Chapter 163 Lychee Ribs, Loofah Stew with Shrimp, Pea Noodles...
Mi Xiao added a sentence as she went from table to table serving the dishes.
"This dish also has another name, called 'Big Pearls and Small Pearls Falling onto a Jade Plate'."
The diners smiled knowingly; wasn't that just like pearls of all sizes falling onto a jade plate?
On the plate, green peas and jade-white water caltrops stood out, a thin layer of glossy oil making the red ham cubes stand out even more. The peas were stir-fried until the skins were slightly wrinkled. The water caltrops, eaten raw, had a texture similar to water chestnuts—crisp, tender, and fresh—but after being stir-fried, they had an unexpected chewiness. The ham was salty and savory, and the rendered fat from the stir-frying brought out different flavors in the sweet peas and water caltrops.
This dish presented a dilemma as soon as it was served: eating it with chopsticks felt like only picking up one peony at a time, which wasn't satisfying enough; using a spoon felt like chewing on a peony, which seemed wasteful.
Fortunately, Mi Xiao quickly provided each table with a spoon, only half the size of a regular spoon, just enough for one bite.
I couldn't wait to take a spoonful. The fresh peas were soft and fluffy inside, and the wrinkled skin on the outside became chewy after being stir-fried. You could enjoy the ham flavor while having a good chew.
Tonight, apart from the photographer's table, which was occupied by two friends who also work in the photography industry, the other two tables were filled with people celebrating birthdays.
One table is for celebrating the children's birthdays, and the other table is for celebrating the elderly's birthdays.
Kids love this kind of food; they order a bowl of rice and start waving their spoons around.
"Mom, this dish is so delicious!"
Those tiny water caltrops are not commonly eaten by locals, and it's not the season for them now, but Wen Fan actually saw someone selling them at the market. He tasted one and thought it was quite good, so he bought some.
Stir-fried water caltrop is not a mixed dish to begin with, and when combined with ham and fresh peas, the flavor is unexpectedly fresh and fragrant.
With a thin layer of starch, Wen Fan retained some of the broth, making it perfect for mixing with rice.
The little boy who came in earlier was making a fuss about wanting to eat hamburgers and drink cola for his birthday, but now his face is covered in rice grains. His family has no choice but to advise him to eat less.
"There will be even better dishes later."
"Hello, the second dish is lychee spare ribs."
The white lychees, when cooked into a dish, made even the children's mouths drop open in amazement.
"Mom, is this really a lychee?"
After the May Day holiday, lychees appeared on the streets and alleys.
First comes Sanyuehong, followed by Feizixiao and Baitangying, and further on, Guiwei and Zhuangyuanhong are waiting to be launched...
Upon seeing the lychees, Wen Fan decided to make spare ribs.
The natural sweetness and juiciness of lychee transforms ordinary pork ribs into something extraordinary. The fruity aroma balances the greasiness of the ribs, and the broth, infused with the flavor of lychee, becomes perfectly balanced between sweet and sour. The fruity and fatty aromas blend together, the lean meat fibers of the ribs are soaked in the broth, the fatty parts melt in your mouth, and the tendons near the bone retain their chewy texture.
The old man ate quite a bit of the first dish with rice, and when he saw the ribs, he didn't put down his chopsticks, saying how well the ribs were cooked.
"I love this!"
The old man ate several pieces of pork ribs before he had time to drink some water, and then picked up his chopsticks again to continue eating.
The children standing nearby were overjoyed, thinking how thoughtful Wenji was. They had mentioned when ordering that it was for a family member's birthday and that the elderly person liked ribs, and sure enough, they made it.
Lychee spare ribs are both beautiful and delicious.
Take a few bites of the ribs, then a piece of lychee meat. The ribs have been stewed in the broth for a long time, turning a dark brown color. It's salty, savory, sweet, and juicy. Some people may not like it, but kids love it. Didn't you see that the kids celebrating their birthdays at that table are already having a blast?
With two dishes served in large portions, the three tables of diners, just like all the previous first-time guests in this room, had no idea they were going to be stuffed today, and they all ate rice with great relish.
Recently, Wenji has been serving two types of rice dishes: white rice and green barley rice.
Everyone unanimously chose green barley rice; the chewy green barley paired with rice made for an even better experience.
