Chapter 6, Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
Zhao Yan plated the prepared sweet and sour pork, inhaling the appetizing aroma of the dish, which nearly made his mouth water. Although nearly one thousand years had passed since his time, it seemed that his culinary skills had not diminished.
At this moment, a woman in her fifties stepped out from behind Cao Ying, her face adorned with a false smile as she addressed Zhao Yan: "Your Highness, the kitchen is a lowly place, not where you should be. Therefore, I kindly ask Your Highness to return to your room to rest, and I will take care of the cleaning here."
Cao Ying looked at Zhao Yan with a calm demeanor, yet her eyes betrayed a hint of disdain and contempt. A dignified prince, for the sake of mere culinary desires, actually disregarded his status and entered the kitchen, even cooking himself. Such a thing, in the entire city of Tokyo, could probably only be done by Zhao Yan. Any other noble offspring with a sense of identity would rather starve than demean themselves.
Only women and petty people are difficult to nurture! Zhao Yan muttered softly while cutting the meat. This is the kitchen of the Wang residence, and it is now already midnight. Zhao Yan could no longer endure the torment of vegetables and tofu, so after the little bean sprout who served him fell asleep, he quietly slipped from the bedroom to the kitchen, preparing to make something delicious for himself. For a single young man in his twenties from the twenty-first century, cooking is a fundamental survival skill
"Little Douya, how many times have I told you? Now that Fourth Sister is a princess consort, you must address her as 'Princess Consort' in the future, and cannot call her as you do at home!" As soon as Little Douya finished speaking, she was reprimanded by the wet nurse beside her. Being the youngest, Little Douya often appeared a bit confused and frequently forgot things, which led to her receiving many scoldings from the wet nurse.
Cut the pork tenderloin into slices, then beat two eggs, and mix with flour and water until smooth. Originally, this step was supposed to include cornstarch, but there is no cornstarch to be found in the kitchen, so we can only make do with what we have now
These maidservants are all elderly women who came with the dowry from the Cao residence. Cao Ying felt quite at ease with them, so she nodded and said nothing further, turning to go back to rest. However, at that moment, she suddenly noticed that the little bean sprout who had been standing beside her was nowhere to be found, which puzzled Cao Ying. Turning her head to look, she happened to see the little bean sprout stealthily approaching the wet nurse, dipping her finger into the dish that Zhao Yan had stir-fried and putting it into her mouth, revealing a look of enjoyment.
The Wangfu of the Guangyang County Prince Zhao Yan is quite large, but overall it is divided into the outer residence and the inner residence. Most of the servants and craftsmen live in the outer residence, while the inner residence is occupied by Zhao Yan and Cao Ying's trusted attendants. However, since Cao Ying took charge of the internal affairs of the Wangfu, all of Zhao Yan's people have been expelled from the inner residence, which is now filled with the maids and matrons that Cao Ying brought with her as dowry.
The old woman spoke as she took the plate containing the sweet and sour pork from Zhao Yan's hands, then stepped aside to make way for him. Although Zhao Yan felt a pang of regret for the pork he had just prepared, he could not bear to stay here any longer, nor could he bring himself to ask for the pork back from the old woman. Additionally, the look in Cao Ying's eyes made him feel quite uncomfortable, so he could only leave the kitchen with a face full of reluctance.
Zhao Yancai does not care about wealth or poverty. For someone who has been eating only vegetables and tofu for nearly a month, let alone pork, there are times when he even salivates at the sight of his own arms. Moreover, people in the Song Dynasty did not favor eating pork. Firstly, they found pigs, which are animals that wallow in mud every day and are quite ugly, to be repulsive; such an unattractive and dirty animal was naturally rejected by the upper class. Secondly, people of that time were not very skilled at cooking pork, and even stir-frying had not yet become widespread, making it impossible to create good dishes with pork. It was not until over a decade later, when Su Dongpo popularized Dongpo pork, that pork was officially accepted by the world.
Zhao Yan washed the tenderloin clean, and then searched in two kitchens, as he was concerned that the seasonings from the Northern Song Dynasty might differ from those of later times. As it turned out, his concerns were justified; many seasonings from later periods were simply unavailable here, and it was unclear whether the royal palace had not prepared them or if those seasonings had not yet come into existence.
Nurse, the kitchen has always been your responsibility. From today onwards, please assign more people to pay attention and ensure that the prince does not intrude again. Furthermore, this matter must not be disclosed to anyone; otherwise, there will be consequences according to family law!" After Cao Ying watched Zhao Yan leave, she turned to the old woman who had just spoken. As she spoke the last few words, her gaze swept sharply over the several maids and old women accompanying her. No matter how much she disliked Zhao Yan, she was now the Princess of Guangyang, united with Zhao Yan as a couple. If Zhao Yan were to be embarrassed, she too would be ridiculed, which is why she issued a gag order to those around her.
"Little Bean Sprout, what are you doing?" Seeing the appearance of her personal maid, Cao Ying shouted angrily.
Little Douya is a gluttonous girl, with a much stronger capacity for accepting food than the average person. Just now, when she caught a whiff of the sweet and sour pork, she was quite taken with it. Upon hearing that Fourth Sister was punishing her to eat this dish, she immediately cheered, snatched the plate from the nanny's hands, and ran back to one side to devour it ravenously, making comfortable moaning sounds as she ate, resembling a little cat that had stolen a fish
However, just as Zhao Yan was holding the plate, completely lacking the demeanor of a prince, and was sniffing vigorously at the food, the kitchen door suddenly opened. Then, Cao Ying entered with several maidservants and matrons, among whom was the little bean sprout who attended to Zhao Yan. However, judging by her drowsy appearance, it seemed she had not yet fully woken up.
