Chapter 140 Pineapple Fried Rice, Flatbread Rolls with Tofu [Second Update]...
The renowned Wen Ji restaurant has a young girl running the kitchen.
As soon as Wen Fan finished speaking, someone frowned and said, "Stop fooling around. Didn't you graduate high school? Are you trying to amuse your parents here? Call your dad."
Some people were also secretly observing Wen Fan, and the more they looked, the more suspicious they became.
Did this young girl make all those dishes before?
How could that be?
With those thin, frail wrists, I wonder if she could even swing a ladle.
Wen Fan didn't care what these people were speculating about her. She took a bite from each of them and then began her attack.
"Too much salt, the vegetables are too raw... and your knife skills don't seem very good either, you can't even cut the vegetables neatly?"
"You cut it very nicely, and even made a special shape for it. It's just that the sauce is too simple and too cautious. Adding a spoonful of soy sauce and a third of a spoonful of sugar to the seasoning would make it much better."
"It's too oily. Reduce the oil by half and stir-fry for another half minute."
...
The men looked at each other, their eyes filled with the same disbelief.
If Wen Fan had just said it casually, they would most likely have laughed dismissively and not taken it seriously.
But Wen Fan's words seemed to make sense, so the group dared not move.
If someone raises a question, and Wen Fan shuts them down with "You try doing it yourself," the situation won't look good.
But after Wen Fan finished speaking, he stretched out his hand, implying that none of them were qualified, which angered some of them.
"Is this Wenji's attitude? Oh, so you think it's bad just because you say so? I've been making fried rice for years, I've even run a stall and a shop before, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. You're just looking down on others because you're a famous internet celebrity restaurant. If you don't want to hire anyone, just say so, sending some little girl to test you... Let me be blunt, there's no such thing as a woman's job in the kitchen! What do you know?"
Wen Fan hadn't heard such words in a long time.
She had often heard her classmates, the eunuchs, who were skilled in cooking, say this when she was in the imperial harem.
Wen Fan wasn't angry after hearing this; instead, he found it quite interesting.
"You think I'm not good enough?"
The man who questioned her said arrogantly, "It's not that I think you're incompetent, it's that I think women are all incompetent. The kitchen is not a job for you."
He runs a restaurant himself, so he knows best how tiring it is. Just imagine how much weight a big iron wok weighs, and how much effort it takes to toss it just around the wok! Not to mention everything else.
After taking another look at Wenji's kitchen, the man hesitated for a moment, but in the end he made up his mind.
It couldn't have been this little girl who did it!
It's definitely her dad!
If it were any other store trying to fool people like this, he would have just gotten up and left.
But Wen Kee is Wen Kee after all. Jin Yu Lou has been closed since before the Lunar New Year, and recently there have been rumors that Jin Yu Lou has gone out of business and is reportedly looking for tenants.
With the closure of Jin Yu Lou, Wen Ji, which was often compared to Jin Yu Lou, became the most popular restaurant in the area.
Don't be fooled by its small scale; after a few months, you can learn a lot by observing others, like with the mashed potatoes from before the New Year—all you need is a few recipes…
The man didn't dare to offend Wenji's daughter too much, so he softened his tone after speaking.
"Stop messing around. Call your dad in. You can't just look at fried rice when interviewing a chef."
Wen Fan gave him a half-smile, then turned around and started cooking.
After scrubbing the large iron wok clean, before anyone could react, Wen Fan started frying rice.
Fry two eggs, add rice and pineapple, stir-fry evenly, and then add seasonings.
Every step was clean and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.
When a steaming plate of pineapple fried rice was presented to everyone, some people didn't even realize what was happening.
Wen Fan picked up a disposable spoon: "Try it."
Mechanically scooping a spoonful of rice into my mouth, the golden rice grains are distinct, the moist golden pineapple chunks carry a sweet fruity aroma, the rice grains are dry, and the shrimp, green beans, and carrots are fresh and crisp. The sweet and sour flavors are mixed with the aroma of oil, and the pineapple chunks burst in my mouth, like a cool breeze...
