1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 161 Junior Brother Zhou is also a master of feigning ignorance (6.2k words combined)

Upon hearing this, everyone grabbed their chopsticks and gathered around.

The fact that this stir-fried pig liver received such high praise from the three elderly men made the chefs genuinely curious about just how delicious it was.

Stir-fried pork liver has an optimal time to be enjoyed; once the wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by the wok) dissipates, the texture of the pork liver will gradually deteriorate as the temperature drops.

If you want to eat, hurry up.

"Mmm! So tender! And there's absolutely no gamey smell!"

"How can such a thin layer of cornstarch be stir-fried until it's so tender? The steps don't seem to be that different."

"The flavor is also well-balanced! It achieves the perfect balance of spiciness, numbing sensation, and savory aroma; the level of skill is truly high!"

After the senior disciples finished eating, their gazes toward Zhou Yan became clearer.

The Confucian school doesn't engage in factional suppression; they praise what's good and criticize what's bad.

but……

Isn't this too good?
It's also a stir-fried pork liver dish.

In the end, Zhou Yan took the piece that had been left over.

He only brought a cleaver, and used the same pot, the same cooking utensils, and the same ingredients. How could he stir-fry such delicious pork liver?
This is stir-fried pork liver, so what are they cooking?
If pig liver ends up in their hands, the pig's life has been wasted.

"I feel like I've been cooking for nothing all these past twenty years, and I managed to stir-fry such a dish of spicy pork liver at the age of twenty," Kong Guodong said with a touch of emotion.

“Master, you don’t need to be so pessimistic. You didn’t do well when you were young, and after working hard for more than 20 years, you’re no longer young,” his apprentice comforted him.

“I…” Kong Guodong reached out to touch his belt.

The apprentice turned and ran.

"I'm so lucky to have met such a divine being like you!" Kong Guodong shook his head angrily, looking at Xiao Lei with envy in his eyes: "Xiao Lei, are you willing to transfer this apprentice to someone else?"

“Senior Brother Xiao, one for two is fine too.” Another junior brother chimed in from the side.

Xiao Lei's acceptance of such a talented apprentice has made them extremely envious.

With excellent knife skills, and masterful control of heat and seasoning, this stir-fried pork liver dish perfectly showcases the artist's fundamental abilities.

His fellow students couldn't even lift their heads in front of him.

Let alone the younger generation, even the three old men had to temporarily give way to his sizzling pig liver.

Xiao Lei did nothing but steal the limelight by relying on his apprentice.

Who wouldn’t envy it?

Xiao Lei smiled and said, "Fellow disciples, your disciples are all outstanding individuals. With a little guidance, they will surely become great talents. Don't be impatient or anxious."

Kong Guodong looked at him and said, "Xiao Lei, Zhou Yan's stir-fried pork liver is so good, is yours just as good? Have you been secretly practicing behind our backs?"

"Seriously, as the master, don't you think you're cooking it better?" The others also looked at Xiao Lei.

“My fellow disciples, you’re all too attached to appearances.” Xiao Lei shook his head with a smile: “When my master was alive, he often told me that a disciple doesn’t have to be inferior to his master, and a master doesn’t have to be more virtuous than his disciple. Even if I were to cook this spicy pork liver today, I certainly wouldn’t do it as well as Zhou Yan.”

"You've become quite modest," Kong Qingfeng laughed. "This stir-fried pig liver is your specialty. Among all of you apprentices, you cook it the most like your master, and you've even taught an even more skilled apprentice. You've even managed to cook up some leftover oil residue."

"You flatter me, Uncle-Master," Xiao Lei said with a smile, his back ramrod straight.

Zhou Yan's stir-fried pork liver was finished by each person with just two chopsticks.

"Now that everyone has eaten, let's talk about why Zhou Yan's stir-fried pork liver is so good." Kong Qingfeng called everyone over and said, "First of all, it's about the preparation of the pork liver. After cutting it, he rinsed it to remove most of the blood. This step can reduce the gamey and fishy smell of the pork liver."

The key is to drain the surface moisture of the pork liver after rinsing it. It cannot be marinated or coated with starch directly. If excess moisture is locked in, it will become watery and a mess when it is fried.

He also uses a blend of oils for stir-frying pork liver: rapeseed oil and lard, which makes it even more fragrant. The heat is high enough, and the oil temperature is also high enough. Because the cornstarch coating is thin, the pork liver cooks faster when it goes into the pan. The thin cornstarch coating forms a thin crust, while the pork liver remains tender.

