Chapter 123 Char Siu (Second Update)
Mother Wen was somewhat suspicious of Master Jin and his companion. The two only ate a few bites in the shop and then packed the rest to go. Not only that, the young man also paid far more than the agreed price.
But by the time she chased after them to get her money back, the two had already gotten into a taxi and driven away.
So he could only go back to the store, thinking that if he saw the two of them again, he would have to return some of the money.
It's just a portion of my own food, how could it cost so much!
The fish head stew with flatbread at noon was exceptionally delicious, and everyone ate until they were stuffed. Naturally, the afternoon was spent digesting the food.
Ren Haijin and Ji Boyi continued to follow Wen Fan to make tofu, but Wen Fan had already lost interest in it.
I've decided to make two more batches today, and then we'll finish the tofu feast!
After eating it for several days, the customers weren't tired of it, but she was tired of making it.
The steaming soy milk simmered on the earthen stove. Ji Baiyi took the spoon from Wen Fan, and under Wen Fan's questioning gaze, whispered, "I'll do it. You tell me how to make it."
Wen Fan: "...Thank you."
After a while, Ji Baiyi said again, "I have medicine at home. I'll prescribe a remedy to reduce internal heat for you tomorrow. Drink some water regularly, and this winter will be easier."
Wen Fan glanced at Ji Boyi and nodded.
The tofu was ready in the afternoon, and Wen's mother came to pick it up.
After a difficult driving school experience, Wen's mother finally got her driver's license. Although she can't drive very far now, she is already familiar with the route from the shop to here. She backed the car in the doorway and loaded all the tofu onto the car.
Wen's mother handed her daughter a drink: "Didn't you say you had a sore throat? Here, kale."
A slimming bottle from a milk tea shop was previously seen being drunk by Wen's mother, who thought it was a healthy beverage. However, after trying it herself, she discovered that Wen Fan's version was sweetened and was subsequently banned.
Today, Wen's mother specially bought it for her daughter. She had to talk to the shop assistant for a while to find out which kind it was.
Wen Fan held up the small bottle of sweet water with a happy smile, indicating that he would be resting tomorrow night.
"This amount of tofu is enough for tomorrow's lunch. We can rest tonight and revise the menu the day after tomorrow."
Wen's mother stammered without hesitation: "Okay, then I'll have your dad eat less food tomorrow, and he can rest the day after tomorrow too."
If you were to ask Wen's mother, she could rest from now until the New Year. After all, she's been busy all year, so what's wrong with taking a break during the New Year?
But Wen Fan couldn't stay idle; she wanted to work a few more days.
"Mom, isn't Laba Festival coming soon?"
Wen's mother took out her phone: "I'm so confused... Yes, it's the day after tomorrow."
Wen Fan clapped his hands: "Then let's cook some Laba porridge and sell it in the shop."
Laba Festival marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. Wen Fan is an expert at making porridge, and he's been itching to try it for a while now.
"I don't want to go through too much trouble. I'll just make some Laba porridge, a braised pancake, and a few stir-fried dishes."
Porridge is best paired with something oily, and braised flatbread is just right.
Ren Haijin, who had just eaten fish head stew with flatbread today, asked in confusion, "Is the stewed flatbread the same kind of flatbread as what we had for lunch today?"
Wen Fan: "Pretty much... but I won't do it, let's just get some in."
Letting her do it, not to mention the price, the process alone would take too much time.
"Make some braised pork in a clay pot, braised pork in a clay pot with flatbread."
Without hesitation, Wen Fan returned to the store in the afternoon and immediately wrote an order for his father.
First, there's the shredded pancake. That's simple. Just order it from a noodle stall. Wen Fan has specific requirements for the shape, so he pre-cut a portion to the width he wanted and had his father take it up so the stall owner could cut it accordingly.
Secondly, there's braised pork in a jar.
Wen Fan wanted pork shoulder and pure pork belly.
We also need a few more jars.
Wen's father quickly bought the meat and jars, and then watched his daughter start to prepare the pork and jars.
There are many ways to make jarred pork, and each region has its own way of making it, from south to north and from east to west.
Because Wen Fan needed it urgently, he opted for the simplest method.
First, clean the pork thoroughly before preparing the seasonings. Preheat a clay pot, add scallions and ginger, and stir-fry the pork until it caramelizes with sugar. Then add a small cup of white wine and simmer until almost done. Transfer the pork to the clay pot. Add a few hawthorns and jujubes to the clay pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook.
Let it simmer for a while, then transfer everything to a jar. Add rock sugar, soy sauce, cinnamon, scallions, and ginger to the jar, add water, and cover the jar.
Wen Fan clapped his hands.
Father Wen: "Is that all?"
Wen Fan: "No, this is just a little bit first. Tomorrow we'll simmer the whole jar over a low flame. Once it's simmered, let it sit for a while and then it'll be ready to eat."
The pork stew made this way has a crispy skin and tender meat, making it incredibly flavorful.
Just hearing Wen Fan say that made Ren Haijin's stomach rumble. It was strange, really. He had eaten so much at noon, and now he was hungry again.
Ren Haijin pinched the flesh on his stomach, indicating that it was not his fault at all!
The food was simply too delicious!
