Chapter 127 - 113: Grow Bigger and Stronger! Create New Glories
Chapter 127: Chapter 113: Grow Bigger and Stronger! Create New Glories
"This is delicious! This stir-fried pork liver is even better than my master’s!"
Zheng Qiang ate three consecutive pieces of the stir-fried pork liver, his face a mask of shock as he looked at Xiao Lei. "Uncle-Master? Is my master considered one of the less-skilled chefs in our school? How can he not even compare to your disciple? What if I switch to your tutelage now? We’d still have the same grandmaster, so it wouldn’t count as betraying my master, right?"
Xiao Lei’s mouth twitched, his expression a little odd. He muttered, "Xu’s talent is above mine."
’This stir-fried pork liver is also better than my own.’
"Uncle-Master, you’re too modest. If Zhou Yan’s cooking is this good, yours must be even better. My master must have been slacking off when he was an apprentice. Next time I go to Rongcheng to see him, I’m going to make him do some serious self-reflection," Zheng Qiang lamented.
His master was his mother’s cousin. He had been learning to cook with him since he was thirteen, and they were as close as father and son. He dared to say anything to his face—the worst that could happen was getting a smack.
Xiao Lei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’This nephew of mine has a good character, he’s just a bit of a smart-mouth.’
In the kitchen of the Rongcheng Restaurant, a senior chef was standing by the stove, instructing a young chef on stir-frying. He suddenly felt something and walked quickly to the door, where he let out two sneezes.
"What’s going on? Is someone talking smack about me?" The senior chef rubbed his nose and muttered to himself with a frown, "I wonder how that kid Zheng Qiang is doing, messing around back in Jiazhou."
As he spoke, the Huo Xiang Carp was served.
Zheng Qiang’s attention was immediately captured. This was the dish he had ordered.
Braised fish was his master’s specialty. Back in the day, their own Master had become a famous Chef in Jiazhou relying on his fish-braising skills.
Fish was also Zheng Qiang’s specialty. He was proficient in all kinds of methods: red-braising, steaming, boiling, and dry-braising. When he worked at the Rongcheng Restaurant, the fish he made was acknowledged by all the old-timers in the kitchen. For some formal banquets, he would even be given a chance to cook.
Therefore, when it came to cooking fish, Zheng Qiang had a good deal of confidence.
Huo Xiang Carp was also one of the signature dishes at their Rongcheng Restaurant, and he had made it many times.
Scallions, pickled cowpeas, and red and green pickled peppers were interwoven, blanketing the carp in a thick sauce, looking quite enticing.
A single portion consisted of two carp, each about eight liang, so the serving size wasn’t small. At two yuan, the price wasn’t expensive.
"It looks really good. A prodigy of our school, indeed." Zheng Qiang picked up his chopsticks and pushed aside the sauce on the fish’s belly, revealing golden, crispy skin underneath. The scored skin hadn’t fallen apart during frying at all, which showed a considerable level of skill.
He picked up a piece of fish with the skin on and dredged it through the thick sauce. The sauce clung to the fish as he lifted it, glistening with a slight sheen of oil. The thickening was done perfectly. He put it in his mouth.
Numbing, spicy, savory, fragrant, and sour flavors all made their debut. The aroma of the huo xiang was particularly prominent, elevating the overall taste to another level.
The slightly charred skin of the fish was intensely fragrant, yet the flesh underneath hadn’t lost any of its tenderness. This required extremely high Fire Control; a moment’s carelessness would result in overcooked, stiff meat.
The perfect fusion of Fire Control and seasoning created this Huo Xiang Carp!
Zheng Qiang pressed his lips together and spat out two fish bones, his expression a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
"This is a Huo Xiang Carp made by a Chef who’s only been learning for two and a half years? Then what the hell have I been doing for the past eighteen years? Does this kind of genius really exist in the world?"
He once thought he was talented in the culinary arts. His Knife Skills, Fire Control, and seasoning were all considered quite good among chefs his age, and he was diligent enough.
But in front of this Huo Xiang Carp, he felt as if he were staring at an impassable chasm.
