Chapter 21 Letter

It was somewhat inconvenient for Su Taotao to work while carrying Chen Chen on her back, and it was also inconvenient to put him down. After all, the kitchen was a sensitive area and there was still danger.

Chef Xu frowned as he looked at the delicate little kid: "You're taking him to work?"

Su Taotao was worried that Chef Xu would chase them away, so she could only say, "He's very well behaved and won't cause any trouble."

Chef Xu said sternly, "No, did you pick up the child? This is a very important kitchen, with fire and oil, and everyone is carrying hot dishes in and out. What if he gets burned?"

Of course Su Taotao knew that it was not safe, so she thought about sending him to Chen Sihai's house and letting Chen Sihai's mother take care of him for a while.

Chef Xu pointed to the small room on the side and said, "That's my rest room. If he's good, let him play in there for a while. If he's not good, you can take him with you."

Su Taotao thanked the cold-faced but warm-hearted chef Xu repeatedly: "Don't worry, my son is very well behaved."

Su Taotao carried Chenchen from her back to the front. Before she could say anything, Chenchen looked into her eyes and nodded seriously: "Be good~~"

Su Taotao was stunned for a moment, and after a while she realized that he understood their conversation and promised that she would be a good boy.

Su Taotao felt sad and tender at the same time. How could she have such an angel baby? She kissed the child's face and said, "I got up too early today. Chenchen, go take a nap first. When you wake up, mom will be done with your work."

Chen Chen nodded obediently again.

After settling down Chenchen, Su Taotao started making brine.

She was careful and wrapped all the spices she would use in a piece of gauze before going out, making it look like a broth bag, and then took a can of brine. Now she only needed to add appropriate amounts of seasonings such as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, and MSG, and add scallions and ginger slices to start making brine.

Of course, caramel coloring is also indispensable. Nowadays, all state-owned hotels have the dish of braised pork in brown sauce, so caramel coloring is a must. However, Chef Xu does not have any of it here!

"Chef Xu, haven't you fried the sugar color yet?"

Chef Xu frowned and pointed to the paste on the side that was thicker than oyster sauce: "Isn't that it?"

Su Taotao never expected that this bowl of sticky, black stuff was actually candy color. She picked up some with her finger and tasted it. It was bitter and astringent, even worse than Chinese medicine. No wonder even a dish like braised pork, which tasted delicious no matter how easy it was made, couldn't be sold.

Su Taotao said tactfully, "My ancestors were chefs, and there is a secret recipe for making sugar color. The taste and color may be better than this. How about I make one? It's quick and won't delay you for long. It will only take three or four minutes."

Chef Xu was also a smart man. He understood what Su Taotao said: "Are you saying that my braised pork tastes bad because of the sugar color?"

Su Taotao: "..." You said this, she dare not say anything nonsense.

Su Taotao tried to be as tactful as possible: "I have never eaten the braised pork you made, so I don't know what it tastes like, but the sugar color we stir-fry is not bitter or astringent. I wonder if it helps improve the taste of the braised pork."

The sugar color was made by the apprentice. When he heard Su Taotao say this, he immediately frowned: "How can you, a country woman who doesn't even have a chef's license, say that my sugar color is not good? Have you ever eaten braised pork in brown sauce? Do you know how to make it?"

Su Taotao didn't want to offend anyone, so she waved her hands repeatedly: "That's not what I meant. I just said that the sugar color we make is different from this one. Maybe mine is even worse?"

After hearing what Su Taotao said, the little disciple's expression looked a little better.

Chef Xu tasted some fried sugar color. The color was okay, but the taste was a bit strange. He was seriously injured in an artillery bombardment on the battlefield. Afterwards, his five senses became disordered and he lost most of his taste. He could only taste a little salty, and it was difficult to distinguish other flavors. He could only cook based on his feelings. The people who tasted the food did not dare to tell the truth, so he himself had no idea what the dishes he made tasted like.

Judging from the customer flow, the food is definitely not that good.

He appeared calm on the surface, but in fact he was more anxious than anyone else, but he couldn't say it out loud.

