Chapter 352: Three Products

Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Three Products

After dinner, Ji Huan went back to the mixing room in the backyard.

Ji Mingfang was busy with the vegetable harvest and hadn’t been able to give Dabao his lessons recently. With his evenings now free, Dabao became even more clingy with Ji Huan.

He followed her into the mixing room, sat properly on a low stool, and his eyes followed her every move.

When Ji Huan looked at him, he would just blink, his face a mask of innocence.

Before long, Guan Shan also pushed the door open and came in.

Meeting the two pairs of eyes—one big, one small—he said calmly, "It’s too early to sleep. I’m here to help."

Ji Huan said, "...Don’t you have to train?"

"I already finished today."

Ji Huan fell silent.

’Fine. Stay if you want to.’

"Well, don’t just stand there, you two. Sift the powders in these bags for me one more time. And remember, don’t get them mixed up."

Each ingredient had been ground separately and sifted several times, but you could never overdo this step. Naturally, the finer the powder, the better.

Ji Huan had them work separately. After demonstrating for each and seeing there were no problems, she started on her own tasks.

She had only been busy for a short while when Ji Xuelan arrived.

As expected, she was there to talk about Zhang Cuicui.

"I originally told you sixty-four people, but if we add one more..."

"If you think she’s a good fit, that’s fine."

Ji Xuelan smiled. "Then I’ll keep her on. She’s a quick worker."

She saw Ji Huan holding a small copper scale, the kind apothecaries used for weighing medicine. In front of her were a dozen or so squares of oiled paper, each holding a different amount of spice powder.

"Have you started blending them?" she asked.

Ji Huan nodded. "Cousin, don’t leave just yet. Wait until I’m done blending this, and you can take two packets home. Try it when you cook tomorrow, and please ask my uncle and the others for their opinions too."

"Oh, all right."

Ji Huan had been considering what flagship products her new seasoning workshop should focus on.

After all, compound spice blends came in many varieties, depending on the ingredients and their intended use.

Launching too many at once would be messy and confusing. The shop’s identity would be muddled, and customers wouldn’t know what to focus on. Overwhelmed with options, they might choose nothing at all.

The seasoning workshop’s main customers were common folk. As for things like hot pot bases, sausage seasonings, ham seasonings, and the vast array of braising and stewing mixes—never mind whether people could afford them—the first hurdle was whether they would even know how to use them.

Educating customers one by one might tempt a few, but since the local culinary habits hadn’t yet been established, sales would ultimately be limited.

So, she decided to launch with two basic blends as the main products for the grand opening.

"Which two?"

"Five-Spice Powder and Thirteen-Spice Powder."

Five-Spice Powder, as its name suggests, is a seasoning made by blending five or more spices.

It’s an indispensable seasoning in Chinese cooking, with an incredibly fragrant aroma that also stimulates the appetite.

It’s most commonly used for marinating and cooking meats, but also for snacks like five-spice dried tofu, five-spice beef jerky, and five-spice tea eggs. It’s especially suitable for seasoning dishes that are baked, stir-fried, stewed, braised, simmered, steamed, or boiled.

"Just five spices?" Ji Xuelan was a bit skeptical. "Wouldn’t it be easy for others to guess the recipe then?"

"Not necessarily. It can be more than five, and there’s no fixed combination."

Different ingredients can be blended to create a variety of flavors, each with its own name, like Numbing and Spicy Powder or Savory and Spicy Powder.

’I remember that every producer’s recipe varied in both the types and quantities of spices. Some were even tailored to specific foods, so naturally, each had its own unique flavor.’

The most common version is a mix of cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, fennel, and Sichuan pepper in a 2:1:3:2:2 ratio.

A combination of cassia, star anise, dried tangerine peel, cloves, and Sichuan pepper is also very common.

There’s also a more complex version, with a recipe that includes ten spices: star anise, cassia, cloves, white peony root, Tsaoko cardamom, Amomum, Sichuan pepper, licorice, fennel seed, and white cardamom.

By the same logic, Thirteen-Spice Powder isn’t a fixed blend of thirteen spices.

There are about twenty different spices that can be blended in various combinations, following certain principles. The resulting blend is characterized by its ability to neutralize gaminess, enhance savory flavors, mask unpleasant odors, aid digestion, stimulate the appetite, and provide a rich fragrance.

The basic ingredients include Sichuan pepper, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, costus root, fennel seed, purple cardamom, white peony root, nutmeg, Amomum, sand ginger, galangal, and dried ginger.

For one version, you use five parts each of Sichuan pepper and star anise, two parts each of cassia, sand ginger, galangal, and white peony root, and one part of everything else. Mix them together, and you have a Thirteen-Spice Powder.