Add the prepared aromatics to the pan and stir-fry until fragrant. Immediately remove from the pan and plate. The timing of removing from the pan is crucial; a thin sauce is most susceptible to overcooking. If you're not careful, the pork liver will become overcooked and burnt. Please pay close attention to this when you practice at home.

Everyone listened attentively, and some even took out their notebooks to take notes.

"If you really can't control the heat well, just add a little more cornstarch to the base, first ensure the success rate, and then slowly improve your skills. Use this spicy pork liver as a benchmark, and the goal will be very clear." Qin Kun said, "You guys are lucky today, Zhou Yan is basically giving you a master class on the spot."

"How could I possibly be worthy of such an opportunity? Let's exchange ideas and learn from each other," Zhou Yan quickly replied.

This exchange was indeed quite interesting. Putting aside everything else, the chefs present today will definitely improve their skills in making stir-fried pig liver if they practice diligently after returning home.

No wonder sect disciples improve their strength faster than independent cultivators; having sect elders to guide them and teach them top-tier recipes makes all the difference.

Of course, this excludes those heretical practitioners who can cook ten dishes in one pot.

Zheng Qiang moved closer to Zhou Yan, silently gave him a thumbs up, and exclaimed, "Junior Brother Zhou, it has to be you. If I had your skills, my master would be laughing in his sleep. All these years I've just suffered, but I haven't made any progress."

Zhou Yan comforted him, "It's alright, Senior Brother Zheng. Take advantage of your youth to endure hardship; you'll get used to it when you're old."

Zheng Qiang: "Hmm?"

Today, the only dish that everyone can easily make is stir-fried pork liver. Pork liver is inexpensive, so everyone can practice making it.

It was lunchtime, and according to the Kong school's custom, Kong Qingfeng let his disciples choose their own dishes from the shelf, each of them making one of their signature dishes to make a meal.

This time, Xiao Lei didn't hold back. He stepped forward, selected a piece of pork belly, and prepared to stir-fry a dish of twice-cooked pork.

Zhou Yan and Zheng Qiang, as grand-disciples, were responsible for observing and learning from the sidelines.

However, as soon as Zhou Yan stood to the side, many eyes turned to him, all wondering if Xiao Lei would let Zhou Yan take charge of the cooking.

Zhou Yan was also a little hesitant, as twice-cooked pork was his specialty.

These days, his master has also sought his advice on some detailed techniques, and he should have made some progress in cooking twice-cooked pork.

Each of the senior disciples selected their signature dishes, and confident smiles appeared on their faces.

Kong Qingfeng said loudly, "Anyway, the dishes will be served together. You guys can discuss and start cooking yourselves. I want to see if your signature dishes have improved or regressed after not getting together for half a year."

"Okay!" everyone agreed, gathered together, announced the names of their respective dishes, and began to order the dishes to be prepared.

Zhong Yong, who chose to make braised beef brisket with potatoes, started cooking first, while the other dishes were cooked in order of cooking time.

"Come on, come on, all you apprentices, gather around here. I'll teach you how to make braised beef brisket with potatoes into a restaurant's signature dish." Zhong Yong called out, picked up the washed beef brisket and put it on the cutting board, and began to explain how to select and cut the meat.

Zhou Yan was tall and stood in the second row listening attentively. Braised beef brisket with potatoes and his braised beef with dried bamboo shoots were actually quite similar, except that the dried bamboo shoots were replaced with potatoes.

The cooked potatoes are soft, tender, and flavorful, offering a completely different texture from the crisp bamboo shoots, yet both are equally delicious.

He really should learn this dish; with his existing skills, he should be able to master it quickly.

Not only were the grand-disciples watching, but Xiao Lei and his fellow disciples were also watching intently from the side.

Signature dishes represent the culmination of a chef's decades of experience.

According to the tradition of the Kong School, everyone brings out their signature dishes at each gathering so that they can learn from each other and make progress together.

As Zhong Yong demonstrated, he explained, "The beef is cooking in the pot. Now let's start peeling the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into chunks, but they should be about the same size. Cut large potatoes in two cuts and small potatoes in one cut. They should be a little larger than the beef..."

Each master explained things in great detail, and the apprentices could get answers to any questions they had.

Zhou Yan rotated between different stoves, learning from the strengths of each, and thus acquired quite a few skills and techniques.

Xiao Lei had already scooped the thoroughly cooked pork belly out of the pot, and his apprentices, including his senior uncles and elder brothers, surrounded him. Even the three old men stood in front of the stove, wanting to see if Xiao Lei's skills had improved by leaps and bounds during this period.

