Chapter 110 Copper Hot Pot [Second Update]
This time, Wen Fan's hands are featured again. She has the experience of teaching Wen's father and has also referred to online cooking tutorial videos. This time, she adopted the "mineral water bottle method" in the teaching process.
An empty mineral water bottle is cut open, and all the ingredients are counted according to the number of compartments in the bottle.
It can be said to be easy to understand.
The video had barely been posted when foodies responded in the middle of the night. It's thanks to the advanced food delivery services in the city that you can still buy butter and other ingredients even in the middle of the night if you're willing to pay.
After following Wen Fan's tutorial, I immediately knelt down in the comments section.
[Meow Meow: ...I would call this a new era of charity. I will pass this recipe down as my family heirloom!]
It smells so good!
Even if you're a complete novice in the kitchen, you can still make a big plate of fragrant mashed potatoes with sauce using ingredients that aren't exactly the same!
Paired with homemade rice noodles, a bowl of it in the middle of the night really makes me feel hopeful about life.
Her comment prompted some night owls in the comments section to order takeout and ingredients overnight, managing to eat before sunrise.
[Lucky Goose: Long live the Potato Queen! Long live the Potato Queen!]
[Xi Fan: It's so delicious I wouldn't let go even if I slapped myself... Now I finally understand why so many people recommend Wen Ji; this internet-famous restaurant really does have something special.]
[Ms. Tiezhu: I boiled ten large potatoes, and I've eaten a third of them. Looking at what's left, I'm smiling like a landlord with surplus grain.]
Those who acted quickly have already submitted their answers, and the photos shared in the comments section are increasingly enticing.
Those who go to bed early only see the video in the morning, and are confused and have many questions.
[Murder Squad: Wait, someone tell me why this store did this? Are they crazy? Revealing their product's secret formula!]
You should know that even street stalls have entry barriers these days; some people spend tens of thousands of yuan to buy secret recipes to learn how to make a snack.
If Wenji wanted to make a fortune from the secret recipe, he only needed to recruit a few dozen students and easily earn hundreds of thousands!
Yao Qingqin got up early in the morning and immediately responded to any questions she saw.
[Wenji Restaurant: Actually, the owner said there were too many people and the students couldn't get any food, so he decided to make it public.]
The reply was followed by a string of ellipses.
Is this even human language?
Because there are too many people, we are revealing the secret recipe.
Are you sure you won't go bankrupt if you keep doing this?
Han Lulu asked Wen Fan the same question.
Wen Fan smiled and said, "I didn't release anything else... just a mashed potato recipe."
There are actually many tutorials online, but none of them are very authoritative. Wen Fan's recipe draws on the strengths of many, so no matter who makes it, it won't taste particularly bad.
Mashed potatoes go well with many things, whether it's noodles, rice noodles, or rice bowls, they're a great combination.
Many people enjoy eating potatoes, and this recipe can effectively curb scalping. Imagine you can make a large pot of potatoes for just ten or so yuan; would you still spend fifty yuan to queue up?
In this way, students can still go and patronize the place.
Han Lulu expressed her admiration.
Not everyone has the courage to give away such a large sum of money to the public.
Wen Fan said that he didn't work for nothing, as his own account gained tens of thousands of followers.
Perhaps due to the popularity of mashed potatoes, within a couple of days, prominent bloggers started posting videos demonstrating how to make it. After completing their videos, they would come to Wenji's comment section to express their admiration.
If Wenji was previously only eaten by a small group of people and had the image of an online celebrity restaurant, then this incident has brought a large number of loyal fans to the account.
It can change people's perceptions, and Wenji's image is becoming more and more positive. Wen Fan thinks this formula is quite worthwhile.
Once the recipe is released, someone will inevitably set up a stall to sell it.
Within a few days, more stalls selling mashed potatoes appeared on the streets and alleys of the city.
Qunying Middle School, the birthplace of mashed potatoes, quietly put a large pot of warm mashed potatoes on the stall selling handmade noodles in the cafeteria.
The price of the potato-flavored noodles was clearly stated in the price column.
Of course, in addition to the new products offered by noodle and rice noodle vendors, someone has also quietly started selling mashed potatoes in a corner of the cafeteria.
Based on Wenji's recipe, they have even created several variations of the braising sauce.
Curry, tomato, black pepper...
Whether they sell well or not is another matter, but they look particularly impressive when lined up in a row, and surprisingly, quite a few students come to visit.
Under such pressure, Wenji's mashed potato sales naturally declined, but they still managed to sell out within half an hour.
Some picky students can tell the difference between the two, and they'd rather queue up for a while in the morning to eat at Wen Ji's.
Wen's mother breathed a sigh of relief. She had been so busy that she had lost control of her blood pressure again. Seeing that everything was stable, she also took the medicinal diet in the afternoon.
Wen Fan washes his hands and prepares a medicinal meal at noon, and now he already has four regular customers in the afternoon.
Including parents, there are six.
Then it quickly became seven.
Yao Qingqin insisted that her parents go to see a doctor, and after the examination, they concluded that Yao's mother was also weak.
Yao Qingqin took the initiative to ask Grandpa Duan about the medicinal diet. The old man said he wanted to try some, as it would definitely be beneficial, but he shouldn't expect to recover all at once. He suggested eating it three times, once every other day.
Yao Qingqin earns a lot of money now, so such expenses are not a big burden for her.
Especially since Wen's mother only charged for the medicine, it seemed even more cost-effective.
The seven guests didn't eat there every day, and gradually a routine was established: on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, they mostly had pigeon soup, while on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they had duck soup.
The earliest customers have been eating it for two weeks now, and their complexions are visibly better.
After each visit to the restaurant for medicinal cuisine, they would always pack a braised dish or beef offal stew to take home. Over time, Wen's mother also learned the other person's name.
