Chapter 122 Stewed Lamb Chops & Braised Beef

Chapter 122 Stewed Lamb Chops & Braised Beef

Yesterday, Wang Sumo came across mutton in Meizi Town, and it was the rare and highly sought-after lamb chops. He bought all the lamb chops.

A row of beautiful lamb chops are neatly arranged on the cutting board. After being cut open, they are stewed with radishes (white radishes), allowing you to enjoy the natural flavors of the lamb chops and radishes.

Besides red dates and goji berries, no other ingredients or spices are needed.

Bai Cen had been thinking about those two lamb chops since yesterday!

"Old Zhao, are we going to eat here ourselves tonight?" Bai Cen asked quietly as he set up a makeshift stove outside the kitchen window.

Zhao Tong and Jiang Yutang were both by the window.

Jiang Yutang glanced at Bai Cen, and Zhao Tong, who was standing to the side, replied, "The master asked us to stay."

That's true. The owner is never greedy. Most of the time, the people at Bazhenlou eat better than when the restaurant is open for business.

Bai Cen smiled and turned back to continue.

Jiang Yutang was washing vegetables when she heard Bai Cen and Zhao Tong's conversation, and she turned to look at Wang Sumo. The kitchen space was limited; she and Zhao Tong were near the window, while Wang Sumo was at the worktable behind them.

Zhao Tong was chopping lamb chops, while Wang Sumo was cutting radishes. Just as Bai Cen had said, Wang Sumo was visibly in a good mood, almost humming a cheerful tune.

Jiang Yutang glanced at Zhao Tong, who was chopping lamb chops, and suddenly felt a little excited for the clear broth stewed lamb chops that would be served later.

In the past, she didn't have many expectations or particularities about food, but on the way to Bazhenlou, she seemed to have not only become more discerning but also started to have something to look forward to.

In Wang Sumo's words, the lamb chops today were especially good. Stewed until tender and juicy, they were so delicious that her mouth watered.

The lamb chops at Zhao Tong's place are cut into slightly larger pieces for a more appetizing look. The bones are left in so you can hold them in your hands and gnaw on them.

Jiang Yutang had just finished washing the red dates when Wang Sumo asked her to take out a large basin from the pots and pans next to her, one that could hold all those lamb chops.

Jiang Yutang did as instructed. Wang Sumo stopped what he was doing, added a lot of salt to the large basin of lamb chops, and then used a ladle to scoop water from the bucket while giving instructions.

"Lamb has a strong gamey smell. Removing some of the gamey smell from the lamb will make it taste better. Just add salt to water and rub it in to let the salt water penetrate into the lamb chops, which will remove the gamey smell and also soften the meat."

Wang Sumo first covered up how he used his hands to wash the lamb chops in the basin.

Jiang Yutang understood it after watching it once. The operation was not difficult, but she couldn't grasp how much to wash it before it was done.

But sure enough, the impurities and blood in the washed basin were removed.

“Master.” Jiang Yutang showed it to Wang Sumo.

Wang Sumo glanced at it: "Alright, have Zhao Tong blanch it in the pot, and wash the basin, we'll need it later."

Zhao Tong and Jiang Yutang did as instructed.

"Brother Zhao, blanch it in cold water with scallions and ginger, otherwise the gamey smell will be locked inside the meat," Wang Sumo reminded him.

"Okay." Zhao Tong replied succinctly.

After Jiang Yutang finished washing the basin, Wang Sumo instructed, "Use the warm water you just prepared to rinse the blanched lamb chops briefly. Don't use cold water, or they'll become tough and hard to chew."

Jiang Yutang had so many things to say when she first started cooking, but Wang Sumo was the head chef of Bazhenlou, and the entire martial arts world praised Bazhenlou's Jianghu cuisine. Wang Sumo was the authority, so Jiang Yutang followed his instructions.

Wang Sumo craned her neck and called out towards the kitchen window, "Bai Cen, is the stove set up yet?"

Her position was at the back, so even if she stood on tiptoe, she couldn't see outside, but her voice could still penetrate.

Soon, Bai Cen's voice came from outside the kitchen window: "Alright, the fire is lit, and it's ready to use."

Although it was the first time the four of them had worked together in such a formal setting, their rhythm was simply perfect.

"Boil a pot of water and bring it to a boil," Wang Sumo instructed. A reply quickly came from outside the window: "Okay!"

Zhao Tong and Jiang Yutang couldn't help but laugh.

