The aunt seemed to have memorized all of this, and like a curious child, she pressed for details: "My boss told me the other day that he wanted to eat Sichuan hot pot. How do you make the broth for hot pot?"

The fat man replied without hesitation, "That's easy. For hot pot, you need chicken carcasses, big bones, sheep brains, sheep bones, a whole crucian carp, and some vegetables to make a broth. Just simmer the broth until it's clear and smooth."

There's a specific way to flavor sea cucumber. First, wrap it in gauze, then put it in a clay pot, add enough broth to completely cover it, and simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate.

When cooking, how to fry these scallion segments tests the chef's control over the heat.

The scallion segments should be thoroughly fried in oil from the inside out, yet not burnt, so that their aroma is fully released.

The key to achieving this is the secret-recipe oil. Fatty had prepared the oil in advance and brought it with him today.

So you see, just to make this one dish, you have to bring a whole bunch of bottles and jars.

Pour the fried scallion segments into the broth, then steam for another 15 minutes; by this time, the aroma of the scallions has fully infused the broth, and the sea cucumber has almost finished simmering in the casserole.

After marinating the sea cucumbers for the first time, fry them in oil. Then, pour the broth from steaming the scallions into the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the sea cucumbers back in to marinate a second time.

Before taking it off the heat, add the sea cucumber and scallion segments back into the pot to let it marinate a third time.

The flavor of the scallions is infused into the dish with a rich sauce and strong taste; the bright red color is added to the exterior, resulting in a dish that is perfect in color, aroma, taste and texture.

There are two ways to prepare sea cucumbers.

If it's just the big boss and the aunt eating, then a plate of food will be neatly arranged in the shape of a sea urchin and served.

If there are many people today, we will divide them into several groups, and each person will receive one serving.

Today, Fatty is mainly cooking Shandong cuisine, with Sichuan cuisine as a secondary option.

Besides the famous braised sea cucumber with scallions, Shandong cuisine also includes sweet and sour carp.

Sichuan cuisine is pretty much the same old thing: shredded pork with garlic sauce, Mapo tofu, cold chicken salad, sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce, twice-cooked pork, and Kung Pao chicken.

When the meal started, Chen Mengqi sat next to the aunt and thoughtfully tied a small apron on her clothes so that she wouldn't get food on them.

The fat man figured the leaders should all be seated before he started pouring the thick sauce from the pot onto the sea cucumbers, spoonful by spoonful, to ensure that every sea cucumber was the same color when it was served.

There were 12 people eating today, which meant 12 sea cucumbers.

Secretary Chen was about to help him serve the dishes, but the fat man complained, "You can't do it. Serving two bowls at a time like this won't guarantee the color, and it looks undignified. Watch me!"

Secretary Chen stepped back angrily: "I'd like to see what tricks you can pull!"

If you're going to do something fancy, just reach out and do it. The fat man took the biggest plate and stacked 12 bowls of sea cucumbers into a pagoda shape.

Then, with a sudden burst of force, he shouted, "Go!"

He steadily carried the "pagoda" out without it wobbling at all!

Upon arriving at the private room, Secretary Chen opened the door for him, and the fat man shouted, "Braised sea cucumber with scallions, here you go!"

Wow! The leaders in the room saw the fat man carrying in such a huge plate, with a pagoda neatly stacked on it, and then they heard the name "Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions".

Relying on his seniority, thick skin, and confidence, Director Wang asked directly, "Is it Fengzeyuan's braised sea cucumber with scallions?"

The first two bowls were naturally served to the high-ranking leader and his wife, while the third bowl was placed in front of Director Wang, which shows his status.

The fat man served him the food with a disgruntled tone: "This is from the zoo!"

Director Wang said to him half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Seriously, you should think about a brand name; look at all the other companies, they're all talking about this building or that park. If someone asks you, 'Young man, where do you work?' you can't exactly answer, 'The Zoo,' can you?"

The leaders chuckled, "Why is this fat guy going to the zoo if he doesn't keep elephants?"

If the elephant gets thinner and thinner while he gets fatter, then things will get complicated!

The leaders who came today are all seasoned veterans, and quite a few of them have been to Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

Having tasted the braised sea cucumber with scallions there, the contrast between the two dishes and the one Fatty cooked today is quite striking.

Before eating this dish, you should first know what it contains.

Braised sea cucumber with scallions belongs to a branch of Shandong cuisine called Jiaodong cuisine. Jiaodong cuisine specializes in seafood dishes and its main influence is the coastal area of ​​Shandong. The abundance of seafood has promoted the development of cooking techniques.

Seafood is generally enjoyed for its fresh and delicate taste, emphasizing the preservation of the original flavor of the ingredients; however, sea cucumbers are often sandy and have a fishy smell, so they must be cooked with a strong flavor, using rich sauces, flavors, and colors.

Therefore, this dish should allow you to taste both the freshness of the sea cucumber and the rich flavor of the scallions.

The high-ranking leader took a bite first, chewed for a moment, and commented, "The color is vibrant, the texture is chewy, and it doesn't hurt your teeth. It's very good. You should all try some..."

Everyone then picked up their chopsticks. Director Wang couldn't wait to take a bite, and then his eyes turned into the shape of sea cucumbers: "This sea cucumber is good, of top quality; in addition, these scallions are also exquisite, they must be scallions from Zhangqiu, Shandong!"

The aunt smiled and asked him, "How can you be so sure?"

Director Wang, a master of creating a pleasant atmosphere, looked around at everyone with feigned smugness: "These scallions aren't spicy, they have a sweet aftertaste, a rich scallion aroma, and a lingering flavor; Fatty's cooking skills are even more superb. I couldn't taste any seasoning, yet it was incredibly flavorful, the sauce was full-bodied and mellow, the scallion oil was intensely fragrant, and it was completely absorbed by the sea cucumber..."

After he finished speaking, another leader chimed in, "I just had this braised sea cucumber with scallions last month when we were entertaining foreign guests. Fatty's version was just as good as theirs! They were both excellent in their own way. But I remember you're a master of Huaiyang cuisine, aren't you? How come you're studying Shandong cuisine now?"

The leader voiced everyone's thoughts, and the auntie smiled and came to the fat man's rescue, saying, "He's been keeping his skills a secret. He even told me that he hadn't mastered them before and was too ashamed to show them to others."

Director Wang glared and puffed out his beard: "You fatso, excessive modesty is just arrogance! You little punk, that's not fair!"

These leaders finally seized the opportunity and launched a scathing attack on the fat man...

※※※※※※

As soon as she got home in the afternoon, Chen Mengqi rushed into Yu Li's arms, hugged her neck, and said sweetly, "Mom, I ate so much meat today."

Yu Li affectionately rubbed her little belly: "Then you should move around more so you don't gain weight."

The little girl is almost nine years old and already knows how to care about her appearance. Upon hearing this, she twisted her body like a pretzel: "I won't gain weight, I won't gain weight..."