Chapter 186 Braised Goose Feet with Mushrooms, Camphor Tea Duck, Crispy Roast Pigeon...
Across the private room, Director Hao's eyes lit up after hearing the waiter's introduction, and he couldn't wait to ask more questions.
"Camphor tea duck...is it made with tea leaves from our Qingtang Mountain?"
The new waiter nodded and smiled: "Yes, the duck is first marinated and then smoked with camphor wood and tea leaves. The tea leaves used are this year's new season's local tea. After smoking, it is steamed and finally deep-fried."
The process is complicated, and the smoking step alone has kept us busy from yesterday to today.
The fried duck is cut into pieces, and a little tea is placed on the plate as a garnish.
The clerk next to Director Hao smelled the aroma of tea and couldn't help but exclaim, "Hey, this Wenji tea shop is really interesting. Tell me how you came up with it."
The market at the foot of Qingtang Mountain has been open for a year. Except for the three winter months when business is slow, it has been doing well since spring. Local specialties are constantly being updated, and tourists always leave with bags full of them. Even Wenji, which used to only have a few items in Liyu Village, later opened a store at the foot of Qingtang Mountain, following the same model.
In addition to fixed stalls and regular free clinics, Qingtang Mountain has also set aside some space for temporary stalls where nearby farmers can sell their own produce.
Last autumn, Yao Qingqin and Feng Huijuan discussed it and, after informing Wen's mother, moved the pancake stall there.
The osmanthus persimmon cakes sold for a month, but in the end, Feng Huijuan's family still didn't have enough persimmons, so they had to buy persimmons from several surrounding villages.
The market is thriving, but there's one thing that's causing Director Hao some trouble.
That's tea from Qingtang Mountain.
People are used to drinking Maojian, Pu'er, black tea, and white tea, so they are not interested in the tea from Qingtang Mountain. When they leave, they buy all kinds of local specialties, but they usually only buy a small packet of tea as a bonus.
Director Hao had been worried for a long time. Tea sales weren't good, so the villagers didn't want to plant anymore and wanted to clear the land for other things. This year, no amount of persuasion worked; who knows what will happen next year?
But Wen Fan's actions gave him an idea: yes, tea leaves are hard to sell, but they can be used in cooking.
The camphor tea-smoked duck is glossy and has a golden-red sheen. The skin is crispy and the meat is tender, but not watery; it's a firm tenderness with a smoky aroma. The savory flavor is enhanced by the fragrance of camphor and tea leaves mixed with a smoky scent. The duck is a specially selected plump duck; with a gentle tear, the duck fat seeps out from under the skin, creating a rich, fatty flavor. The crispy skin and tender, chewy meat complement each other perfectly.
Director Hao got more and more into the food, especially the duck legs which were meaty and had few bones, and he even started eating them with his hands.
"This duck is good."
I don't know if it's local... Hmm, aren't there several duck farms in Fangjiazhuang? I'll see if I can get in touch with Wenji later.
After finishing the camphor tea duck, everyone began to divide up the roast pigeon.
The two are similar yet different. They're similar in that both have a bright red, crispy skin, but the difference is that the pigeon's skin is inexplicably smooth, like glass! With a "crack," the crispy skin breaks open between your lips and teeth, revealing a thin, cicada-wing-like, dark red outer shell that shatters upon contact with your mouth. Behind this incredibly crispy skin lies tender, juicy pigeon meat. A gentle squeeze releases the juices from the meat's crevices. Each person receives only half a pigeon, a generous portion of the juicy, flavorful meat.
In the end, everyone was reluctant to finish the meal, and each person carefully picked the meat off the bones.
"How is this made? How can it be so crispy?"
That incredibly skillful glass crust is simply the pinnacle of both technical prowess and flavor.
The same exclamations were heard in different private rooms. The gourmets always had a lot of knowledge about food, and this crispy glass-skinned pigeon instantly won over many people.
In the last private room on the second floor, Chen Jiahe, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, was also enjoying this rare delicacy.
