Chapter 82 Tomato and Beef
After quickly packing up the two servings of fried rice noodles, I handed them to my little sister.
Gu Jia and the other woman said almost simultaneously, "Thank you, sister!"
Gu Jia was already drooling; they were going to eat at the library.
Final exams are coming up soon, so I need to study hard.
"Sister, will you be opening your shop during winter break?" Gu Jia asked before leaving.
Tang Yiyi thought for a moment, "We'll see."
After all, half of the restaurant's customers are students.
After the guests left, she tidied up the dirty dishes and put them in the kitchen, while also taking out a small condiment bowl and placing it at the front desk.
Adding some toppings to rice noodles makes them very flavorful.
Many customers finished their rice noodles and then packed several more servings of stir-fried rice noodles to take away.
The freshly cooked rice noodles glistened with an enticing sheen of oil, and their aroma filled the air as they steamed.
Grandma Chen came to find Grandma Li early in the morning to go out for breakfast.
"I heard the restaurant has stir-fried rice noodles today, and it tastes really good."
"Let's go eat early, so we don't miss out on seats."
To everyone's surprise, Grandma Li was even more anxious than she was, saying, "Then let's go quickly!"
The two quickened their pace and hurried toward the restaurant.
To their dismay, the shop was packed with customers, and many people were in line.
After waiting for a while, it was finally the turn of two people.
"Two servings of stir-fried rice noodles, please, let's eat at the shop," Grandma Li said. Tang Yiyi was still busy in the kitchen and didn't notice the two of them arrive.
After the two servings of stir-fried rice noodles were cooked, there weren't many customers left in the shop, so Tang Yiyi brought them over.
Grandma Chen said earnestly, "Thank you."
When she first saw that the owner of this shop was young, she thought the food wouldn't be very good, but after eating it, she realized what delicious food was.
Seeing Grandma Li devour half a plate of rice noodles in no time, showing a good appetite, Grandma Chen picked up her chopsticks.
The rice noodles were stir-fried perfectly; they were neither oily nor dry, and they didn't stick together. They were long and smooth.
The owner was stir-frying rice noodles in the kitchen, tossing the wok and stirring it a few times until the flames shot up from the bottom of the wok, creating an extremely rich flavor.
No wonder it has such a strong wok hei (wok aroma), unlike some shops where rice noodles are prepared and then simply stir-fried a few times to reheat when a customer orders.
"This is what you call stir-fried rice noodles! Authentic!" Grandma Li exclaimed.
"Yes, it's not expensive at all, and it tastes much better than Jucailou!" Grandma Chen nodded.
Jucailou is very famous in the city, but the prices are really expensive. A plate of fried rice noodles costs almost three figures, which is unaffordable for ordinary people.
The small restaurant only costs a little over ten yuan, which is really affordable.
"Your Lili will be on winter vacation soon," Grandma Chen suddenly changed the subject.
"Yes, it will be soon."
Grandma Li then said, "I wonder if the restaurant will be open during the winter break? I'll go ask Yiyi later."
Outside, snow was falling heavily, but inside, the heating was on, making it very warm.
Tang Yiyi started preparing the ingredients for lunch, planning to make tomato and beef hotpot.
She blanched the fresh beef slices in boiling water, then blanched them in boiling water to remove the blood and foam. She also chopped the tomatoes into small pieces and prepared scallions and ginger.
Heat a wok over high heat until the water evaporates. Then, add oil, scallions, ginger, and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Next, add diced tomatoes and stir-fry until they release their juices. Finally, add some water.
After finishing his studies at the library, Zhao Jianhao prepared to find a nearby restaurant for dinner.
As he crossed the road, he suddenly smelled a fragrance that instantly captivated him.
Zhao Jianhao sniffed and followed the direction from which the fragrance was coming.
I found a small restaurant that wasn't particularly eye-catching on the street, but it was packed with customers.
Zhao Jianhao felt very hungry and went inside. "Sister, do you have anything to eat?"
Song Man read out the menu.
"Then I'll have some tomato and beef, sister," Zhao Jianhao said, and paid thirteen yuan.
As I found a seat, a little boy suddenly came and took away the dirty bowls and chopsticks that were on the table.
A short while later, his tomato and beef slices were served, steaming hot, which soothed his inner turmoil. Smelling the aroma, Zhao Jianhao took a deep breath in ecstasy; it smelled so good.
All you can see are dark red tomatoes, with plenty of juice underneath, and meat rolls in the soup.
Before eating, Zhao Jianhao took a picture and sent it to his grandfather.
Grandpa Zhao saw it a little while later. "Jianhao, you must eat more for lunch. Tell me if you don't have enough money."
Zhao Jianhao smacked his lips, picked up his chopsticks, and took a piece of fatty beef. The fatty meat, having absorbed the broth, was tender and slightly chewy, with a strong sweet and sour flavor.
Hao Chi.
Another piece of tomato. The tomato was a bit soft and mushy, with a strong sweet and sour taste and an enticing aroma. It burst with juice when you took a bite.
Then Zhao Jianhao picked up a soup spoon, scooped two spoonfuls of soup, poured it over the white rice, stirred it a few times, and scooped a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
The tomato sauce blends perfectly with the rice, creating a sweet and sour flavor with a subtle rice aroma. It's so delicious that it's simply irresistible.
Zhao Jianhao looked up and glanced outside; it was snowing.
The place was covered in a blanket of white, but the interior was warm and comfortable.
Then Zhao Jianhao began to eat heartily; he was truly happy.