Su Taotao's arrival is more like a rare opportunity.

"Just fry the sugar color according to your method." Chef Xu said expressionlessly.

The young disciple was startled: "Master?"

Chef Xu glanced at him with a stern look in his eyes. Without him saying anything, the little apprentice automatically retracted his gaze.

"Excuse me, Master." Su Taotao walked to the pot, and the apprentice made way for her. "Excuse me, do you have rock sugar?"

The young apprentice sneered: "I can tell you've never been to a kitchen. Who uses rock sugar to make sugar color? We all use white sugar."

Su Taotao was not annoyed and said with a smile: "If you don't have rock sugar, white sugar will also work, but rock sugar tastes a little more refreshing."

As soon as he finished speaking, a can of rock sugar was handed to Su Taotao.

Chef Xu sent it over.

Su Taotao thanked him, took two large pieces of rock sugar and crushed them, about the amount of a large spoon, and put them into the pot together with cold water in a 1:1 ratio.

The young disciple began to sneer again: "You're actually pouring cool water..."

Su Taotao ignored him. After the water boiled, she turned the heat to medium and added a little cooking oil. She waited until white bubbles appeared in the pot before she started stirring the food in one direction.

While stirring, he said, "We have a delicacy in my hometown called "Fansha Yam". At this time, turn off the fire and fry the taro, coat it with frosting sugar and fry it to make Fansha Yam."

Chef Xu's expression changed from nonchalant at first to serious.

After more than a minute, the sugar in the pot turned into a light yellow color like maltose. Su Taotao said, "This state is the most suitable for making candied sweet potatoes. Candied sweet potatoes are delicious."

Su Taotao stirred the spatula a few times, scooped up some sugar color, looked at it, and immediately turned off the fire, leaving only a little residual heat to continue boiling. She added: "If you don't turn off the fire and continue boiling at this time, it will usually become bitter."

The young apprentice pursed his lips and said nothing. He usually just cooked the food at one temperature until it reached the desired color. Sometimes he would overcook it, but seeing that Chef Xu didn't say anything, he just cooked it as he pleased. Anyway, no matter what the food turned out like, Chef Xu would use it to make braised pork.

At this time, the sugar color has reached the color that Su Taotao wants.

"Excuse me, where is the boiled water?" Su Taotao asked.

The young apprentice asked, "What are you going to do? Isn't the soup ready? Why don't you serve it?"

Chef Xu has already handed over the thermos.

Su Taotao thanked him and added two spoonfuls of boiling water.

The young apprentice was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even speak. After a long while, he said, "You really can't cook."

Su Taotao ignored him and turned the heat back to medium. After it boiled, she turned it back to medium-low heat: "Just simmer for another forty seconds."

After Su Taotao finished speaking, she began to count silently in her mind. When she reached forty, she immediately picked up the pot and placed it on the stove which was not on fire, and then she put out all the fire here.

She found a large bowl and scooped out the sugar color, exactly two tablespoons of it: "The sugar color fried this way can be kept for a long time without going bad or becoming bitter. Chef Xu, can you try it?"

Chef Xu doesn’t even need to try it. Just by looking at the color and the production process of Su Taotao, you can tell that this bowl of sugar color can’t be bad.

He pointed at his young apprentice to try.

The young apprentice tasted a little and found it sweet and not bitter. The color was also very beautiful. He curled his lips and said, "It's almost the same."

Chef Xu ignored him and grabbed a waiter to come in: "Try these two bowls and tell me which one tastes better."

The waiter gritted his teeth and tried a little of the bowl of sugar color made by the apprentice, which was darker than soy sauce. He couldn't help but spit it out as soon as he took a bite: "It's so astringent and bitter. I can't eat it."

Chef Xu passed another bowl over. The waiter thought it was about the same, so he tried it again. His eyes lit up and he said, "This bowl is good. It tastes sweet and has a hint of caramel."

Chef Xu waved his hand to let her go and looked at his apprentice: "Do you have anything else to say?"

