Chapter 139 Chicken Stew with Mushrooms [First Update]
Wenji is now open!
The news immediately drew cheers from foodies, who spread the word far and wide.
[Zookeeper: I've been waiting for so long, today is finally here~ This holiday has been so long!]
[Tongxinyuan: ...A working stiff like me says, I'm going to eat there tonight! Wait for me!]
[Annie: Oh my god, even though I ate a lot of delicious food during the Lunar New Year, I still really miss Wenji's pig-slaughtering feast... I had it once before the New Year and I can't stop thinking about it.]
[Alkaline Lemon Shrimp: Forget it, didn't you see what Wen Ji said? They won't be serving the pig slaughtering feast this time. They'll mainly be serving beef offal hot pot, with a few fried rice dishes added.]
[Oh, Fatty: Fried rice is fine too! I saw some, like sausage fried rice and pineapple fried rice. I'd love that!]
[Watery Lychee: I have to work overtime today... Who's a kind person who has to work overtime on their first day of work?]
[May all your wishes come true: Be content, you're one of those people who didn't get a holiday for Chinese New Year.]
...
The comments section was noisy, and the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival still lingered on the streets. Many shops were cleaning up and preparing to open for business tomorrow.
The two shops next to Wenji have also reopened one after another.
Mr. and Mrs. Qu cleaned the pharmacy and brought some donkey-hide gelatin cakes for Mrs. Wen.
Mr. Qu had already lost a lot of weight before the Lunar New Year, and now it seems he hasn't gained it back even after the holiday.
When Wen's mother asked him if the old man would still be seeing patients, Qu's father stroked his chin and said, "He'll be here in a few days."
The old man has even brought his own apprentices now, how could he not come?
A few days ago, when he visited, the old man asked him when he would open the door.
Mr. Qu muttered under his breath, "My senior brother said that the old man regretted it quite a bit after he went back..."
What's there to regret?
It was because the pharmacy closed too early, preventing him from getting to Wenji's pork stew!
Even Qu's father himself often mentioned it.
That pork stew was so delicious, but I didn't get to try it!
It's definitely one of the most regrettable things in my life.
Song Hui and her son also rushed back from Northeast China.
Song Hui had gained a few pounds and her skin had become fairer during the winter break. She unloaded a sack of dried goods, put her hands on her hips, and said loudly, "These were all dried by my family!"
The large sack was filled to the brim, and when it was put down, the ground around it seemed to shake.
Song Hui enthusiastically opened the bag to show Wen's mother: "This bag contains dried potatoes, this bag contains dried green beans, this bag contains dried eggplant and dried radish. There are also wild hazel mushrooms."
Upon hearing the mention of hazel mushrooms, Wen's mother quickly declined, saying, "They're too expensive. You should keep them for yourselves."
These days, wild hazel mushrooms are getting more and more expensive. Last year, Wen's father saw one at the market and asked about it. It cost more than 100 yuan per kilogram.
Even so, it sold out very quickly, all within an afternoon.
Song Hui: "It's not that precious, take it... Let me take another look, oh, there's this too."
Song Hui pulled out two large jars of pine nuts and hazelnuts from the sack.
Song Hui took out a large sack and filled an entire table with it.
Wen Fan beamed with joy upon seeing the dried vegetables and invited Song Hui to come and eat later.
Song Hui happily agreed.
Wen Fan enthusiastically asked his father to buy a chicken so they could make chicken stew with mushrooms that evening.
Fresh chicken doesn't need to be blanched; just soak it to remove the blood before cooking. Caramelize a little rock sugar, stir-fry the chicken until the moisture evaporates, then add seasonings and simmer. Soak hazel mushrooms until soft and clean them, then add some dried potatoes. Simmer in a large iron pot until fragrant, the dried potatoes become softer, and the broth thickens from bland.
Yang Tao, who had gained a lot of weight during the winter break, began to revel in the aroma.
"It smells so good!"
Wen Fan held the pot ladle and looked at Yang Tao indifferently.
