Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

Chapter 116 How to achieve mass production of fried noodles

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves and dappled the ground in front of Ye Qingchen's small research room. Inside, Ye Qingchen stood by the table, his brow furrowed, one hand tightly gripping Bai Zhi, the other holding onto Fu Ling. The three of them huddled together, brooding over the various ingredients and tools laid out on the table.

The most pressing problem facing them was making the fried noodles. While frying a small batch at home was relatively easy, large-scale production was fraught with difficulties. The delicious fried noodles Ye Qingchen had sent to Dong Nanxi were indeed meticulously made by her own hands in this ancient world. However, such a complex and tedious process, without the assistance of advanced mechanical production lines, would be not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also inefficient if done by hand. That wouldn't be profitable, but conjuring up so many fried noodles all at once wasn't feasible either!

In fact, Ye Qingchen's secret space does contain machinery capable of efficiently producing this kind of fried noodles. However, how could these products of modern technology be easily exposed to the world? Leaving aside whether others would understand or accept them, just explaining their origin would probably give Ye Qingchen a major headache.

Besides fried noodles, there are also vegetables, dried meat, eggs, and fresh shrimp that need to be dehydrated. Even baking a small amount of these foods is already quite strenuous. Now, to put them into large-scale production is practically an impossible task. Faced with the mountain of raw materials and the unattainable target output, Ye Qingchen felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him.

She softly instructed Bai Zhi and Fu Ling, "You two go to the palace immediately and deliver these foods to Consort Li for her to taste." After the two left, she turned back into the room and continued to concentrate on her research. She wanted to check her spatial dimension, so she had to send the two away first.

She stepped into the mysterious space, turned on the computer, and began rapidly searching for relevant information. As the text and images scrolled across the screen, her brow gradually furrowed—it turned out that completing this task was far more complex than she had imagined! But she was not discouraged; instead, she secretly encouraged herself: although there were many difficulties, they were not insurmountable.

After careful consideration, she decided to find others to assist her in conducting the experiment. Soon, she summoned several helpers, and the group sat together, busily and efficiently getting to work. Everyone followed Ye Qingchen's instructions and set off together.

The first thing to do was make vegetable buns. She skillfully picked up a knife and chopped fresh cabbages into even small cubes, then diced carrots into the same size. Next, she boiled both ingredients, then removed them and spread them out on a bamboo sieve to dry in the sun. Meanwhile, the others were also busy; some chopped scallions, chives, and cilantro into small pieces, while others carefully operated the oven to dry the vegetable cubes.

To ensure the final result met expectations, she specifically arranged for two batches to be baked at different temperatures. The roaring fire illuminated everyone's focused faces, and a faint aroma of food filled the room…

Next, we need to prepare the seasoning packet! First, we need to take out all the seasonings, including star anise, dried garlic, fennel, cumin, pepper, chicken powder, and salt. Then, we carefully mix them together and put them into that amazing drawstring grinder. This grinder was carefully developed beforehand, so operating it is relatively simple and easy.

After preparing the powder packet, it's time to start making the oil packet! A large pot is placed steadily on the stove, fragrant butter is poured in, and it's slowly heated over low heat. When the oil is at the right temperature, chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns are quickly poured in, instantly sizzling and releasing a wonderful aroma. Next, minced garlic, minced pork belly, minced onion, minced ginger, and other ingredients are added, constantly stirring and mixing well. Then, don't forget to add a suitable amount of soy sauce to enhance the color and flavor, chicken powder for umami, salt for seasoning, and finally a touch of sugar for a more complex flavor profile. Continue simmering for about four hours, allowing the various ingredients in the oil packet to meld and infuse, eventually thickening and solidifying.

Of course, if you follow the same steps and methods, you can also successfully make other types of sauce packets!

But that's not all yet; the most important part—the noodles—is just beginning. Take some high-quality flour and put it in a large bowl. Remember to crack in a few fresh eggs; this will make the noodles smoother and more chewy. Next, slowly pour in an appropriate amount of cold water, stirring constantly with your hands or chopsticks until the flour forms a soft, smooth dough. After kneading the dough, cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for a full two hours to allow it to recover.

Once the time is up, place the risen dough on a work surface and slowly roll it out into a large, thin sheet. Then, take a sharp knife and cut it into long, thin noodles. Don't put the noodles directly into the pot; you need to knead them a few times with your hands to shape them into round shapes. Then, wrap the noodles with chopsticks and steam them in a large pot for half an hour to set their shape.

Now for the crucial step—deep-frying the noodles! First, heat a pot of oil until it reaches about 60% of its maximum temperature. Then, gently place the steamed noodles, which have already taken shape, into the oil. You'll hear a series of sizzling sounds as the noodles happily tumble and jump in the hot oil, gradually turning from white to an enticing golden brown. Quickly scoop them out, drain the oil, and arrange them on a plate for later use.

Finally, simply pour the prepared delicious sauce over the fried noodles, and a mouthwatering dish is complete! Whether for breakfast or dinner, it's sure to leave you satisfied and wanting more! The experiment was quite successful, and Ye Qingchen had his subordinates try the noodles. They witnessed the entire process, and now that they tasted them, they were absolutely delicious. Moreover, these noodles could be stored in a food bag for a month without spoiling. However, since there's no vacuum packaging, they can't bring very complicated sauces when going out. This wouldn't be a problem in winter, and plastic sauces could last a day or two in summer. As for the dried vegetables, there's no need to worry about them spoiling. They can plant more vegetables in the summer, dry them, and have vegetables to eat in winter!