Ch.269Knowledge (10)

The restaurant we visited was quiet.

From the dining tables and utensils made of carved bamboo, it was obvious this was a place where ordinary people ate without anyone having to point it out.

“This atmosphere is nice.”

“So this is what a restaurant in the Central Plains feels like.”

“How fascinating.”

My wives were showing interest in the new place like young girls.

That was understandable since they were all nomads born and raised on the steppe.

This was their first time visiting a restaurant in the Central Plains.

“Here are your water spinach, xiaolongbao, and noodles.”

Dishes that looked like they belonged in a martial arts novel arrived before us.

“Such fresh green vegetables.”

“The dumplings smell wonderful.”

“Noodles good.”

For women who had only eaten precious foods from the palace, these dishes couldn’t help but seem fascinating.

“It seems the fried pork I ordered hasn’t come out yet.”

At Munglig’s words, the owner rubbed his hands together nervously and replied.

“I’ve sent a server to get some pork… it… will be out shortly.”

“It would be better if it doesn’t come out late.”

When Munglig growled in a low voice, the owner trembled.

Seeing this, I raised my hand to calm Munglig down.

“Calm down. And owner, it’s fine if it takes time, just make it as delicious as possible.”

“O-of course, my lord. I’ve instructed the chef well.”

“Good, good.”

I said this while slipping a silver coin into the owner’s hand.

After receiving it, the owner bowed repeatedly before heading back to the kitchen.

“Haven’t you given too much for the food, brother?”

“Shouldn’t we pay more to get better food? Besides, we need to order plenty if you and the Kheshig are going to eat too.”

“Don’t worry about the Kheshig. Those guys are in their extreme discipline week.”

“What’s this extreme discipline week?”

“It’s research from the House of Wisdom—they say cutting out grains and eating mostly meat is good for muscle development.”

It was a diet that drastically reduced carbohydrates while consuming only protein and fat.

In English, it was called ketogenic or keto diet, which I’d heard bodybuilders used before competitions to refine their physiques.

I wondered why a diet method that would become popular in the future had already appeared.

“Who created this diet method… I mean, this extreme discipline week?”

“It was Batur, the man who created muscle philosophy.”

He was the very person who had turned the House of Wisdom into the House of Muscles.

Anyway, while we were talking, the server brought out our food.

“Your order is ready.”

“Oh my. It looks delicious.”

“It smells so good.”

“Want to eat now.”

The three women said this and then looked at me.

After shopping, they were so hungry they looked ready to kill me if I didn’t answer immediately.

“Y-you can eat fir—”

Before I could finish, my wives began eating.

Though they ate with very elegant postures, their speed was extraordinary.

“I see the sisters-in-law haven’t changed.”

“Instead of talking, focus on eating. Otherwise, everything will soon disappear.”

“Ah!”

The food was being sucked into the mouths of the three women.

Realizing this belatedly, Munglig reached out with his chopsticks to at least save some fried pork.

“Ohoho, Munglig. Didn’t you say you’re building muscle these days?”

“D-don’t worry, sister-in-law. I can still eat this much…”

“No, that simply won’t do.”

And with that, they devoured even the last remaining food.

This left Munglig and me with no choice but to order again.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, my lord. What can I do for you?”

“What food can you bring out the fastest?”

The server bowed at Munglig’s question before answering.

“Most dishes can be prepared right away.”

“Then bring us fried pork and bok choy.”

The server looked troubled.

“I’m sorry, but we’ve run out of pork, so the fried pork will take some time…”

“Then do you have any other meat?”

“We do have chicken, but… when fried, it becomes tough and doesn’t taste good.”

At the server’s words, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.

Knowing that frying makes everything delicious, it didn’t make sense that there was no fried chicken.

“Fried chicken doesn’t taste good? Just fry it and bring it out.”

“Y-yes! My lord.”

With that, the server disappeared.

Soon after, something pitiful appeared.

“Here is your fried chicken, my lord.”

It smelled delicious because of the oil.

But when I took a bite, I had to spit it out immediately.

“It’s not seasoned, it’s dry, and it has a gamey smell.”

“I-I’m sorry, my lord. I’ve committed a terrible sin.”

“Why does fried chicken taste so bad…?”

One of the joys of modern life was chicken.

For chicken to taste this bad was an insult not just to fried chicken but to chickens themselves.

“Let’s go to the kitchen.”

“P-pardon?”

“What do you mean, brother?”

“This is an insult to chicken… I mean, to fried chicken.”

I said this as I entered the kitchen.

Inside was a chef sweating profusely while cooking.

“What brings you here?”