Cruel...
Too cruel!
Just the seasoning of this thick broth alone would take him many years to study.
What made him even more dejected was the thought that his own master’s Huo Xiang Carp probably wasn’t as good as this one either.
But thinking this way, he actually felt a little better.
When his master returned to Suji for the New Year, he would bring him here to taste his junior brother’s Huo Xiang Carp.
A blow like this shouldn’t be borne by him alone.
Also silent was Xiao Lei, who sat opposite him and had also taken a bite.
Huo Xiang Carp is a dish with a unique flavor profile, and the method of pan-frying before braising is relatively difficult. That’s why many restaurants choose to simply boil the fish and then reduce the sauce, ensuring the final dish is tender enough.
But this method also loses the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside texture and fragrance that comes from the frying step.
With Zhou Yan’s Fire Control and seasoning abilities at the time, this dish was completely beyond his skill level. Therefore, he had never taught him how to make it. At most, Zhou Yan had stood by and watched him make it a few times.
And now, he had served up a Huo Xiang Carp that was perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
Xiao Lei became even more certain of his suspicion that Zhou Yan had another master.
He even began to suspect that all of Zhou Yan’s behavior in the cafeteria three months ago had been an act to deceive him.
No one could learn to cook so many dishes so perfectly in just three short months.
It was impossible, even if it was just the two dishes of stir-fried pork liver and Huo Xiang Carp.
Of course...
He had also considered the possibility that Zhou Yan was a genius who, after hitting rock bottom, had a breakthrough and awakened his culinary talent, which then allowed him to master everything else.
Not even his own master, who loved to spin tall tales after drinking, had ever told a story so outrageous.
’Losing the factory cafeteria’s stir-fry contract isn’t so shameful after all.’
"Uncle-Master, you guys are even amazing at cooking fish?" Zheng Qiang’s smile was tinged with bitterness. "How about... you teach me too?"
Xiao Lei was silent for a moment before saying, "Have Zhou Yan teach you. He has already far surpassed me."
"As expected of you, Uncle-Master! So noble, principled, and poised without being arrogant!" Zheng Qiang said with a look of admiration, nodding. "In that case, I’ll find some time to ask my junior brother for guidance."
Hearing this, Xiao Lei couldn’t be bothered to explain. ’He can believe what he wants.’
"The Fire Control for frying this fish skin is really good. How much oil do you need in the wok? What’s the oil temperature when you put it in? How long should you fry it?"
"Did he pickle these cowpeas himself? They’re so refreshing!"
"The sauce is thickened to be rich but not cloying. The fish can hold the sauce, but it’s not heavy. I think it must be..."
The two of them discussed as they ate, engaging in a very deep exploration, corroborating each other’s theories, and both gained some insights.
They hadn’t arrived early and ate at a leisurely pace. By the time they were almost finished, there were only two tables of guests left, drinking and shooting the breeze.
Zhou Yan came out with a platter of braised pig head meat and pig ears and an extra pair of chopsticks. He sat down with a smile. "There’s a little left that didn’t sell. Let’s eat and talk."
"Junior Brother Zhou, your Huo Xiang Carp and stir-fried pork liver are too good. As your senior brother, I’m ashamed of my inferiority." Zheng Qiang looked at Zhou Yan with sincerity. "When you have time, could you give me some pointers on cooking fish? I still want to improve!"
Xiao Lei’s hand, which was reaching for a piece of pig head meat, paused. He glanced at Zhou Yan, his lips moved, but in the end, he didn’t say a word.
’Dammit! This stupid mouth just won’t open!’
Zhou Yan saw his master’s subtle movements and had to hold back a laugh. He looked at Zheng and said, "We’re fellow disciples from the same school. Why say something so formal? Zheng, if you want to ask about anything, just ask. I definitely won’t hold anything back."
Zheng was his fellow disciple, and Zhou Yan had tasted his red-braised fish last time. Its Fire Control and seasoning were both excellent.
When it came to just cooking fish, outside of the few famous restaurants in Rongcheng, he could absolutely dominate the scene.