It is also worth mentioning that in the hearts of the people of Kaifeng during this era, sugar and salt are considered two opposing seasonings. Therefore, when cooking with salt, they would never add sugar, as they believe that these two flavors would cancel each other out. (Note: Lao Yu's hometown is separated from Kaifeng by the Yellow River. The tradition of using salt without sugar in cooking was still prevalent during Lao Yu's childhood, especially when preparing meat dishes, where sugar was absolutely never added. It was not until later, with the advancement of information, that this misunderstanding gradually disappeared. Lao Yu remembers the first time he tried sweet and sour pork, he was so unaccustomed to it that he wanted to spit it out, but by the second time, he had fallen in love with the dish.)
"Your Highness, rest assured, the old woman will certainly be more careful in the future, and everyone knows their limits. This matter, even if it is buried deep within, will absolutely not be leaked!" The woman holding the tray was the first to speak; she was Cao Ying's wet nurse and now served as the housekeeper of the inner quarters, specifically responsible for the daily needs of Zhao Yan and Cao Ying.
The inner residence has its own kitchen, which is divided into two sizes. The small kitchen is specifically responsible for the meals of Zhao Yan and Cao Ying. Zhao Yan first entered the small kitchen, but after searching it thoroughly, he could not find a trace of meat. It seems that Cao Ying is truly committed to a vegetarian diet. Finally, he went to the large kitchen next door, where the servants cook, and there he found a piece of pork, and it was high-quality tenderloin. It is likely that some housekeeper bought it intending to eat it themselves, as pork was considered a cheap meat during the Song Dynasty, only the poor would eat it, and those with a bit of status would disdain eating pork. It seems that Cao Ying is indeed committed to a vegetarian diet.
After seasoning the meat slices, add oil to the pan and fry over low heat, preferably frying several times. This method ensures that the pork tenderloin is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but it should not be overcooked, or the tenderloin will become tough. Meanwhile, Zhao Yan prepares a sweet and sour sauce by mixing sugar, vinegar, salt, scallions, and ginger. Once the meat slices are fried, they are removed and drained of excess oil, leaving some oil in the pan. The sweet and sour sauce is then added along with the meat slices for stir-frying. This stage is crucial for controlling the cooking time; if the stir-frying is too short, the tenderloin will appear somewhat tough, while if it is too long, it will lose its characteristic crispiness on the outside and tenderness on the inside. Zhao Yan took a long time to master this technique.
Only the comfortable whimpering sound of Little Bean Sprout reached Cao Ying's ears, leaving her astonished. Little Bean Sprout had grown up alongside her, and she was well aware of this little girl's habits. It was only when she tasted something particularly delicious that Little Bean Sprout would make such a sound, akin to that of a kitten. Could it be that Zhao Yan's cooking was truly that delicious
In fact, this cannot be blamed on Cao Ying. It is quite normal for men to cook in later generations, but in the era of the Song Dynasty, it was considered a great embarrassment, especially among the scholar and noble classes. They could accept a man engaging in homosexuality or pedophilia, but they could not accept a prince personally cooking. Cao Ying was also educated in the noble tradition from a young age, and her views represented the vast majority of the aristocracy.
The northern regions have never been sugar-producing areas, thus in ancient times, sugar was always considered a precious seasoning in the north. Even families that could afford sugar would only add a little to tasteless porridge for flavoring, and it was rarely used in cooking. Moreover, since the famous dishes Dongpo pork and sweet and sour fish had not yet become popular in Kaifeng, Cao Ying had never eaten dishes with a sweet and sour flavor.
"Fourth Sister, you must try this dish made by the prince, it is so delicious!" Little Douya was generally very timid in front of others, but she was not afraid of Cao Ying. The reason she called Cao Ying 'Fourth Sister' was not that Little Douya was Cao Ying's younger sister, but rather a term used by servants to address noble children in the large families of the Song Dynasty. Typically, it would be the 'ranking' followed by 'Brother' or 'Sister'. For instance, since Cao Ying was the fourth in her family, the servants generally referred to her as 'Fourth Sister'. As for the term 'Miss', unfortunately, it had the same connotation as in later times, being a euphemism for courtesans. It is not to say that Little Douya was Cao Ying's sister, but rather a term of address used by servants for noble children in the Song Dynasty, typically combining 'ranking' with 'Brother' or 'Sister'. For example, since Cao Ying was the fourth in her family, the servants generally referred to her as 'Fourth Sister'. As for the term 'Miss', it unfortunately had the same connotation as in later times, being a euphemism for courtesans.
Little Douya had a tragic background; she entered the Cao residence at a young age to follow Cao Ying, who treated her like a younger sister and even indulged her somewhat. Moreover, since Cao Ying was reluctant to accept the title of princess, the term "Fourth Sister" from Little Douya immediately made Cao Ying feel a deep sense of affection, causing her earlier intention to reprimand Little Douya to vanish without a trace.
Cao Ying walked over and examined the dish prepared by Zhao Yan. She noticed that the dish was bright red in color and looked quite appealing, but it emitted a sweet aroma. This made her furrow her brows and say, "You actually put sugar in the meat; it seems only someone cooking for the first time would confuse salt with sugar. Little Douya, since you think it tastes good, you should be punished to eat it all!"
Although the condiments are not complete, the main ingredients such as salt, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and seasonings like scallions, ginger, and garlic are available. After considering for a moment, Zhao Yan decided to prepare sweet and sour pork tenderloin to satisfy his cravings, which is also one of his favorite dishes in later years
"You... how did you all come here?" Zhao Yan asked, his face flushed with embarrassment, stammering as he spoke. As a dignified prince, being caught in the act of infidelity made him wish he could immediately find a crack in the ground to hide in.