"Zheng Qiang, you cut the meat," Xiao Lei called out.

Zheng Qiang: "Me?"

"Go ahead." Zhou Yan gently nudged him from behind, clearly wanting Zheng Qiang to feel involved as well.

Zheng Qiang took out his kitchen knife, washed his hands and the knife, wiped them clean, and then began to chop.

The pork belly, with a 4:6 fat-to-lean ratio, is quickly and steadily sliced ​​into thin, even slices, a clean and efficient process.

"Yunliang, this apprentice, has a pretty solid foundation in basic skills." Kong Qingfeng nodded slightly, showing a satisfied expression.

Zheng Qiang chopped the garlic sprouts and other side dishes as well. Hearing his grandmaster's approval, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. Fortunately, he hadn't let his master down!

Zhou Yan glanced at it a few times, then turned back to Zhong Yong's stove to keep watch.

"They've all gone to learn how to stir-fry pork belly, aren't you going to watch the fun?" Zhong Yong asked him with a smile.

“I’ve been learning from my master every day, and I’m already tired of seeing it. But I’m quite interested in Uncle’s braised beef and potatoes,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"You've got a good eye, kid." Zhong Yong grinned and said, "See, the beef brisket is already tender. Now we need to add the potatoes. Once the potatoes are tender, it'll be ready to serve."

Zhou Yan nodded, helped pour out the water from the basin, poured the potatoes into the iron pot, and put the lid back on.

Eight pots were simmering away, and the fellow apprentices, who knew each other so well, actually managed to cook all eight dishes at the same time and serve them on the table simultaneously.

Zhong Yong's braised beef brisket with potatoes was served in two large earthenware bowls. The starch from the potatoes dissolved into the broth, so there was no need to thicken it with cornstarch; the broth was already thick enough.

The golden potatoes, glistening with oil and velvety, looked incredibly tender and flavorful.

[An extremely good braised beef brisket with potatoes]

Zhou Yan helped bring a pot of braised beef brisket and potatoes to the table, the test results already popping into his eyes.

Zhong Yong just let him try the taste. The potatoes were soft and flavorful, having absorbed the beef broth. They were even more delicious than the beef itself.

Zhong Yong told him everything about controlling the heat, seasoning techniques, and how to make potatoes soft yet not fall apart.

Even though it was only their first meeting, the other party shared their skills without reservation.

This really surprised Zhou Yan.

The tangible embodiment of the lineage's teachings moved him. He learned without any hesitation, and since he had plenty of potatoes at home, he'd try making some next time.

On the other side, Zheng Qiang also brought over two plates of twice-cooked pork, placing one plate on each of the two round tables.

Zhou Yan glanced at it:
A truly excellent twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts.

Zhou Yan nodded slightly. Not bad, not bad. Teacher Xiao performed quite well and didn't embarrass him.

His master happened to be looking at him.

Zhou Yan subconsciously shrank his head, feeling a little lightheaded.

"Hmm, Xiao Lei's twice-cooked pork is quite good. It's perfectly cooked, with a beautiful shimmering texture and just the right amount of heat." At the next table, Kong Qingfeng was already commenting. He picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork with his chopsticks, examined it from all sides, and then put it in his mouth. After chewing it carefully, he nodded and said, "The skin is fragrant and chewy, the fatty meat melts in your mouth, and the lean meat is tender with a slightly chewy texture. It's oily but not greasy. With the garlic sprouts, it has a unique fragrance. It's really delicious. It's a huge improvement over last year's!"

"This twice-cooked pork is indeed fatty but not oily, fragrant but not greasy. Just adding garlic sprouts is enough to make it perfect with rice. The skill level is truly high." Qin Kun nodded and said, "You just watched Xiao Lei make it. As long as you can learn eight-tenths of it, you'll be considered a master."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Sit down, let's eat!" Kong Qingfeng waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

The three elders and Master Xiao's generation sat at one table, while Zhou Yan and his grand-apprentices sat at another.

Zhou Yan looked around but didn't see anyone from the Sichuan Cuisine magazine. Could it be that the interview was scheduled for the afternoon?
"Come on, let's eat too," Zheng Qiang said with a smile. At this table, he was the senior disciple.

They were all young people in their early twenties, and they were quite enthusiastic about cooking.

Zhou Yan didn't have time to think much before picking up a piece of beef brisket and a piece of potato and putting them in her bowl.

The braised beef brisket was very tender and flavorful. Compared to his braised beef brisket with dried bamboo shoots, this one was a bit spicier and had a more prominent flavor. It was spicy, numbing, and fragrant, and went very well with rice.

