1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 101 Spicy Stir-fried Pork Kidney and Liver! (Second Update)

Huang Chen paid the bill and also made a reservation for several dishes with Zhao Tieying, planning to bring his friends over for dinner tomorrow night.

"Why isn't braised pig's trotters on the menu?" Huang Chen asked.

Zhao Tieying explained with a smile, "Braised pig's trotters are not on the menu yet, but you can pre-order today. We will braise them for customers who pre-order tomorrow, and the price is expected to be less than one yuan and fifty cents."

"Okay, then order one for me too." Huang Chen nodded, seeing how much the little girl was enjoying her food, he was sure it would taste good.

"Okay, I've prepared all the dishes for you." Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile. As expected of the deputy mayor, she ordered four dishes in one go: a plate of braised beef and a plate of braised pig's trotters.

Huang Chen rode away on his bicycle with Old Ma, completely satisfied, and muttered to himself with a smile, "He Zhiyuan, He Zhiyuan, I'll show you what Su Ji's true strength is!"

……

After the business closed at noon, Comrade Zhou returned.

A tractor was parked in front of the restaurant, containing two wooden crates, a small square table, a pile of planks, two long benches, some odds and ends such as pots and pans, and two small stools.

The wooden planks had been washed; they were damp, but very clean.

Zhou Jie was driving the tractor, and Zhou Miao and Zhou Hai jumped off the tractor.

Zhou Momo was drawing sand in the doorway when she heard the noise and came over. Seeing her little stool being taken off the tractor, she asked in confusion, "Dad! Isn't this my stool? Why did you bring it here?"

The little guy still doesn't know that his house has collapsed.

Of course, even if they knew, they probably wouldn't fully understand what a house collapse is.

“Yes, it’s your stool.” Zhou Miao nodded, unsure how to explain for a moment.

"We've moved. We'll be living in the shop from now on, with your brother." Zhao Tieying came out and patted Zhou Momo's head. "Are you happy?"

"Really?! I'm so happy!" Zhou Momo jumped up excitedly: "I love living with my boyfriend!"

"Then take your stool with you." Zhao Tieying smiled and handed her the small stool.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo picked up a stool and ran into the store with her short legs.

When Zhou Yan came out, he looked at Zhou Momo's smiling face and couldn't help but sigh silently. It was such a carefree age; even with her house collapsing, she could still be so happy.

"Hmm, that's pretty impressive. They dug up so much stuff, and even washed the boards clean." Zhao Tieying looked at the tractor loaded with goods, somewhat surprised.

“The kitchen wasn’t buried, and we managed to salvage most of the usable items. The two boxes of clothes that were under the roof weren’t dirty; they belong to you and Momo. We also dug out both bed boards. Other things were either buried too deep or damaged, so I didn’t keep them. There are also some farm tools that we don’t need in town, so we’ll put them at the old house for now,” Zhou Miao said.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Zhao Tieying nodded. Her favorite outfits were packed in these two boxes. Then she looked at the two men and said, “Zhou Hai, Zhou Jie, thank you for your hard work.”

Zhou Jie waved his hand with a smile: "Don't mention it, Fourth Aunt. We only went back after we finished setting up our stall. We just borrowed a tractor to unload the things. These were all dug out by Uncle and Fourth Uncle. Where should we unload these things?"

Zhao Tieying said, "The boxes and those small items are left at the door. The boards are wet. We'll drive the tractor a bit further ahead and unload them on the dam to dry for two days before we can use them."

“Okay.” Zhou Jie nodded, and he and Zhou Hai immediately started working.

"Brother Jie, have you guys eaten yet?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Not yet, let's eat when we get back after unloading the goods." Zhou Jie stood on the tractor, handed the box to Zhou Hai, and replied casually.

"Thank you for unloading the goods. I'll go cook now. We haven't eaten yet, so I'll just stir-fry a couple of dishes and have something simple to eat," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Zhou Jie asked expectantly, "Is there twice-cooked pork?"

Zhao Tieying said with a smile, "Yes, and there are also braised pig's trotters. I'll give you half each."