When Mi Xiao brought out the third dish, she realized the problem and quickly advised everyone to eat less rice.
"There's one last serving of noodles."
The third dish was a soup: loofah stewed with pounded shrimp.
This dish looks simple, but it's actually the most troublesome one tonight.
Wen Fan bought a fish, discarded the head, cut the body in half, scraped out the fish meat with the back of a knife, and squeezed it into small fish balls. He heated a pan with a little shrimp oil, stir-fried the loofah, added hot water, and put the fish balls and pounded shrimp in. Wen Fan also added some fried pork skin.
Speaking of which, the shop uses a lot of pork these days, so naturally there's a lot of pork skin left over. A lot of the pork skin was used by Wen's father to make pork skin jelly, which was then cut into small pieces and used in cold dishes, and it was very popular with the shop's staff. Wen Fan had nothing else to do, so he made all the remaining pork skin into fried pork skin.
The pork skin was fried in the oil until the surface was loose and full of bubbles. The fluffy and dense bubbles covered the entire piece of pork skin, making Mi Xiao next to her rub her arms.
The fried pork skin no longer resembles pork skin; it looks more like fried rice cakes. Wen Fan made quite a lot and stored it all away. When it's time to eat it, simply soak it in cold water beforehand; it's perfect for making soup.
Today's loofah soup included a generous amount of fried pork rinds. The rinds gradually expanded in the broth, their rough gaps absorbing the soup like sponges. The fried rinds were no longer greasy; instead, they had a gelatinous texture. The light loofah soup and fried pork rinds complemented each other perfectly, and a touch of shrimp oil further enhanced the flavor.
The diners, who had just been reminded by Mi Xiao not to eat too much rice, all forgot her words and started asking for more.
Soup and dishes don't taste the same without rice.
The loofah soup is light yet flavorful; after being stir-fried with shrimp oil, the broth has a rich, savory aroma. The fried pork skin, having absorbed the broth, feels a bit heavy on the chopsticks, but a gentle press in the bowl allows the broth to soak into the rice.
One good thing about green wheat is that its aroma doesn't overpower the other flavors; the rich broth seeps into the wheat grains, enhancing the overall taste.
Umami flavor bursts through your taste buds.
The most delightful surprise was the shrimp-cracking.
Although the shrimp meat changes shape, it retains its original bouncy texture. Especially after being cooked in a hot soup pot, the shrimp meat seems to flutter around like the hem of a skirt, naturally forming an arc.
The child held up a shrimp, and under the light, the shrimp meat had a translucent quality, as thin as a cicada's wing.
After the initial surprise subsided, the child popped the shrimp into his mouth, let out a burp, and squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
It's so delicious.
He thought tonight's food was a million times better than the hamburgers!
Seeing everyone eating non-stop, Mi Xiao turned around and went into the kitchen.
At this moment, Wen Fan was stir-frying the ingredients, while Master Jin watched attentively from the side, even taking notes in a small notebook.
Wen Fan didn't mind at all and let him do as he pleased, focusing on stir-frying his own pot of mixed sauce.
Within minutes, she found several large clay pots. The last dish of the night, which wasn't particularly special, was pea and minced meat noodles.
Spring peas are so delicious that Wen Fan had Feng Huijuan send over quite a lot this time.
After eating stir-fried peas, pea sprouts in pea soup, and stir-fried peas with meat for several days in a row, Wen Fan finally remembered to make pea and minced meat noodles.
When Wen Fan first said he wanted to make pea and minced meat noodles, Master Da Jin muttered that this dish should be made with dried peas, not fresh peas.
It definitely won't produce sand.
Who knew Wen Fan had his reasons?
She used a 50/50 mix of peas.
Wen Fan made a pot of soft, mushy peas with dried peas, and then made another pot with fresh peas.
Wen Fan planned to make two pots of peas, along with tonight's staff meal.
With everything prepared, Wen Fan sent Mi Xiao out to ask everyone whether they wanted the dry-mixed dish or one with soup.
When Mi Xiao went out to ask, all three tables said they wanted to eat dry-mixed food.
Wen Fan simply prepared enough for three tables. He added various seasonings to the cooked noodles, topped them with two spoonfuls of minced meat sauce, a spoonful of dried peas, and a spoonful of fresh peas.
The two types of peas, each half green and half yellow, sparked discussion as soon as they were served.
