Mary was shocked with her employer's appetite. Cecilia ate three plates of spicy chicken soup when she can't even ate the half of it.
But, what make she amazed more was because Cecilia gave so many suggestions to the chef. Since when did she know how to cook? Mary asked to herself.
"Have you ever tried to fermented a cabbage in the spicy broth?" Cecilia asked.
"This is the first time I ever heard it, Miss." The Head Chef of the restaurant, Adrian, scratching his head in confussion.
In her past as Ji Eun, she read so many cookbooks or watch a lot of cooking shows but never have a chance to practice it. Still, she felt confident with her ability, "Can I see your kitchen?"
Adrian nodded, "Of course, Miss. You are lucky because we didn't have so many guest."
In facts, Adrian's restaurant was strugling because there are so many competitors in this little town and his restaurant isn't that flashy.
He has a lot of debt for developing the menu and find the finest cookware.
That's why he was glad when a noblewoman came and enjoys his food. The young lady even gave him a piece of mind. Adrian thought that this lady is trully an angel.
"Okay, then. Lets go! Oh, Mary! Can you wait here until I come back?"
"Ah, yes, Miss." Mary has no courage to opposed her since her employer look so happy and excited.
When Cecilia enter the kitchen, she was wonderstuck because it was clean and shiny.
"Where are your employees, Chef?"
"Ah, I, I don't have any…"
"What? So you cook everything by yourself?"
He nodded and felt ashamed because his restaurant didn't have enough funds to pay the employers.
"That was so cool! You are very talented, Chef!"
"Ah, yes. Ah! I, mean. Thank you, Miss. You are flattering me."
"No, I'm being dead serious. Okay, so lets start make a cuisine. Do you have any cucumber, lettuce, or cabbage?"
Adrian nodded and put the three of them them in the table. He also put a bag of grounded chili.
"It is perfect! Then bring me garlics, gingers, onion, carrot, and green onion too. Do you have fish sauce?"
Adrian tilted his head, "What a perfect timing… A friend of mine brought a bottle of it after he finished the journey from the East. I don't like it smell so I plan to throw it away."
"No, no, no! Don't do that! Fish sauce is the key! By the way, where is the East you talked about?"
"I mean the kingdom on the east continent. He said that he found so many interesting cuisines there."
"Wow, it's a great news! Please give me a contact of him after we finish this. I'd like to have a chat with him."
"Yes, Miss. Lets start.. wait, why did you hold the knife?"
"Huh? I want to slice the garlic."
Adrian's brow narrowed, "You can cook, Miss?"
"Well, I'm trying."
Cecilia then slicing the ingredients with nimble movement. Then she mixed the garlic, carrot, onion, green onion, grounded chilies and three spoonfull of fish sauce in a bowl.
After that she cut the cabbages into two pieces. For the cucumber, she slicing them twice lengthwise at right angles, half inch from one end. So the cucumber quarters are still connected to each other at the end. and sprinkle it with salt.
She do the same thing to the other vegetables and washed it after waiting for thirty minutes.
"Do you have the glove?"
"Here it is, Miss." Adrian gave her a yellow rubber glove.
Cecilia then wore it and mix the spicy mixture with her hand before divide it into three bowls. She put the salty cabbage in the first bowl and mixed it.
"Chef, you can taste it right away. But you can wait for a day to get the sour taste."
Adrian then took a spoon of it and surprised of the crispness from the cabbage and the spices feel so fresh! "This is amazing!"
Cecilia smiled when she stuffed the spicy mixture inside the cucumber on the second bowl. Lastly, she mixed lettuce to the last bowl.
Adrian taste each the food and wondering why the same seasoning can brought a different taste.
The crispness of the cabbage, the cold-spicy sensation from the cucumber and light spicy yet tangy from the lettuce.
More of it, this noblewoman's movement was so smoothly. It feel like she is dancing not cooking.
Adrian sure that she is a profesional!
"This is the variation of kimchi. Usually, kimchi is a fermentation dishes. You can put it on the closed jar before store it in the room temperature for a day. But you can eat it right away as side dishes."
"Is it possible to use any vegetable, Miss?"
"Yes. You can use radish, turnip or even eggplant." Cecilia said while washing her hands. "Well, that's it for kimchi. You can found your own combination, Chef."
"Thank you, Miss. You are such a great help! But, how about the food from meat? Do you have another suggestion?"
"Hmm, I thought that your foods was perfect. You can use the side dishes or a fruit juices to balance it spiciness."
"Miss! Thank you! You are indeed an angel! May I have a honor to know your name?"
"You are flattering me, Chef. Call me Cecilia. Cecilia Lancia. And you are?"
But Adrian's smile fading, "So, you are… You are Duke Lancia's daughter, aren't you?"
"Yes, indeed." She said with cheerful smile.
It make Adrian shivering so badly. How come a commoner like him make the Duke's daughter cooks in this small and smelly kitchen? It is an unforgivable sin!
"Oh, My Lady! Please forgive me to bring you here! I'm so disrespectful to your presence!"
Cecilia stops Adrian when he will bow to her, "No! You can't do that here. This is your kitchen, Chef! You are the king of this place. So, I was the one who supposed to bow to you."
"No, no, please don't do that, Miss. You are so kind! This Adrian was so blessed of your presence! I will do anything for you, My Lady."
"Ah, you are exagerating. Well, then. I have to go now. Mary was waiting for me. So, I can't make her wait for any longer."
"It's a honor for me to have you here, My Lady."
Cecilia smile so brightly. Finally, she can cook a food! This spiciness bring her to a new whole level, "No, Chef. I was on your debt. Thank you for make me feel alive!"