Of course, the effect of the blend varies greatly depending on the ingredients and ratios used.

Ji Huan had dozens of recipes for Thirteen-Spice Powder in her head.

’In the future, the most famous brand would be Wang Shouyi Thirteen-Spice. Its publicly listed ingredients include star anise, Sichuan pepper, fennel, fennel seed, orange peel, galangal, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, dried ginger, cloves, white peony root, licorice, and Amomum.’

But Ji Huan wasn’t particularly fond of it. After much thought, she decided to use another version—a Rich-Aroma Thirteen-Spice Powder.

The recipe was as follows: one kilogram each of white peony root and white cardamom; five hundred grams each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and round cardamom; three hundred grams of Tsaoko cardamom; two hundred grams each of galangal and long pepper; one hundred and fifty grams each of star anise, Sichuan pepper, bay leaf, and fennel seed; one hundred grams of licorice; and fifty grams of cloves.

Of course, for practical application, she would have to convert these weights into the common units of the Great Zhou Dynasty: "taels" and "maces."

Ji Xuelan was still puzzled. "Five-Spice, Thirteen-Spice... Does that mean Thirteen-Spice Powder is more fragrant than Five-Spice Powder?"

Ji Huan couldn’t help but laugh. "The two are actually very similar in color and taste. It’s easy to confuse them if you don’t know the specific distinctions, but they are different."

Besides the differences in their composition, their main distinction lies in their aroma.

Thirteen-Spice Powder uses Five-Spice Powder as a base, so its aroma is more complex and intense.

To put it simply, Thirteen-Spice Powder is mainly used to neutralize unpleasant odors and enhance aroma, while Five-Spice Powder is used primarily to enhance aroma.

When cooking, if the ingredients don’t have a very strong gamy or unpleasant odor, Five-Spice Powder will do. But if you want to eliminate strong odors *and* add fragrance, you should use Thirteen-Spice Powder.

For instance, when stewing beef or lamb, or when smoking meats, Thirteen-Spice Powder is more suitable than Five-Spice Powder.

Ji Xuelan began to understand. "So, Five-Spice Powder is for everyday dishes, and Thirteen-Spice Powder is for dishes with strong, gamy flavors. In that case, is Thirteen-Spice more important than Five-Spice?"

Ji Huan shook her head. "Compared to Thirteen-Spice, Five-Spice Powder is more commonly used, so its market potential is naturally greater."

’In the future, both of these are frequently used seasonings. They’re arguably number one or two in the spice market.’

In specific culinary applications, they aren’t just for marinating raw ingredients. They can be mixed with salt to make a dipping spice, and they can also be used to season dough or fillings for things like steamed buns and dumplings.

Ji Huan also planned to create a slight variation on the Thirteen-Spice Powder to launch a "Numbing, Spicy, and Savory" blend.

’That was another incredibly popular seasoning in the future.’

Its characteristics were a mellow numbing sensation, a lasting spiciness, and an intense savory flavor. It could be used for stir-frying meat and vegetable dishes, in noodle soups, or for snacks and barbecue. It was an unparalleled choice for home cooking.

"And the Numbing, Spicy, and Savory one... compared to the other two?"

"This one is even more versatile, except for people who can’t handle spicy food."

Ji Xuelan was ecstatic. "With these seasonings, even the worst cook will be able to make delicious food, won’t they?"

Ji Huan thought for a moment. "I wouldn’t go that far. Seasonings can certainly add the finishing touch, and can sometimes turn dross into gold, but whether a dish is good or not also depends on the ingredients, control of the heat, and other factors."

"What if it doesn’t taste good? Just add more?"

"Even though they’re blended from natural spices, you still have to be careful with the amount. Some of the ingredients, like cassia and fennel seed, are both spices and medicinal herbs, so it’s better to use less rather than more. Otherwise, it could be counterproductive."

Ji Xuelan more or less understood.

"How about this: after I’m done with the dehydrated vegetables during the day, I’ll come over and help you at night. Otherwise, how can you possibly handle all this by yourself?"

Ji Huan waved her hand dismissively. "You’re tired enough as it is. If you don’t rest well, you won’t have any energy for tomorrow, and we can’t afford any mistakes with the dehydrated vegetables. Besides, I have two help—"

Ji Huan’s hand, which had started to point toward Guan Shan and Dabao, paused. She and Ji Xuelan looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Guan Shan had finished sifting the spices in front of him and had pulled over Dabao’s pile to sift as well. Meanwhile, Dabao, still on his low stool, had slumped over a taller one and fallen fast asleep.