Get a bowl of rice, add a piece of potato, gently pick it up and let it spread out on top of the rice, then add a piece of beef dipped in the broth. Eat the meat and rice together, and the satisfaction of this bite can only be understood by those who have tasted it!
The other senior students all picked up the twice-cooked pork with their chopsticks, and after eating it, they all had an expression of amazement on their faces.

The senior apprentice sitting next to Zhou Yan was named Kong Liwei, Kong Guodong's apprentice and also his nephew. The one who had run away so fast earlier had eaten two pieces of twice-cooked pork and half a bowl of rice. He looked at Zhou Yan with curiosity and asked, "Junior Brother Zhou, is the food you learn in your lineage different from ours? How come your stir-fried pork liver and your master's twice-cooked pork are so delicious?!"

Upon hearing this, the other senior brothers at the table also looked at Zhou Yan and Zheng Qiang, all with curious expressions.

Apart from the two of them, everyone else at this table is considered to be Kong Qingfeng's grand-disciple.

Although they share the same ancestor and belong to the Confucian school, these two dishes today made them feel that they were somewhat different.

“My fellow disciples are overthinking it. We all inherited our skills from the same ancestor, so there’s no difference. At most, it’s just a matter of personal habits and different approaches.” Zhou Yan smiled as he picked up a piece of potato. “I’ve never seen my master make braised beef brisket with potatoes before. I just squatted by Uncle Zhong’s stove for over an hour.”

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

"My master's braised beef brisket with potatoes is our restaurant's signature dish; it's a must-order for almost every customer," Zhong Yong's apprentice said proudly.

"Come and try my master's braised eel. It tastes absolutely delicious. Now, all the eels at Leming Restaurant are made by my master," Kong Liwei recommended to Zhou Yan.

A delicious braised eel dish.

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled as he picked up a piece of eel: "Great, this eel looks delicious."

The taste was not bad, nothing special. He had seen Kong Guodong cook eel a few times before. His skills were proficient, but a bit rough, and many details were not done well.

For example, the eel was seasoned quite well, but the meat had a slightly muddy taste, which wasn't quite masked.

The rating of "good" is based on a comprehensive assessment.

But Xiao Lei's assessment should be correct; none of the Kong family nephews and nieces that Kong Qingfeng took in have achieved great things.

In comparison, the signature dishes prepared by the other senior disciples were rated as "quite good" or above.

"Your apprentice is young, but he is quite thoughtful in his words and actions," Zhong Yong said to Xiao Lei at the next table.

"He opened his own restaurant and learned a lot about how to handle things. He used to be a quiet person who didn't talk much," Xiao Lei said with a smile.

"Open a restaurant? Become a sole proprietor?" Zhong Yong was somewhat surprised. "He'll open it himself? Or are you taking him along? Aren't you the head chef at the textile factory?"

The others at the table also looked at him.

“He started it himself, and it’s been going on for two or three months. Business is pretty good,” Xiao Lei said. “I quit my job at the textile factory and now I’m partnering with Zheng Qiang to run a large-scale banquet business. We’ve been doing it for about half a month now.”

"What?"

"A banquet on the ground?"

"Become a village cook?"

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table was greatly surprised.

Xiao Lei has worked in the textile factory for more than 20 years, working his way up from a small factory to a large factory with more than 3,000 employees, and managing a large canteen. He has finally made it through the tough times.

During this time, the two old men and his fellow apprentices invited him to restaurants in the city, but he declined them all, saying that he couldn't bear to leave the workers and chefs in the factory.

Of Grandpa Kong's four apprentices, one went to a restaurant in Chengdu, one went to the capital, and another went abroad with a leader from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Only Xiao Lei was left in Jiaozhou, staying in Suji for more than 20 years.

Previously, when people talked about Xiao Lei, they all thought he would work at Jiaozhou Textile Factory until retirement.

Retiring from a big company is a respectable thing, isn't it?

It's a bit of a shame that someone with such excellent cooking skills has always been stuck cooking large batches of food in the cafeteria.

Who would have thought he would resign so suddenly, and then go straight to be a village cook?

"Stone, why didn't you tell me about this?" Kong Qingfeng put down his chopsticks and looked at Xiao Lei. "Why are you doing a 'baba banquet'? Only second-rate chefs with no skills would do that. Come to Leming Restaurant tomorrow. I'll have them arrange an interview for you. If you pass, you can start working. Bring Zhou Yan and Zheng Qiang with you too. Their skills are more than enough. Even if Leming Restaurant can't arrange it, we'll arrange it for them at other restaurants."