The young disciple blushed and retorted: "You never said anything when I tortured you like that..."

Chef Xu was furious and thought to himself, "If I had a healthy sense of taste, would you still have the chance to stay here and argue with me?"

He pointed to the door and said, "Go away. You don't need to come tomorrow."

The young apprentice was stunned for a moment: "Master, do I have a day off tomorrow?"

Chef Xu got angry and said, "Get lost! Don't come here again!"

The young apprentice had to use a lot of connections to be able to come here as an apprentice. When Chef Xu said this, he was completely confused: "Not Master, why? What did I do wrong?"

Chef Xu looked at him coldly: "You are right, I am wrong. I am not worthy of being your master. I don't need to come here anymore, okay?"

The young disciple panicked: "I'm wrong, Master. I'm really wrong. I won't do it again. I really won't do it again!" He pointed at Su Taotao angrily, "Is it because of her? Are you going to accept her as your disciple? Master, she is here to cause trouble!"

Before Chef Xu could say anything, Su Taotao said, "I'm sorry, I really don't plan to be an apprentice."

Chef Xu glanced at the others and said, "What are you still standing there for? Get out!"

The second chef and the chopping board finally reacted and kicked the young apprentice out.

Su Taotao: “…”

Chef Xu stopped talking and silently poured out the sugar color that the young apprentice had fried before, no, the sugar color that the young apprentice had fried before, and used Su Taotao's sugar color instead, and started to make today's braised pork.

Su Taotao also added an appropriate amount of sugar color to the bubbling brine, and began to process the pig's feet, ears, and tails. These things had been processed very cleanly when they were brought from Chen Sihai, but in order to increase the flavor, Su Taotao still found a handful of straw, put them all in the straw pile and roasted them, and only turned them out when the skin turned yellow.

Others looked at Su Taotao from time to time, but no one asked anything in front of Chef Xu. As the saying goes, laymen see the excitement while experts see the details. Now they all knew that Su Taotao was a "master", or at least a master whose cooking skills were better than Chef Xu.

Chef Xu just watched silently and didn't ask anything.

The pork skin roasted with straw has a very special fragrance. Su Taotao washes it clean and puts it into the brine without cutting it. Her work is done and all she has to do is leave it to time.

Su Taotao went into the rest room and checked on Chenchen. The child was sleeping soundly, with thick eyelashes like two small rows covering his eyelids without permission. The slightest movement seemed to brush against Su Taotao's heart. The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously. The most gratifying thing about coming to the 1970s was becoming a mother painlessly and having a well-behaved, smart and beautiful little angel like Chenchen.

Su Taotao tiptoed out, and Chef Xu suddenly handed her a spoonful of soup. Su Taotao didn't understand what was going on, so she looked up at him.

Chef Xu's face was unnatural, and he said stiffly: "Without my little apprentice, there is no one to help me taste the food."

Su Taotao understood, dipped a little in the soup and tasted it, and said honestly: "It would be better if we add a little more rice wine and a little more salt."

Chef Xu didn't taste it himself, but followed Su Taotao's instructions and added half a spoonful of rice wine and a little salt.

Chef Xu started to prepare other dishes. Before making each dish, he let Su Taotao taste it and then made adjustments based on Su Taotao's opinions.

By the time Chef Xu finished preparing the dish, Su Taotao's brine was almost done.

She lifted the lid to let the brine thicken a little more so that it would be more flavorful.

When the juice is almost dried up, Su Taotao turns off the heat to let the halogen cool down naturally. This process allows the ingredients to better absorb the flavor of the halogen.

But time was limited, so Su Taotao picked out a little of each, cut it into small pieces, and handed it to Chef Xu: "The name of this dish is brine platter. Please try it and see if it suits your taste."

The thick red sauce has an alluring aroma, the straw-roasted pork skin and the spices in the brine complement each other, adding a bit of gamey flavor. This dish is just right in terms of color, taste and softness. The pig's trotters and tail are just boneless with a little bit of chewing, but not too soft and rotten, and the pig's ears are slightly chewy. They come out of the same pot but have different flavors. Even Chef Xu, who has lost 80 to 90 percent of his sense of taste, can taste the deliciousness of this brine platter.