"Braised pig's trotters!"

"Half for each person!"

Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai's eyes lit up, and they immediately became energetic: "Great! Zhou Yan, hurry up and cook! We'll finish moving this stuff right away!"

"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and turned around. It seemed that his wish to eat a whole pig's trotter today would be dashed.

There was no other way; my own brother was helping out without getting dirty or tired, so even the Emperor himself had to give up his seat.

I made quite a few dishes for lunch: twice-cooked pork, braised beef with dried bamboo shoots, stir-fried pork liver, and stir-fried pork kidneys – four main dishes, and the portions were all very large. I stir-fried a whole pound of pork liver and filled two plates.

Cut the braised pig's trotters in half, one half for each person.

Another option is to chop it up and put it on a plate so anyone can pick it up and eat it.

Oh, Zhou Momo won't do.

She was full before she could finish that big pig's trotter, and Aunt Zhao took over the rest.

Two hours later, she was able to eat again. She was the first to climb onto the table and sit obediently, her eyes shining as she stared at the two new dishes.

"Wow! This is such a feast!" Zhou Jie exclaimed as he came in after washing his hands and looked at the table full of meat and dishes.

"It looks delicious! It smells amazing!" Zhou Hai followed them in, swallowing hard.

Zhou Miao was also a little surprised: "There's pork liver and kidneys today? I haven't had them in a long time."

"Come on, let's eat!" Zhou Yan served himself a large bowl of rice first.

The table is full of dishes that go well with rice today. Everyone has been doing physical labor all morning, and it's already past 1 a.m., so they must be starving.

At times like these, nothing tastes better than a bowl of rice.

Everyone sat down and immediately stared at the half-eaten braised pig's trotter on the plate in front of them.

The old lady is skilled at making braised food, but she especially likes braised pig's trotters and usually only shares half of one with the youngest member of the family.

All of you here only had the chance to eat half a pig's trotter as a gift from your grandmother when you were the youngest in your family.

Zhao Tieying and Zhao Hong tasted it once during their first year of marriage. After they had a baby, it was naturally the baby's turn to eat it.

Looking at the half pig's trotter in front of them, everyone felt a sense of solemnity.

"Eat up, are you waiting for a reward?" Zhou Yan laughed, reaching out to grab a pig's trotter and taking a bite. The soft, tender trotter melted in his mouth, the braising sauce completely seeping into the meat, even the tendons and membranes were savory.

The others couldn't resist any longer and started grabbing pig's trotters to gnaw on.

The pig's trotters, even half of them weigh six or seven ounces, are best enjoyed by grabbing them. "They smell so good! They're exactly the same as Grandma's braised ones!" Zhou Jie exclaimed.

"Delicious! I haven't had this in over ten years." Zhou Hai nodded repeatedly, munching away with relish.

Everyone found the taste of their memories, and they matched it perfectly, feeling that it was exactly the same.

Zhou Momo got a small piece of pig's trotter tip, which she ate with relish.

After everyone finished gnawing on the pig's trotters, the bones were completely clean, not even the tendons were left, and their hands were covered in oil, almost sticky.

It smells so good! If the bones weren't so hard, I would have gnawed on them.

"I'll take these bones back with me later to give my dog, Xiao Hei, a treat," Zhou Jie said with a smile. He has a black dog at home, the kind that can chase rabbits up the mountain.

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Everyone washed their hands, sat down again, picked up their chopsticks, and started eating.

"Let me taste how tender the stir-fried pork kidney is." Zhou Jie picked up a slice of pork kidney. The slices were cut so beautifully with a wheat-ear pattern. After being stir-fried, the kidney naturally curled up and was stained brownish-red by the red oil from the fermented soybean paste after being slowly fried over low heat. It had a glossy sheen.

It was still a little hot when I put it in my mouth, but after a gentle chew, my eyes immediately lit up.

So tender!

The wok hei (wok aroma) from stir-frying over high heat, combined with the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, the spiciness of chili peppers, and the freshness of pork kidneys, bursts forth together.

The hot frying process gives the pork kidneys a slightly crispy exterior, while the inside remains tender like tofu, offering a chewy and crunchy texture.

