Chapter 50 Bai Lili got a stable job (1)
In the past, Song County had only one state-owned restaurant, located near the train station. At that time, state-owned restaurants were doing very well, and they achieved turnover exceeding targets ahead of schedule every year.
But later, a state-owned restaurant opened near the county party committee. Not only did it take away half of the customers, but also because of the location, the county party committee and county government sent almost all the leaders who came from the city, province, and even Kyoto there.
Gradually, ordinary people also began to follow suit, and they felt that it was more respectable to go to the county party committee's state-owned restaurant for weddings and birthday banquets. This resulted in the business of the state-owned restaurant at the railway station getting worse year by year, and one year it even failed to achieve the established turnover target!
In recent years, there have been rumors that if the turnover of the state-owned restaurant at the railway station continues to fall short of standards, the original staff may be replaced and new employees may be recruited.
Although they didn't know whether it was true or not, all the staff at the state-owned hotel at the train station were nervous.
No one wants to lose their stable job.
So Chef Uncle Qin and several other chefs racked their brains to develop new dishes every month... This had a certain effect, but as long as the new dish developed by Uncle Qin gradually became famous, the county party committee's state-owned restaurant would send people to learn from him.
Before long, the county party committee’s state-owned restaurant would also offer exactly the same dishes, which tasted similar but were priced slightly cheaper, again attracting diners away.
Even so, Uncle Qin relied on his diligence and worked day and night to develop new dishes, and managed to complete the two-year sales plan for the state-owned restaurant at the railway station.
It was not until a few days ago that Uncle Qin received the stewed meat vanilla sent by Bai Taotao.
He gave some to Manager Xu and asked someone to analyze the ingredients to see what it was - the answer he got was that it was just an ordinary plant, not a medicinal material, and was harmless to the human body. It simply had a special aroma, and could be used to extract the aroma of various meats when cooking.
Uncle Qin then used the remaining spices and cooked a few meat dishes in a very simple way. He let all the employees try them, and they received unanimous praise!
Uncle Qin immediately reported the situation to Manager Xu, who was so excited that he wanted to go to Ruyi Village the next day...
He was stopped by the shrewd Chief Feng from the Purchasing Department.
Section Chief Feng said, "They are busy with the autumn harvest right now. If we go over to discuss business with them at this critical moment, I'm afraid it will backfire. Let's wait a little longer until the autumn harvest is over in the village, and then we can go over there."
So it has been delayed until now.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Qin, Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng met a young woman who called herself "Bai Taotao" as soon as they entered the village...
Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng did not recognize Bai Taotao, but Uncle Qin did.
See this woman pretending to be someone she is and her eyes are shining? ? ?
Uncle Qin had been a soldier for more than ten years and was very alert. His first reaction was that this woman had bad intentions and might be an undercover agent arranged by the county party committee’s state-owned hotel!
So he calmly tugged at the corner of Manager Xu's clothes.
Manager Xu, Uncle Qin and Section Chief Feng have been working together for seven or eight years, and they still have some tacit understanding.
Although he was not sure what happened exactly, Manager Xu already knew that the key things could not be told.
So he cleared his throat and said quickly, "Comrade Bai Taotao, we are... coming here specially to visit your father, Secretary Bai. May I ask if Secretary Bai's injury has improved?"
Yan Naqian: ...
Just visiting the injured?
I was very disappointed.
But then I thought - it's impossible, and why would a manager of a state-owned restaurant in a county town come to Ruyi Village? Considering that several nearby villages had suffered from insect pests, only Ruyi Village had a bumper harvest this year because Taotao opened a library and gave villagers lectures every day on how to prevent and control rice diseases and pests. As a result, everyone took strict precautions and guarded against them.
Could it be that this restaurant manager came to discuss business with Bai Zhenggan about buying and selling grain?
Then think about it, a few days before the autumn harvest, Bai Taotao happened to go to the city...
Yan Naqian felt relieved.
Yan Naqian said openly, "My father is fine... By the way, Manager Xu, you...are here to discuss purchasing, right?"
When Manager Xu heard this, he frowned and wondered if this woman was an insider.