"I'll go to the restaurant later to report to my superiors," Kong Guodong said.

In this era, being a self-employed individual is generally not viewed favorably; this is the general consensus in society.

Rural cooks are equivalent to self-employed individuals.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lei smiled and said, "Uncle-Master, Senior Brother, you don't need to worry about this. Zheng Qiang and I are doing very well as rural cooks. We've already held three shows this month, and we have two more scheduled for the second half of the month. It turns out we earn more a month than we did working in the textile factory."

I can cook all the big pot dishes in the textile factory canteen, and I can easily make the "three steamed dishes and nine braised dishes" for the outdoor banquet. I don't feel ashamed at all.

The economy is developing and society is changing rapidly. I think hosting outdoor banquets is a great idea. In a couple of years, once we've saved up some money, we might even get a venue to host private banquets.

Zhou Yan's restaurant is doing very well; the income is higher than working as a kitchen helper. He invested a lot of money in it, so he certainly can't just close it down easily.

Although Xiao Lei had a smile on his face, his tone and attitude were very firm.

Seeing this, the other fellow disciples also remained silent.

Why is Xiao Lei's nickname "Stone"?

Besides having many stones in his name, he also has a stubborn personality, unyielding to reason. Even when Grandpa Kong was alive, he couldn't persuade him once he made up his mind.

Kong Qingfeng sighed and looked at him, saying, "Since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything more. If you ever have any difficulties, just come to me."

“Yes, Uncle-Master.” Xiao Lei nodded respectfully.

While the master's table was engaged in a lively conversation, the disciples' table all focused their attention on Zhou Yan and Zheng Qiang.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you opened your own restaurant? Where is it? You only studied cooking for two and a half years and you opened your own restaurant? That's impressive!" Kong Liwei looked at Zhou Yan in shock.

He is three years older than Zhou Yan, but he started learning to cook from his master when he was thirteen. This year marks his tenth year, and he is now a kitchen helper at Leming Restaurant.

For the first three years, his knife skills were barely good enough to meet the approval of the two old men.

His grandfather was very strict with him.

After ten years of study, his knife skills are still not as good as Zhou Yan's few strokes when cutting pig liver.

Hearing that Zhou Yan had opened his own restaurant and that business was doing quite well, he was truly shocked.

The other senior students had similar thoughts and expressions.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "It's just a small restaurant in Suji Town. It's all family members helping out. The business is just enough to make ends meet for the family. It can't compare to the big restaurants where you senior brothers work. It's not even worth mentioning."

Everyone seemed to understand what he meant. A small restaurant? It must be a small Sichuan restaurant on the street, located in a small town. Business must not be very good.

In this day and age, city dwellers are reluctant to spend money on dining out, let alone farmers in the countryside.

Being able to make a living is already considered good.

Zheng Qiang, who was standing to the side, glanced at Zhou Yan with a slightly strange expression.

It's true that Zhou Yan's restaurant is located in town, but it's right in front of the Jiaozhou Textile Factory, Jiaozhou's largest foreign exchange earner.

It's true that her family members were helping out, but she had a talkative mother, an old man with excellent knife skills, and a cute girl who could lure customers in to eat just by sitting at the door and eating a pig's trotter.

His restaurant business is more than just "good"; based on his observations from helping out in the kitchen these past few days, business is booming for all three meals, with over 100 jin of braised meat and dishes sold.

He didn't calculate exactly how much he earned in a day, but he estimated that all the chefs present combined probably didn't earn as much as he did.

Junior Brother Zhou is quite the master at playing dumb.

"Senior Brother Zheng, how are the results of your work organizing banquets with Uncle Xiao?" Kong Liwei asked Zheng Qiang curiously.

Zheng Qiang laughed and said, "I'm just a kitchen helper for my uncle. When there's work, I carry pots and pans to his place. When there's nothing to do, I just stay home. The money I earn is just enough to support my family. It's nothing compared to the big restaurants where my fellow junior brothers work. It's not even worth mentioning."

Zhou Yan glanced at him sideways, thinking, "Senior Brother Zheng is quite the expert too."

After lunch, the grand-apprentices were responsible for collecting and washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen.

The three old men and the masters brewed tea and sat in the courtyard chatting.

"Master, when will the people from the Sichuan Cuisine magazine be here?" Zhong Yong asked as he poured tea for Kong Qingfeng.

Before Kong Qingfeng could speak, Kong Guodong's voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Master, Editor-in-Chief He is here!"

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(End of this chapter)