"Is this the color of pea and minced meat noodles?"
"It smells quite nice."
"...I really can't eat anymore. I just want one bite to taste it."
Despite saying that, the moment the noodles entered the mouth, they still amazed everyone.
In the stirred pea and minced meat noodles, the dried peas were barely visible; they were more like a mixture of peas and pea puree than peas. After stirring, the pea puree coated every strand of noodle, as did the meat sauce. If that were all, this bowl of noodles would be nothing more than an ordinary, delicious dish.
At that very moment, the overlooked fresh peas appeared like a refreshing flash of lightning. Although the inside of the fresh peas had become sandy, the outer pea skin had not yet fallen off. The fresh peas, with their skins intact, contributed a unique and delightful chewiness.
The soft, chewy pea skins and noodles combine to create an increasingly fragrant flavor with each chew. The original rich aroma is further enhanced by the sweetness of the fresh peas.
"...Give me some more."
At worst... at worst, I'll just buy some digestive pills on my way back!
As Mi Xiao listened to the continuous praise, her stomach began to rumble with cravings.
Wen Fan couldn't wait to go into the kitchen. He served himself a bowl and was eating when he saw her. He raised his chin slightly.
"Help yourself if you want to eat."
Anyway, there's plenty of meat sauce and peas.
Although Master Jin was thinking that he should eat slowly and savor the taste, he wondered if Wen Fan had used any special techniques during the process.
Oh no, I was so busy eating I completely forgot!
Master Jin lamented his terrible memory, yet he couldn't put down his chopsticks.
Noodles adorned with toppings are a delight with every bite.
After tonight, Wen Fan had a good impression of Master Jin. He used to boss him around, but now that they had finished eating, he knew to ask if he could handle the intensity.
Master Da Jin was silent for a moment, then suddenly replied, "I won't be coming next week."
Wen Fan was about to say yes, since he was already so old, if he got sick from working in the kitchen, who would be responsible?
Master Jin then added, "Starting tomorrow, I'll also be working with Xiao Ge."
Wen Fan:......
Master Jin sighed with disappointment. He couldn't deny that he was getting old, and he realized he couldn't keep up anymore.
Fine, I'll go help my apprentice out. Next week, I'll replace him and have him assist Wen Fan.
Wen Fan: "That works too."
She didn't use Xiao Ge because she felt Xiao Ge needed to support the business there. Now that Master Da Jin had arrived, she could naturally call Xiao Ge over to help.
As they were talking, Mr. Wen went into the kitchen. He had just finished working on the cold dishes and braised dishes and came over to ask his daughter if she needed any help.
Wen Fan said she was done with her work, pointed to the pot and asked her father how much noodles he wanted, saying she would start cooking now.
Father Wen would never let his daughter do the work; he started the fire himself and made two handfuls of noodles by hand.
Looking at the noodles bubbling in the pot, Master Da Jin coughed twice.
"Your name is Wen Tao, right? Would you be interested in finding a mentor?"
Master Jin's face suddenly turned red, but he still forced himself to speak.
Wen Fan looked at him expressionlessly, but he only looked at Wen's father.
"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. Although Jin Yu Lou has collapsed, I can still say a few words about our past connections. If you have this idea, I'm willing to pave the way for you."
After tonight, Master Jin realized that with Wen Fan's skills, it would be shameless for him to even claim a master-apprentice relationship. Wen Fan didn't need him to teach him at all! He'd be more suited to be Wen Fan's master.
But when he thought about how Jin Yu Lou's reputation was ruined and could never be restored, Master Jin made up his mind to swallow his pride and try to gain some benefit.
If Wen Fan doesn't work, then go find her dad!
If Wenji continues to thrive, at least Jinyulou won't have a completely negative image.
Mr. Wen held a bowl of noodles, the white noodles still covered with sauce, and looked at Master Jin with a bewildered expression, then at his daughter.
What... what's going on here?
Wen Fan almost laughed out of anger at this person, but seeing Master Jin's nervous expression, Wen Fan didn't care anymore.
Take the pork purchase as an example. Wenji hasn't been established as long as Jinyulou, which isn't a problem now, but in the long run, even buying high-end ingredients won't be easy. Master Jin might have his own selfish motives, but his network of connections is truly reliable.
Wen Fan shrugged: "You guys see, I have no objection."
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