He glanced at Uncle Qin silently.
At this time, Yan Naqian also had her own plans in mind.
——In order to win over Song Zhi, she has tried her best, but the result is that she is getting further and further away. Now Song Zhi runs away as soon as he sees her, and even others can feel his disgust for her. Therefore, Yan Naqian could no longer rely on marrying Song Zhi to get back to the city... at least she couldn't put all her hopes on Song Zhi alone.
This year, Ruyi Village received two quotas for workers, peasants and soldiers as students. Jiang Hongzhi also ran for the election. Although he was defeated miserably, this also pointed out a way for Yan Naqian to leave the village.
Isn’t it just about being advanced?
Carrying a hoe and doing farm work is really too hard. If you have to be like Bai Dongsheng and do hard, dirty and tiring work down to earth to become an advanced person...
It’s better to be lazy!
But, what if this state-owned restaurant came to discuss business with Bai Zhenggan?
If she gets the upper hand, the credit will be hers, and it will become a powerful vote for her to run for a place in the workers, peasants and soldiers student program in the future!
Thinking of this, Yan Naqian's heart immediately became hot, and she said enthusiastically: "Manager Xu, my father has already told me about this matter. This matter...just talk to me."
Uncle Qin just thought it was funny.
——What Taotao said was: All the purchasing details need to be discussed in detail with her father.
But when it came to the mouth of the woman pretending to be Taotao, it became that her father asked her to be the full representative?
However, Uncle Qin still didn't intend to say anything.
He wanted to see what this woman was up to!
Manager Xu was in a dilemma.
Faced with Yan Naqian's enthusiastic inquiry, if he answered, he was afraid of saying the wrong thing; if he didn't answer, it would seem bad too?
At this time, Section Chief Feng, who was standing nearby, thought quickly and said, "Comrade Bai Taotao, this is what happened. Your father has booked a hundred tables for a banquet at our hotel, and we are here to... collect the deposit."
Manager Xu and Uncle Qin immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Manager Xu immediately said, "Yes, since you are in full control of this matter, I think you can just give us the deposit of 100 yuan, right?"
Yan Naqian: ...
Manager Xu, "Uncle Qin, please issue a receipt so we can keep the money."
Uncle Qin responded loudly, then pretended to open his briefcase and rummaged through it...
Yan Naqian spoke with difficulty, "No, no...you, you..."
Just at this time, Jia Xiaohong and other male and female educated youth walked out of the educated youth station together.
As soon as the busy farming season was over, everyone planned to go to town to buy some things.
When Jia Xiaohong saw Yan Naqian standing and talking with three middle-aged men from the city, she became curious and pulled a few of her sisters over.
Uncle Qin rolled his eyes and said to Jia Xiaohong, "Little comrade, could you lend me a piece of paper and a pen? We are from the state-owned restaurant in the county. Comrade Bai Taotao wants to sign a payment contract with us on behalf of her father."
——He particularly emphasized the three words "Bai Taotao" and used the Spring and Autumn method to point out the "payment contract", neither saying who paid and who received the money, nor why the money was given.
Yan Naqian was anxious and pulled Manager Xu to the side. "Manager Xu, there are too many people here and it's very noisy. Let's... go over there where there are fewer people and talk!"
Then he chased Jia Xiaohong and the other educated youths away, "Hey, hurry up and leave! What's the matter with you? Hurry up and leave!"
But Jia Xiaohong had already grasped the point and asked in confusion, "Bai Taotao?"
Uncle Qin nodded.
Jia Xiaohong was stunned. She looked left and right, even up and down, and asked curiously, "But Taotao is not here!"
Uncle Qin was overjoyed and immediately pretended to be surprised and looked at Yan Naqian.
Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng also looked at Yan Naqian in shock - it turned out that this woman was not Bai Taotao? ! How shameless this person is!
Uncle Qin pretended to be surprised, "No way! This female comrade said with her own mouth that she is Bai Taotao, the daughter of Secretary Bai! This, this..."
