Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

Xiao Zhang, who was helping out at the side, was chopping vegetables. When he heard what Master Li said, he paused and sighed, "Yes, Master Li.

Look, there are few customers in the restaurant. I have no place to use my cooking skills. If this continues, what shall I do?"

As he was speaking, Boss Wang pushed open the door to the kitchen and walked in.

He was wearing a shirt that had become a little bleached from washing, and a wrinkled tie at the collar. He looked quite energetic, but his brows were twisted into a knot, and it was obvious that he was worried about something.

Boss Wang looked around and saw that the chefs looked listless. He cleared his throat and said in a louder voice, "Everyone, stop looking so sullen. Being discouraged won't solve any problems.

We have to find a way to bring the business back."

Master Li stopped frying, wiped the sweat from his forehead on his apron, raised his head and said, "Boss Wang, I have been thinking about whether we can combine the local specialties of Xuzhou and come up with something innovative.

Just think about it, Xuzhou's braised pork and clay pot chicken are so famous in this area, and every household loves to eat them.

If we can incorporate these characteristics into our dishes, maybe we can attract customers back.”

When Boss Wang heard this, his eyes instantly lit up like stars in the night, and he quickly said, "Master Li, your idea is really great! OK, let's not delay any more, let's quickly think about how to innovate."

They got down to work right away. The chef team gathered together and started discussing the idea.

Chef Li first suggested: "How about we make an improved version of Xuzhou braised pork with rice? We can use the best pork belly for the braised pork, use our traditional Xuzhou sauce, simmer it over low heat until it's tender, and pair it with our special side dishes and fragrant rice. It's guaranteed to be delicious."

Xiao Zhang nodded hurriedly and agreed, "I think it's okay, Master Li.

We also need to spend more time on the side dishes, come up with some new ideas, and give our customers some surprises."

Everyone was talking at once in the heated discussion. You put forward an idea and I add another one. After a short while, a lot of new ideas popped up in our heads.

In order to find the most suitable pork belly for making steamed buns, Xiao Zhao from the purchasing department got on his tattered motorcycle early in the morning and rushed to various vegetable markets in Xuzhou City.

It was early morning and the market was bustling with people, shouting and bargaining.

Xiao Zhao dodged left and right in the bustling crowd, his eyes like searchlights, not missing any stall.

"Boss, how much is your pork belly?" Xiao Zhao stopped in front of a meat stall, reached out and picked up a piece of pork belly, turning it over and over to examine it carefully.

The stall owner was a chubby middle-aged man with a big smile on his face. He introduced enthusiastically: "Young man, my pork belly is very fresh. I just brought it from the slaughterhouse early this morning.

Look at the perfect ratio of fat to lean meat. Whether it is braised or steamed, it is absolutely delicious.”

Xiao Zhao listened, shook his head slightly, and said, "Boss, your meat looks good, but I want the top-quality pork belly for our restaurant, so the quality must be guaranteed, so I have to be more selective."

After saying that, he put the meat back on the stall, got on his motorcycle, and headed towards the next market.

In another corner of the restaurant's kitchen, Old Sun, who was in charge of researching the sauces, was busy.

The table in front of him was filled with all kinds of seasonings, including the common local sweet noodle sauce and soy sauce, as well as spices specially purchased from other places. The bottles and jars were lined up in a row.

Old Sun held a small spoon in his hand and scooped a little from the jar of sweet noodle sauce. He put it into his mouth and tasted it carefully. After tasting it, his brows slightly frowned and he said to himself: "This taste seems to be a little off, not mellow enough."

He reached out and picked up the small bottle of spices next to him, added a pinch to the bowl, stirred it evenly with a spoon, and tasted it again.

This time, a satisfied smile finally appeared on his face, "Yes, this is the taste, it's done!" After working day and night for several days and nights, the "Improved Version of Xuzhou Baozi Pork Rice" was finally successfully developed.

Master Li personally took charge of the cooking. He placed the selected pork belly on the chopping board, picked up the knife, and skillfully cut it into even-sized cubes.

"Xiao Zhang, come over here and watch. Cut the meat into even sizes so that it's cooked evenly when stewed."

While cutting, Master Li turned his head and said to Xiao Zhang beside him.