The shock of the crispy glass-skinned pigeon hadn't even subsided when the waiter quickly brought out a new dish.
"Stewed goose feet with shiitake mushrooms".
The waiter placed several small plates on the table. The shiitake mushroom and goose feet were served in small portions per person, with each guest receiving a shallow plate containing a shiitake mushroom, a goose foot, and an abalone. The aroma of the abalone sauce was irresistible, a rich and slightly viscous broth that would scoop up with a spoon and then spill back down. Chen Jiahe could almost hear a satisfied sigh escaping his own soul.
Assistant Zeng moved very quickly, finding tableware from the cabinet next to him and placing a small bowl and a spoon in front of each person.
"Waiter, a bowl of rice, please!"
Having eaten so much delicious food, Assistant Zeng has also gained some insights. Take this braised goose feet with abalone sauce and shiitake mushrooms, for example. If the abalone sauce is wasted, then the meal isn't truly complete. You should eat the goose feet first. The goose feet are braised to a savory and rich flavor, full of collagen, and then simmered in the abalone sauce for a long time. The rich and savory abalone sauce permeates the goose feet, making them tender and falling off the bone, smooth and with a rich savory aroma.
After finishing the goose feet, they picked up the abalone. Compared to the goose feet, the abalone meat was fresher and more tender. Assistant Zeng ate half and left the other half. Just then, the waiter brought over some rice.
"I'm sorry, the chef said that it's best not to use a large bowl to serve the main course with this dish."
Before the waiter could finish explaining, Assistant Zeng politely thanked him and accepted the money.
Without hesitation, Chen Jiahe turned the rice bowl, slightly smaller than a fist, upside down, covering the rice on the plate. With a slight stir, the rich, amber-colored broth evenly mixed the rice with the abalone sauce. Chen Jiahe marveled at how effective Wenji's store upgrade had been; Wen Fan had even considered the portion size of the main dish he was eating.
This small amount of rice is just enough to cover the little bit of broth at the bottom of the plate. The savory aroma of abalone sauce infuses the rice. Take a bite of rice topped with abalone, and you'll feel incredibly satisfied. As for the previously neglected shiitake mushrooms, they're now cooked with the rice until they're soft and tender, their umami flavor even surpassing the savory taste of meat. The rich texture and the mushrooms contribute to the final climax of the dish.
Only after sweeping the bottom of the plate clean did Chen Jiahe have time to talk to Assistant Zeng.
"It's no worse than those old shops on Hong Kong Island."
Especially after the environment was improved, the lighting in the private room became more prominent, and the light reflected off the plate made the dish look and taste flawless.
Assistant Zeng chimed in, "It's cheaper than those other places."
With the recent opening of Wenji Restaurant and the improved environment, prices have naturally changed as well. However, in the eyes of the Chen family and Assistant Zeng, this change is still very reasonable.
"Anderson, I'm preparing to resign from the company..."
Taking advantage of the delicious meal, Chen Jiahe finally voiced his long-held thought. It wasn't that he was being dramatic by changing jobs over a meal; rather, after considering the company's various circumstances, Chen Jiahe decided to move his battlefield to the mainland.
After listening quietly, Assistant Zeng offered her blessings to her boss: "...You will definitely succeed."
...
After Yao Qingqin finished feeding her daughter braised goose feet with shiitake mushrooms, she heard Song Hui quietly ask her about her ex-husband.
Yao Qingqin pouted, handed her daughter to Yang Tao, and asked him to take her to the lobby to get some ice cream. Yang Tao was just about to take his equipment out to film the lobby when he heard this, and happily took little Yao Huang out.
As soon as the child left, Yao Qingqin unleashed her full fury, launching a tirade against her ex-husband's family.
"I've never seen such a shameless family. They said they wouldn't have Yao and Huang together, and I didn't take anything after the divorce, just my daughter. And what happened? Now that his mother sees I'm making more money, she inexplicably comes to me and talks about remarrying."