Yan Naqian's face flushed red, and she hated Jia Xiaohong - in the original novel, neither Jiang Hongzhi nor Jia Xiaohong deserved to have a name, but why could he sabotage her again and again and make her life miserable?
The educated youths nearby pointed and talked——
"Is Yan Naqian crazy? Why is she pretending to be Taotao?"
"Why is she causing trouble all day long?"
"Oh my god, is she trying to impersonate Taotao and defraud money?"
"Maybe. I just heard that comrade talking about a payment contract or something!"
"Let's report to the secretary as soon as possible! Let's not let anything go wrong!"
Several educated youth ran to find Bai Zhenggan.
Uncle Qin, Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng all stared at Yan Naqian.
Jia Xiaohong mercilessly exposed Yan Naqian's true face and said to everyone: "Everyone, you have been deceived. This is Yan Naqian, who is famous for cheating and cheating in our village! She is not the daughter of the village party secretary at all!"
Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng both gasped.
Manager Xu, "What's wrong with young people nowadays?"
Section Chief Feng, "Were you trying to cheat me just now?"
Yan Naqian's face had been riddled with sharp, sarcastic looks from everyone, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "I, I'm not lying... Actually, I, I am... I, I am Secretary Bai's goddaughter!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" A sweet and pleasant voice sounded.
When everyone looked back, they saw the sisters Taotao and Xingxing carrying the backpacks.
——The two of them were nearby. The educated youth ran to find Bai Zhenggan angrily and met the Taoxing sisters on the way. She quickly told the real Bai Taotao about Yan Naqian impersonating her and asked her to go to the educated youth station immediately. Then she hurried to the village committee to find Bai Zhenggan.
As soon as Taotao arrived, she heard Yan Naqian brazenly say that she was her father's goddaughter?
Xing Xing also heard it. She hated Yan Naqian the most, so she shouted, "Why did my dad take you in as his goddaughter? Are you more diligent than my third sister, or prettier and more capable than my fourth sister? Humph, my dad doesn't lack daughters, he still lacks a dog. It's up to you whether you want to be his goddaughter or not!"
The educated youth who were watching burst into laughter.
Yan Naqian was furious, "You!"
Tao Tao quickly responded, "Xing Xing, I don't allow you to call Yan Naqian a dog!"
Yan Naqian: ...
At this time, Bai Zhenggan also came over hurriedly with a cane.
Xing Xing had already run over, "Dad! Yan Naqian is so shameless! She pretended to be my fourth sister and almost cheated someone out of their money! Then she spread rumors that she was your goddaughter! Dad, you better kill her!"
Yan Naqian lowered her head, wishing there was a crack in the ground for her to crawl into.
Taotao greeted Uncle Qin first, "Hello, Uncle Qin! How is Auntie?"
Uncle Qin smiled and nodded, "She's fine! She talks about you every day at home... Oh, by the way, Xiao Zhuzi's brother has been hospitalized for treatment. We were afraid that it would be unsafe for her to stay there alone, so we asked her to move to our house first. That child is really well-behaved..."
Yan Naqian was stunned when she saw Uncle Qin and Bai Taotao being so familiar and intimate.
——So these people knew from the beginning that she was not Bai Taotao?
Yan Naqian was too embarrassed to stay here anymore, so she stomped her feet, turned around and ran away!
Bai Zhenggan arrived, stared at Yan Naqian's back for a while, suppressed the viciousness in his eyes, and after being introduced by Taotao and Uncle Qin, he greeted Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng enthusiastically.
Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng felt relieved as soon as they saw Bai Zhenggan's demeanor.
The group walked towards the village committee while talking.
However, Bai Zhenggan suddenly stopped and said to everyone: "It's almost time for dinner, why don't you go to my house and let the sisters cook for you..."
Then he said cheerfully: "These sisters...are not very old, but they have a lot of ideas for cooking! There are so many tricks!" The doting and pride in his tone were self-evident.
Uncle Qin's heart moved.
——That’s great, it’s a good opportunity for me to learn from you secretly.
Manager Xu and Section Chief Feng certainly had no objection.
Bai Zhenggan also asked Xingxing to call the village head, village cadres, cadres from each production team and clan elders to come to his house for a simple meal.
