Thanks to thorough preparation, Chunfenglou immediately transported the first batch of starch to its various branches after receiving it.
Dongyang County is nearby, and more than 20 shops chose to update their menus at the same time, along with a variety of new sample side dishes, making them incredibly popular.
This infuriated Mr. Song, the owner of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant across the street. After settling the accounts for the past few days, he angrily slammed down his ledger and shouted, "Go and find out who the new chef across the street is!"
The waiter next to him looked worried. "Boss, no new chefs have come to the other side. It's still the same people."
"How could that be? I've been in the restaurant business for over thirty years. I've been keeping an eye on Chunfenglou ever since it opened. How could I not know how skilled their chefs are?"
The waiter was almost in tears. "I've been watching the back door of Chunfeng Tower for three or four days, and it's really still the same people. There are no new people."
Mr. Song was furious and couldn't understand it at all. "It shouldn't be like this. Since Chunfeng Restaurant opened, it has never served so many new dishes at once. There must be a new chef."
The waiter said timidly from the side, "I guess the previous chef suddenly had a breakthrough."
Boss Song picked up the ledger he had just retrieved and smacked him hard on the head. "You think you're studying? You think you've suddenly become enlightened? A cook relies on skill and experience, which are accumulated year after year. What do you mean by 'becoming enlightened'?"
After saying that, he pointed at the waiter and said, "Don't try to slack off. Keep an eye on things. If anything seems unusual, come back and report immediately."
Zuixianlou is a long-established brand in Qingshi County with a good reputation. Even the opening of Chunfenglou has not had much impact on its business.
After all, even if the other side is a large and wealthy family that has spent a lot of money to hire many chefs from all over the country, they still can't compare to his own family's veteran chefs who have been working for more than ten years. They know the local diners' tastes very well, and he believes that, at least in terms of the taste of the food, they are in no way inferior to the other side.
And that's exactly what happened; their home-cooked meals were so delicious that regular customers kept coming back.
The other side is just using a big name and a grand display to attract attention.
To his surprise, Chunfenglou added several new dishes and improved many old dishes. After tasting them, he found that the taste was just as good as his own.
Moreover, they have several new dishes that they don't have at all yet, especially the crystal shrimp dumplings. The wrappers are crystal clear and the filling is fresh and juicy. When they are presented on the special platter, their appearance alone is enough to attract a group of diners to come into the store to enjoy them.
He racked his brains, but he really couldn't figure out how the dough was made to be transparent and yet so chewy.
And the "Burning Snow Mountain" was made of some unknown material, so glossy and bright, piled up piece by piece, just like a snow mountain. Then, when drizzled with the prepared chili oil, it truly resembled a burning snow mountain.
Even the crispy pork served as a complimentary dish was crispy, numbing, and savory. After tasting it myself, I could roughly guess what seasonings were used, but after several attempts, I just couldn't recreate that crispy texture.
If this continues, I'm afraid all my old customers will be snatched up by the other side.
Meng Zhao had no time to pay attention to Chunfeng Tower at the moment; he was fully focused on preparing for the banquet three days later. The attendees, including the county magistrate, were all literati, so the food had to be elegant and refined.
The names of the dishes that were previously chosen to appeal to wealthy businessmen, such as "Blooming Flowers Bring Wealth and Prosperity" and "Bringing in Fortune and Good Fortune," can no longer be used, lest they find them vulgar.
For this reason, she specially prepared several decorative items in advance, just for the plating on the day.
On the day of the banquet, Meng Zhao arrived at Gu Jiaoyu's house early. As a scholar, his courtyard was not as luxurious as those of wealthy merchants; it was only slightly better than that of an ordinary family.
There were only two older female cooks helping out in the kitchen. Because they were well-prepared, Meng Zhao immediately assigned them to help prepare the dishes in advance when he arrived.
In addition to her signature main dishes, she also prepared several dishes that were not only delicious but also visually appealing.
The most complex dish is a famous Sichuan dish, Peony Fish Slices.
Take a fresh grass carp, cut the fish meat into pieces, remove any impurities, and slice it into even fillets.
Marinate with salt, scallions, and ginger for 15 minutes.
Coat the marinated fish fillets with flour, pound them evenly with a mallet until they are as thin as flower petals, then place them into three sizes of peony petal molds that Meng Zhao had carved in advance, trim the edges with scissors, and trim each fish fillet into a petal.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish fillets. The oil temperature is the most difficult to control at this stage. If the oil temperature is too high, the fish will burn easily, and if the oil temperature is too low, the fish will not take shape. In ancient times, there were no measuring tools, so this was a great test of the chef's skills.
Use steamed mashed potatoes as a base, arrange the fried fish fillets in the shape of a peony on the plate, and then garnish with cucumber leaves carved into them.
The sauce for the peony fish fillets is also crucial. Sauté the prepared pickled pepper sauce in a pan until fragrant, then add minced ginger, minced garlic, sugar, and vinegar. Thicken with cornstarch slurry, and before serving, add a handful of bright green chopped scallions. The peony fish fillet sauce is now ready.
When plating the dish, Meng Zhao even used mulberry juice to inscribe two famous lines that he had practiced for a long time on the white porcelain plate.
"Only the peony is truly a national beauty; when it blooms, it stirs the capital."
This dish immediately attracted everyone's attention when it was served. From its appearance, it resembled a painting of blooming peonies. The fish fillets were fried to perfection, with slightly reddish edges and each petal displaying a gradient of colors, presenting the magnificent colors of a peony.
Take a bite of a slice of fish, and you'll experience the tenderness of the fish and the rich aroma of the sauce, creating a delightful and satisfying flavor that will leave you wanting more.
Another dish, Jade Lotus from the Jade Pool, uses tender chicken and shrimp paste as a base, with freshly trimmed lilies arranged in a lotus flower pattern on the base, and goji berries placed in the center as the stamens. It is then steamed for half an hour after the water boils.
Then pour the thickened chicken broth over the prepared jade lotus, and you'll have the Jade Pool.
This dish has a rich and mellow broth, and upon closer tasting, it carries the unique fragrance of lilies. It is not only beautiful to look at, but also very delicious.
For the last dish, Meng Zhao chose to make a dessert called "Wonderful Brushstrokes," which is based on the modern popular calligraphy brush pastry.
Making calligraphy brush pastries is very simple. Just wrap lotus seed paste filling in water-oil dough, shape it into a brush tip, deep-fry it in a pan, and then attach it to a pre-prepared brush handle.
Worried that the edible portion of the calligraphy brush pastry was too small, I made a few more Chinese-style pastries, modeled after inkstones, inkwells, and books.
When the dish was first served, everyone thought it was a mistake. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a pastry made in the style of the Four Treasures of the Study.
Pick up a calligraphy brush, dip it in some mulberry juice from the inkstone, and bite into the brush tip. It's crisp and crunchy, with lotus seed paste filling inside, exuding a sweet and fragrant aroma.
After the inkstone and inkstone are cut open, you can see the filling inside. This dish is clearly made with care.
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