“Did you make this fried chicken?”

“Y-yes, I did.”

“Don’t tell me you just put the chicken directly into the oil?”

The chef nodded with a frightened expression.

I sighed and then spoke to him.

“Bring me chicken, salt, spices, and flour.”

“Chicken, salt, spices, and flour… why would you—”

“Bring them now.”

“Y-yes! My lord!”

The chef hurried to move.

Seeing this, Munglig looked at me with an expression full of anticipation.

“Here it comes! Brother’s cooking!”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve known since you made Buroktan that your cooking always succeeds.”

“You think this is the same as that? Besides, Buroktan was from the Song Dynasty…”

“I’ve done some research, brother. They say no such thing exists in the Song Dynasty.”

As Munglig has grown older, the bear has become a fox.

His perception has become incredibly sharp.

I was about to say something when suddenly the chef appeared with chicken, salt, spices, and flour.

“Here they are, my lord.”

All the ingredients to make chicken were gathered.

First, I added spices to the flour.

Then I added salt to season the base.

The flour needed to be seasoned for the batter to taste good.

Anyway, I poured water into the flour mixed with spices and salt.

As the flour dissolved, it formed a batter.

Then I put the pre-seasoned whole chicken into the batter.

“Coating chicken with batter…!”

“Such an amazing cooking method…!”

The chef and Munglig reacted enthusiastically like extras in a cooking manga.

In truth, this cooking method had existed for a long time.

But due to prolonged wars, such cooking methods had been lost and disappeared.

Additionally, those who ruled these people were the Liao and Jin dynasties, which were close to barbarian tribes, making it difficult to revive culinary culture.

Of course, there was culinary development during the Liao and Jin dynasties.

However, since both nations were established by nomadic peoples, they had more grilled or steamed dishes than fried ones.

Moreover, they couldn’t produce enough oil to make fried dishes, so fried cooking inevitably fell into obscurity.

As a result, even a simple dish like fried chicken seemed unfamiliar.

“Watch carefully.”

First, I sprinkled some batter into the oil.

When it floated, it meant the oil was ready for frying.

“First, fry for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

With those words, I put the chicken into the oil.

The oil bubbled vigorously, engulfing the chicken.

At the same time, the chicken began to turn golden.

“The aroma is truly wonderful, brother.”

“This smell is really… ah! I want to eat it right now!”

“Not yet.”

The flour batter needed to become crispy to trap the rich juices coming from the chicken.

That was how moist and tender chicken would be created.

“Brother, it’s been 2 minutes and 30 seconds.”

“Good. Now we take it out once.”

With those words, I took out the chicken.

The partially fried chicken shone with a calm, golden glow and emitted a fragrant smell.

“Ah… aah!”

“We must eat it now! If we delay any longer!”

“Now we fry it for another 30 seconds.”

“O-once more, you say?”

“It will burn! The meat will become tough and the taste…!”

“Don’t worry. The chicken… I mean, the fried chicken will become more delicious.”

I said this as I pushed the chicken back into the boiling oil.

Munglig and the chef looked at me with expressions close to despair.

As their gazes of resentment grew from prickly to burning hot,

I uncrossed my arms and immediately took out the fried chicken.

“O-oh!”

“Such a brilliant color…! This…! True fried chicken!”

“It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough.”

What was created was like the market chicken you could commonly see.

To make crispy chicken like KFC, you would need a pressure cooker.

Still, this was edible enough.

“Well…”

“C-could I also have just one bite?”

“Brother, I’d like a leg, please.”

“Sure, try it.”

And so, the three people tore into the freshly fried market chicken right there in the kitchen.

Crunch.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

“The crispiness is truly amazing!”

“H-how can you make such perfect fried food without any sogginess!”

I made an incredulous expression at their over-the-top reactions.

But since it meant the chicken was that delicious, I didn’t scold Munglig.

“More… more!”

“I want to feel more crispiness!”

The three men devoured the chicken as quickly as a crab blinks its eyes.

After some time passed, the three came to their senses and noticed the bones in front of them.

“I almost ate the bones too, my lord.”

“The taste is addictive.”

“It’s delicious to have fried chicken after so long. But…”

I couldn’t help but frown at the greasy aftertaste.

It was unavoidable since it was fried in oil.

“At times like this, pickled radish would be perfect…”

“What is pickled radish, brother?”

“It’s a kind of pickled dish made from radish. It’s also delicious when made with slightly spicy radish… wait.”

As chicken radish came to mind, an incredible thought occurred to me.

Turnip.

Yes, with turnips, triple cropping would be possible.