At the same time, he winked at his little daughter.
Xingxing knew what was going on - since she was inviting so many people to her house for dinner, and to discuss business, the meal should be paid for by the public.
She nodded, turned and ran away.
Taotao rushed home first to boil water and make tea for the guests.
When Manager Xu, Section Chief Feng and Uncle Qin arrived at the house and took a look, they saw - wow, what an elegant farmyard that looked like a fairyland!
Everything inside and outside is neat and clean. There is a bamboo frame in the yard, on which are placed four or five layers of bamboo sieves, with different things drying in each layer. Some were drying small fish and shrimps, some were drying mushrooms, some were drying vegetables, some were drying feverfew and honeysuckle…
Various flowers are planted in the corner of the wall. It is late autumn now, but chrysanthemums of various colors are in full bloom, so lively! Hanging under the corridor are bonsai made from old bamboo hats, mainly orchids and autumn irises, with occasional pots of elegant yellow flowers blooming, which are very pleasing to the eye.
Lili and Tan Fenghui also came out to greet the guests.
Bai Zhenggan ordered them, "Bring out our 8-person table and put it in the yard. Fourth uncle and his family will be here soon. Cook the rice first. There will be 30 people... I'll ask Taotao to cook later, and you can help her."
When Lili and Tan Fenghui heard that these three people were from the state-owned hotel at the county railway station, they immediately understood.
So the aunt and sister-in-law started preparing immediately.
On the other side, after Xing Xing called people from door to door, she, under the leadership of the village chief's wife, opened the village granary, took out more than 20 kilograms of rice, carried two ducks, two chickens, a piece of bacon weighing four or five kilograms, and a piece of pork belly weighing seven or eight kilograms.
——The day before yesterday was the last day of autumn harvest. The village chief had sent people to the town to buy meat as a reward for the villagers who went to work, but the meat buyer was delayed on the way. Taotao and her friends had to replace pork with other vegetables. Because of this, seven or eight kilograms of pork were left over and stored in the village cellar.
I just happened to take it out and use it today.
Because they were afraid that it would look bad if they carried the things in through the front gate, Xing Xing and the village chief's wife went around to the back of their vegetable garden and entered through the back door.
At this time, Taotao was making tea.
Tang Liren is very good at roasting tea. On the second day after the autumn harvest, when she went up the mountain to collect firewood, she found that the wild tea trees in the dense forest had sprouted new buds. She quickly called the whole family to go up the mountain together. It took them half a day to pick about 20 kilograms of fresh tea leaves. After roasting them several times, they got four or five kilograms of new tea, which was of very good quality.
Taotao loves the tea made by her mother and drinks several cups every day. She also insisted on mailing two kilograms of tea to Brother Nansheng, and stamped her feet and shouted that she wanted to pick some more tea leaves...but she had too many things to do these days and couldn't afford to eat for the time being.
Taotao cooked licorice and chrysanthemum green tea.
The white chrysanthemums planted in my own yard are picked when they are four or five percent blooming and placed on a drying rack to dry in the shade. When brewing tea, add three or four tea leaves to a small white chrysanthemum and a small piece of licorice. The small white chrysanthemum will slowly bloom in the tea and be dyed a light green by the dark green tea leaves. It is so beautiful!
Take a sip and you will taste the unique bitterness and fragrance of green tea, the rich floral fragrance of white chrysanthemum, and the light sweetness and aftertaste of licorice...
The travelers who had been tired from the long journey suddenly felt their tiredness disappear and their mood seemed to improve.
Uncle Qin held the ceramic cup in his hand and thought: Can I buy some dried white chrysanthemums to take back? It's OK for guests eating in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel, but for guests eating in the private rooms on the second and third floors, they are either rich people or on business. It doesn't cost much to make a cup of this tea for each of these guests, but it's easy to win their favor...
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed right. He nodded repeatedly and added "fleurone" to his mental shopping list.
After Taotao prepared tea for the guests, she went to the kitchen.
