In the Ming Dynasty 1498, my restaurant connects two worlds.

The next morning, Song Xiaoyi planned to launch a new product – pancakes.

Instant noodles are good, but they are ultimately not nutritious or technically sophisticated. If we want to take root in the Ming Dynasty and benefit the people of Daming, we have to rely on cheap and affordable pancakes. Moreover, this can revitalize many industries in the Ming Dynasty, such as blacksmithing, handmade bamboo products, flour processing, and sauce making. The key is that poor people can make this as long as they are willing to learn.

Making pancakes doesn't seem difficult, but Song Xiaoyi has never done it before, which means he doesn't know how. However, he has a golden touch: a pastry cookbook plus ingredients and cooking techniques.

At a pancake stall in the market, Song Xiaoyi tried making one himself: scooping the batter onto a round board, gently swirling it with a bamboo scraper, and cracking an egg...

He was skilled in all the movements, even more so than the boss.

"Xiao Yi, are you here to cause trouble? Get out of the way."

"Hahaha~~" The diners in line next to them were laughing so hard their mouths were crooked.

However, making pancakes is easy in modern times. If you have a stove, you can use one; if you don't, you can use a gas stove with an iron plate. You can even customize a special pancake cart. But in the Ming Dynasty, a gas stove wouldn't work.

After wandering around the market for a long time, I finally found an old-fashioned honeycomb briquette stove in a corner. It had a big iron plate, and that was it!

We also need to order a batch of honeycomb briquettes.

Bamboo scraper, oil brush, ladle, batter bucket... all in one.

As for the sauce, it must be a secret recipe. It is based on Pixian Doubanjiang (Sichuan chili bean paste), with the addition of minced garlic, sweet bean sauce, tomato sauce, light soy sauce, water, etc., and is made into a universal base sauce according to a fixed ratio. Then, according to the taste habits of the people of the Ming Dynasty, a little bit of chili oil and chili sauce is added to make a mildly spicy version of the chili sauce. Finally, according to the habits of people from Suzhou such as Tang Bohu, more white sugar and tomato sauce are added to make a sweet sauce.

For the side dishes of the pancakes, Song Xiaoyi selected several vegetables that were common in the Ming Dynasty, such as cabbage. After shredding them, he blanched them in boiling water, put them in a bowl, and refrigerated them for later use. This way, when he went to the pancake stall the next day, he only needed to blanch them.

Finally, Song Xiaoyi chose to wrap the pancake, but he was a little troubled. How could a pancake without a wrap be called a "pancake guozi"?

Finally, Song Xiaoyi decided to use pre-made fried dough sticks. The advantage of pre-made fried dough sticks is that they are practical, convenient and quick. When using them, you only need to open a frying pan, add a small amount of oil, and the food can be served quickly.

Inform Yuhua Food Factory to make a batch of pre-made fried dough sticks every day, package them, and deliver them regularly along with steamed buns and flatbreads.

For the first battle tomorrow, I'll buy a few packs from the supermarket to make do.

Add to menu: Three servings of Jianbing Guozi (Chinese crepe)

The next morning, as usual, Zhu Zhishan, Tang Bohu and others who arrived early, along with Xiao Shifu and his mother, became the first batch of taste testers.

Song Xiaoyi skillfully heated and oiled the iron griddle, poured a spoonful of batter of the right consistency into the center, and with a bamboo scraper in hand, he lightly spun his wrist, spreading the batter quickly like a halo around the moon, as thin as a cicada's wing. The edges of the batter curled up slightly after being heated. He then quickly spread it evenly with the bamboo scraper, then cracked an egg on top, crushed it with the scraper, sprinkled sesame seeds, and brushed on a layer of secret sauce, making it very fragrant.

Finally, add the blanched shredded vegetables and golden fried dough sticks, roll it up and fold it—a series of smooth and effortless movements.

"Try it." Song Xiaoyi handed the first pancake to the youngest, Qiu Ying.

Qiu Ying held the pancake in both hands, sniffing it like a little squirrel before carefully taking a bite. "Mmm! So delicious!" Shi Fu took his first bite, burned himself, but didn't spit it out. He slurped and praised, "What is this golden, crispy thing?"

