be necessary, as it would already be dry.

Soon, all the rice was drained.

At this point, the rice was still very hot, so the next step was to let it cool.

It needed to cool to around 30 degrees Celsius.

Because if it was too hot or too cold, it would affect the fermentation of the yeast starter.

If you have a thermometer, you can use it to measure the temperature.

Li You didn’t have one, so he had to rely on touch.

As long as the margin of error wasn’t too large, it would be fine.

Taking advantage of the waiting time, Li You took out the container he had prepared earlier.

Containers made of earthenware, glass, or stainless steel would all work, but they had to be washed clean, with no water or oil residue.

After a short while, Li You felt that the rice had cooled to about 30 degrees Celsius.

Now, it was time for the final step.

Pour the glutinous rice into the container.

While pouring, simultaneously sprinkle the yeast starter evenly into the rice.

Finally, add a suitable amount of cooled boiled water and mix well.

It’s crucial to use cooled boiled water here.

After mixing, pack the glutinous rice down firmly.

Then, you can use your finger to poke a small well in the center, which makes it easier to observe the wine production later.

And with that, the final step was complete.

Of course, to be precise, there was still one more step, and it was the most critical one: sealing the container properly.

If you have a lid, you can put it on.

If you don’t have a lid, sealing it with plastic wrap also works.

The container Li You had prepared didn’t have a lid, so he got some plastic wrap to seal it.

After it was sealed, Mu Qingye asked, ”So, is it completely finished now?”

Li You nodded. ”Yep, completely finished. All that’s left is to wait for it to ferment. See? It’s very simple, isn’t it?”

Mu Qingye said happily, ”It really is simple. I think I could do it myself now.”

Li You nodded. ”You definitely could. By the way, during fermentation, you need to pay attention to the temperature. Between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius is best. So, in this weather, you just need to leave it at room temperature. But if it were winter, you’d have to keep it insulated, like by wrapping it in a thick quilt.”

Mu Qingye nodded repeatedly. ”Okay, I understand.”

Xia Xiaoyue then said, ”No wonder I remember when I was little, right before the New Year, my grandparents would always wrap the fermenting jars in thick cotton padding when they made sweet fermented rice (*láozāo*). I never knew why before, but now I finally get it.”

Li You smiled. ”In the countryside, that’s basically how everyone makes it in the winter. And you have to use really thick padding.”

Xia Xiaoyue nodded. ”I remember it so clearly. I just didn’t know the reason back then.”

After a moment, Mu Qingye asked again, ”By the way, Boss, how long does it need to ferment?”

Li You said, ”That depends on factors like the environment and ingredients. It could take anywhere from two or three days to over ten. For this batch, I estimate about three days should be enough.”

”That’s fast.” Mu Qingye, her face full of anticipation again, said, ”Boss, once it’s done fermenting, can I come have a bowl to try it?”

Li You smiled. ”Of course, you can. Both of you should come.”

”Then it’s a deal.”

Both Mu Qingye and Xia Xiaoyue were delighted.

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