The man who had spoken rudely earlier lowered his head and remained silent, while most of the others looked on in disbelief.
Wen Fan: "Is this alright?"
Why not? It works perfectly.
Aside from the man who had just questioned them, he was too embarrassed to say anything more and turned to leave.
Although the others were disappointed not to be selected, they were happy to have something to talk about.
The news that Wenji's head chef is actually his daughter, not his father, is absolutely shocking.
Not long after I returned, rumors started circulating online.
Most people don't believe it, so the truth has become an inside story known only to a minority...
But that's a story for another time.
After testing the previous few people, just before closing time, a young man came into the store, panting heavily.
"I'm here for a job interview!"
Xiao Ge wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking that it was fortunate he had browsed his phone for a while tonight and saw that Wenji was hiring. His master had been urging him to come quickly, afraid that someone would beat him to it.
Xiao Ge then understood what his master meant.
So, Master intends for him to study for a few more years?
Master Da Jin: "It's not about letting you study for several years, it's about letting you learn from others."
Wen Fan's skills were superior to his, and sending his apprentice there was only because he benefited from Wen Fan's influence.
Master Da Jin even told his apprentice not to worry too much about the salary: "If it's a little more or a little less, Master will make up for it."
Xiao Ge obediently agreed and rushed to the store. When he first heard Wen's mother say that several people were coming for interviews that night, his heart sank.
When Wen Fan came out, he glanced at him but didn't say anything. He waved for him to go into the kitchen.
"fried rice?"
Xiao Ge never expected the interview question to be like this.
But since Wen Fan had spoken, he picked up the spatula and started cooking.
Unlike the previous people, Xiao Ge opened all the seasonings on the counter to take a look. Although the fried rice was a bit slow because he was not familiar with the counter, the mixed fried rice he made was neither dry nor oily. The perfect heat was already rare.
Wen Fan took a bite, and the way he looked at him changed.
"From a fancy restaurant?"
Xiao Ge: "...Hmm."
"Jin Yu Lou?"
Xiao Ge: "...Hmm."
My master said to keep it a secret for now, just in case people have objections. But what's there to hide? You can tell the difference with just one bite.
Wen Fan put down the plate: "I saw you tasting the seasoning just now... why did you put some diced tomatoes in the middle?"
Xiao Ge looked a little confused: "I think it will taste better this way."
Wen Fan took a deep breath: "Okay, can you come tomorrow?"
Xiao Ge happily agreed, then hesitantly asked Wen Fan how he knew she had come from Jin Yu Lou.
Wen Fan: "Just kidding."
She knew a few restaurants, but only Jin Yu Lou was clear in her memory; she knew nothing about the others. She'd intended to scare him, but the boy was surprisingly easy to talk to; he answered all her questions immediately.
Xiao Ge was a little uneasy: "Aren't you going to ask me why I came? My master said..."
Wen Fan said with a headache, "Stop, stop, stop, I don't want to know."
Xiao Ge: ?
Wen Fan asked irritably, "Has Jin Yu Lou gone out of business?"
Xiao Ge nodded.
Wen Fan rolled his eyes: "Jin Yu Lou has already collapsed, what else is there to say?"
Someone who came from a closed-down restaurant is surely better than someone who comes here to learn the trade from someone who owns a restaurant, right? That's the dilemma of small restaurants: without staff, production can't go up, and they only earn a meager living; if they hire staff, they have to teach skills and secret recipes. Thinking about it that way, this person in front of me is actually quite suitable.
Besides, this kid has a solid foundation, isn't stupid, and it's obvious he's been carefully taught by his master.
Wen Fan felt this was crucial.
When taking on apprentices, you also need to teach them the basics and watch them practice.
There's no need to worry about this kid; he probably has an experienced teacher at home waiting for him to come back and give him extra practice.
That works perfectly; we can practice over there and generate revenue over here.
As for learning her skills?
