Chapter 513
Today's theme is actually food tasting, and Su Yuanzheng and Su Miao brought out all the specialties they had agreed upon before.
The food on both tables was the same, a large plate of braised food with an attractive color and a mellow aroma wafting through the air;
A large plate of stir-fried pork offal, which is perfectly matched with peppers, pickled bamboo shoots and other side dishes, makes people salivate just by looking at it;
A large plate of white-cut lemon duck, with a warm beige skin and a fresh lemon aroma;
There was also a large plate of fried lemon duck, the duck meat was shiny and oily on the plate, as if calling for everyone to taste it.
According to the custom in Nanning, braised pork must be served when setting the table, but because the braised pork needs to be fried in advance, the tasting was finalized at the last minute, so it could not be served.
Su Yuan was thinking that only four meat dishes on the table were a bit light, so he added steamed fish and braised pork, stir-fried two seasonal vegetables, and some cold tofu, making the table full of dishes.
Su Yuanzheng smiled warmly, looking at everyone with sincere eyes, and greeted them warmly:
"Miaomiao and I are new here, so thank you all for coming to sample our dishes. These braised food, pork offal, and two lemon duck dishes will be our main dishes in the future. I hope you can give us some suggestions.
Don't be shy, just treat yourself as if you're at home. Come on, let's eat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone, who had been salivating over the delicious food on the table, couldn't wait to pick up their chopsticks.
Father Tang picked up a piece of braised pig heart and put it in his mouth to chew.
The pig heart is chewy, and the rich aroma of the marinade spreads in the mouth instantly. The aroma is mellow and layered, and you can feel the unique flavor of the marinade in every bite.
His eyes lit up and he secretly admired: "This braised pork is really good! It tastes much better than the one I usually buy with wine."
Afterwards, Mr. Tang's attention was attracted by the fried pork offal. He picked up a piece of pork liver and a piece of pickled bamboo shoots and put them into his mouth.
Pork liver is tender and smooth, without any fishy smell, and so sour and fragrant! Eh? How come it goes better with wine than braised pork?
He couldn't help but pick up the wine glass and take a sip, and was caught by Ye's father.
"Eh? Old Tang? Why are you drinking alone? You have to drink together! Come on! Old Su, drink some!" Father Ye joked with a smile.
Tang's father chuckled and said, "Hehehe! Is this the sour bamboo shoots that Lao Su just cut? I didn't expect bamboo shoots to taste like this. It's my first time eating it, and it's really good!"
Su Yuanzheng pointed at the lemon duck in front of him and recommended it to him, "Old Tang, try the lemon duck and see if you can get used to it. It's also the taste of Yongcheng."
The duck meat on the plate has a warm beige skin color, and because it is deliberately cooled, it has a firm and chewy texture.
Although the duck meat is firm, it is not overcooked. The refreshing sauce is directly added to it, so that each piece of duck meat is covered with the fragrance of lemon and other ingredients.
The sauce balances out any greasiness in the duck meat, making it lighter and more refreshing.
Fried lemon duck is different from boiled duck. The duck meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The outer layer is crispy and fragrant after being stir-fried, and it is full of the aroma of the wok.
The tender duck meat inside forms a sharp contrast with the outside. The use of pickled lemon and sour radish makes the dish more flavorful, blending with the hotness of chili and the sourness of ginger, instantly setting off a taste carnival in the mouth.
While tasting the fried lemon duck, Ye Han asked Su Miao:
"Miao Miao, is this fried lemon duck a new dish you came up with? I've only eaten boiled duck in Yongcheng before."
Su Miao replied, "Aunt Ye, this is not our own creation. Brother Yi took us to eat it, and my father came back to copy it. I heard that it evolved from the white-cut method.
As you know, dishes like boiled chicken and boiled duck reflect the original flavor of the meat and have relatively high requirements on the quality of the meat.
If the cooking skills of chicken and duck are not up to standard, or if the slaughtering and processing are not done properly, it is easy for them to have a fishy smell.
If you stir-fry it instead and use ingredients that can remove the fishy smell, this problem can be solved well.
Therefore, many families started from eating boiled meat to stir-frying it, and then added some special side dishes of Nanning City, and gradually formed this dish.
Now it’s slowly becoming popular in Yongcheng, and we’re planning to have Brother Yu and Brother Yi learn it too.”
Ye Han nodded thoughtfully and said:
“So that’s how it is. I saw that although the two dishes used basically the same ingredients, the different cooking methods made their tastes completely different.
Boiled lemon duck has a refreshing taste and is a cold dish that is very suitable for summer.
The stir-fried lemon duck is rich in oil and red sauce. It is a hot dish, but it is also sour and spicy and appetizing. I think it is suitable for all seasons.
Everyone present praised the dishes on the table and said that Su Yuanzheng was too modest. Who could find anything wrong with his cooking skills? What suggestions could they make? The only suggestion was probably to urge him to open a store as soon as possible.
Speaking of opening a store, there is no store yet.
Tang's father, who was enjoying his meal, patted his chest and took the responsibility:
"I'll have someone look for shops for you. He'll contact you when the time comes. Tell him what you want, and he'll take you to see a suitable one when he finds one."
Su Yuanzheng's eyes were filled with gratitude, and he quickly said:
"Thank you very much, Old Tang. This really solves our urgent problem. Miaomiao and I were just worried about how to start looking."
Father Tang smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"After enjoying your delicious meals, I have to contribute to your cause. Once your restaurant opens, I can go there often!"
Seeing that the job of finding a storefront had been taken care of, Aunt Qian, a well-known "busybody" in the alley, was not to be outdone and asked Su Miao enthusiastically:
"My dear, are you going to open a shop and hire workers? Aren't you going to school? Then your dad will run the shop alone?"
"Aunt Qian, we are looking for workers, mainly waiters. We need people who are enthusiastic, service-minded, and hardworking."
Aunt Qian then asked, "Do you have a suitable candidate?"
Su Miao shook his head and said, "Not yet. It would be best if we could find a suitable local from Beijing. He would be able to better understand the preferences and habits of the guests here."
"Leave it to me! If you go by yourselves, you might not be able to find a local waiter willing to work as one!
As for knowing people, I'm second to none in this alley. I've picked out seven or eight for you and asked them to come to the store and choose for you."
The other neighbors also nodded in agreement, saying that it was right to leave it to Aunt Qian, and they would go to her when they had problems.
"Thank you so much, Aunt Qian. When the store opens, I will definitely invite you to attend the opening ceremony."
"Hahahaha! That would make me so proud!"
Thus, in the time it takes to eat a meal, the two major steps of opening a store, namely finding a storefront and recruiting staff, were effectively “outsourced”.
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