Chapter 21
On the way back, Su Miao said to his father, "Actually, as long as you wash the pork offal clean and add some seasonings to it and stir-fry it, it will be very fragrant. It's so much cheaper than pork, but people don't like to eat it."
Su Yuan was pedaling his bike briskly while answering his daughter's question: "The key is the seasoning. Oil, salt, sauce and vinegar are not cheap these days, and a lot of our family's expenses are spent on them.
Most families are so frugal with oil and salt that they wouldn't even bother adding seasonings. This isn't just for individual households, canteens are the same too, and they all focus on light dishes. If it's not a big dish, even soy sauce is used sparingly."
Su Miao understood. This is just like wanting to go to a restaurant after eating too much at home. In fact, the food in the restaurant may not be very exquisite, but it tastes delicious because it is rich in oil, salt and seasoning.
"Dad! Do you think if I make a braised dish with more complex ingredients, will it be popular as well?"
"Braised food? That's not something that just anyone can make. I heard the recipe is like a medical prescription, with more than a dozen ingredients and exact proportions. The slightest difference in the proportions can make the taste drastically different."
"So we also sell braised food here? Is it a century-old brand?"
Su Yuanzheng gave a wry smile, and when the tricycle entered a deserted lane, he whispered, "Tear down the old and build in the new. How can there be anything century-old these days? The old landlord in the alley where we live used to run a braised food business, and there's nothing left!"
Su Miao fell silent. That turbulent era did cause many inheritances to be lost, but in some secret corners, there were still people who protected the traditional crafts.
She smiled slightly. In her previous life, the chef had taught her how to make braised food, so she knew the general ingredients.
Even though the proportions are slightly different from the most authentic recipe, it should be sufficient in this era when most dishes are bland.
When the business is more stable, she can try to make it. You can't get rich overnight, you have to take it slowly.
But shouldn't we take things slowly and steadily? The market is changing rapidly and competition is everywhere.
The next day when they set up their stall, they found that the aunt selling mixed noodles was also selling fried pork offal.
Originally, a bowl of mixed noodles cost 40 cents, but now you can add 10 cents to get a full spoonful of pork offal, which is also fried with sour bamboo shoots and fermented black beans. It looks very similar to the one at Su Miao's house.
Not only did she sell it, she also started a competition with drums and gongs in public, with a big sign that read "Pork offal for 1 cent!"
It is not time to get off work yet. The auntie who mixes noodles is leaning against the tricycle, eating melon seeds, with a proud look on her face, and she glances at the Su father and daughter from time to time.
Su Yuanzheng's heart sank, and he said to his daughter, "Miaomiao, they've also sold offal. What should we do?"
Su Miao looked calm. It was within her expectation that someone would learn to sell pig offal.
"Dad, we should stay the same in the face of change. This cooking method wasn't my invention, so it's normal for others to be able to do it. Cooking always relies on taste to win. I have confidence in your stir-fried pork offal, and it's already very delicious, but if others can do it better, that's their skill, and we should admit defeat."
Su Yuanzheng sighed slightly: "I thought it would last longer, but I didn't expect that someone would learn it in just a few days. I wonder how their cooking tastes."
"Why don't you just try and know?"
"Ah? Try it?"
Before Su Yuanzheng could react, Su Miao walked towards the noodle cart with confidence.
Seeing her coming over, the auntie mixing noodles was nervous for a few seconds, afraid that she was here to cause trouble, but seeing that she was just a little girl and couldn't cause any trouble, she started to tremble again.
"Auntie, do you sell pork offal too?"
"Sold... sold, what's the matter?"
"Very good. I'd like a bowl of mixed noodles with a dime of pork offal."
The lady mixing noodles felt a little guilty and whispered, "Little girl, don't you have pig offal at home? Why are you eating mine?"
Su Miao said frankly: "I'm tired of eating my own food. I want to try yours. We are both open for business. You won't be unwilling to sell it to me, right?"
"Who... who said they don't want to? How can I not make money? Old man, make her a bowl!"
A large spoonful of pork offal was placed on the mixed noodles. Su Miao smelled it carefully and the smile on his face widened.
Her smile made the noodle-mixing aunt feel uneasy: "What are you laughing at?"
Su Miao took the bowl and replied, "I'm happy to have something delicious to eat. I'll go back and eat with my dad. I'll return the bowl after I'm done."
Watching her back as she walked away, the noodle couple huddled together and bit her ears, almost biting their ears off in excitement.
The other vendors watched the show calmly. After all, such interesting things don't happen every day.
Su Yuan was looking at the mixed rice noodles his daughter had bought. He didn't eat them in a hurry, but looked at them from left to right and front to back.
"It does have similar ingredients to ours, but the color is a little lighter. She must not have put enough soy sauce in it!"
Su Miao took out two pairs of chopsticks, handed one to his father, and said, "Try it and you'll know."
Su Yuanzheng picked up a piece of pig intestine and put it in his mouth. He chewed it briefly and immediately looked embarrassed. After hesitating for a few seconds, he spit it out.
"The large intestine was overcooked and hard to chew. I don't know why it tasted a bit bitter."
Su Miao tasted the different parts of the pork offal, put down his chopsticks and said, "Dad, are you relieved now? You have to have confidence in your cooking skills!"
Su Yuanzheng also felt that he was a little impatient just now and not as steady as his daughter. He scratched his head embarrassedly.
"Miao Miao, the pig offal wasn't cleaned properly, was it?"
"Yeah, the fat on the outer wall of the pig's large intestine that we remove is called blister. Inside it is a duct that secretes bile. Just like when you kill fish, if the fish comes into contact with bile, it will become bitter.
The butchers didn't process the pig intestines properly, and the fat wasn't removed after they bought them, so they had a bitter and foul smell."
"When these oil flowers are put into the wok, they can produce a lot of oil, which can save a lot of cooking oil. Most people are reluctant to remove them. It's really better to buy from the bearded boss, he keeps it very clean."
Su Miao continued to review the substandard pork offal: "Not only the large intestine, but the pig kidneys were sliced directly after washing without removing the fishy substances inside, which gave it a urine smell. The pig liver and pig heart were standard, but the pork offal was not separated by type and added to the pan in the order they were added. They were stir-fried together, so they were all overcooked."
Su Yuanzheng raised his hand to answer: "There's not enough ginger, garlic, chili and soy sauce, so it's not fragrant. So why should we eat it?"
"Forget the pork offal, don't waste the noodles. Let's eat them with our own side dishes!"
Su Miao poured out the pork offal, added a few side dishes into the bowl and mixed them together. The taste was even better than what the aunt originally sold.
The father and daughter ate up all the noodles. When Su Miao went to return the bowl, the aunt who mixed the noodles put on what she thought was the kindest smile and asked.
"Little girl, how about my pig offal? Can you give me some advice?"
"It's delicious. Auntie is really good at making food. She learns everything quickly."
The aunt who mixed the noodles had a smile on her face, but she felt jealous in her heart. This girl was telling lies at such a young age.
There was nothing wrong with her taste, so of course she knew that her own pork offal wasn't as delicious as hers, but since it had already been fried, was she going to eat it all herself if she didn't sell it?
But she sells it cheaply, so even if the taste is a little worse, the workers will always think it is more cost-effective to buy from her because it is meat!
Thinking of this, she regained her confidence.
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