"You guys try it, it will taste better if you leave it for a few more hours, and even better if you leave it overnight in the winter."

The other people in the kitchen had been working while smelling the flavor and could no longer hold back. After tasting it, they also praised it highly and gave Su Taotao a thumbs up.

The guests who arrived earlier couldn't help but look into the kitchen: "Did you change the chef today? Are you going to serve new dishes? They smell so good!"

"Yes, yes, yes. I smelled it as soon as I passed the door. What new dish is this? Why does it smell so good?"

"I was originally planning to eat at Jiefang Road, but was attracted by the smell. Waiter, what's the menu today? What do you have?"

…

The waiter said sternly: "Just eat whatever's available, why are you talking so much?" She also wanted to know what the new dish was. She had been smelling this smell all morning and it was making her horny.

But since Chef Xu didn't say anything, they were too embarrassed to go into the kitchen to taste the food.

The second chef came out to hang up the menu, and the brine platter (limited edition) was prominently listed. After asking and clarifying that it was a new dish, it was sold out in no time, and all the other dishes were sold out as well.

As the dishes were served one by one, the diners were full of praise for every dish today, especially the halogen platter, which was so delicious that you wanted to swallow it all. Even the waiter wanted to keep a portion to take home. I believe that in a short time, the whole Qinglian County will know that the First State-owned Hotel has a great chef, and the food is so delicious that it's amazing.

"Tell me your purpose." Chef Xu was convinced by the young female comrade in front of him.

What’s strange is that she had said before that she didn’t want to continue working in a state-owned hotel, and she didn’t even hide her ancestral craft.

Nowadays, everyone knows that teaching an apprentice will starve the master to death. Who would not hide a good skill, for fear that others would steal it and learn it? But Su Taotao is not like that. Not only does she share it generously, she also spares no effort in teaching other dishes. Chef Xu really cannot understand her purpose.

During the chat, Su Taotao had already explained her background.

Seeing Chef Xu asking this, she answered frankly: "As you can see, my child is still young, and I don't plan to stay in the county town to work for a long time, so I don't ask for a formal job, but I need money to raise my child."

Su Taotao pointed at the pot of brine and said, "In this weather, this pot of brine can be reused for three or four days. Just skim off the impurities after each use, boil it and leave it alone. Boil it again before leaving work and leave it alone. When you boil it the next day, you can add an appropriate amount of water according to the amount of ingredients. The taste will be richer than the first day. The same is true on the third day. After that, you must replace it with new brine and brine oil. First, brine will easily go bad if it is reused for too long, and second, it will not taste the same."

In later times, there were indeed some places that claimed to have century-old brine and that the brine was reused over and over again, but whether it was true or not, Su Taotao didn’t know exactly how to preserve the brine. Anyway, she thought it was better not to reuse it too many times.

Chef Xu frowned and asked, "Do you want to sell brining packets and brine?" Isn't this digging into socialism? Isn't it inappropriate?

Su Taotao shook her head: "I am a good comrade who abides by the law and will not do anything illegal or criminal. I want to apply to become a consultant or non-staff member of your hotel. Any title is fine. I can take on some of the purchasing work.

Our team's tractors only come to the county town on market days, just like today. I will use this day to replace the new halogen bags and halogen oil. All the materials used will be paid for on a reimbursement basis. You can apply to the unit to give me the remuneration I deserve."

Su Taotao paused for a moment, and seeing that Chef Xu was thinking about something, she continued:

"The brine platter is just my first dish to test the waters. It can be kept as a signature dish. However, no matter how delicious the food is, you will get tired of it if you eat it every day. From now on, I will provide a new dish and the recipe on the first market day of every month. Except for the recipe for brine, which I cannot provide to you for the time being, I will provide all other recipes unconditionally. There will be more than a dozen new dishes in a year. You can sell whichever dish you think is suitable, and you can also adjust it according to the season.