After cutting, Master Li puts the meat into a large pot and blanchs it.

The water in the pot was bubbling. Master Li skimmed off the foam with a spoon and said to Xiao Zhang, "Don't be careless when blanching the meat. You have to remove all the blood from the meat. Otherwise, the meat will taste fishy and the taste will be affected."

After blanching, Master Li took out the meat, put it into a casserole, added the carefully prepared sauce into the pot, then added onion, ginger, garlic and other seasonings, covered the pot, and simmered it slowly over low heat.

As time passed, the kitchen was gradually filled with the rich aroma of meat, and the fragrance went straight into people's noses.

Xiao Zhang stood aside, swallowing his saliva, looking at the casserole eagerly, and said, "Master Li, this smells so good, I can't help it."

Master Li smiled and patted Xiao Zhang on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, we need to stew it for a while longer so that the meat can absorb the flavor of the sauce. That's when it will be delicious."

At the same time, the research and development of "Pengcheng Earth Pot Chicken Fusion Dish" is also progressing in a tight and orderly manner.

The person in charge of this dish is the young chef Xiao Liu.

In order to find inspiration, Xiao Liu went to several famous clay pot chicken restaurants in Xuzhou.

"Boss, give me a clay pot chicken."

Xiao Liu walked into a store, found an empty seat and sat down, his eyes fixed on the clay pot chicken that the waiter brought to the table, observing everything carefully from the color of the chicken, the combination of side dishes, to the thickness of the dough.

While eating, he was thinking in his mind how to incorporate seafood into the dish to create a different taste.

After returning to the restaurant, Xiao Liu plunged into the kitchen and started trying various things.

He first cut the chicken into small pieces, put it in a bowl, and poured in cooking wine, light soy sauce and other seasonings to marinate.

"This marinating can make the chicken more flavorful, and it will be fragrant when fried later." Xiao Liu explained to his colleague who was helping him while marinating.

After marinating, Xiao Liu heated the pan and poured in oil. When the oil was hot enough to smoke slightly, he poured the chicken into the pan and stir-fried it quickly.

There was a crackling sound in the pot, and the chicken kept rolling in the pot. After a while, it turned into an attractive golden color.

Xiao Liu then added potatoes, green peppers and other side dishes into the pot, stir-fried them evenly, poured in an appropriate amount of water, covered the pot and started stewing.

While the food was stewing, Xiao Liu took out the prepared crabs, clams and other seafood.

"I don't know what it will taste like if I add these seafoods, I hope it will be successful."

Xiao Liu put the seafood into the pot while muttering to himself and put a circle of dough on the edge of the pot.

After sticking the stickers, Xiao Liu stood in front of the stove, staring at the pot without blinking, feeling nervous and expectant. "God bless me, this time it must be successful."

As time passed, the pot gradually exuded a unique aroma mixed with chicken, seafood and side dishes. Xiao Liu knew that his efforts might really bear fruit... In the catering world of Xuzhou, Wang's Restaurant is experiencing a turning point in its destiny.

After many twists and turns, the new dish was finally developed. Boss Wang knew that this was a crucial opportunity to turn the situation around, so he decided to hold a tasting event to launch the promotion of the new dish.

He personally called and warmly invited a group of old customers, saying sincerely: "Brother, you are an old customer of our store. This time we have developed two new special dishes. We would like to invite you to try them and give us valuable suggestions."

At the same time, he did not forget to contact those local food bloggers who are quite influential in the food circle, "Teacher, our restaurant has launched new dishes, and we are looking forward to you, who are knowledgeable about the industry, to come and taste them and help promote them."

On the day of the event, the employees of Wang's Hotel started working at daybreak.

The waiters polished the tables and chairs in the store until they were shiny, mopped the floor until it was bright enough to reflect people's shadows, and carefully placed a bouquet of flowers on each table, adding a warm atmosphere to the restaurant.

In the kitchen, the chefs were extremely busy. The fire on the stove was burning, the soup in the pot was bubbling, and the aroma filled the entire kitchen.

Boss Wang stood at the door, wearing a well-ironed shirt, his hair neatly combed, and a sincere smile on his face, greeting every customer.

"Welcome to our Wang's Restaurant. Today we have launched two new special dishes. We hope you can give us more valuable suggestions."