The flavors hidden within the flower-shaped knife are released all at once, making it absolutely delicious!
Zhou Jie felt like he was about to scream inside.

Old man, I said deliver the goods first, then eat!

Look, if you were eating your mom's homemade stir-fried beef offal with pickled vegetables, you'd never find such delicious stir-fried pork kidneys.

Zhou Jie was so proud of himself. He shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth and then picked up a piece of stir-fried pork liver.

Tender! Fresh!
There wasn't a single strange taste.

Unlike pork kidneys, the thinly sliced ​​pork liver is coated with a very thin layer of starch, making it exceptionally tender and smooth when you bite into it.

The numbing spiciness and savory aroma need no further explanation.

Although it uses similar ingredients to stir-fried pork kidneys, it creates a completely different flavor.

This is so delicious with rice!

"Delicious!" Zhou Jie only had time to say two words before he was too busy eating to finish his meal.

Twice-cooked pork is the perfect dish to eat with rice. He's been craving it ever since he tried it last time, and today he finally got to eat it again.

Zhou Hai remained silent, simply focusing on eating, and soon he had already filled his second bowl.

Even Zhou Momo, a rice expert, couldn't help but look up and glance at it a couple more times.

The bowl in the hot pot was way too big! It was as big as her face!

The seafood pot is absolutely amazing!
"Yes, it's really delicious, and it's stir-fried so tenderly." Zhao Tieying nodded repeatedly.

She didn't actually like pork liver. She cooked it many times but the texture was always bad and it tasted a bit bitter. One time she cooked it too lightly, and as a result, the whole family had diarrhea all night.

But the dish Zhou Yan cooked today had an excellent texture and taste.

That's right...

Stir-fry it so tenderly, won't it hit a javelin?
Zhao Tieying's chopsticks, halfway in, turned towards the twice-cooked pork.

Yes, twice-cooked pork is delicious too.

"Eat with confidence, it's all cooked through, there won't be any jagged edges." Zhou Yan saw through Zhao Niangniang's little scheme in a second and said with a smile, "It's a dish that's on the menu, so it won't be messed up. This tenderness is achieved through skillful cooking, not just being tossed in the pan a couple of times and served."

“I know, I just prefer pork belly.” Aunt Zhao nodded and picked up a piece of stir-fried pork kidney.

Mmm, delicious!

Zhou Yan was quite satisfied with the stir-fried pork liver. The control of the heat was perfect, pursuing the ultimate tenderness without sacrificing it for being undercooked. He found a very crucial critical point.

The stir-fried pork kidneys were a little disappointing.

A decent stir-fried pork kidney dish

This is the evaluation given by the expert.

It's alright, but not quite there.

Adjustments need to be made to the cooking temperature and seasoning.

For dishes that require precise control of heat, even the slightest difference in cooking time can result in a significant difference in the final product.

The tolerance rate is too low.

However, this was the first time he had done it, and he was quite satisfied to receive a "not bad" rating and be recognized by everyone.

This dish shouldn't be added to the menu yet; it's not too late to add it when it reaches a certain level of "good".

They finished all the remaining rice in the wooden bucket during that meal.

Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai drove the tractor home, completely satisfied.

Zhou Miao was about to clear the bowls when Zhao Tieying called him aside, along with Zhou Yan.

The father and son stood with their hands behind their backs, like elementary school students who had made a mistake and were waiting for their homeroom teacher to scold them.

Zhou Yan wondered if Old Zhou's hidden stash of money had been discovered and he had been implicated.
Comrade Lao Zhou was thinking about the same thing.

“Old Zhou, why don’t you stop slaughtering cattle and selling beef yourself from now on? Just go when someone calls you to slaughter a cattle. When there’s no work, you can work in the shop cutting and weighing braised meat.” Zhao Tieying looked at Zhou Miao with a serious expression and said, “Anyway, Zhou Yan is planning to hire someone to do this. Family members will definitely be more attentive. Let’s work together as a family and earn money to repair the house!”

　Second update! Requesting monthly votes~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)