Chapter 64 Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens
A pot of congee with preserved egg and lean pork sold out completely by 9 a.m.
Parents who arrived later for breakfast asked, "Boss, do you still have preserved egg and pork congee?"
They also saw it on their WeChat Moments, learning that there was a small restaurant near the school selling preserved egg and lean pork congee. Friend T gave it a very high rating, praising it repeatedly.
"The century egg and lean pork congee is sold out."
Upon hearing this, many parents' eyes dimmed. Seeing that the tea eggs in the pot looked good, with the aroma of tea and savory sauce wafting through the air, they said, "Let's have some tea eggs."
When the customers tasted the tea eggs, their eyes lit up. "These tea eggs... are delicious!"
It doesn't have a strange herbal taste and tastes great.
Furthermore, the egg yolks are neither dry nor oily; instead, they are very smooth and delicate.
Even the tea eggs are delicious, so the century egg and lean pork congee that sold out so quickly must be even more delicious!
"Boss, do you sell congee with preserved egg and lean pork this morning?" a customer asked impatiently.
"I had some this morning," Tang Yiyi thought for a moment, there were still some preserved eggs left.
"Alright, I'll come over early tomorrow. Make sure you prepare plenty of your preserved egg and lean pork congee, otherwise it won't be enough!"
Tang Yiyi nodded.
Gu Jia's two children sneaked out to buy tea eggs.
"Sister, we'll just have two tea eggs," Gu Jia said to Song Man.
They ate steamed buns for breakfast, but the buns were too greasy, so they only ate a few bites and then stopped.
I came to buy tea eggs because I was a little hungry.
Song Man packed the tea eggs and gave them to the two of them.
"Thank you, sister~" Gu Jia and the other woman thanked her one after the other.
Peel open the tea egg; the lines deepen, revealing an enticing amber color, and it smells exceptionally fragrant.
The two little girls carefully held the tea eggs, blew on them a few times, and then ate them.
The aroma of braised meat mixed with a faint tea fragrance wafts straight into one's nose.
She ate one bite after another until her cheeks were bulging. Gu Jia thought this tea egg was really delicious, mmm, top-notch!
After finishing my meal, I quickly went to buy another tea egg.
With egg yolk residue stuck to the corners of her mouth, Su Yue licked away the remaining bits, the fragrant taste lingering on her tongue.
It's a cloudy day, but it doesn't look like it's going to rain.
But for parents watching the sports meet, it wasn't exactly good weather.
Xiaoyu got out of school half an hour earlier than usual and returned to the restaurant.
The parents and students followed them into the restaurant.
When Tang Yiyi saw Xiaoyu return and then saw the guests behind him, she quickly went back to the kitchen.
She washed the preserved mustard greens that had been soaking overnight, chopped them, and then chopped scallions and ginger. She had already prepared several bowls of braised pork belly, just waiting to add the preserved mustard greens, scallions, and ginger before putting them in a pressure cooker to steam.
First, stir-fry the dried mustard greens in a pan, add a small spoonful of dark soy sauce, a little salt, and some rock sugar for seasoning, then simmer for a while.
When other customers come to order, the preserved mustard greens are then evenly spread on the pork belly slices and steamed.
"Business is good at the store today," Grandma Li said with admiration when she came in and saw that the store was packed.
"Grandma, what would you like to eat?" Song Man asked.
"Let me take a look first," Grandma Li said, her eyesight not very good, as she leaned closer to see the words on the small blackboard.
"Zhaochun, this place has braised pork with preserved mustard greens," Grandma Chen said to Grandma Li as she rushed over.
"Won't the braised pork with preserved mustard greens have too much fat? It'll be too greasy," Grandma Li hesitated.
As you get older, you should pay more attention to your health and eat less oily and salty food.
Grandma Chen: "Didn't you say this place is delicious? The braised pork with preserved mustard greens is definitely different from other restaurants. It's okay to try it."
