After examining the spices, Chen Muxue brought a large basin.
She put cinnamon sticks, star anise, tsaoko cardamom, fennel seeds, and white cardamom into the basin, washed them clean with water, and soaked them for twenty minutes to remove impurities and bitterness from the spices.
Long before Xiaohu went to buy the spices, Chen Muxue had soaked a lot of dried chilies. During the spice soaking period, she took out the soaked dried chilies to make chili paste.
After soaking, the dried chilies become soft, making it easier to chop them into a paste. Due to the large quantity, chopping the chilies is no easy task.
After twenty minutes, the chilies were almost done being chopped. Chen Muxue shook her slightly aching arms, took out the spices, and ground them in a stone mortar. Spices that are crushed release a stronger aroma and can reduce the cooking time.
"Let me help!" Da Fu, having peeled the garlic, felt a bit guilty seeing the beads of sweat dampening Chen Muxue's hair.
There might be other places they can't help, but this they can handle!
Xiaohu and Da Gui also joined in after seeing this, and Chen Muxue let them take over, meanwhile pulling out the little Huahua who was just there to add to the commotion, as the child wasn't even as tall as her waist yet.
Observing from the shadows, Cen Lizhui couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He didn't expect cooking to be such a complex task. In the past, when Chen Muxue made simple home-cooked meals, he thought cutting and washing vegetables were too troublesome. Now, it seems like she's serious about making something elaborate, and it's incredibly cumbersome.
Cooking is truly challenging! The worst part is, he can't taste any of it.
Thinking of this, Cen Lizhui's expression darkened.
While the children were grounding the spices, Chen Muxue chopped the ginger and green onions. She flattened the head of the green onions before cutting them into sections and chopped the cilantro. Here, cilantro is really used to enhance the flavor; most hotpot bases actually include cilantro. When simmered in oil, cilantro's flavor can blend well, unlike its distinct taste when eaten raw.
Actually, when Chen Muxue was younger, she couldn't stand cilantro either. Somehow, as her taste preferences changed, she gradually began to like it. However, she read a study saying that those who can't eat cilantro often cannot tolerate its taste due to their genes. Therefore, she always reminded new service staff to make sure they ask guests about dietary restrictions to prevent allergic reactions to ingredients like peanuts.
She took out a bowl and added green peppercorns, mixing them with liquor. This liquor is something the Sect always has; she doesn't know exactly what it is, only that it smells very rich and aromatic.
Among the spices that were soaked earlier, some dried chilies and fragrant leaves were not crushed. She also cut some ginger into small pieces. Since cows in this era are used for plowing fields, and the town at the foot of the mountain isn't prosperous enough to sell Western Regions' beef, they resort to using pork fat. Chen Muxue had rendered a lot of it before, so she just took it out and cut it into small pieces to use.
Finally ready to start cooking, Chen Muxue took out her treasured iron pot and sighed, "It would be great if it were a bit bigger."
Unexpectedly, as if understanding her words, the iron pot jumped up by itself and spun in the air, actually growing bigger, just like the first time she saw it inside the cauldron!
"So, even a pot can have two faces?" Chen Muxue found it somewhat humorous, and the pot wobbled with a bit of pride.
The spices were almost ground. Seeing that Chen Muxue was about to start, Xiaohu rushed over to control the fire, much to Chen Muxue's satisfaction; Xiaohu's Fire Spirit Root was incredibly useful.
Heating up the pot, she melted the pork fat in it, added ginger, green onions, and cilantro, frying them until golden brown. The resulting aroma filled the kitchen and went straight to Cen Lizhui's head above the ceiling!