Entering the tent, Eric glanced around. He didn’t see Corbin, but not far away, Hugh could be seen directing male servants to work. The tents of the Wind Mage Phai and Henry, whom he had met last time, were both quiet.
Especially Henry. After such a big incident in the camp last time, Eric hadn’t seen him show his face.
Returning to his senses, he had already stepped inside the tent.
Jack’s tent was a size larger than the others, not inferior to Corbin’s, showing that Corbin valued him highly.
Inside the tent, besides some simple and tidy furniture, it was connected to another tent, where various pots and pans could be faintly seen.
Having lived as a beastman for a while, Eric was used to getting straight to the point. Even in his past life, he wasn’t good at socializing, so he said directly:
"Master Jack, I am not the powerful chef you imagine, nor do I have any recipes. I only know how to make ordinary dishes. I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you."
Jack’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes held a few more hints of appreciation.
Having met many young people who became arrogant with just a little skill, he had a very good impression of this humble yet confident beastman and didn’t feel disappointed.
"Your way of cooking is very special. Cooking is like cultivation; no one stipulates that one must use complex and exquisite techniques to call it cooking. In my opinion, you are stronger than many chefs I know."
These words made Eric a bit embarrassed. He smiled shyly: "Thank you for your praise."
In the end, he was taking advantage of being a transmigrator from a country with a rich culinary culture. Many cooking methods he considered common had never been discovered or utilized by anyone here.
Comparing cooking skills seriously, Eric hadn’t even successfully made bread, so he certainly wasn’t equal to the master chefs here. It was just that his use of ingredients felt fresh to people.
Since he entered the door, Jack hadn’t paid any attention to Richard; his focus was all on Eric. Seeing him so straightforward, Jack stopped beating around the bush: "The steamed dish you mentioned that day, can it make other dishes?"
"Of course, for example, pyramid rice dumplings, rolled rice pancakes, steamed buns, honeycomb cakes, and also dumplings. These main dishes all need to be steamed. Besides, there are steamed fish, steamed eggs, pearl meatballs, and steamed pork with rice flour, among many others. Steamed dishes are also very diverse."
Speaking of steamed dishes, their taste was lighter compared to stir-fried dishes, and they were also healthier.
Hearing this series of unfamiliar dish names, Richard recalled the food Eric made that day and couldn’t help swallowing.
The egg yolks were like yellow clouds; under the rapid stirring of the round silver rod, the color became lighter and lighter, and rich bubbles emerged.
A human-shaped egg mixer.
Tara swung his arm vigorously, sweat on his forehead dripping down his cheeks like rain. After a while, his clothes were completely soaked.
Eric finally understood why an apprentice to a chef would have such a burly, tall physique; it turned out it was used for this.
Observing Old Jack closely for a while, he was surprised to discover that under the loose white robe, Old Jack also possessed powerful muscles and a vigorous spirit, not looking at all like an old man over sixty.
A pastry chef, though it sounded soft, was actually a job requiring real physical strength in this era. There were no electric mixers here.
To be able to research so many pastries under these conditions, this level-five chef was indeed a formidable character.
Eric suddenly started calculating; if he asked the Dwarves to make a magic-powered mixer, it would surely sell very well...
"Faster, I already taught you, the time taken to beat the yolks and whites must not differ too much, otherwise the egg whites that have already been beaten stiff will go to waste!"
When teaching his apprentice, Old Jack was so strict that he reminded Eric of an old acquaintance: his high school homeroom teacher.
The movements of Tara’s hands became a few degrees faster.
Richard crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen door, lazily chewing on a blade of grass while watching the show.
Not wanting to interfere in the master-disciple business, Eric lowered his head to marinate the ribs and sliced meat.
It was embarrassing to say, but compared to Old Jack’s complex pastry process, his dishes were all very simple.
The Halun merchant group had everything. Eric had asked for some rice and ground it into powder. Since there was no time to soak it until soft, he put the powder in a basin and steamed it in a water bath to cook it.
The glutinous rice for the pearl meatballs was treated similarly; steamed briefly once, not fully cooked, as it wouldn’t work if it was too soft.
(This dish is from Hunan, don’t ask why I favor Hunan and Sichuan, it’s just because I only watch channels from these two places, hehe :D)
Actually, whether it was rice powder or glutinous rice, it was best to soak it overnight when eating at home, but Eric needed it urgently, so he had to use this temporary method.
Today he intended to make pearl meatballs, steamed ribs with rice powder, and steamed meat with rice powder. In exchange, Old Jack intended to teach him how to make cloud chiffon cake and cheesecake first.
These two types of cakes were relatively simple to learn. For those overly complex pastries with cumbersome steps, Old Jack was worried Eric couldn’t learn them, so he started teaching the simplest ones.
That’s right, although gold coins were attractive, Eric still chose the pastry recipes.
The tribe could basically trade for all necessary supplies now, and they even had a surplus; it was no longer like before when they lacked everything. Eric’s intention to earn gold coins was not as urgent as before.
...
Author’s Note:
I will be taking a break for the Lunar New Year starting today, and the following updates are all updated automatically. Therefore, I will not be able to reply to your messages for the next 10 days, I hope you will not get angry. Happy New Year!