Just then, Xing Xing and the village chief's wife came breathlessly with all kinds of ingredients. Tao Tao took a look and quickly made a decision:
The main course is hot pot, with duck bones, a pound of pork and a pound of bacon as the soup base, and the hot pot side dishes are picked directly from their own vegetable garden; as for the two chickens, an old hen is made into braised chicken with wine, red dates and astragalus, and a young chicken is made into boiled chicken; a whole duck is made into duck with basil and dried bamboo shoots, and the pork is made into four ways: stewed meat, braised pork, grilled meat rolls, and grape meat puree. Then there are the various dried vegetables that have been prepared long ago and recommended to state-owned restaurants.
For a moment, Tang Liren, Tan Fenghui, Lili, Xingxing and the village chief's wife all became busy!
Kill chickens and ducks, cut the meat and stew them, soak various dried bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and black fungus, go to the vegetable garden to pick and wash vegetables...
Everyone was busy and having fun.
Uncle Qin quietly slipped into the kitchen, hoping to learn from him.
How could Taotao not know what Uncle Qin was thinking?
But she was smiling and directing Uncle Qin to work!
Uncle Qin readily agreed. He was strong and was also a professional chef. Many of his methods of handling ingredients were both professional and efficient. With his participation, the women quickly prepared the ingredients.
The men were also having a very happy conversation in the yard.
——Of course, it was mainly because of the bumper harvest in Ruyi Village this year, which made the village cadres in high spirits. In addition, the manager of the state-owned restaurant came here to buy things from the village, which was another source of income, so everyone was even happier.
However, Manager Xu, who had almost fallen into Yan Naqian's hands just now, felt very upset and made a small complaint against Yan Naqian.
Other village cadres hurriedly asked what was going on.
When I heard that Yan Naqian wanted to blackmail someone?
Everyone already disliked Yan Naqian, and now everyone was thinking - it seems that this person can't be kept!
Manager Xu decided to quit while he was ahead and changed the subject, asking about the village's specialties.
For a time, the villagers recommended it enthusiastically and it was very lively.
When it was time for dinner, Xingxing ran out and shouted that it was time to eat! Everyone suppressed their anxious feelings and stretched their necks to wait.
The first course was hot pot.
The girls first went to the small charcoal stove, then brought up the casserole and placed it on the charcoal stove. Everyone immediately smelled the rich aroma of bacon, mixed with a slight fishy smell of duck. When they opened the lid, they saw a thick milky white soup bubbling inside.
Everyone couldn't help but swallow their saliva with a gulp.
Bai Zhenggan explained: "For this hot pot, let them scoop the soup first, let us taste the soup, and then let them put the vegetables in to cook. It takes time to eat this, let's drink the soup first, and then eat the other dishes!"
Lili and Xingxing added a small bowl of hot pot soup to each guest.
As soon as the soup entered their mouths, everyone exclaimed in satisfaction.
——Bacon is salty and duck meat is fishy, but I didn’t expect that the soup cooked from these two ingredients would be so delicious!
Next, Lili and Xingxing brought four kinds of meat: stewed meat, braised pork, grilled meat rolls and meat with grape puree.
Among them, the clear-boiled meat looks the ugliest.
It looks like there is no seasoning in it, it’s just a white bowl, and even the soup is clear?
Everyone looked at the dish and their hearts were pounding.
After Lili and Xingxing served the food to everyone, everyone tried to take a bite.
sky!
How come this pork is so delicious!
Manager Xu, Section Chief Feng, and Uncle Qin were especially shocked. They could tell right after one bite that stewing spices were added to this dish!
Uncle Qin was also a participant in the cooking. He saw with his own eyes that when Taotao had someone cook this dish, she only added two slices of ginger to remove the fishy smell, and then added a little salt and a small piece of stewing vanilla. When serving the dish, Taotao simply threw in the ginger slices and vanilla, and that was it.
However, this braised pork belly slices has an indescribable meaty aroma when eaten. And you can't taste any spices at all, the pork just tastes especially fragrant, glutinous and delicious!
Manager Xu, Section Chief Feng and Uncle Qin secretly exchanged glances: They must sign the supply and marketing contract, get the stewed meat and herbs, and never let the county party committee’s state-owned restaurant know this secret!