A moment later, Bai Cen lifted the curtain and poked his head out of the kitchen door: "Master, the water's boiling!"

Presumably, without the employer having to shout, he arrived first.

Wang Sumo had prepared the seasonings beforehand: a small amount of angelica root, a small amount of Sichuan peppercorns to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma, as well as chopped scallions and ginger, all placed in a dish. "Brother Zhao, the lamb chops are stewing on the stove outside. The seasonings are ready. Just put them in boiling water and cook for half an hour."

Zhao Tong inexplicably thought of his master chef.

Zhao Tong received the order.

You don't need to keep an eye on the stove outside; just watch it from the kitchen window. This is perfect for stewing lamb chops; you only need to glance at it every now and then. Put the lamb into boiling water, then add angelica root, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger.

Then the kitchen staff went back to work and continued preparing other dishes.

"It's been a quarter of an hour." Bai Cen stared at the timer; one of his tasks was to record and remind everyone of the cooking times for the various dishes in the kitchen that day.

You need to be clear-headed, otherwise it's easy to make a mistake.

Wang Sumo and Zhao Tong were busy cooking and didn't pay attention to the time, while Jiang Yutang was washing up and rinsing without stopping for a moment. All of this was done by Bai Cen.

At the appointed time, Wang Sumo instructed: "Brother Zhao, add the radishes and red dates; Bai Cen, remind him to season the lamb chops in another fifteen minutes."

"Okay." They each responded and went about their own business.

After 15 minutes, add appropriate amounts of salt, pepper, and goji berries and continue simmering for another half hour. The stewed lamb chops will then be almost ready.

Wang Sumo's braised beef is now on the right track.

The secret braising sauce recipe was improved several times during the trip; when it comes to cooking, there's no end to the pursuit of flavor.

Every time I finish making it, I feel that it is the best-tasting dish and there is no way to improve it. Then I suddenly wake up from a nap, or I eat some local delicacies on the way, and suddenly I have a flash of inspiration. When I return to Bazhenlou, I start tinkering with my pile of bottles and jars again.

This one has more material, that one has less.

I've braised chicken, goose, and beef before and after. I've braised several kinds of beef, and the beef shank I braised a few days ago made everyone in the Bazhenlou restaurant swoon with its aroma.

Wang Sumo is currently most satisfied with this seasoning.

Compared to lamb, beef is harder to buy.

Although mutton is expensive, it is very popular in some places, so it is expensive but still available. However, cattle are used for plowing, and there are very few beef cattle, and there are also few places willing to raise beef cattle.

You can only buy these when they're available!

I can't even imagine being able to buy such large chunks of beef shank like last night.

A chef's passion also needs the nourishment of good ingredients and seasonings. Although Wang Sumo didn't sleep well last night, after washing her face and doing some refreshing exercises, she suddenly remembered that she had a lot of top-quality ingredients to cook today, and she was extremely excited again.

Making braised pork with soy sauce involves even more steps, especially the pre-preparation.

Last night, while we were still at the inn, the beef shank was soaked in water for half an hour, with the water changed twice in between, to remove the blood.

After an hour and a half, the beef shank is drained of moisture, and a large amount of soybean paste is poured in to marinate and soak the beef shank in advance.

It needs to sit overnight to fully develop its flavor.

However, since the processes are all done in advance, once Bazhenlou is set up, the first thing they can do is process the braised beef.

Add water directly to the pot where you soaked the beef shank last night, making sure the water covers all the beef, and then add the secret braising spice packet that she has prepared several times.

Because I've been making this a lot lately, I'm very familiar with it. I don't need precise measurements at all. I can adjust the amount of seasoning by feeling and understanding the current state of the beef shank.

Besides the seasoning packet, there's ginger and scallions.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Then you can open the pot and add salt or other seasonings according to the salted eggs.

Once the flavor no longer needed adjustment, Bai Cen was asked to take it to the stove outside.

There were two stoves outside, one for stewing lamb chops and the other for braising beef shank. The beef shank needed to be cooked over low heat, so the pot was placed higher up, and it also needed to be braised for a full hour.

This was the first time Bazhenlou opened for business, and they set up two stoves outside.

As Duan Wuheng wiped the tables and chairs, and tidied up the dining area outside the Eight Treasures Restaurant that Old Master Weng had mentioned, he was almost overwhelmed by the aroma just passing by the two stoves.

