1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 116 People laugh when they're embarrassed.
Zhou Yan glanced at him: "Isn't this something anyone can do?"

After saying that, he immediately started rinsing the pot, adding oil, and scooping out a spoonful of pork cracklings to stir-fry.

There was a surplus of freshly peeled lotus leaves, and double the amount of ingredients were prepared.

The cabbage was so cheap it was practically free, and there were two baskets of pork cracklings too. I'll finish practicing while my master is here.

Moreover, this dish does look quite simple; controlling the heat isn't that difficult, and the seasoning is even simpler, as long as...

A slightly charred lotus root dish with pork cracklings

A dish of undercooked cabbage with pork cracklings

[A serving of cabbage with hardened pork cracklings]

Zhou Yan glanced at Xiao Lei and gave an awkward smile.

People sometimes can't help but want to laugh when they're speechless.

What seemed like an ordinary dish of fried pork belly and cabbage turned out to be something he failed at three times in a row.

The three dishes were not even "okay," let alone "good."

"You still need to practice more, apprentice," Xiao Lei said with a smile.

"Master, what's going on? Is it because you're standing here that I'm a little nervous?" Zhou Yan looked at him, trying to find the reason from his master.

"Then I'll leave?" Xiao Lei turned around and left the kitchen without the slightest hesitation, refusing to take the blame.

Zhou Yan washed the wok again, reviewed his master's previous steps in stir-frying cabbage in his mind, and then reviewed the three failed attempts he had made.

My hands were too tight; I was indeed a bit nervous.

This was the first dish he truly learned from a master outside of the system.

The preparation methods for stir-fried pork kidney and stir-fried pork liver are quite similar; with slight adjustments, you can master them to a large extent.

However, when he was alone in the kitchen, his mind gradually calmed down, his intelligence returned to its peak, and the experience he had accumulated in cooking and seasoning over this period began to come alive.

Zhou Yan knew in his heart that while the system was helpful, to become a true master of Sichuan cuisine, he would ultimately have to rely on his own efforts.

Pour oil into a wok, add the pork cracklings and aromatics, then add the hand-torn cabbage, stir-fry quickly, season, and serve—all in one smooth motion.

A decent dish of stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up as he looked at the subtitles that appeared before him, and he said with a hint of excitement, "Master, I did it!"

Xiao Lei walked in, looked at the lotus root in Zhou Yan's hand, and nodded with a smile: "Hmm, not bad, the cooking time is just right."

As he spoke, he picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a piece of fried pork fat and tasted it, then tasted a piece of cabbage, and said with a smile, "The seasoning is just right, there is still some room for improvement, but it will definitely be available on the menu."

“A great teacher produces great students! Master, it has to be you.” Zhou Yan beamed with joy. “We’re both really amazing.”

"A vegetarian dish that made you happy." Xiao Lei smiled as well.

"Shall we stir-fry some spicy pork liver now?" Zhou Yan looked at him and said, "Here's the pork liver. You prepare the ingredients first. Now it's my turn to give you some pointers."

Xiao Lei stopped laughing.

"Master, you don't still want me to be your assistant, do you?" Zhou Yan's smile grew even brighter.

"Come on, let Master Zhou give me some pointers on how to stir-fry pork liver to your standard." Xiao Lei cut off a piece of pork liver weighing about half a pound and began to wash and slice it.

Zhou Yan stood to the side with his hands behind his back, watching, unable to utter a single comment for a long time.

He lowered his hands from behind his back at some point, and even straightened his body a bit.

Because he found that his master's work was too perfect.

Even by the standards of a perfect system, it is impossible to find a single flaw.

Zhou Yan has no merit or ability; he is merely someone who obtained the perfect experience for this dish through system rewards.

His master, on the other hand, got to this point through years of hard work, without any shortcuts or tricks.

"Master Zhou, the ingredients are ready. Now, will you demonstrate how to thicken the sauce, or should I stir-fry it and you give me pointers?" Xiao Lei turned to look at Zhou Yan and asked with a smile.

"Master, just call me Xiao Zhou." Zhou Yan waved his hands repeatedly and suggested, "Why don't you thicken the sauce and stir-fry a portion first? Let me see if I can figure it out. If I'm not skilled enough to tell, you can see if you can get the hang of it when I stir-fry it tonight. What do you think?"

“Alright, Master Zhou.” Xiao Lei nodded and said seriously, “Your grandmaster once said that everyone has their own expertise and that there is always someone who can teach you something. Anyone who is better than you can be your master. Since you stir-fry this spicy pig liver better than me, then you are my master today. Just respond when I call you Master Zhou, no need to be polite.”

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Xiao Lei started seasoning and thickening the sauce with a cornstarch slurry. He heated the wok over high heat, poured in plenty of oil, and when the oil was hot enough, he added the marinated pork liver and quickly stirred it with a spoon.

The hot oil sizzled and bubbled, the pig liver quickly changed color, and the aroma rose up.

In just over ten seconds, it's ready to be taken out of the pan and plated.

[An exceptionally good stir-fried pork liver]

A note popped up in Zhou Yan's eyes.

Just a little bit below perfection.

In terms of both color and aroma, it looks no different from the one made by Zhou Yan.

“Master Zhou, please give your comments,” Xiao Lei said, looking at him.

Zhou Yan took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of pig liver, and put it in his mouth.

The pork liver was very tender and smooth, with an excellent texture, spicy and savory flavor, and a strong wok hei (wok aroma).

Absolutely top-notch spicy pork liver!