He greeted warmly.

Guests arrived one after another. There were gray-haired grandpas and grandmas, who were loyal fans of Wang's Restaurant and would actively show their support every time there was new news; there were also fashionable young people, most of whom came because of the recommendations of food bloggers.

A young man with long hair and a camera on his back, who was obviously a food blogger, said excitedly: "I've heard that Wang's Restaurant is going to launch new dishes, and I'm looking forward to it!" After the guests took their seats, the "Improved Version of Xuzhou Braised Pork Rice" and the "Pengcheng Earthpot Chicken Fusion Dish" were carefully brought to the table by the waiter after a while.

As soon as the "Improved Version of Xuzhou Braised Pork Rice" was served, a rich aroma filled the air.

The flesh of the jade was bright red, like a carefully carved ruby, sparkling with an alluring luster under the light.

The specially prepared side dishes are brightly colored, with emerald green broccoli, golden corn kernels, and fiery red carrot cubes, like a carefully painted painting. Coupled with the steaming rice, it makes people's appetite increase at the sight of it.

A food blogger couldn't wait to pick up the spoon, scooped a large spoonful of rice, picked up a piece of fatty but not greasy pork and put it into his mouth. His eyes instantly widened and became as bright as the twinkling stars in the night sky.

"Wow, this Baozi meat is so delicious!" He said incoherently while chewing, "The meat is tender and juicy. When you bite it, the aroma of the meat and the sauce instantly bursts in your mouth. The taste of the sauce is just right, moderately salty and sweet, and the side dishes are refreshing and refreshing. This rice bowl is simply amazing!" An old customer with gray hair next to him also nodded in praise. He put down his chopsticks, gave a thumbs up and said, "Yes, this taste has both the mellowness of our traditional Xuzhou Baozi meat and a new taste. It's great to be able to taste a different Xuzhou flavor at Wang's!" Looking at the "Pengcheng Earthen Pot Chicken Fusion Dish" is even more eye-catching.

The chicken is tender and fresh. With a light bite, the chicken falls off the bone and the meat is delicate and tender.

The potatoes are soft and melt in your mouth, as if dancing on the tip of your tongue.

The addition of seafood adds a unique flavor to this dish. The plump crab meat, the tender clam meat and the aroma of chicken blend together.

The noodles absorb the broth from the chicken and seafood, becoming soft and delicious. One bite of the noodles and one bite of the dish are so addictive.

A stylishly dressed lady took a bite of the crab, her eyes narrowed into slits, and she praised it highly: "This combination of clay pot chicken and seafood is so creative. The freshness of the crab and the fragrance of the clay pot chicken are perfectly combined. It's so delicious! I have to take a photo and post it on WeChat Moments."

As she spoke, she picked up her phone and started taking pictures of the dishes.

With the continuous positive comments from customers, the reputation of the new dishes spread quickly throughout Xuzhou City.

More and more customers came to the restaurant, and long queues formed in front of the restaurant.

The employees also regained their spirits. The waiters were smiling, serving customers enthusiastically and introducing the dishes patiently. The chefs were busy and orderly preparing dishes in the kitchen. The fire on the stove was always burning brightly and the dishes in the pot were constantly stir-fried.

However, at Pengcheng Restaurant, Boss Liu felt uneasy when he learned that Wang's Restaurant's new dishes were very popular.

He sat in his office, smoking one cigarette after another, and the smoke filled the whole room.

The financial statements on the table showed the recent decline in business. He frowned and said viciously, "Why did Wang's Restaurant come up with these new tricks to take away my business?

No, I have to think of a way.”

He picked up the phone, dialed the chef's number, and said loudly, "Come to my office right away."

After a while, the chef came hurriedly.

Boss Liu looked at the chef and asked anxiously, "Can we also come up with some new dishes to attract customers back?" The chef looked embarrassed, scratched his head and said, "Boss Liu, they spent a lot of time and effort to develop these new dishes. If we follow suit now, I'm afraid the effect will not be good.

Besides, their reputation has spread and customers are familiar with their new dishes.”

Boss Liu angrily threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it. "What should we do? Just watch them take our business away?" The chef shook his head helplessly. "Why don't we observe and see if we can find a breakthrough from other aspects." (End of this chapter)