Chapter 40: Being a Chef
Ai Cao and Qing Kui looked at each other and nodded silently.
The two people understood what he meant and each took a piece of food with their chopsticks.
Fishy, astringent, bitter...
The three flavors quickly gathered in the mouth, mixed into an indescribable taste that rushed straight to the top of the head, making Ai Cao and Qing Kui cry immediately.
"What? This thing is so delicious that you are crying with joy?" Zheng Mingyuan said with a mischievous look on his face.
Ai Cao and Qing Kui both wore masks of pain and did not bother to answer Zheng Mingyuan at all.
"Most people are not used to eating Houttuynia cordata, so it's inevitable that you find it unbearable." Su Yujin said, "Go rinse your mouth quickly and eat some sesame cakes to relieve the pressure."
Ai Cao and Qing Kui hurriedly found a corner and spit out the Houttuynia cordata that they had only chewed a bite of, then rinsed their mouths with the help of Zeng Dayong, and then ate half of the pancake in their hands in one breath. Only then did they feel that the strange taste in their mouths had dissipated a lot.
But there was still a strange smell coming up from inside, making them both feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Eat some preserved eggs, they can help to reduce the pressure." Su Yujin said, "This thing is like stinky tofu, it looks unattractive, but it's actually very delicious."
Preserved eggs? The name is quite unique.
Seeing that Su Yujin was so sure about the food, Ai Cao and Qing Kui each picked up a piece to eat.
When you first put it in your mouth, you may feel that the taste is a bit strange, but after chewing it for a while, you can feel the mellow taste gradually spreading and the fragrance slowly emerging.
Moreover, this fragrance has a strong aftertaste. If you eat too much at once, you may feel a little greasy. However, the sauce contains vinegar and minced garlic, which almost completely neutralizes the mellow aroma, making this preserved egg something you will never get tired of eating.
"So this kind of egg is called Songhua Egg." Zheng Mingyuan seemed to be thinking about something. "I saw someone pickling it before, and they said it was a pickled duck egg made accidentally. Although it tasted good, it didn't have a good name. Speaking of the word Songhua, it is quite unique. What's the explanation?"
"It doesn't really have any meaning, but Uncle Zheng, look at the flowers condensed on the egg white, don't they look like pine flowers?" Su Yujin said with a smile.
"That's right." Zheng Mingyuan nodded. "Then how about these two dishes, charcoal grilled pig's trotters and Diao Chan tofu? How do they taste?"
"The charcoal-grilled pig's trotters are grilled to the perfect temperature, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the taste is also excellent. If such charcoal-grilled pig's trotters are taken out, they will definitely be praised by others. However, if I were to make it, I would split the pig's trotter in the middle and add some soybean powder, crushed peanuts and sauce, and the taste would probably be even better."
"The Diao Chan tofu is very well stewed, full of fragrance, and the soup is extremely delicious. This dish tastes very good. If I were to make it, I would be lucky to be able to reach the level of Uncle Zheng's. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it."
Seeing that Su Yujin's attitude was very sincere and every word he said was very specific, and that he was speaking the truth, Zheng Mingyuan chuckled and nodded at Su Yujin, "Your words are pleasant to hear."
"Eat quickly, especially eat more of this." Zheng Mingyuan smugly moved the plate of Houttuynia cordata towards Su Yujin, "I spent a lot of effort to get this fresh, it tastes the best."
"Thank you, Uncle Zheng." Su Yujin thanked him on the surface, but her chopsticks did not touch the Houttuynia cordata at all.
This thing is really not something that ordinary people can afford, and she is no exception!
Except for the fish mint dish, all the other dishes on the table tasted delicious.
It can be basically seen that Zheng Mingyuan's cooking skills are impeccable.
Su Yujin, who was picky about taste, was very satisfied with the meal, and she praised the mugwort and green sunflower highly.
After the dishes were cleared away, Zeng Dayong brought up some tea. Zheng Mingyuan took a sip and glanced at Su Yujin. "Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"I can't hide it from Uncle Zheng." Su Yujin said with a smile, "To be honest, I originally opened a Su Ji food store on the street, and the business was pretty good. Now I have saved some money and I want to open another restaurant in the county. I have already found a place, but I haven't found a suitable chef yet."
"A few days ago, Brother Zeng happened to be selling these Thirteen Spices in the store. I saw that the ingredients of these Thirteen Spices were very good, and they were mixed with ground spices. After asking around, I learned that it was made by his master. I guessed that Brother Zeng's master must be a person with good cooking skills, so I tried every means to meet you, Uncle Zheng, to see if you are willing to be the chef of my restaurant?"
"Be a chef." Zheng Mingyuan smacked his lips. "Speaking of which, it's been a while since I last cooked for others. The last time I cooked for a guest was seven years ago."
Then he narrowed his eyes and said, "You want to invite me to be the chef for your restaurant. How much do you want?"
"30% of the restaurant's profit every month will be given to Uncle Zheng." Su Yujin said.
"Thirty percent of the silver, that sounds like a lot." Zheng Mingyuan asked again, "What else?"
"Regarding kitchen management and dishes, Uncle Zheng's opinion shall prevail." Su Yujin answered again.
Zheng Mingyuan raised his eyebrows this time. "Leave it all to me. Are you sure? I have a bad temper. Aren't you afraid that I will mess up the kitchen and make the dishes messy?"
"Everyone has his own specialty. Uncle Zheng will not disappoint us in this regard." Su Yujin replied with a smile, "Besides, Uncle Zheng will take 30% of the money from the restaurant, so he will definitely make the restaurant better. Uncle Zheng doesn't need to cheat me just for the sake of cheating me. Uncle Zheng, do you think this is true?"
"That's a good point." Zheng Mingyuan nodded. "The little girl is young, so she can see things clearly."
Zheng Mingyuan squinted his eyes, with a cunning look in his eyes, "But this is really brave."
Being able to employ him as a chef is something that not everyone can do.
"In everything, the bold ones will die of overeating and the timid ones will die of starvation. If you want to make money, you have to take some risks. There is no way to have it all." Su Yujin said with a smile.
"That's right." Zheng Mingyuan slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, "Just for what you said, I'll be there whenever you call me when your restaurant opens."
Su Yujin was overjoyed, "Then let's make it a deal?"
"Signing and sealing are fine, but, what's happening right in front of me..."
Zheng Mingyuan chuckled, "I want to try to make a pot of stew now. You have to help me. Dayong's hands and feet are really clumsy and they are completely useless."
Zeng Dayong, "..."
Is there any master who would say this to his apprentice?
Su Yujin readily agreed to help Zheng Mingyuan make the stewed pork, and called Qingkui and Ai Cao to help process the pig offal.
The main ingredients for stewed pork are pig intestines and pig lungs, both of which are difficult to clean.
Both need to be washed repeatedly with wood ash, salt, rice wine, vinegar, etc., especially pig intestines, which need to be washed thoroughly both inside and outside.
After the two items were washed clean, Zeng Dayong lit the stove and Zheng Mingyuan picked up the big iron spoon.
(End of this chapter)
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