Riding the wind of rebirth

"So you have to choose straight bean sprouts, and they have to be fresh. It's best to pick them right away and use a long needle to thread them within half an hour," Lan Guiyun said. "By the way, you have to soak the bean sprouts in salt water first."

"Wait a minute." Zhou Zhi didn't believe it: "Won't the bean sprouts soften if you soak them in salt water?"

"They'll be soft at first, but they'll harden again after soaking for a while," Lan Guiyun said. "These bean sprouts won't release water when you cook them with meat."

"That's quite scientific. First, let the bean sprouts reach the salt water balance, then skewer them with minced meat. This way, the salt in the minced meat is balanced with the salt in the bean sprouts, preventing the minced meat from 'biting out water' from the bean sprouts. Not only does it keep them crisp and tender, but you also don't need to add any more salt later."

"But this takes a lot of effort. Have you tried this dish, boss?"

"He tried it several times!" the proprietress complained. "After finally succeeding, he never made this dish again."

Zhou Zhi now understands a bit better. Lan Guiyun's ability to maintain the family's culinary standards is not solely due to inheritance. Just by looking at the dishes on the table, one can tell that most of them have undergone his own innovation and improvement based on local conditions.

Many chefs make mistakes even when following recipes their whole lives, let alone those who are willing to improve and innovate. From this point of view alone, Lan Guiyun is undoubtedly one of the best chefs.

"In a while, the crew of 'Food Detective' might come to your restaurant to film the show, which might affect your business for a day or two. Do you have any objections?"

"Really?!" Lan Guiyun didn't say anything, but the proprietress was overjoyed: "If they can come, our restaurant will become famous, and business will be even better!"

After saying that, he asked suspiciously, "Xiao Zhou, you're not just trying to make us happy, are you? How did the show end up here?"

“They’re also looking for material for their show, and your shop is quite unique,” ​​Zhou Zhi said with a smile. “The production crew and Lao Zhang are quite familiar with each other, and we’ll recommend it to them.”

"It doesn't matter if you don't believe me, boss lady. Just remember one request from me once they've actually come."

"If the production team can come, then Mr. Zhou, you would be our benefactor! We can ask for ten requests, not just one!"

“That’s right,” Zhou Zhi said with a smile. “If a girl named Hailai Ayi comes to ask to become my apprentice after the show is finished, I would appreciate it if you could receive her, teach her a couple of moves, and give her some pointers on how to improve and innovate.”

"It's no trouble at all. I'll do my best to serve the people Mr. Zhou recommended. I'll go get two more dishes, and we'll continue drinking!"

The story of Sichuan cuisine from the late Qing Dynasty to the present day is quite fascinating, but Zhou Zhi believes that all the excitement tonight cannot compare to the brilliance of Mr. Lan Guangbi's presentation.

The old man made the best choice of his time through silence and concealment, shielding himself and his descendants from all risks while leaving behind the most precious wealth. He was truly an exceptionally wise man.

When talking about this, Zhou Zhi told Lan Guiyun a "negative example," also a legend in the Sichuan catering industry, Yao Shucheng, the inventor of Huangchengba Longlong Beef.

Back in 1928, there was a small shop on Shuncheng Street near Huangchengba that sold braised beef noodles and beef sauce noodles at noon, and cups of wine, braised beef, and braised tofu in the afternoon and evening. In winter, they also sold steamed beef with rice flour.

The shop was doing good business; the owner was named Wang Bingzhang, and the shop was called "Zhiwenhao." Later, when he became too busy, Wang Bingzhang called on his fellow apprentice, Yao Shucheng, to help with the business. Yao Shucheng came from a poor family and came to the city at the age of 12 to work as an apprentice in a restaurant, where he had worked with beef for many years. After joining "Zhiwenhao," he continued to make steamed beef in small bamboo baskets.

However, all the steamed beef dumplings in the city at that time had one problem: they smelled good, but didn't taste good.

Later, Wang Bingzhang wanted to expand his business, so he sold "Zhiwenhao" to Yao Shucheng and opened a large restaurant on Qingshiqiao Street. At that time, Yao Shucheng only had 9 silver dollars, but he also wanted to seize this opportunity, so he asked around for friends and connections and scraped together 100 silver dollars to take over the business.