Grandma Li thought for a moment, then said, "I'll have braised pork with preserved mustard greens and some greens." The greens would be perfect for cutting through the greasiness of the fatty pork.
Song Man: "Grandma, please sit down first. I'll go talk to Yi Yi."
“This restaurant isn’t very big. I live nearby and I’ve never heard of it. You say the food is good? You’re not just lying to me, are you?” Grandma Chen looked the restaurant over, her eyes filled with disapproval.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Li was not happy. "I've known you for so many years, why would I lie to you? This restaurant's rice bowls are among the best on this street. Many students come here to eat, not to mention some parents."
"By the way, where's your old man?"
"I took Lili to a banquet."
After a short while, Grandma Chen noticed Xiaoyu. "Hey, this child is so good-looking, and so sensible and obedient."
"This is the restaurant owner's younger brother. The two siblings depend on each other for survival, and it's not easy for either of them," Grandma Li said with emotion.
Grandma Chen: "What a good child!"
Tang Yiyi brought out the braised pork with preserved mustard greens and stir-fried greens. Underneath a layer of dark brown preserved mustard greens was a braised pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, about 70% fat and 30% lean, which looked very delicious and the aroma wafted straight into people's noses.
"It smells so good," Grandma Li couldn't help but say, especially the skin on the braised pork belly, which was chewy and smooth, and looked particularly tender.
Grandma Chen swallowed, speechless, overwhelmed by the aroma.
Looking at Grandma Li, I have to admit, "Zhaochun, this braised pork belly looks so tempting!"
Grandma Li brought over two small bowls and gave one to Grandma Chen, saying, "Come on, it's time to eat."
Grandma Chen ate the braised pork belly with gusto, a casual expression on her face. The pork belly was tender and soft, the lean meat was mushy, and the fatty part melted in her mouth without being greasy. At the same time, the fatty meat was not as easy to get stuck between her teeth as the lean meat, and the delicate texture lingered on her tongue.
After being steamed for a long time, the sliced meat fully absorbs the savory aroma of the preserved mustard greens, making it both salty and fresh, just right.
The preserved mustard greens are refreshing and have a savory sauce flavor, with the salty and meaty aromas blending together, making them a great accompaniment to rice.
A small handful of chewy preserved mustard greens, placed on top of fluffy white rice, stirred a few times, and the fragrant rice and vegetables are truly delicious and refreshing.
"Is it really that delicious?" Grandma Li asked curiously, seeing how much Grandma Chen was enjoying her food.
She trusted Yi Yi's cooking skills, but unfortunately, regular braised pork with preserved mustard greens was too oily and greasy.
This is very unfriendly to an elderly person like her with high blood pressure.
“That’s great,” Grandma Chen said with a hearty smile, “Zhaochun, you’d be missing out if you didn’t try it.
Grandma Li fell silent for a moment. The braised pork and preserved vegetables looked so tempting. Should she have a piece? It should be fine, right?
After careful selection, Grandma Li found a piece of braised pork with more lean meat than fat, and took a bite.
The honey-colored braised pork belly has an enticing sheen, and the fatty skin looks bouncy.
The lean meat is juicy, salty with a hint of sweetness, and tender with a fragrant flavor.
What's most special is that it's fatty but not greasy. Grandma Li even thinks the fatty part is tastier than the lean meat; it's soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful. The golden skin is especially beautiful and very fragrant.
The braised pork belly was surprisingly delicious and very tasty.
Grandma Li savored the taste of the braised pork, her eyes widening in surprise. She finished it in two or three bites and still felt a little unsatisfied.
Good heavens, who said braised pork belly is greasy? This piece of braised pork belly is absolutely delicious, it touched her heart.
It would be even better with a bite of rice to balance out the savory meat flavor.
"It's really good," Grandma Li remarked as she ate.
Grandma Chen loves dried plum vegetables. She can tell whether they are homemade or bought from a store just by tasting them.
