Chapter 5
- Sou Vide (1)
"Come here!"
A booming voice echoed from beyond the main gate.
As the gate opened, the household servants of the Im family stood outside, acting as if they were high-ranking officials.
Behind them were Im Sa-hong and Im Soong-jae, father and son, dressed in elaborate silk Korean Traditional Coats.
"What are you doing? Grandee Hong has arrived, why aren't you moving faster?"
"We were waiting. Please, come inside."
Deok-chul, a government slave from the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, led the Im family and their entourage inside with a servile attitude.
As they entered the detached house, Hong Eon-guk, dressed in formal attire, was there to greet them.
"You're just arriving? Hong Eon-guk, a low-ranking official from the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, greets the Minister of Public Works and the Royal Secretary."
While Hong Eon-guk bowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground, Im Sa-hong and Im Soong-jae stood with their hands behind their backs, accepting the bow with arrogant expressions.
"Is your father well?"
"Thanks to Grandee's concern, he is always comfortable. Please, come this way."
He led them to a pavilion in the garden attached to the Provincial Office, where female entertainers were already playing the gayageum softly, enhancing the atmosphere.
A gray-haired old man, who had been waiting for the Im family there, stood up and greeted them politely.
It was Hong Gwi-dal, Hong Eon-guk's father, and the Gyeonggi Governor, responsible for the entire local administration of Gyeonggi Province.
"The heavyweights of the court have gone to the trouble of coming all the way here. Please, sit down quickly."
"To call a distance of less than an hour (approximately 2 hours) a trouble... Grandees who are going into exile would be disappointed to hear that."
Im Soong-jae, spouting an utterly rude joke, laughed heartily.
Even though the young Im Soong-jae was making frivolous jokes to the Vice-Minister-level Gyeonggi Governor, Hong Gwi-dal could only laugh it off.
"Hahaha, the Royal Secretary is still full of wit. Please, sit down. Hey, what are you doing? Bring out the table quickly."
"Yes, sir."
Soon, the female entertainers brought up a light refreshment table to be enjoyed before the meal.
Before long, Hong Gwi-dal and his son Hong Eon-guk, and Im Sa-hong and his son Im Soong-jae were sitting facing each other in the pavilion.
"By the way, His Majesty is very worried. It has been quite some time since the order was given to create a restricted area within ten li (approximately 4 kilometers) outside the capital and turn it into a hunting ground, but on the way here, I still saw people who had not left."
Hong Gwi-dal's white eyebrows twitched at Im Sa-hong's words.
Was it even reasonable to order the demolition of the houses of the people living there and drive them out, just because the King had said he wanted to create a hunting ground?
Since the King was fickle, if he delayed and procrastinated, he might change his mind again; there was no need to rush.
That was Hong Gwi-dal's intention as he put off the work.
"They are humble people who are busy just trying to survive each day, so it seems the order has not been properly conveyed. They also have their livelihoods, so they will vacate the area according to their own circumstances. I hope you will convey this well to His Majesty."
"Hehe, I can't help but think that the Governor is taking the royal command lightly."
"How could I dare to do such a thing? Please, Grandee, take back your words."
His tone was outwardly polite, but he could not hide the redness in his face.
'These guys are now trying to make it look like I'm subtly defying the royal command.'
Hiding his displeasure, he was responding as politely as possible, when Im Soong-jae, who was sitting across from him, narrowed his eyes and chimed in.
"According to rumors circulating in the capital, there is talk that the Governor has other intentions towards His Majesty. Of course, we know very well that Grandee would never do such a thing, but can we control how the world misunderstands?"
As Im Soong-jae gave a strange smile after speaking, Hong Eon-guk felt a chill run down his spine.
"What are you talking about..."
"If you want to avoid the misunderstandings of the world, shouldn't there be some proof? It has always been said that there is nothing better than a person to prove one's loyalty."
"A person...?"
"I heard that you have a young daughter at home..."
Hong Eon-guk's face gradually turned as white as paper.
This was what he feared most.
That his daughter would become a target of the Red Envoy.
Red Envoy.
It meant the act of selecting women to be offered to the King.
And the one in charge of that task, the Red Envoy, was none other than Im Soong-jae.
The targets of the Red Envoy ranged from daughters of noble families to female entertainers, regardless of social status.
The women who were selected and brought to the palace to provide music, dance, and banquets for the King were called Flourishing Clear. The term "Flourishing Clear, Wasting Clear" originated from this.
Rumor had it that once a woman was selected and entered the palace, she could never come out again until she died, and would only become a plaything for the violent King.
What father in the world would want to drive his daughter to such a harsh fate?
Whether he knew Hong Eon-guk's feelings or not, Soong-jae continued to wag his snake-like tongue.
"If the daughter of Grandee Hong's family were to serve His Majesty, how could anyone in the world doubt Grandee Hong's loyalty? Isn't that so?"
"P-Please, take back your words. She is still a young child who hasn't even lost the smell of milk."
Eon-guk spoke politely, but his heart was burning.
'I need to keep my wits about me from now on.'
* * *
"Are you sure this is really going to work?"
Bong Seondal looked anxiously into the cauldron.
"I heard that the guests coming today are those infamous Im family members from the capital... If we're not properly prepared, we might really face a massacre. Do you even know what kind of people they are?"
Paying little attention to Bong Seondal's fuss, Ji-young focused all her attention while dipping her hand into the water in the pot.
"Are you listening to me?"
"I'm listening, so please pour one more ladle of water."
Bong Seondal grumbled, but poured water into the cauldron as Ji-young instructed.
"Will this be enough?"