Yang Tao: ...
Why am I feeling inexplicably guilty?
Upon further reflection, Yang Tao understood.
"Hey, I've become a streamer now, so I went back to my hometown to find material. By the way, did Yang Fei and the others come to work during winter break?"
Yang Tao also regretted it a bit. He had originally planned to do a winter break job so he could advertise Wenji's business. But this year, Song Hui was eager to go back to her hometown, and he figured he needed to enrich his own material, so he went with her.
They left in such a hurry that they didn't even tell Wen Fan. They thought Yang Fei and the others would probably come, but it turned out everyone had something to do.
Wen Fan snorted, expressing his contempt for Yang Tao's breach of trust.
Yang Tao chuckled and pulled a large jar out of his bag: "Don't be angry, I've got a good thing for you."
The large, round jar, about the size of an open palm, contained a thick, viscous, milky-white liquid.
Wen Fan opened the lid and smelled it, then said with satisfaction, "Good honey."
“That goes without saying,” Yang Tao said. “I went to the foot of the mountain myself to find someone to collect it.”
The linden honey, with its oily texture, released a very strong linden blossom fragrance as soon as the lid was opened. Wen Fan set the linden honey aside and then made a serving of pine nut corn.
Song Hui came over after she finished cleaning up the shop, and the two families ate together before the customers came in.
As soon as the lid of the braised chicken with mushrooms was lifted, a fragrant cloud of steam rose up. As the white steam dissipated, the steaming, tender chicken, pale yellow dried potatoes, and hazel mushrooms that had stretched out their shapes in the broth were all laid out before you.
The savory flavor of mushrooms is unlike any other ingredient, and even the chicken tastes quite different. The savory sauce intertwines with the mushroom's freshness, and the reddish-brown broth seeps into every fiber of the chicken, making it absolutely delicious. Hazel mushrooms are even more tender and flavorful, with wild hazel mushrooms carrying the fresh aroma of mountain delicacies. The caps are smooth and chewy, and the stems are satisfyingly chewy. The dried potatoes combine a combination of powdery and tender textures.
Pouring the soup and vegetables over the rice creates a wonderful combination of the fresh aroma of wild mushrooms and the rich, savory flavor of meat and vegetables, making the bowl of rice vibrant and delicious.
Yang Tao patted his stomach, indicating that he couldn't eat anymore. He was full.
Wen Fan glanced at the bowl of rice he had ate three bowls of... well, he probably couldn't eat anymore.
Soon the evening customers arrived. As they entered, they could still smell the lingering aroma of the food. Before they even sat down, their stomachs were already rumbling.
"Boss lady, one order of pineapple fried rice, please!"
Wen Fan took off her apron and leaned against the side to watch her father cook rice.
The restaurant currently only offers three types of fried rice: pineapple fried rice, sausage fried rice, and the simplest egg fried rice.
Even with just these three simple fried rice dishes, Mr. Wen couldn't claim to have mastered them completely.
The sausage fried rice could still be somewhat salvaged by the flavor of the sausage itself, but Wen Fan was still not very satisfied with the remaining two.
Wen's father held his breath and stared intently at the stove, strictly following Wen Fan's steps. But after finishing a plate of pineapple fried rice, Wen Fan left that plate and cooked another one himself.
Mr. Wen was extremely frustrated.
His daughter clearly didn't say anything, but he still felt ashamed. He couldn't even cook a good fried rice. Was he really a chef?
Wen Fan quickly stir-fried a plate of pineapple fried rice and served it. She poured the leftover portion back into the pan, added some seasonings, and stir-fried it for a while. After taking it out of the pan, she sprinkled a layer of shredded cheese on top and put it in the oven to make a baked rice dish.
"Dad, it's okay, you can practice some more."
That's what they say, but Wen's father also knew his own shortcomings.
His knife skills are the best, his seasoning is average, and his cooking skills are the worst.
Encouraged by his daughter, he forced himself to stay alert: "Okay... By the way, your mom said she's hiring. Do you have any requirements?"