After eating the stewed meat, Lili and Xingxing continued to serve food to everyone.
This time it’s braised pork.
The braised pork was shiny and red in color, and the side dish was dried mushrooms, which had a strong aroma and looked delicious.
Everyone tried a bite of the braised pork and found the fat to be sweet, soft and glutinous, while the lean meat was tasty and chewy. It was so delicious that they almost swallowed their tongues!
But when everyone ate the side dish of the braised pork - shiitake mushrooms, they were once again deeply amazed!
Why are shiitake mushrooms tastier than braised pork? ? ?
This is unscientific!
Each shiitake mushroom is small and complete, soaking up the braised pork broth and extremely delicious. It is very soft and tender, and melts in your mouth, leaving only the umbrella handle which is still chewy.
The unique aroma of Xiangru makes people linger...
Manager Xu, Section Chief Feng and Uncle Qin looked at each other again: This mushroom must be obtained!
After tasting the Xiangru braised pork, Lili Xingxing served everyone another dish called grilled meat rolls.
This grilled meat roll is actually fried and looks particularly delicious.
- The pork is cut into long strips, fried, and then rolled with fresh oyster mushrooms and tofu skin cooked in chicken broth, a small piece of fresh and raw cucumber, and a small piece of crispy pickled radish.
Each meat roll is pierced by a bamboo skewer and is just the right size for a big bite.
When you take a bite, you first taste the ultimate meaty aroma, mixed with the soft and rich flavor of the oyster mushrooms, the bean fragrance of the tofu skin, the freshness of the raw cucumber, and the freshness and flavor of the pickled radish!
I have to say, this dish is a bit fancy, but it is really... worth learning from. Because the ingredients are simple and easy to obtain, and the taste is particularly rich.
Uncle Qin nodded secretly and vowed to promote this barbecue roll.
After everyone finished eating this dish, Lili and Xingxing served everyone the last dish of the four major meats: grape meat puree.
Uncle Qin also helped to cook this dish.
The preparation method was beyond his expectations - Taotao really picked a bunch of green grapes from the vines in her home, washed them, peeled them, and mashed them into a paste. Then she had someone cut the pork belly into small pieces, added stewing meat herbs and soy sauce, salt, and minced garlic, and stir-fried them into a meat paste in an iron pan and served it.
She found some lettuce leaves, washed them, and cut them into small round bowls with scissors. Then she added a small spoonful of fried meat puree, a little bit of green grape puree, and sprinkled fried white sesame seeds in each small "vegetable" bowl.
The dish is done.
So Uncle Qin wanted to try out what this dish tasted like with all his heart.
Xing Xing scooped a piece with a small wooden spoon, placed it in front of Uncle Qin, and said, "Uncle Qin, you have to eat this with the lettuce leaves."
Uncle Qin said yes, and couldn't wait to pick up the "bowl" of side dishes and stuff it directly into his mouth.
ah……
The fried meat puree has a strong meaty aroma because of the stewed meat vanilla, and it is paired with this grape puree... The grape puree is very sour, about 80% sour and 20% sweet, but because the portion is not large, when you eat it in your mouth, you first taste the overwhelming meaty aroma, and then the grape puree removes the greasiness of the meat, bringing a hint of sourness and fresh fruity fragrance!
Plus this unique serving method! ! !
Uncle Qin was sure that this dish would be favored by women and children.
This dish must be learned too!
After finishing the four kinds of meat, Lili and Xingxing brought over the baked duck with basil and dried bamboo shoots, the braised duck with black fungus and pickled radish, as well as the wine-fermented chicken and the boiled chicken.
The basil and bamboo shoots duck has a unique flavor, with the highlight being the bamboo shoots.
There is a green bamboo forest near Taotao's home. The sweet bamboo shoots that emerge from the soil in spring have a natural sweet fragrance and are so tender that you can squeeze out water. Fresh bamboo shoots grown in spring are more delicious. After being made into dried bamboo shoots, they are easier to soak than other varieties of bamboo shoots. They can also easily absorb the soup and meat flavor of the main dish, and have an extremely crispy and tender texture.