Around 1 p.m., Ms. Wang went downstairs to pick up her takeout. She was grading homework when she received the call from the delivery driver, and she didn't expect the takeout to arrive so quickly.
When she got home with the takeout, her mom had just come out after washing her hair. "What are you holding? I made food and left it in the rice cooker for you. Why did you have to order takeout?"
"Nothing outside is as clean as home!"
Normally, Teacher Wang would definitely not say anything.
But today, Teacher Wang immediately said, "Mom, I've eaten at this restaurant many times. The hygiene is impeccable, and the average price per person is only a dozen yuan, which is enough to fill you up. It's already a very cost-effective restaurant."
The Queen Mother clicked her tongue in disbelief.
After about ten seconds, Teacher Wang opened the takeout container.
The Queen Mother walked over, sniffed it, and said, "It smells quite good, like tomatoes."
"Mom, I ordered the tomato beef."
The Queen Mother glanced at it; the combination of tomatoes and fatty beef looked incredibly tempting, not to mention the aroma.
Teacher Wang felt that she was starving, and could probably eat a whole cow.
Picking up a soft, mushy tomato, the delicate, smooth texture and the sweet and sour juice bursting in your mouth make you crave the flavor; it's truly unforgettable.
When Wang's mother looked over again, Teacher Wang raised her eyes and said, "Mom, would you like to try some? It's delicious."
Despite her best efforts to invite her, Wang's mother shook her head, "No need, I can't stand the smell of fatty beef, it's so soft and fishy, I simply can't eat it."
“This beef is definitely not what you expect. It’s tender, flavorful, and has no fishy smell at all,” Teacher Wang retorted.
After saying that, Teacher Wang started eating the fatty beef.
Teacher Wang usually eats very quickly, but now, faced with this tomato and beef dish, she slowed down. Faced with delicious food, no one wants to just stuff their food haphazardly or fail to savor it.
Tomatoes weren't very good this season, so Tang Yiyi carefully selected them to find some really fresh and juicy ones.
The rich aroma of tomatoes mixed with the scent of meat fills the air, and large slices of slightly curled beef lie on top of tomato chunks, making one's mouth water.
Teacher Wang couldn't wait to finish the tomato chunks and then gulped down the soup. The tomatoes, after being cooked, had become very soft and flavorful, and the thick and thin juice slowly melted in her mouth.
The mother, who was doing housework, stopped and came over. "Let me try the fatty beef."
The beef slices remain tender after braising, soaking in a rich and thick broth. Each piece is coated in the tomato sauce, and when you put it in your mouth, the smooth meat and the sweet and sour sauce create a unique flavor.
"It doesn't smell fishy, that's true."
The Queen Mother nodded in approval, somewhat satisfied.
As winter vacation drew closer, Tang Yiyi met with Jize privately a few times, sometimes at restaurants, sometimes at dessert shops.
Unexpectedly, the mini-game "Happy Restaurant" was officially launched just before the holiday.
Within just a few hours, hundreds of thousands of netizens were playing the game online.
That evening, Tang Yiyi clicked on the mini-game, and a line of text on the game's official interface caught her attention.
"The game was inspired by Tang Family Restaurant..."
After playing through the mini-games, I found that the restaurant in the game was very similar to Tangjia Restaurant. Both the building structure and the location were right next to the school. It wasn't very big, but the interior was very cozy. Under the warm orange lights, diners were chatting and laughing while eating.
She sent a voice message.
Ji Ze saw the voice message a few minutes later.
"Senior, thank you for your team's hard work in making the game. I've played it all and found it very enjoyable."
Another cute emoji was sent.
Tang Yiyi got home at 8:30 and didn't put down her phone until almost 10:00.
The mini-games are interesting and fun.
As the homeroom teacher of sixth grade, Ms. Chen has been very busy these past few days. Winter vacation and the Lunar New Year are just around the corner, and it's time to assign winter vacation homework to the students.
"Teacher Chen, the director is looking for you."
The academic affairs director instructed her to take care of things before leaving school, and reminded the students to pay attention to safety and complete their winter vacation homework at home.
"Okay, I understand, Director."
These are the same words I say every year before winter break.
Teacher Chen is used to hearing this every time she teaches a graduating class.
"Mom, what are we eating?" the son asked.
“Your stomach isn’t good, so we’ll have porridge,” Teacher Chen instructed. “Anything spicy, oily, or salty is also not an option!”
Not long after, there was a knock on the door.
The delivery rider handed over the takeout, saying, "Here's your meal."
"Thanks."
My son came over and asked, "Mom, which restaurant's porridge did you order?"
Teacher Chen couldn't quite remember. "It should be one near your school gate."
Upon hearing this, the son pursed his lips, looking rather unhappy, "The food at the shop near the school isn't good."
"We've already ordered it, so we can't waste it."
Upon opening the lunchbox, one could see that the ingredients, including red dates, peanuts, red beans, black beans, and walnuts, had been simmering for a long time and were already quite thick and fragrant. Just smelling the enticing aroma made Teacher Chen swallow hard. "It looks delicious."
"Hehe, would you like a drink?"
This is their late-night snack.
Hehe nodded without much hesitation.
After serving the porridge, Teacher Chen couldn't wait to take a spoonful. The porridge melted in her mouth, slightly sweet but not cloying, and tasted delicious. It had the sweetness of red beans, the fragrance of lotus seeds, and the refreshing taste of barley... The combination of various ingredients didn't clash at all; on the contrary, it felt very rich in flavor and texture.
Unlike canned porridge you can buy, the sweetness in this shop is subtle and lingers for a long time.
My rumbling stomach felt much better after eating some porridge.
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