As expected of his master's specialty, this dish is absolutely top-notch. Most diners would probably have a hard time distinguishing it from his signature stir-fried pork liver.

Aside from gourmets like Zhao Dong who eat there frequently, because they are so familiar with it and genuinely love it, even the slightest differences will be magnified infinitely by them.

"Master Zhou, what do you mean?" Xiao Lei looked at him expectantly.

Zhou Yan picked up another piece, examined it carefully under the light, then put it in his mouth and savored it for a while before saying, "The cooking time and seasoning are already quite perfect. If I had to find a problem, I think the difference lies in the thickening and the heat."

"Thickening, firepower?" Xiao Lei frowned.

“The cornstarch slurry was a little too thick. While this ensured the liver was absolutely tender, it also caused a slight difference in texture.” Zhou Yan nodded. “Your control of the heat was very precise, but if you could increase the heat a little, and with the same frying time, allow the oil temperature to reach a higher level so that the surface becomes slightly charred in a short time, the aroma and texture would change slightly.”

Xiao Lei seemed thoughtful upon hearing this. Over the years, he had been making adjustments and attempts, but once the thickening and heat levels were stabilized, he rarely made any changes. He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll watch you cook it tonight and give it a try."

Tonight's work lunch included an endless supply of braised cabbage with pork cracklings.

The slightly burnt cabbage with fried pork fat was stopped by Zhao Hong before it was poured into the swill bucket. She took a bite and then promptly poured it away.

"It smells so good, much better than what I make. Take it home and heat it up, the kids will definitely love it," Zhao Hong said with a smile.

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded. Although it was slightly burnt, it was only slightly so. Apart from the poor appearance, the taste was alright.

After dinner, the factory started closing time, and the restaurant immediately became busy.

Zhou Yan was working at full capacity in the kitchen, extremely busy.

Xiao Lei didn't just stand by and watch; he took the initiative to help Zhou Yan.

Having served as head chef for over ten years, he was proficient in various tasks such as preparing dishes, chopping boards, and cooking. On their first collaboration, he worked very well with Zhou Yan, greatly reducing Zhou Yan's workload.

“Master, look at my thickening technique. For a serving of pork liver, which weighs six ounces, I use this much starch and stir it quickly and evenly. The technique is actually no different from yours, but I use about one-tenth less starch.”

"Make sure the heat is high enough and the oil temperature is right before putting the pork liver in the pan. The oil temperature should be a little higher than when you put it in the pan, and the liver should be taken out of the pan a little earlier to create a slightly charred outer shell and an exceptionally tender inside."

"It's done!"

"Do you think it's okay?"

Zhou Yan handed over a pair of clean chopsticks and said with a smile, "Why don't you taste it for the guests first to see if it's salty enough?"

Xiao Lei picked up a piece of pig liver, examined it under the light, and saw that the slightly curled liver, with a thin layer of starch, did indeed have a slightly charred crust, was shiny and had a slightly charred aroma. He put it in his mouth, chewed it slowly, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed more fragrant, and it does not affect the smooth and tender texture inside at all."

This is the perfect spicy stir-fried pork liver he's been searching for.

Zhou Yan's success wasn't a coincidence; he was already able to guarantee that every single product he made was of this standard.

"Master, this pot is yours. There are also six portions of stir-fried pork liver; you can cook them." Zhou Yan stepped aside, making room for his master to cook a pot.

He checked, and Zhao Dong didn't come today.

His master's stir-fried pig liver is guaranteed to be of the highest quality; in Suzhou, if he claims to be second, only he dares to claim to be first.

It's hard for customers to tell the difference.

It's also a very delicious and excellent stir-fried pork liver.

Moreover, Zhou Yan wouldn't serve the stir-fried pork liver unless it reached an "extremely good" standard.

"Okay." Xiao Lei is an experienced person after all, and stage fright is not something that would happen to him.

Turn up the heat, add plenty of oil to the hot wok, and once the oil is hot enough, add the pork liver...

A slightly charred, spicy pork liver

Zhou Yan and Xiao Lei looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xiao Lei smiled awkwardly, "Well... um... the heat seems a bit too high, and the oil temperature wasn't controlled well. This one doesn't look very appetizing, so I won't serve it to the customer."

"Master, it's alright, keep cooking. We have extra pig liver today." Zhou Yan waved his hand dismissively.

When Xiao Zhou was learning to cook, he made far more and more outrageous mistakes than this.
The disadvantage of wood-fired stoves is that the heat is difficult to control. Adding an extra piece of wood or pulling the bellows a couple more times can cause instantaneous changes in the heat that are hard to manage.

It's normal that his master couldn't control the pot well since it was his first time using it.

Xiao Lei didn't dwell on it and immediately started washing the pot and cooking again.

The second serving of stir-fried pork liver is ready.

[An exceptionally good stir-fried pork liver]

Zhou Yan glanced at it, smiled and nodded: "This one is fine."

"I'm starting to get the hang of it. The oil temperature can be raised a little bit more." Xiao Lei nodded and started frying the next batch.

[An exceptionally good stir-fried pork liver]

……

As servings of pig liver were brought out of the kitchen, Xiao Lei became increasingly confident and composed.

The results of Zhou Yan's fundus examination showed no change, but the stir-fried pig liver showed a visibly different appearance.

The sixth serving of pork liver is ready.

Xiao Lei picked up a slice, tasted it, and after savoring it for a moment, nodded and said, "It's still a little bit short."

"Master, how about we come back for another day of learning tomorrow?" Zhou Yan grinned.

This free labor is so tempting!

……

(End of this chapter)