Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 8: Amazing Culinary Skills!

Li Lizhi and Zhang Anan had no idea what Xiao Ran was planning to do.

The Samoyed followed Xiao Ran, while the little princess preferred to follow the Samoyed.

Xiao Ran returned to the table; the fish that had been deodorized earlier was almost done.

Rinse it and take out the seasonings.

Considering that there are no chili peppers in this era, these people probably can't handle spicy food.

Xiao Ran then decided not to release him.

Xiao Ran really wanted to ask what year it was and which emperor it was, but he held back.

It's a bit much that you don't know any of this.

The early Tang Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty were two completely different extremes. If he could choose, Xiao Ran would definitely prefer the early Tang Dynasty.

The little princess sat obediently on the stool, watching Xiao Ran sprinkle all sorts of seasonings on the fish.

Xiao Ran was not disturbed.

Finally, take out the aluminum foil and wrap the marinated fish in it.

Grass carp has thick flesh, little fat, and is not easily broken apart.

Therefore, Xiao Ran chose to grill grass carp.

Li Lizhi had seen the chefs of the Imperial Kitchen cook before, but she had never seen anyone like Xiao Ran before.

Li Lizhi and Zhang Anan couldn't guess what Xiao Ran would do next.

I don't know why Xiao Ran wrapped the fish up.

"Wife, take this to the fire for me," Xiao Ran called out, as the firewood had almost burned out.

“Okay!” Li Lizhi quickly stood up.

"Little Nangjun~ I'm coming too~" The little princess felt that she could do this as well.

Seeing how eager the little girl was, Xiao Ran picked up a smaller one and said, "Hmm, young lady, take this one."

The foil wrapping will prevent the little princess's clothes from getting dirty.

"Hehe~" The little princess was very excited as she took the fish.

Li Lizhi also held two fish, looking curiously at the tin foil.

"Young master, what is this?" Li Lizhi couldn't help but ask.

"This is tin foil!" Xiao Ran didn't say much, picked up the remaining two fish and walked to the fire.

Pick up a piece of firewood, break up the charcoal, and put the fish on the fire.

You have to watch it carefully and bake it slowly without aluminum foil, but Xiao Ran doesn't have time right now, and it's easy to burn.

"Huh? That works too?" Li Lizhi said in surprise.

"Yes, with this, there won't be any charcoal ash or anything like that."

"Wow~" The little princess didn't understand, but she thought Xiao Ran was very amazing.

The rice I cooked earlier is almost done; I can already smell its aroma.

Xiao Ran took out a steamer and steamed a grass carp, then took out the last piece of tofu and made a carp and tofu soup.

I made carp and tofu soup because it happened to have tofu and baby bok choy as side dishes.

"It smells so good!" The little princess was getting a little hungry.

"It'll be ready soon!" Xiao Ran smiled.

Li Shimin and his two companions did not fish anymore. One reason was that they had run out of bait, and another was that the fish were indeed not biting the hook as noon approached.

Li Shimin walked towards Xiao Ran and the others with a fishing rod in hand. Xiao Ran had just finished cooking the steamed grass carp and carp tofu soup and placed them on the table.

"Wow~" The little princess rubbed her hands together, a little impatient.

On the jade plate, tender white fish meat is covered with shredded scallions and red peppers. The scallions, drizzled with hot oil, curl up and emit a fragrant aroma. The fish eyes bulge slightly, showing their freshness.

The fish was indeed very fresh; it was caught and killed on the spot. Li Lizhi didn't know how it tasted, but it certainly looked beautiful.

Li Lizhi stared at the neat cuts on both sides of the fish and noticed that each cut revealed translucent fish meat. As the steam rose, the subcutaneous fat could be vaguely seen turning into a glossy sheen, much better than that of Shangshiju.

The carp and tofu soup is bubbling with milky white broth, with tender tofu cubes floating trembling on the surface, and a few tender yellow baby bok choy leaves dotting the surface, like duckweed floating on spring water.