Those second-grade chefs who didn’t specialize in fish were probably not even his match.
The legacy of their school was terrifyingly profound.
What he wanted was merely to take another step forward at the highest level.
If he wanted to ask for advice, Zhou Yan was certainly willing to share.
’At worst, I can get a recipe out of him in return. I definitely won’t be at a loss.’
Zheng Qiang’s eyes lit up. "You said it! I’ll be back to learn from you next time."
"You set the time," Zhou Yan nodded.
"You got it!" Zheng Qiang nodded happily. ’My own junior brother is the best, not pretentious at all.’
Zhou Yan then looked at Xiao Lei and said, "Master, are you free tomorrow? My shop is almost out of lard. I want to render two pots of it tomorrow afternoon, but the last time I did it, the pork cracklings came out overcooked and too hard to chew. I was hoping you could come and guide me. I also want to add stir-fried cabbage with cracklings to the menu, and I’ll need your guidance for that dish too."
"Stir-fried cabbage with cracklings? Anyone with hands can make that. You still need guidance for it?" Xiao Lei laughed, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll come over tomorrow after lunch. You go weigh out the leaf lard first, and I’ll come teach you how to render it in the afternoon."
"You got it!" Zhou Yan was also beaming with joy.
Stir-fried cabbage with cracklings was a semi-meat dish, so the price could be set at thirty cents.
Learning from his master was just as reliable. As long as he could make it to a ’Good’ level or higher, he’d put it on the menu right away to add variety to his meat-heavy selection.
’However, my dear, proud master, how am I going to get you to open your mouth and ask me for help?’
Zhou Yan was already scheming in his heart and had a rough idea. He spoke up again, "Master, besides eating, was there anything else you came to see me about today?"
Zheng didn’t speak, looking instead at Xiao Lei.
"Yes, we came this time to discuss supplying your braised meats." Xiao Lei put down his chopsticks and looked at Zhou Yan. "The two of us have discussed it. We’ve decided that for all the ’baba’ banquets we take on from now on, we’ll use your braised meats. Braised pig ears, braised pig head meat, and braised beef—you’ll supply these three items. What do you think?"
Zhou Yan was a bit surprised. He thought for a moment and said, "’Baba’ banquets are large orders, so I’d definitely be happy to do it. But will the clients agree? If I supply the braised meat, I’ll have to charge by the jin."
"Zheng and I have discussed it. If the client doesn’t agree, we won’t take the job. For now, we have a pretty good number of orders on hand," Xiao Lei said. He paused, then added:
"Here’s our thinking: maintaining a master brine is a lot of trouble. Lugging it around can also cause problems, and we’d have to assign one person just to be in charge of it."
"Once we get the hang of things, after the New Year we can handle some smaller banquets on our own with just some hired help. On big days, we could even take two orders at once. We’d make more money that way."
After listening, Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, looking at Xiao Lei with some surprise. "Master, did you come up with this idea?"
Xiao Lei nodded and said, "Yes. Do you have any better suggestions?"
"Your idea is excellent. What suggestions could I have?" Zhou Yan said with a smile. "I wish you great success and even greater glory!"
’As expected of someone who was a head chef for over a decade. His adaptability is incredible.’
And so, the matter of Zhou Yan supplying the braised meat was settled.
He would only need to braise the meat and deliver it to the ’baba’ banquet location on the morning of the event, without needing to slice it.
Since no slicing was required, he quoted them a price of 2.2 yuan per jin for the pig head meat, 2.8 yuan per jin for the pig ears, and 3.5 yuan per jin for the braised beef.
For a thirty-table banquet, the income from the braised meat would be about eighty yuan, and he would earn half of that.
This was what you call mutual benefit and mutual success!
He had helped them get started on their path as rural chefs, and now he was getting a return in cold, hard cash!
How could people at the bottom tearing each other down compare to helping each other out?
"Oh, by the way, Master, how was the stir-fried pork liver I made today? Why don’t you give me some pointers?" Zhou Yan looked at Xiao Lei, a smile of anticipation on his face.