Food Intelligence King

Chapter 131 Selecting the Best Ingredients, Balancing Yin and Yang at the Autumn Equinox

That afternoon, Chen Zhou set off on his electric bike.

We went to Huang Ji Spice Shop in Dongcheng District.

The autumnal equinox is just around the corner. As the old saying goes, autumn is equal in length, with day and night of equal length.

The wind blowing against my skin dispelled the summer heat, making me feel noticeably cooler.

The sunlight was no longer so intense, and it was more like the millet and pumpkin porridge in the shop—yellowish and warm.

As Chen Zhou rode along the road, he suddenly felt a strong, penetrating breeze coming towards him.

He looked up and realized that he had arrived at Harmony Road.

The spice shop was right in front of us.

There were hardly any customers at that time.

The female owner of the store, who was about the same age as me, was wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt and sitting behind the shelves.

The delicate fragrance wafted from inside.

The top note is star anise, the base note is cinnamon, and Chen Zhou couldn't really detect the other notes, mainly because they were too mixed.

In short, it's a blend of spices.

Chen Zhou parked his electric scooter and turned on the key. But he suddenly realized that he had been driving with his headlights on the whole way, even in broad daylight.

Fortunately, the journey wasn't long, and there was enough electricity.

While he was distracted, a woman stepped in front of Chen Zhou and started talking to the shop owner.

Chen Zhou picked up a large piece of star anise and listened to the two of them chat.

The female customer asked, "How much are these large pieces of star anise?"

"Forty-one jin."

"How many!"

"Forty-five hundred grams, one jin, or 0.5 kilograms," Mr. Huang said somewhat impatiently.

When Chen Zhou heard the other party mention 0.5, he also paid a little more attention to the two of them.

The customer couldn't help but complain, "This is way too expensive."

"That's the price."

"No wonder you don't have any business, selling it for such a high price." The female customer curled her lip, put down the large piece of spices, and left.

Only Chen Zhou and the owner, Mr. Huang, remained in the shop.

Negative customer reviews definitely affect business. Mr. Huang asked directly:
Are you going to buy it or not?

Chen Zhou smiled:

“I’ll buy one jin, which is 0.5 kilograms.”

The female shop owner was slightly surprised; she hadn't expected Chen Zhou to be unaffected by the woman from before. So she pulled a bag from under the shelf, intending to fill it with star anise.

Chen Zhou then read the contents of the intelligence report to her:
"Your material looks pretty good."

It must have used traditional processing methods, right? Blanching and drying would take at least ten days to two weeks.

"Hehe, you're an expert."

The female boss laughed and picked up a large piece of star anise to show it off.

"The star anise from Guixi that was just harvested in autumn is fresh seasonal goods, and each one has seeds, so it's naturally a bit more expensive."

After being dried, it contains less moisture than that extracted by sulfur fumigation.

Isn't this the price it should be?

Chen Zhou nodded.

It's been treated with sulfur; I'd be suspicious if I ate it.

At this moment, the shop owner handed over a bag and asked, "Do you want to choose for yourself, or should I get it for you? It's all about the same."

Chen Zhou extended his hand, fully expressing his trust:

"You've gone to a lot of trouble."

This time, the spice shop owner became even more polite.

She picked up a star anise and explained:

“Normal air-dried star anise has a gradient of colors, from light brown to dark brown. You see, if it's fumigated with sulfur, it's all the same color.”

The spices I use are absolutely guaranteed to be of high quality.

You can try some too. Good star anise has a slightly spicy aroma, a hint of sweetness, and a lingering aftertaste.

As Mr. Huang spoke, he pinched half of it and put it in his mouth.

It seems that he is demonstrating through his actions that what he said is true.

Chen Zhou looked at the other person's eager eyes.

This Mr. Huang gives the impression of being someone who desperately craves recognition from others.

So he actually cooperated and took a small piece to taste. The taste description was pretty accurate, almost exactly as the female shop owner had described.

It has a very strong aroma, and tastes strangely sweet.

Star anise is not tasty when eaten alone.

After spitting out the spices, Chen Zhou laughed and said:

"These star anise are quite good."

I wasn't lying to you, was I?

The female boss proudly began to pack star anise for Chen Zhou.

Her technique was quite precise; after two small scoops, the weight was basically accurate.

Some star anise are unweighed until they are weighed, and once they are weighed, they can easily weigh over a pound.

After watching the number on the electronic scale jump to one jin (500g), Boss Huang gave Chen Zhou a few more and put them in the bag.

The numbers went up again, but she still said to Chen Zhou:

"I'll charge you forty."

"Okay, thanks."

Chen Zhou scanned the code to pay, and the notification sound for reimbursement rang out.

The shop owner felt he had met a kindred spirit this time.
Because Chen Zhou didn't leave because of the price issue, and he even mentioned the processing technology of star anise.

She really admired him.

So she jokingly started promoting her business:

"How about we look at something else? The Autumn Equinox is for balancing Yin and Yang. Go back and have your wife stew some beef and mutton, and add plenty of cardamom. It'll do the trick."

"Thank you so much," Chen Zhou thought to himself. "This sister really doesn't discriminate between meat and vegetables."

But he still prefers to drink goji berry tea.

Furthermore, Ms. Lin's cooking skills are only so-so. Stewing beef and mutton would be a bit of a challenge for her.

But I learned another old saying from this.

The Autumn Equinox marks the return of balance to Yin and Yang.

Chen Zhou thanked the other party for the recommendation, and then skillfully began promoting his business to Boss Huang:

"I've opened a small restaurant in Sunshine City. You can come and try it when you have time. I'll probably be buying spices from you a lot in the future."

People generally only focus on what they care about in a conversation.

The female shop owner skipped over the details of Chen Zhou opening his shop and said with a smile, "Don't worry, there will definitely be discounts for long-term cooperation."

However, the two exchanged contact information.

The idea of ​​going to the store to try the steamed buns can wait until later.

Chen Zhou learned the other person's name—Huang Zhi.

My profession is that of a spice master.

As for the initial benefits of the cooperation, in addition to cardamom, Huang Liaoshi also threw a few more nutmegs into Chen Zhou's bag.

This is for Chen Zhou to give to his wife.

It does matter.

After returning home in the evening.

Chen Zhou did indeed buy some mutton to take home.

Although, in principle, we should first bring the new braised pork rice, which was launched at the small shop, to our home to try it out.

But Chen Zhou felt that
It makes a lot of sense to eat certain foods according to the solar terms.

I asked Lao Zhang to find some reliable lamb ribs. I simply blanched them, added some spices that Boss Huang gave me to remove the gamey smell and enhance the aroma, adjusted the saltiness with salt and sugar, and then peeled a few pieces of white radish.

Stew a pot of clear broth.

After cooking, eat the meat and broth together with chive blossom sauce as a dipping sauce.

It's simple, and tastes pretty good.

Lamb ribs are tender and juicy, with a bit of fat sandwiched between two layers of lean meat.

Chen Taotao took two bites and then gave the rest to her elderly father.

"Dad, I love gnawing on bones."

The term "little girl" refers to the lean meat inside the ribs.

But actually, lamb chops with a bit of fat on the outside can be eaten with white radish and chive blossom sauce, which is just the right way to cut through the richness.

By the time of the Autumn Equinox, the weather does indeed begin to cool down.

After the child fell asleep, Ms. Lin closed the bedroom door at night.

(End of this chapter)