"This is called a fried dough stick. It can be eaten alone or with other foods, such as wrapped in this pancake. In that case, the pancake is no longer called a pancake, but a 'pancake guozi' (a type of savory crepe)."

"Do you understand?" Song Xiaoyi continued explaining, and soon he had already done the third one.

The second one was the sweet sauce version, which was given to Zhu Zhishan. Zhu Zhishan took a bite, and his eyes lit up instantly: "Crispy! Fragrant! Soft! Chewy! And that sauce... Little Brother Yi, this is a hundred times better than sesame flatbread!"

"Little Yi, give me the third one, give it to me, I..."

"I understand, but the first one is the original sauce version, the second is the sweet sauce version, and the third should be the hot sauce version. Brother Bohu, are you sure you want the third one?"

"Yes, I'll have hot sauce! It's not like I've never had spicy food before."

"Okay, you said it. If you can't stand it, you can drink the secret-recipe herbal tea, but you're not allowed to waste it."

The others realized that Song Xiaoyi was joking with Tang Bohu, so they didn't fight over it. Song Yunqiu covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Mommy, it's so delicious! Please have a bite."

"Shifu, you eat first. It'll be your mother's turn soon."

Tang Bohu took the third jianbing guozi, took a bite, and immediately broke out in a sweat. He blew on it repeatedly, but still forced himself to swallow, which made everyone laugh.

No one was surprised that "Xiao Yi the Immortal" had launched a new product. They waited patiently. In the end, Zhu Zhishan ate a sweet sauce version, Tang Bohu was forced to eat a spicy sauce version, but he couldn't stand the spiciness, so he ate a sweet sauce version instead. The rest of the people each had half of the sweet sauce version and half of the original version.

"Everyone has finished eating. Please give us some feedback."

"Wonderful! The outer layer is soft and chewy, encasing everything, while the inside is crispy and holds a whole universe within! Brother Xiao Yi, this pancake can be enjoyed with wine, replaced with a meal, or served as provisions for a journey. It is truly a divine delicacy!"

"A spoonful of sauce poured onto the red-hot iron griddle, swirling into a thin layer of jade, enveloped in fragrant breeze. Don't underestimate this humble dish; it can nourish the hearts of the poorest scholars of the world!"

"Hey! Brother Bohu, write a couplet for those two lines of yours and hang it on both sides of this pancake stall. Brother Zhishan, your poem is also excellent. Write it down as soon as you get back, and everyone can copy it when they have time so I can promote this food."

Song Yunqiu thought for a moment and said, "This food can be held in one hand, eaten on the go, and is very filling. It's quick and easy to make, truly a rare find. Brother Yi, do you intend to promote this pancake recipe only within our shop?"

"What do you think? If I were to make these pancakes all by myself, even if I could make twenty in an hour, I could only make two hundred a day. How many people could that benefit?"

"If this method is passed on to the clan, the idle members will have a livelihood, blacksmiths and bamboo craftsmen will have more business, laborers will have more food, and scholars from poor families will have more convenience. Why not do it?"

"Excellent! Brother Xiao Yi, that's wonderful!" Gu Qian and Wen Zhengming both applauded. "We are willing to lend a hand and transcribe this sermon poem."

"Haha! Excellent!"

As everyone talked, the number of people at the dock gradually increased, and many customers came into the shop to buy steamed buns and tea eggs. Everyone was busy, making recommendations, and they didn't stop until after ten o'clock.

Promotion is definitely necessary; this can be entrusted to the Song family of Moling as a family business.

The key issue is that the Ming Dynasty didn't even have honeycomb briquette stoves. Round pancake griddles could be custom-made by blacksmiths, and bamboo scrapers, oil brushes, and ladles could also be made. It was the honeycomb briquette stoves and honeycomb briquettes that were troublesome. First, the Song family of Moling had to be taught how to make honeycomb briquettes, and then they had to be taught how to make stoves. There was a lot of experience to pass on.

As for the recipe for the Song family's secret sauce, it will naturally remain a secret for now. The recipe can be given to the clan chief, but the fried dough sticks must be provided by the family themselves.