It was also the first time for Uncle Qin to eat such tender bamboo shoots, and he couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
As for the duck meat braised with black fungus and sour radish, Taotao actually wants to promote its own black fungus - this kind of black fungus is particularly delicate and tender, and tastes excellent.
But when Uncle Qin ate it, he felt that the taste of this fungus was close to that of cloud fungus, but not as good as cloud fungus, and not as amazing as pickled radish.
The last two main dishes were braised chicken with rice wine, red dates and astragalus and boiled chicken.
Braised chicken with glutinous rice wine and red astragalus, as the name suggests, is made by first braising the chicken with red dates and astragalus, and then adding some homemade sweet glutinous rice wine before serving. It tastes sweet and sour and is full of medicinal aroma!
Of course, this dish is also delicious, but Uncle Qin has made similar medicinal food before. He is more looking forward to the last dish - boiled chicken.
He knew that since Taotao arranged this dish at the end, she must have great confidence in it.
really--
This poached chicken looks ordinary.
The chicken was not big, so each person present could only get two small pieces.
And it seems that this poached chicken, like the stewed meat, does not seem to have any seasoning at all.
Uncle Qin also participated in the entire cooking process, so he knew very well that this poached chicken did not have any extra seasonings, only three kinds of seasonings: ginger, scallion, and stewed meat and herbs.
When Uncle Qin picked up a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth, he understood - the selling point of Taotao's boiled chicken is not only the stewed meat and herbs, but also... the heat of the steamed chicken and the precise control of the salt taste.
The chickens raised in Ruyi Village are only eight months old. They are not fat and have thin skin and tender meat. Maybe it's because it has eaten more grass in the past few days, so it has just grown some fat and tender meat.
When you eat the chicken nuggets, with the help of the stewed meat and herbs, it is certainly fragrant, but more importantly - the chicken tastes extremely tender, which shows that the chef knows the heat very well. If you steam it for one minute longer, the meat will be dry, and if you steam it for one minute less, the chicken will not be cooked yet!
The saltiness is just right, not too salty or too bland, just the right amount to enhance the flavor.
However, the chicken was so tender that even the bones were crispy and broke into pieces when chewed. The stewed meat and herbs also made it more flavorful... There was no fishy smell at all and it was extremely delicious.
Uncle Qin suddenly understood.
——The restaurant's business can certainly beat the county party committee restaurant in the short term because of the stewed meat and herbs, but as the chief chef, his understanding of the ingredients, control of the heat, and precise combination of various seasonings are the best recipes, which no one can learn no matter who tries to steal his skills in person or in private.
He looked at Taotao.
Taotao also looked at him and smiled.
Uncle Qin understood that Taotao was giving him some advice! Because when he was working as a servant in the kitchen, he once said a few words about the difficult situation that their state-owned restaurant at the railway station was facing.
At this time, Tao Tao said again: "The hot pot is ready, let's have a taste while it's hot."
Lili and Xingxing then served the food to everyone.
Taotao prepared a variety of ingredients for the hot pot: white radish slices, dried bamboo shoots, fresh oyster mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, fresh fungus, potato chips...
But Taotao asked her sisters to serve everyone several different flavors of dipping sauces: first a sour grape sauce with salt, then a homemade shrimp hot sauce, and also a young ginger paste with salt and fragrant sesame oil sauce, and a refreshing garlic salt water.
I have to say, although the hot pot dishes are all vegetarian, they are still delicious and good for the stomach when eaten with different sauces!
Everyone ate their fill and praised Taotao highly.
In fact, Taotao is not good at cooking. As the chef in charge of the kitchen today, she just played a directing role. None of the dishes were made by her...
She said quickly, "I didn't do anything today. It was all the village head aunt, my mom, my sister-in-law, my sister and my younger sister who cooked. I didn't even get my hands wet. It's not my credit! I should praise my aunt, my mom, my sister-in-law, my sister and my younger sister!"
The village chief's wife said quickly: "Well, if it weren't for you, how would we know what to pair with each dish!"
