The regular customer gave Qin Xiangnuan a thumbs up, "This one is made well, prepare five for me later, to let them back home have a taste of something fresh."
"Alright, please wait a bit, it will be ready in no time," Aunt Hua swiftly wrapped five lotus leaf pancakes for the regular customer, who left pleased. Just after opening, they had already sold many; many were such regulars, who came over to taste something fresh. A lotus leaf pancake with meat sells for 25 cents, with vegetables for 20 cents. No matter what, this was more profitable than scallion pancakes. How much flour and oil does one scallion pancake use? However, these lotus leaf pancakes don’t require that much. A bag of flour can steam up so many of them.
Now they were only selling lotus leaf pancakes, with added vegetables and meat, and the business was much better than before. A basket can steam up a hundred or more, all stacked in five or six layers of bamboo baskets, enough to sell for a long time. When they have time to spare, they still cook porridge. There are preserved egg and lean pork porridge and continuous supply of pumpkin porridge, and of course, there’s Qin Xiangnuan’s new invention.
That is the spicy and sour noodles.
She had tasted the most authentic spicy and sour noodles from Chengdu. She liked it so much that she could eat it every day without getting tired. She also learned how to make some herself afterward and got the taste quite close. The condiments for the spicy and sour noodles are prepared in advance, just need a big pot of chicken broth each day, soak the rice noodles well and briefly cook them in boiling water. Finally, add green onions, coriander, peanuts, and a few soybeans. The taste was really amazing, absolutely irresistible. When she made it, Qin Xiangnuan had a bowl herself, and she was quite confident in her own cooking skills, especially with this bowl of spicy and sour noodles. She dared to say she had mastered at least 90% of the flavor. With her steps, the thing made wouldn’t be bad. Even Aunt Hua liked eating it, having had two bowls in a row. And indeed, as the name suggests, the spicy and sour noodles were both sour and spicy, and after a bowl, you would feel warmth spreading in the body, making the cold weather feel not so cold anymore.
A lotus leaf pancake brings in 20 cents, while a bowl of spicy noodles sells for 30 cents. Nowadays, a bowl of plain noodle soup costs only 8 cents, and a vegetable soup noodle sells for 15 cents, which still has a generous portion of ingredients.
As for the spicy and sour noodles, they were directly priced at 30 cents. When Qin Xiangnuan first set this price, it even startled Aunt Hua. With such a high price, would people still buy it? It’s just a little bit and might not be filling. However, after Aunt Hua tasted the finished product made by Qin Xiangnuan, she felt that 30 cents seemed a bit too cheap for its deliciousness. She would definitely spend 30 cents for a bowl herself, even if not for every meal, but to have a taste of something fresh, it was absolutely worth it.
"Uncle, would you like a bowl of spicy and sour noodles?" Qin Xiangnuan handed a lotus leaf pancake with meat to an elder gentleman, while also introducing her family’s new product.
"Spicy and sour noodles?" The man was a local through and through, and had never heard of this dish.
"Yes, spicy and sour noodles," Qin Xiangnuan said with a smile, looking as innocent as a child, "It’s a famous snack from Chengdu, spicy, savory, fragrant, sour and oily without being greasy, eating a bowl in the big winter warms you right up."
I see, he was really feeling cold. He was about to leave, but upon hearing this, he felt intrigued and walked into the shop, taking a seat on one of the small stools inside.
"I’ll have a bowl, put more chili in it, I love spicy food."