It was also good luck that he had several professors from the School of Arts and Law at Sichuan University as regular customers, including Wu Junyi, the former dean of the School of Law, who was a gourmet. When he learned that Yao Shucheng was struggling to improve his steamed beef, he suggested that he simmer mushrooms in chicken broth to make a rich stock that would allow the beef to fully absorb the flavors, thus enhancing its freshness, aroma, and tenderness.

Wang Bingzhang tried it and found that the steamed beef in the xiaolongbao was indeed different. Overjoyed, he spared no expense in selecting good mushrooms and simmering them in a pot as an ingredient. As a result, his steamed beef in xiaolongbao not only smelled delicious but also tasted wonderful.

Thus, his steamed beef in small bamboo baskets quickly became famous far and wide.

Wang Bingzhang lost money and went out of business running a large restaurant in Qingshiqiao. When he returned one day, he found that Yao Shucheng was running "Zhiwenhao" very well. He became envious and, using the excuse that the "Zhiwenhao" signboard was his, he opened a noodle shop diagonally opposite Yao Shucheng's noodle shop and hung up the same "Zhiwenhao" signboard.

Wang Bingzhang had been in this area for a long time, had many acquaintances and regular customers, so his business naturally improved day by day. On the other hand, Yao Shucheng's business gradually declined.

Fortunately, Yao Shucheng liked to use his brain and firmly believed that his steamed beef with the secret recipe of broth was even better. So he continued to research, using starfish and jujubes soaked in wine as seasoning, and then adding Taihehao's good soy sauce, Kou Tong Shi's top-grade fermented black beans, Qingxi peppercorns, and Longtan Temple chili powder. He repeatedly pondered the seasoning, and also paid special attention to the amount of spices used, so that they would not overpower the aroma of the beef.

After some adjustments, coupled with honest business practices and continuous improvement efforts, Yao Shucheng's business gradually flourished again.

However, the competition among the apprentices became increasingly public. Wang Bingzhang came up with another trick, arguing that the contract only covered the shop, not the name, and insisted that his junior apprentice set up a separate shop sign, forbidding Yao Shucheng from using the "Zhiwenhao" sign.

This caused great distress to Yao Shucheng, who was illiterate. One day, while squatting anxiously at the shop entrance, he saw passersby arguing with a vendor, who was accused of being unethical in his business practices. So, he had a flash of inspiration and changed only one character in "Zhiwenhao" to "Zhidehao".

To differentiate itself from "Zhiwenhao" and highlight its own unique characteristics, Yao Shucheng made "steamed beef in small baskets" his signature dish. He only used fresh beef tenderloin, loin, and leg meat from cattle slaughtered that day as raw materials, preferring not to sell them rather than using inferior ingredients. He also personally prepared everything himself, adjusting the amount and flavor of rice noodles and seasonings according to seasonal changes.

To prove himself, Yao Shucheng simply turned a large gasoline drum into a stove and set it up at the entrance of the shop. He also set up a large pot and designed a small bamboo steamer about 10 centimeters in diameter and 5 centimeters high to steam beef. He demonstrated the process on the spot to show his honesty.

This trick had a surprising effect.

The small bamboo baskets stand upright on the steamer, resembling a forest of pagodas, a truly magnificent sight. Steaming hot, the rising steam and rich, fragrant aroma make one's stomach rumble and mouth water, adding to the vibrant local flavor of Chengdu.

After steaming, the beef is sprinkled with chili powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and cilantro. Although the portion is not large, it is golden and shiny, with a rich and delicious aroma. When you eat it, it is spicy, salty, and sweet, with a rich flavor, tender and soft, and melts in your mouth, making for an exceptionally wonderful taste.

As a result, around noon every day, diners flocked to the restaurant to taste the food, and many brought bowls and basins to take home and eat. The restaurant was bustling with noise both inside and outside.

The reputation of Zhidehao's steamed beef in small bamboo steamers spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the entire city of CD. (End of Chapter)