Tang Liren also laughed, "Okay, now in front of so many guests, I won't praise you anymore. I'll reward you with a boiled egg tonight, okay?"
The village chief's wife quickly said, "Sister-in-law Zhenggan, you are too stingy, aren't you?"
The fourth uncle said, "Wow, I'll give you a pork elbow as a reward later. When you're done, we can share half!"
Everyone burst into laughter!
Taotao also smiled, but her eyes involuntarily drifted towards Song Zhi who was sitting at the table.
Song Zhi was also smiling at her.
Taotao looked proud.
Uncle Qin stared at the hotpot and fell into deep thought again.
Taotao gave him a lot of inspiration.
Winter is coming soon, and he can develop a very cheap hot pot set meal, focusing on the leftover side dishes. Just boil a pot of bone soup, add seven or eight kinds of vegetarian dishes and three or four kinds of dipping sauces, and you can fill a table and eat it hot. It’s a full-ingredient dish, and the price is not high, so there must be a lot of people coming to eat!
Uncle Qin suddenly burst into laughter. "Taotao, Taotao, this time it's all thanks to you! You are such a treasure... You gave me so much inspiration!"
Manager Xu looked at the leftovers on the table, touched his round belly, and said to Bai Zhenggan: "Secretary Bai, to be honest, I am the manager of a state-owned restaurant. I have seen the world! But after eating this meal at your house... Hey, I feel like I have never seen the world!"
Manager Xu pointed to the empty plates on the table and said, "Look, isn't it just chicken, duck, pork and bacon? If you are a little more rare, there are dried bamboo shoots and dried mushrooms... But I never thought that these things would be so delicious! So delicious!"
"Hey Taotao, Taotao, let me ask you, are you willing to go to the city and work in our hotel? I can arrange a temporary job for you first, and then you can get a regular job if you have the opportunity. Are you willing?" Manager Xu asked.
Everyone present was stunned.
Song Zhi especially.
He stared at Manager Xu with an unhappy look on his face: Why do people always want to destroy him and Taotao? It seems that I have to ask Tao's parents for marriage in the next few days...
Bai Zhenggan and Tang Liren were also extremely surprised.
——If you can go to work in the city and have the opportunity to become a formal employee with a stable job, how glorious and respectable that would be!
But, how could he let his silly daughter, who had just regained her sanity less than a year ago, leave him?
The couple felt heartbroken again.
For a moment, the two were afraid of missing this good opportunity, but also afraid that Taotao would really agree... They couldn't help but feel extremely conflicted.
Taotao smiled and said to Manager Xu, "Uncle Xu, I will answer this question later. I want to ask Uncle Qin a question first... Uncle Qin, which dish are you most satisfied with today?"
Uncle Qin said without hesitation: "Boiled chicken."
Taotao was full of pride, "The boiled chicken was made by my third sister!"
Bai Lili was stunned for a moment, blushing a little, "I, I, I, I...it was Taotao who asked me to do that."
Tao Tao looked at her third sister and said seriously, "But, it was third sister who applied the salt and checked the heat. I only said one sentence from beginning to end: I want to make boiled chicken!"
Uncle Qin looked Bai Lili up and down.
——When he was helping in the kitchen just now, he also realized that Taotao's sister was the main force in cooking. Taotao just opened her mouth and gave orders. Everyone else was busy washing and cutting vegetables. Only Bailili was busy from beginning to end.
All the dishes are made with white pears.
Just as Manager Xu said, Taotao's advantage lies in her quick mind... In this regard, Taotao actually does not have an advantage. Because she is a farm girl, she can really show her creativity in the farm ingredients. However, in the kitchen of a state-owned restaurant, there are hundreds of ingredients. Taotao herself can't cook and may not recognize all of them...
The most important thing is that Uncle Qin is also unwilling in his heart - if Taotao goes, what will be the rest of his job? Does he still have to obey Taotao's orders at his age?
Fortunately, Taotao can't cook.
Uncle Qin secretly rejoiced.
But Lili is different. She is good at cooking and has an inexplicable intuition and precision in cooking. She is also very hardworking and has a good personality.
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