Wen Fan is not bragging, but if Xiao Ge can learn even half of what she has learned in three to five years, he would be considered exceptionally talented.
Xiao Ge was speechless for a moment, and finally understood what his master meant by "it is difficult to catch up with him".
So, they saw right through it, yet you didn't care at all!
"Then I'll come to work tomorrow at noon?"
Wen Fan nodded: "Come on... I'll make fried rice for you from now on. Come over and learn tomorrow."
Xiao Ge: "Oh."
...
The store's staff has been finalized.
Wen Fan felt completely relaxed.
Meanwhile, Yao Qingqin couldn't stay idle. As soon as her mother-in-law mentioned giving her the stall, she immediately started making arrangements on when to begin.
Wen Fan prepared a pot of braising liquid the night before, along with dried tofu, dried tofu sheets, kelp, eggs, sausages...
Within two days, regular customers discovered that Wen Ji had actually started running a stall again.
Yao Qingqin stood behind the food cart at the entrance, soliciting business.
"Laomo rolls with tofu, twelve yuan each!"
Someone immediately offered to have one.
Yao Qingqin deftly picked up a soft, pliable pancake and asked the other person what they wanted to eat or not.
The customer, smelling the aroma of the braised tofu, said, "I'll have some of everything, mildly spicy."
"Okay."
Yao Qingqin spread a layer of chili sauce on the pancake, then a layer of sauce, two slices of dried tofu, a slice of dried scallop, and a little bit of dried bean curd sheets. Bean sprouts that had been blanched in hot water were placed next to her. She dipped the bean sprouts briefly in the braising liquid, then placed them on top, along with chopped green onions and cilantro, and finally added a halved braised egg. After rolling it up slightly, Yao Qingqin squeezed in some sesame paste and sprinkled a spoonful of crushed peanuts.
Wrapped into a large roll, Yao Qingqin handed it to the customer: "There you go, your flatbread roll with tofu."
The tofu rolls I'm making now are made with leftover dried tofu from when Wen Fan made tofu before the Lunar New Year. Homemade dried tofu is full of bean flavor, and the rich bean aroma mixed with the salty and savory sauce, along with the sesame paste and crushed peanuts inside, gives it a strong aroma of vegetable oil.
Although the pancakes were delivered, Wen Fan specifically requested their thickness and size. The soft yet chewy pancake wraps around all the ingredients, and with each bite, the pancake is infused with the aroma of wheat, while the tofu and dried orchids, having soaked in the pan for a while, release their savory juices through the gaps, preventing them from feeling dry at all. The bean sprouts, though not particularly crisp, add to the overall texture.
A large roll, about the length of a palm, costs twelve yuan and you can eat your fill; even those with smaller appetites can eat until they're stuffed.
The guests raved about it.
"Although it looks simple, it tastes especially delicious."
This deliciousness doesn't even rely on seasonings or complicated ingredients, but rather on simple, rustic bean products, along with the most common flatbread and sesame paste.
Many people walk to the door and buy a roll of tofu, only to realize they were being hasty once they get inside.
After eating the rolled tofu, how much space is left for fried rice?
Never mind, I'll have a bite of burrito and a bite of fried rice.
As I ate, I noticed a difference; the fried rice tasted different, but upon closer inspection, I couldn't quite put my finger on what had changed.
Anyway, it was quite delicious, so I didn't say anything more and just focused on eating. It was a small consolation before going back to work after the New Year.
Xiao Ge peeked at the customers through the curtain. He had worked in high-end restaurants for a long time, but this was his first time working in such a small restaurant. Everything was new and exciting to him.
Wen Fan claimed to be teaching him, but in reality, he would only demonstrate once each time and then let him go back and practice on his own.
Xiao Ge practiced making this fried rice until two or three in the morning every day after he went back home.
This is what earned the guests a barely satisfactory result today.
Once Wen Fan saw that the shop had enough people to keep it afloat, he stopped coming.
After telling his parents, he arranged to go shopping with Qin He and Han Lulu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