—Zou Yu.
Zou Yu is a lawyer who is usually very busy with work.
The few times she manages to eat medicinal meals these days are only when she has a spare moment in her busy schedule.
Seeing her like this, Wen's mother would always make a point of saving her a portion of rice. Even if the rice was sold out at noon, she would cook some more, waiting for Zou Yu to come and eat in the afternoon.
After finishing her meal, Zou Yu wiped her mouth and thanked Wen's mother.
"Thank you for your help these past few days."
If Zou Yu didn't know that Wen's mother had deliberately saved food for her, after half a month, Zou Yu noticed it from the details.
Wenji's business is so booming that it's hard to believe they'd have leftover staple food.
The staple food and vegetables that Wen's mother specially prepared for her each time were undoubtedly a thoughtful and heartwarming gesture.
Zou Yu subconsciously handed over her business card, saying playfully, "Although I hope you won't contact me, you can still consult me if you need anything..."
She blinked: "The consultation fee is discounted."
Wen's mother took it and smiled, "Then I hope you take good care of yourself."
Don't come to the doctor next time.
Medicinal cuisine shouldn't be consumed for too long, so Zou Yu stopped coming after her health improved a bit.
She's busy with work and travels a lot, so she doesn't know when she'll be able to come and try Wen Ji's new dishes again.
...
After the mashed potato controversy subsided, Wen Fan took a New Year's Day holiday.
Wen's mother put up a sign saying that she would be taking the day off.
Since the kindergarten buffet, they've been very busy. Later, Xie Qingxi contacted them many times, hoping they could take on a few more brunch or company annual dinner orders, but Wen's mother declined each time.
Wen Fan also stated that he would no longer accept such large-scale events in the future.
She hadn't seen it before, so she went to check out the kitchen. Now that her curiosity had died down, taking on such a task again would be too tedious.
Wen's mother lay on the sofa, letting out a comfortable groan.
People who are busy for a long time often lose track of time. It was only today, January 1st, that she suddenly realized a year had already passed.
So much happened that year that she was in a daze.
Is it only been a year?
It feels like a lot of things have happened.
In the new year, my family's wish to buy a car has been fulfilled. We're still a little short of buying a house, but not far off.
The dream that once seemed unattainable is now within reach.
Wen's mother couldn't help but take out brochures for several new housing developments and ask her daughter which one she liked.
Wen Fan read it carefully and said it was all good.
"Then let's go see it when you have time off."
Although we don't mean to move right away, we'll settle on a date first and then slowly start decorating.
Wen Fan leaned on his mother's shoulder without saying a word.
But in my heart I thought, with my family by my side, it wouldn't matter if I rented a place for the rest of my life.
"Mom, shall we have hot pot today?"
Wen's mother said either way was fine.
Wen Fan took out an old-fashioned copper pot that he had bought on a whim when he went grocery shopping.
Father Wen: "Hot pot lamb?"
It seems like we're running low on lamb at home?
Wen Fan picked up a brush and washed the pot: "We're not going to cook mutton, we'll make a copper hot pot."
The cleaned copper pot is lined with cabbage and glass noodles at the bottom, and then fried meatballs, crispy pork, potatoes, tofu, enoki mushrooms, kelp, roasted pork, etc. are arranged on top...
Wen Fan also found a package of dried sea cucumbers in the cabinet, which were leftovers from cooking. He took the sea cucumbers out, soaked them, and threw them into the copper hot pot.
The rest depends on what you have at home. A copper hot pot is stuffed full, with plenty of seasonings added to the meat and vegetables. Wen Fan also added some soy sauce and other things, and then charcoal is added in the middle to start cooking.
Without adding water to the pot, the vegetables' own juices seep out, and soon a sizzling sound is heard.
Wen Fan made several sauces and also made flatbreads. The thick flatbreads were placed aside, and since the house had heating, they weren't afraid of getting cold.
The copper hot pot is heated while you eat, and it makes you sweat all over in no time.
The meatballs are fried and then boiled, so the outer shell is no longer crispy, but the inside is juicy and firm. The meatballs are firm and chewy. The small pieces of crispy pork are boiled until the outer layer melts. The slices of roasted pork are boiled, then fried, and finally steamed. The fat is rich and succulent. With a gentle touch, the fat melts into oil, and the lard is slightly sticky. It is so tender that it is only in the middle form of fat. The lean meat is cooked until it is loose and has a rich meaty aroma.
The vegetables soaked in the meat gravy are now at their best for consumption.
The winter-ripened Chinese cabbage is fresh and crisp, always absorbing the meaty flavor best in the pot. Its sweetness is released into the broth, and even when cooked until it loses its shape, it's still coated in the savory sauce. The potatoes are so soft and powdery that the edges are blurred, melting into a sandy texture in your mouth. There was only a handful of dried green beans left, which Wen Fan threw in. The soft and chewy green beans were even better than fresh ones, and the glass noodles were smooth and slippery. They were just as delicious as any other side dish, even eaten plain.
The work in the palace used to be arduous. By the end of the year, after the New Year's banquet, the palace maids and eunuchs could only eat late at night.
It only happens once a year, and everyone eats hot pot.
The steaming pot is filled with whatever you have on hand.
Regardless of whether it tastes good or bad, it's a good dish.
Wen Fan added a lot of meat and vegetables to the pot, and when her father was halfway through eating, she picked up the pancakes she had just made.
The flatbread, broken into small pieces, was soaked in the copper pot of soup. The steaming broth rushed into the flatbread, which was thick, moist on the outside and dry on the inside. This kind of flatbread with a slightly chewy interior was eaten clean by the whole family.
He raised his hand and lifted the cup full of cola.
"Happy New Year!"
Another year, new scenery!
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