"Yes, I think it's almost ready."
Sweat was beading on Ji-young's forehead as she rolled up her sleeves and dipped her hands into the hot water.
The secret cooking method Ji-young was attempting.
When she realized that she had no choice but to use old bull meat, the first cooking method that came to Ji-young's mind was this one.
A method called 'Sous vide' in modern times.
'Sous vide' is French for 'under vacuum,' meaning cooking food in a vacuum at a low temperature.
It is a method of putting food in a plastic bag, removing the air, sealing it, and then cooking it in warm water at about 55 degrees for a long time.
"No, why do we have to cook the meat in such a strange way? At least explain it to me before we do it."
Bong Seondal asked bluntly, as if he couldn't stand it any longer.
"Well, it's... it's a bit complicated to explain, but it's to cook the meat more tenderly."
Ji-young vaguely trailed off, as she didn't have the confidence to explain the principle to someone from the Joseon Dynasty in a way they could understand.
Cooking meat means transforming proteins at a specific temperature.
The proteins in meat are mainly composed of 'actin' and 'myosin.'
When the temperature reaches around 50 degrees, 'myosin' reacts, and the meat begins to soften.
However, if the temperature rises further and exceeds 65 degrees, the remaining protein, 'actin,' coagulates, and the meat becomes firm again.
So, theoretically, if you heat it to a temperature in between, about 55 degrees, you can cook the meat most tenderly.
However, it is impossible to maintain such an accurate temperature with tools such as direct grilling or frying pans.
There is only one way to heat the meat to an accurate temperature.
'Use water to transfer heat.'
If you put the meat in water that maintains a constant temperature and leave it for a sufficient amount of time, the meat will eventually cook exactly to the temperature of the water.
This is the core principle of sous vide cooking.
It is the best way to tenderize the poor ingredients in front of her.
If she could cook the tough bull meat smoothly by sous vide cooking at exactly 55 degrees, it would be transformed into something tender.
However, the method is only possible in theory right now.
'There's nothing here right now. No heating device, no plastic bag for vacuum packing, not even a thermometer...'
But it wasn't as if there was no way at all.
First of all, Ji-young had something that came to her mind, which was the secret method she saw in the Record of Yearning for the Clouds.
It was a method of wrapping food in Korean paper.
'You can wrap the food in several layers of oiled Korean paper to use instead of a plastic bag.'
This way, the Korean paper adheres to the ingredients, creating a vacuum effect, and the oil prevents moisture from being absorbed by the paper, preventing it from tearing.
In other words, oiled paper can replace the role of a vacuum-packed plastic bag.
The reason she asked the female entertainer to get Korean paper and apply sesame oil to make oiled paper a little while ago was precisely for that reason.
'But even if I solved the plastic bag problem, there's still an important task left.'
The most essential element of sous vide is to match and maintain a constant water temperature.
How can she match the water temperature to 55 degrees without a sous vide machine or even a thermometer?
However, Ji-young had a method in mind for this as well.
'There are temperatures that you can know without a thermometer. The temperature at which water boils, 100 degrees, and, although not very accurate, the room temperature of water, about 20 degrees.'
So, it is not difficult to create water at 100 degrees and 20 degrees.
And another thing she knew was that if you mix water of different temperatures, the final temperature would be the intermediate temperature.
The so-called 'thermal equilibrium.'
According to theory, if you mix boiling water at 100 degrees with water at 20 degrees, it will reach equilibrium at about 60 degrees, which is the intermediate temperature.
This is a phenomenon that occurs on the premise that the amount of the two waters is the same.
If you adjust the amount of water here, that is, if you add a little more cold water, it will definitely reach equilibrium at a slightly lower temperature, about 55 degrees.
'With this method, I can at least create water with a temperature close to 55 degrees!'
But it's not over once you match the water temperature.
The most important thing in sous vide cooking is to keep that temperature constant for a long time, without rising or falling.
From then on, there was only one thing to trust.
This is not a realm of science, but of sensation.
'I have no choice but to trust the memory of 55-degree water that I have experienced countless times while doing sous vide cooking.'
A temperature that is moderately warm, but not very hot.
She has no choice but to check it from time to time, recalling the memory of that temperature with her fingertips.
"I don't understand exactly what you're saying, but anyway, since we've decided to trust you, we have no choice but to go all the way..."
Bong Seondal muttered like that, but diligently helped Ji-young.
It had already been over three hours since they started sous vide cooking in the morning.
A maid rushed in front of Ji-young, who was checking the water temperature every five minutes.
"Th-There... Master says to prepare the small dining table now."
"Yes. Tell him I'll bring it soon."
It was finally time to check the results of the long-time sous vide cooking.
She carefully took out the lump that had been cooking in the lukewarm water and carefully unwrapped the oiled Korean paper packaging.
What slowly revealed itself inside was the appearance of a chunk of meat cooked to a dark brown color.
When she cut the meat with a sharp knife, the flesh inside, which was cooked softly to a pink color, was shining beautifully on the cut surface.
'Phew... It's a success.'
Ji-young could sense it intuitively just from the color.
That the sous vide cooking was successfully completed.
A faint smile spread across Ji-young's face, but it was too early to rest assured.
Because the cooking wasn't over yet.
Ji-young's eyes began to shine once again.
'The real start is from now on.
※ Author's Note
The motif for the Joseon Dynasty's sous vide cooking is a dish called Jeon Chi-soo that appears in a book called 'Jinchan Uigwe (1868).'
It is said to be a method of wrapping pheasant meat in wet Korean paper and grilling it on a grill using indirect heat.