"Sister Hui, isn't this ridiculous? It's been over a year since the divorce, and the child's surname has been changed. His mother is trying to manipulate me, saying that I earn so much money but I'm still at my parents' house having to put up with their attitudes, and that a woman still needs a home... That's just like trying to sow discord. Everyone can see how my parents treat me. I can honestly say that if it weren't for my parents' help over the past year, my business wouldn't have grown at all!"
"I was so angry that I kicked him out, but after I kicked the older one out, the younger one came and blocked me every day..."
Song Hui, who had been running around all the time, was learning about what had happened for the first time. She slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, "Go ahead and make trouble for him! Doesn't he want his job anymore?"
"Huh? I can't do anything about it even if I want to make a scene." Yao Qingqin said, feeling both pleased and disgusted. "This person was fired before the new year!"
Song Hui: ...
Song Hui: "I was wondering why he suddenly became shameless. Turns out he's got nothing to lose. He used to be so arrogant, earning several thousand yuan a month. Now he can't even earn a few thousand, so he starts plotting something bad."
Yao Qingqin: "Who can argue with that? He got so fed up with me that I bought a house and moved out with my parents. Now, this family is making a fuss again, saying they also have a share in my house and they're going to sue me."
Feng Huijuan listened with great interest, wishing she had a handful of melon seeds in her hand, her eyes shining as she pressed on, "And then?"
Yao Qingqin rolled her eyes: "Why would I be afraid of him? I even hired a lawyer, but this family chickened out and withdrew the lawsuit."
She now owns shops in several locations and is incredibly busy. Her child has also changed kindergartens, so they can't find her anywhere. As for going to court, Yao Qingqin isn't afraid. She consulted a lawyer, who said she'd win easily. The lawyer even suggested she sue the other party for failing to pay child support.
Yao Qingqin was somewhat embarrassed, saying that it was agreed during the divorce that the child's surname would be changed and no child support would be required.
Lawyer: "Are you stupid? The agreement even said neither side would be involved, but he's already eyeing your house, and you still made that agreement? Just sue him. If he sues you, you sue him. File the child support case first, and if he comes looking for you again, just ask him for the money. That way, after a few years, he'll have to think twice before trying to use the child to his advantage."
Feng Huijuan: "Well done!"
Yao Qingqin raised her head and said, "Anyway, his family is in dire straits now. I heard they're already discussing selling the house."
Her ex-husband lost his job, which strained their mortgage payments. He also had a bad reputation in the neighborhood because of his harassment of Yao Qingqin. So, her ex-husband and his family put both apartments up for sale, planning to move somewhere else and find a new wife so they could have a son.
Song Hui sighed, "You know, this person doesn't know how to enjoy a good life."
They were all neighbors, and they had watched Yao Qingqin grow up. Who would have thought she would suffer such a setback in marriage? But things are all better now. Wen's mother clearly trusts Yao Qingqin a lot, and her snack shops are opening one after another, and each one is doing very well.
"Hello, Golden Lionfish."
Yao Qingqin immediately picked up her chopsticks: "Why talk about those unlucky people? Eat your food, eat your food. Oh, this dish looks beautiful."
It's just that it looks good.
The entire carp is sliced into thin strips on both sides, the strips are fluffy, coated with cornstarch and deep-fried, they curl naturally after frying. Each strip is distinct, resembling a fluffy lion's mane.
No wonder it's called a lionfish.
Song Hui considerately called her son immediately, urging him to bring Yao Huang back.
"There's something delicious to eat."
This kind of sweet and sour fish is the kind of fish that kids would love.
Yao Huang was wearing a light yellow chick-shaped dress. Because she wasn't tall enough, she climbed onto a stool and then exclaimed "Wow!"
"Wow, what a big fish!"
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Author's Note: I'm in a state of being half-asleep and not quite fully awake, and when I am awake I'm still groggy... Trying my best to catch up on updates.
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