Duan Wuheng was too embarrassed to lift the pot lid, so he poked his head in through the kitchen window: "What's cooking out there? It smells so good!"

Duan Wuheng was young and greedy, so he couldn't help but ask when he smelled the aroma.

Jiang Yutang was washing vegetables by the window. She glanced at him and said leisurely, "Braised lamb chops and braised beef."

No wonder!

Duan Wuheng couldn't help but swallow hard as he looked at the mutton and beef shank. It was truly open for business, how wonderful!

"Don't steal any food!" Bai Cen, who was passing by, warned.

Duan Wuheng pouted. Who, who said he was going to steal food?

Okay, he did have a fleeting thought just now: to lift the lid of the pot, and with lightning speed, pick one out with chopsticks, without anyone noticing...

Now it seems, it's a ghostly revelation; Bai Cen is staring at him.

Duan Wuheng could only look forward to the opening of Bazhenlou, but the aroma was just too enticing.

But Duan Wuheng didn't linger at the kitchen window for long, because a "clucking" sound came from the area behind the Eight Treasures Pavilion, and Duan Wuheng ran over to see it with a "whoosh".

This was Duan Wuheng's first time operating at Bazhenlou, and everything was new and exciting to him.

Including hearing a rooster crow.

But when they got to the back, they found that it was Zhao Tong who was killing chickens and ducks.

Oh right, I heard from Brother Bai Cen that he bought three live chickens and two live ducks in Meizi Town yesterday, all of which are to be eaten today. Since they are live chickens and ducks, they must be killed on the spot.

Although we later learned that Brother Zhao was Zhao Tong, the ruthless and fearsome Rakshasa Alliance villain who struck fear into the hearts of people in the martial arts world, in our daily interactions, Brother Zhao was not fierce at all. He was just like Sister Yutang, not talkative and not fond of showing expressions.

Brother Zhao is the kind of person who will help you without saying a word if you need his help.

But when you actually see Zhao Tong act decisively and cleanly, with no superfluous expression, showing enough cold-bloodedness and indifference, it is quite shocking.

Duan Wuheng watched for a while, then turned around and found that a dozen or so people had gathered around him at some point. They were all squatting there cautiously, just like him, wanting to watch but also a little afraid to watch. They didn't know what they were doing, and they were just feeling a little apprehensive.

One of them asked, "That...that's the fish-slaughtering knife technique, isn't it? Luo, the leader of the Rakshasa Alliance, the great demon Zhao Tong, is killing chickens at the Eight Treasures Restaurant?"

Everyone else, including Duan Wuheng himself, was speechless.

They looked at each other, none of them able to give a clear answer, but they all felt a strange mix of excitement, thrill, and a desire to gossip that they dared not express.

At this moment, Bai Cen appeared at just the right time, patting one person on the shoulder. Regardless of whether he knew them or not, he had already started to get close to them, "You haven't eaten the chicken that Alliance Leader Zhao killed before, have you?"

Everyone shook their heads, saying no, they had never eaten it.

Bai Cen took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Then you are in luck. The chickens and ducks today were all killed by Alliance Leader Zhao. Did you see his knife skills? Clean and neat, not a single bit wasted! Did you see that knife? It's the Qingfeng Mingyue Blade. You are the first in the martial world to see it!"

Hiss~

Everyone around felt that the knife used to kill the chicken exuded a murderous intent and a cold glint.

"With Alliance Leader Zhao serving you, this meal was definitely worthwhile, wasn't it?" Bai Cen continued to guide the conversation.

The chicks around them nodded like they were pecking at rice.

Bai Cen changed the subject: "So, go queue up over there. The building hasn't opened to customers yet, and this is the back of the kitchen, a restricted area. Be careful if you're caught disturbing them while they're killing chickens..."

Bai Cen made a throat-slitting gesture, and with a "whoosh," the martial arts heroes behind Duan Wuheng scattered.

Duan Wuheng looked at Bai Cen with admiration: "Brother Bai Cen, you're amazing~ But, won't you disturb Brother Zhao?"

He was afraid of disturbing Brother Zhao, which would upset him.

Bai Cen stepped forward and put his arm around Duan Duan's shoulder, saying meaningfully, "Duan Duan, you haven't been at Bazhenlou long enough to understand your Brother Zhao. When he first started killing chickens and ducks, he was completely immersed in it and didn't pay attention to anything else—in his eyes, it was art!"

[Author's Note]

Today seems to be going really well! One more chapter to go, let me see if I can finish it off in one go!