The preserved mustard greens are incredibly fragrant, even more so than braised pork belly. They absorb the meat juices and, when served over fragrant rice, turn each grain of rice into an enticing sauce color. The more you eat, the more delicious it becomes.
Grandma Li also tried the preserved vegetables later, and found them very appetizing.
Around 1 p.m., Teacher Wang went downstairs to pick up the takeout.
Teacher Wang received a message from Tang Yiyi that the food delivery would arrive in five minutes.
I happened to run into the food delivery driver, took the food from him, and said, "Thank you."
The food arrived just twenty minutes after I placed the order.
"Teacher Wang, which restaurant should we order from..." Teacher Chu stopped abruptly when she saw Teacher Wang come in carrying takeout. "This is takeout from Tang Family Restaurant."
"Uh-huh."
Teacher Wang quickly sat down and opened the takeout box.
I ordered the braised pork with preserved mustard greens rice bowl. The white rice bowl clearly showed the tempting slices of pork, the finely chopped preserved mustard greens, and star anise, all of which looked quite nice together.
Another teacher came in from outside and saw Teacher Wang eating. "Teacher Wang, what are you eating?"
I couldn't help but sniff.
"Braised pork with preserved mustard greens over rice," Teacher Wang replied quickly.
"This looks so tempting, it's even more fragrant than regular braised pork with preserved mustard greens!"
Teacher Wang ate her meal attentively, stirring the rice with her chopsticks. The broth from the meat slices seeped into the rice underneath, turning it a light brown color.
Perhaps because she was too hungry today, Teacher Wang, who usually doesn't like fatty meat, found the fatty parts of the braised pork to be soft, tender, and very fragrant.
Perhaps the braised pork belly was prepared so skillfully that it wasn't greasy at all.
In the office, several teachers were eating takeout and chatting as they ate.
"Luckily, the sports meet is today, otherwise I would have had classes all morning."
"Hey, I remember the students in the two classes you taught were very well-behaved and obedient. They shouldn't be difficult to teach, right? Besides, the first-grade students are quite cute."
"Stop talking, be good and listen to me? When they argue, I get goosebumps and I still have to patiently comfort them."
When very young students get noisy, few teachers can handle it well.
Upper-grade students face pressure to advance to higher grades, putting immense pressure on substitute teachers.
Third and fourth graders are easier to manage.
So one teacher said, "Teacher Wang has it so easy. Her third-grade students are so well-behaved, and she doesn't have to study so hard. I really envy Teacher Wang!"
Suddenly being called upon, Teacher Wang pointed to herself: "Are they talking about me? There must be some misunderstanding!"
Tang Yiyi tidied up the shop, making it look clean and tidy.
I glanced at the time; it was a little past two. Time to rest for a bit.
The family had pickled preserved mustard greens in the first half of the year, but unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the original owner's relatives passed away one after another.
Tang Yiyi's thoughts were a bit jumbled, but she didn't forget the important matter at hand.
With so many customers at noon, she wasn't worried about having no one at night.
Prepare the ingredients and start writing tomorrow's menu.
Night falls and the streetlights come on.
At this time, there were only a few customers dining in the restaurant, and it was deserted.
Seeing that something was wrong, Song Man told Tang Yiyi, "Sister Yiyi, I'm going out to check the situation."
"Okay," Tang Yiyi replied, also eager to speak.
A few minutes later, Song Man ran back angrily.
"Sister Yi, the dumpling shop next door has also started selling braised pork with preserved mustard greens over rice, just like we have."
"Their place is three yuan cheaper than ours, and the portions are the same. All the customers who were going to our restaurant have gone to their place!"
Upon hearing this, Tang Yiyi's expression turned solemn.
A serving of braised pork with preserved mustard greens costs 26 yuan at a restaurant, while it costs 23 yuan at a dumpling shop.
With pork prices soaring, a serving of braised pork with preserved vegetables at a dumpling shop costs 23 yuan. How do they make a profit?
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