Wen Fan filled all three jars, and planned to use the remaining plum meat to make char siu.
The most important thing in making char siu is the marinade, a little red yeast rice powder and seafood sauce. Wen Fan also brought out some rose liqueur she made herself a few months ago. She only made a small bottle of the rose liqueur, and when she took it out now, it still had a strong floral fragrance.
Rose liqueur is key to the aroma of char siu. Wen Fan pokes small holes in the pork shoulder, then marinates it for a while before letting it cool in the cold air.
It has to be said that blowing a hairdryer directly at meat is really a bit weird.
Wen's father couldn't help but ask Wen Fan why he did this.
Wen Fan: "It needs to be cooled by a cold wind to get a crispy crust."
After doing all this, Wen Fan put the marinated pork belly into the oven. The oven had a light, so you could watch the pork belly gradually turn golden brown inside. The Maillard reaction made the meat pieces more vibrant in color. Wen Fan also took the meat pieces out halfway through and brushed them with a layer of honey water.
As the plum meat oozes its juices during roasting, the honey water on the surface quickly turns into a layer of dark brown armor covering the meat.
The meat is juicy and has a wonderful aroma.
Soon, the char siu, with its rich aroma, was transferred from the oven to the countertop.
Wen Fan cut the char siu open, and the juices seeping out from the cut surface made the char siu even more tempting.
Ren Haijin, who had just said he was hungry, got a bowl of rice, put char siu on top of the rice, and poured some of the char siu's sauce over it. The sweet sauce was also delicious with the rice.
Although Wen Fan likes sweets, she only ate a little bit of the char siu.
The rest were eaten by Wen's father, mother, and a few other people.
After finishing her meal, Wen's mother licked her lips and said, "I used to think that sweet meat didn't taste good."
When she was young, she ate braised pork from the South with her father. The braised pork was so sweet, it was as if it had been sprinkled with sugar, that she was so sick of it that she didn't want to eat braised pork for several years.
But this time the char siu was different; the sweet sauce added a lot to it, and there was even a faint hint of rose fragrance.
"It's delicious."
Wen Fan: "It's delicious, but you can't eat too much of it."
It's both sweet and meaty, and since Wenmu's blood pressure is already unstable, eating too much of it is bound to be bad for her health.
After lunch, the restaurant quickly became crowded.
Chen Jiahe and his assistant Zeng still came to report for duty.
After taking the tofu back to the hotel at noon, Chen Jiahe first went to the housekeeper to ask if he could get a small electric cooker for him.
The housekeeper was indeed knowledgeable and accommodating, and quickly found a small electric hot pot, just big enough for one person.
Chen Jiahe placed the small electric cooker on the bedside table: "We'll eat it tonight."
What he needs to do now is go to the gym for a run.
Chen Jiahe maintained a daily exercise habit in order to eat well.
After spending the afternoon at the gym, the two returned to the restaurant in the evening. Instead of ordering the dishes they had already eaten, they started ordering other dishes.
There was also a young man, Xiao Lu, at the dinner tonight.
Xiao Lu was very good at catering to Guo's preferences. Since Manager Guo had said he would reimburse him, Xiao Lu simply sent an invitation as soon as he got a seat.
Chen Jiahe was already worried about the long queue in the evening. It was only because Assistant Zeng had queued up in advance at noon that the two of them were able to eat. But no one expected that there would be so many people in the evening!
With so many people and such a long queue, Wen's mother was already handing out number plates. Chen Jiahe watched helplessly as the number plates were handed out to the people a few steps ahead of him.
Just as I was about to lament whether I should ask someone to buy my number, Xiaolu called.
Xiao Lu still had that innocent, fresh-faced look of a new employee, saying she had a position available and asking Chen Jiahe if he wanted to come.
Chen Jiahe and his assistant Zeng exchanged a glance: "We'll be there right away!"
The two were too embarrassed to show up immediately, so they wandered around for a while before entering the store.
Xiao Lu greeted the two of them warmly.
The dinner was pleasant, and Wen Fan added a new dish: sesame leaf and tofu soup, which she had made for her mother before.
The sesame leaves have a rustic aroma, and the soup is thick and smooth.
When Chen Jiahe tasted this dish for the first time, he praised it while drinking.
They even took photos from different angles.
"That's amazing."
Such simple ingredients can make such a fragrant soup.
Xiao Lu scratched his head, looking puzzled.
Isn't this the soup that's commonly made in his hometown?
He had gotten tired of drinking it when he was a child, but Wenji's was authentic, and after a few sips he found it quite good and palatable.
Xiao Lu picked up his phone with a "beep" sound; it was a message from his girlfriend.
It's simple, but packed with information.
[Wenji Restaurant will be closed for lunch tomorrow and will be closed in the evening. The menu will be changed the day after tomorrow!]
When Chen Jiahe heard Xiao Lu relay the news, he was stunned.
"How could this be..."
He's only eaten two meals!
Xiao Lu: "...That's how they are."
No matter how well they sell, they can be taken off the shelves without a second thought, showing no concern for the profits.
However, along with the bad news, there was also some good news.
That means Wenji is about to launch a special Laba Festival meal!
Chen Jiahe and his assistant Zeng clenched their fists secretly.
This time, I absolutely have to try it!
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