I can provide the purchasing channels for the ingredients of each dish. When it is inconvenient for me to purchase, your buyer can follow up. I have already made arrangements for the ingredients used for the halogens tomorrow. You just need to go to the meat processing factory and find Comrade Chen Sihai and tell him my name, and then follow the normal purchasing process.

Finally, in order to protect the rights and interests of both parties, I hope to sign a labor contract, first a three-month trial period. If you feel it is suitable, we will continue to maintain this labor relationship. If you feel it is not suitable, we will terminate the labor contract once the three-month trial period is up. "

In fact, Su Taotao had selfish motives in signing the three-month trial period. She didn't know the exact time when Fu Zhengtu would return, but it would be between three to six months. After that, she would definitely go to the base with Fu Zhengtu. The role of a father was indispensable, and if possible, it would be best for Chenchen to grow up with his parents. This was Su Taotao's principle.

Chef Xu never expected it to be like this.

He took all aspects of this female comrade into consideration. According to the current business situation of the hotel, he could not find any reason to refuse. Moreover, her request was not excessive. Even if the higher-ups were unwilling to add this non-staff member, he could make her his apprentice and subsidize her a little from his salary, and the matter would be resolved.

Chef Xu was delighted. Su Taotao's arrival was a great thing for him and the hotel. He wanted to keep Su Taotao even if he had to pay for it all out of his own pocket.

"You did a detailed investigation before coming here, and you know everything about us, right?" Chef Xu's tone actually showed that he had already accepted Su Taotao's conditions.

Su Taotao held Chen Chen with her other hand and shook her head with a smile: "No, except that I heard that the business of the First Hotel was not very good, I don't know anything else, and I don't need to know."

If you don't have the diamond to drill, don't take on the porcelain job. She has enough confidence in herself, and she just thinks she has a better chance of success by finding the one with the worst business.

Chef Xu said nothing more: "Make a list of the materials you used today and ask for reimbursement. Come on time next market day."

Su Taotao was overjoyed: "Do you agree?"

Chef Xu didn't say anything final, but just said, "I still have to consult my superiors. I can give you an answer when you come over next market day."

Su Taotao thanked him repeatedly and repeated the precautions. She also said that if Chef Xu found it troublesome and didn't want to make braised pork, he could just put the pork belly in the brine to give it a different flavor. Eggs could also be added. In the future, the brine formula could be improved to brine various offal, etc.

Everyone was stunned and full of admiration after hearing this.

After the staff meal, Chef Xu packed a portion of braised pork and a portion of salted fish and eggplant for Su Taotao. These were dishes that she had suggested improvements to and that diners raved about. She even provided good suggestions on the presentation of the dishes.

Since Chef Xu became the head chef of the First State-owned Hotel, he has never felt such a sense of accomplishment as today. He knows that his job is earned through hard work and he will never lose his job. However, he cannot describe the feeling that diners rave about every dish he serves. In short, he is now convinced by Su Taotao.

Su Taotao is not only an excellent cook, but also has a golden tongue. She can basically tell you the ingredients used in the dishes she has eaten and their various advantages and disadvantages. Compared with her former apprentice, she is simply a treasure.

It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon when we returned to the tractor parking area. Chenchen had a good sleep and was no longer sleepy, but Su Taotao was already very tired.

"Chenchen, I'm sorry. Mom originally wanted to take you around, but I can't walk any more. Let's take a rest first."

Chenchen shook his head, lay down in his mother's arms, and said in a baby voice: "No need to go shopping~~"

Su Taotao was about to kiss the baby when a comrade dressed as a postman came over and asked, "Excuse me, are you Comrade Su Taotao from Qinglian Commune?"

Su Taotao nodded: "Yes, what can I do for you?"

The postman gave her a letter: "There is a letter from you. I don't need to make another trip now that I have met you."

Su Taotao thanked him and took the letter. Some familiar, vigorous and powerful handwriting that could rival that of a great calligrapher came into her sight. Her heart skipped a beat. When she saw the sender's name, she was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.