As you get closer, you can smell a rich and savory aroma. It's the thick, white broth made by simmering fish in boiling water. It has a more rustic feel than the imperial soup made by slowly simmering fish bones over a fire, but it's even more enticing to the taste buds.

"Mmm, it smells delicious!" Li Shimin also saw it.

"Wow~ Little Nang is so awesome~"

"I never expected that the young master would be such a skilled fisherman and such an excellent cook." This was something Li Shimin had not anticipated.

"It's nothing, Uncle. You can sit down and have a taste with us." Xiao Ran pointed.

Li Shimin patted his belly and laughed heartily, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed the jade belt buckle at his waist. His gaze lingered on the table: "We are truly 'profiting from the fisherman' today - we have taken advantage of the fishing spot and borrowed the fishing rod, and now we have to bother with the food. If word gets out, the old men of Chang'an will probably laugh their heads off."

Xiao Ran picked up a rag and wiped his hands, then laughed and said, "Uncle, you're being too polite! Fishermen believe in 'friendship with water,' and besides, this is the first fish you've ever caught, so you definitely have to try it."

Xiao Ran continued, "Besides, fishing alone is not as good as fishing together, and fishing together is not as good as eating together. My uncles, please don't refuse. My lady is hungry too."

Li Shimin looked at the little princess, who clearly wanted to eat.

The main reason is that Xiao Ran's cooking is really delicious!

Not only was the little princess greedy, but Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and the others were also greedy.

Hearing that the little princess wanted some, Li Shimin had an excuse, and said with a smile, "Alright, then I won't be polite."

Zhang Anan brought over a few stools.

Adding Xiao Ran's stool made it just right.

Xiao Ran took the roasted fish out of the fire, peeled off the foil, and the aroma of the fish filled the air.

Two dishes are definitely not enough, but with these fish, it'll be just about enough.

Xiao Ran brought over bowls and chopsticks, and also served rice.

"Uncle, sit down and have some." Xiao Ran had roughly guessed Zhang Anan's identity, but with his modern mindset, he still wanted to call out to him and have some food together.

"Ananda, the young master is very hospitable, you should try some too." Li Shimin smiled.

"Thank you, young master!"

Xiao Ran picked up a spoon and served rice to the two princesses. Seeing that there wasn't much rice, Li Shimin waved his hand, indicating that he wasn't hungry and that he could just try the fish.

Li Shimin didn't eat it, and the other three understood what he meant.

Li Shimin and his companions never expected to run into Xiao Ran while out, and even get a free meal on the shore.

Normally, Li Shimin and others would never freeload a meal, but Xiao Ran's dishes were so delicious and appealing that it was hard to refuse.

"Young lady, try this." Xiao Ran picked up a spoon and ladled some tofu and fish soup for the little princess.

"Mmm, mmm~ Thank you, Little Nang-kun~"

"Uncles, please don't stand on ceremony."

"Hahaha, good, good, good." Li Shimin picked up a piece of tofu. The tofu was very tender and trembled slightly.

It's even better than Shangshiju.

Li Shimin blew on the hot liquid, gently put it in his mouth, and his pupils widened slightly. What his tongue touched was not the firm soy milk usually found in the palace, but a soft, fluffy liquid that melted into a fragrant soy paste with the aroma of fried fish and the richness of boiling water, which went straight to his throat.

Xiao Ran's dishes looked good, but they were even more delicious than I expected.

"I thought the young master's fishing skills were already quite remarkable, but I didn't expect his cooking skills to be even better!" Li Shimin said this sincerely.

In this era, there is no stir-frying; steaming, boiling, and stewing are more common cooking methods.

Xiao Ran's cooking skills were actually quite average, but unfortunately, he brought a lot of seasonings with him.

Fine salt, MSG, chicken bouillon, cooking wine—these are all game-changers in this era.

(End of this chapter)