Wen Fan: "As I said before, we'll hire someone with some basic skills who can cook."
Father Wen frowned.
Wen Fan turned around and immediately understood what his father was thinking.
"Dad, are you worried about hiring someone who steals the skills?"
The words were blunt, but Mr. Wen shook his head.
It's not a big deal if someone we hire sneaks in a trick or two. The real worry is hiring someone with bad intentions who might cause trouble in the kitchen.
Wen Fan: "Then how about... we just hire a blank slate to learn?"
"Then wouldn't that make him your apprentice?"
Wen Fan was startled by the word "disciple" and waved her hands repeatedly. Taking on a disciple? No way!
Not to mention anything else, just look at the neighbor next door. Old Master Duan is already quite old, yet he still has to keep an eye on his apprentice's weight loss every day... She can't bear that kind of hardship.
The family couldn't come up with a solution, so they could only put up a job posting to see if there was anyone particularly suitable.
The notice was posted outside the door, and soon after, it was shared online.
[Little Sheep Sleepy: Wen's Restaurant is hiring!]
The accompanying image is a job posting.
The notice read: "[Hiring one kitchen staff member, base salary 6,500 yuan, meals provided but accommodation not provided, age 18 and above, gender not limited, four days off per month. Requirements: experience in food preparation and cutting, basic knife skills, certification preferred.]"
A group of people replied below.
[Sea salt chocolate: Aww, I can eat it all! I'm in!]
[Xiao Shen: This offer is really tempting! I'm even considering going.]
[Leveraging the Earth: ...No, what's with all the hype? This huge, trendy shop is offering 6,500 yuan per person, not even weekends off, and they even have a license. Seriously, you guys don't know the market. If you were to offer those conditions, you could easily get 7,000 or 8,000 yuan with room and board included.]
[An'an: We may not know the industry, but you don't need to bring up those trendy restaurants. They built their businesses themselves, not by hiring new chefs. Besides, they said those with licenses have priority, not that those without licenses can't do it.]
[A Gentle Breeze: Exactly! Do you know how tempting the option of meals included is? A meal at Wen Ji costs a lot. Given Wen Ji's culinary skills, it's already generous of them to post a job ad for kitchen staff; otherwise, they'd be offering apprenticeships for two or three thousand a month, and people would still take the job.]
[Shuai DouDou: Um, I'm really interested... Maybe the restaurant could take a look at me? I graduated from culinary school, and after graduation, I worked as a kitchen helper in a five-star restaurant for over a year. Later, I worked as a head chef for a relative's family, cooking for two years. I can handle the workload, and I have the necessary certifications. If possible, I can start tomorrow.]
[A gentle breeze: ...Wait, someone's already willing?]
[Shuai DouDou: Who wouldn't want to go to a good restaurant, especially one where you can learn something? Honestly, this treatment is quite generous.]
[Fuling: I told my brother, and he said he'd take some time off to go check it out. He used to work at Jinyulou, and his skills were pretty good.]
[Da Zuo: Me! Me! Me! I used to run a restaurant myself, and I have the license!]
...
After posting the notice, Wen's mother thought it would take three or four days to recruit people, but someone came to the store that very evening.
Everyone was very enthusiastic, and some even brought their identification.
Since it was lunchtime anyway, Wen Fan decided not to be too formal.
Five or six people arrived in a scattered manner, and they were all ushered into the kitchen by Wen's mother.
Wen Fan crossed his arms and nodded in acknowledgment.
The job applicants were thinking to themselves, trying to explain to Wen Fan what kind of cuisine they were good at.
Wen Fan only said one thing: put all other cuisines aside and start with fried rice.
Chop vegetables, fry rice, and use any of the condiments on the counter.
Plate after plate of fried rice was made, and as Wen Fan tasted it, people kept asking why his father didn't come in to try it.
Wen Fan swallowed the obviously salty fried rice: "I'm the cook, why are you calling me Dad?"
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