1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 205 [A Delicious Fish-Flavored Tofu] (6k-page compilation)

Grandpa Wang's open-mindedness made Zhou Yan's question seem a bit silly.

"You still correspond with that girl from the mountain town?" Grandpa Wang asked Zhou Yan with a smile.

"Yes, we keep in touch and often exchange letters," Zhou Yan nodded.

"It's good to have someone you can keep in touch with regularly." Grandpa Wang smiled, took another sip of wine, ate a piece of pig's head, and leaned back leisurely in his recliner, his deep gaze fixed on the distance, lost in thought.

Zhou Yan didn't disturb the old man's leisurely time any longer. He took the book back to the restaurant. He had originally planned to take a nap, but he opened "Sichuan Cuisine Recipes" and read it with great interest. He was so engrossed in reading that he lost all sleepiness and his mind was filled with recipes for various cold dishes, braised dishes, and steamed dishes.

This book, which should have been considered boring, somehow managed to hold his attention for an entire afternoon.

If I had this much drive when I was studying, I wouldn't have ended up at a public second-tier university like Chengdu University!

Hmm, the recipes are really interesting.

[Ding! Player has obtained the item "Sichuan Cuisine Recipe," unlocking self-study mode and triggering a side quest: Learn a new dish and achieve an "Extremely Good" rating!]

[Task Reward: Unknown. Accept: Yes/No]

"Huh?" Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. This mission is interesting.

A growth quest has been triggered!

However, upon closer examination, the ultimate main task set for him by this panel is to become a master chef!
He didn't know what level the God of Cookery was, but it was definitely not a puppet that only received recipes from the system.

Being able to replicate a new dish from a recipe based on one's own experience and skills is far more beneficial to culinary improvement than simply acquiring a new recipe.

Zhou Yan decisively chose to accept.

Their eyes began to search the menu carefully, eventually settling on "Fish-flavored Tofu" and "Stir-fried Salt-baked Pork".

Fish-flavored tofu is also a classic Sichuan dish.

Fish-fragrant flavor is a top-tier flavor in Sichuan cuisine and is widely loved.

In the past two days, the number of orders for Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) has been almost on par with the previous top-selling Hui Guo Rou (twice-cooked pork), which is quite impressive. Its fresh, fragrant, sour, and spicy flavor is especially popular among female workers.

Zhou Yan wanted to learn how to make fish-fragrant eggplant, but unfortunately, eggplants weren't available this season.

Fish-flavored tofu uses soft tofu made with gypsum, and the Xiba tofu delivered by Laifu just met the requirements, making it a perfect raw material.

Stir-fried pork with salt is also a classic Sichuan dish, and it's one of Master Luohan's specialties, receiving an "extremely good" rating. When he comes to learn how to make snowflake chicken soup, he can teach and guide him.

But Zhou Yan considered a very important issue—cost!
The price of soft tofu is two cents per pound, while the cost of pork belly is as high as one dollar!
Every dish, from beginner to expert, inevitably requires countless failures and constant practice.

The trial-and-error cost of making stir-fried and salt-fried pork is too high, and Zhou Yan is not confident that he can reach an "extremely good" level in a short period of time.

In comparison, fish-flavored tofu, made with a fish-spice sauce, and tofu that costs only two cents per pound, seems more cost-effective and feasible.

Moreover, the task requires "self-study," so it's questionable whether it would still meet the requirements if one received guidance from a senior disciple.

In conclusion, he ultimately chose to learn how to make Yu Xiang Tofu on his own.

Zhou Yan flipped through the recipe and studied it for a while. The method was not complicated: cut the tofu into strips, deep-fry them to set their shape, and fry them until they had a crispy crust.

The method of making fish-flavored shredded pork is the same as that of fish-flavored shredded pork. Zhou Yan felt that his fish-flavored sauce might be more reliable than the recipe, so he still chose to use his own seasoning method as the main one.

After stir-frying the fish spices until fragrant and the color turns red, add water, then add the fried tofu and cook for a few minutes. This method is quite similar to the method of making crucian carp with mint.

The saying "understand one thing, understand everything" probably means this.

Sichuan cuisine boasts diverse flavors and cooking methods, yet commonalities can be found among them.

"Guoguo, what are you looking at? You're so engrossed!" Zhou Momo suddenly appeared, poking her head over and standing between Zhou Yan and the recipe. She tilted her head, staring at him with her big eyes, and said in a childish voice, "Mommy said that the workers are about to get off work, so you have to keep an eye on the time."

The little guy had come back from playing somewhere, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his eyebrows were wet.

"Almost off work?" Zhou Yan glanced at his watch and realized it was already past four o'clock. Looking up at the door, he saw a dozen or so elementary school students lining up to buy braised food, clutching small coins in their hands, gathered in small groups.

"You've been playing too much and you're all sweaty. Wash your face and go upstairs to change your clothes!" Aunt Zhao came over with a towel, put it directly on Zhou Momo's face, wiped her neck vigorously twice, and then carried her upstairs.

"Guoguo...Guoguo, help me!" Zhou Momo stretched out her hand and shouted at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan was helpless, so he put the recipe on the counter and went into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.

The time spent learning is always so wonderful yet so short.

Zhao Hong followed her into the kitchen to help prepare the ingredients and lend a hand.

Zhou Yan prepared the dishes and also cooked their own dinner.

The tofu and fish-flavored spices were readily available, so Zhou Yan tried making a fish-flavored tofu.

Cut the tofu into rectangular strips, coat them with dry starch, and deep-fry them in oil until golden brown on all six sides and crispy on the outside. Set aside.

Chop pickled peppers and stir-fry them in a pan until the oil turns red. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add water and simmer for a while to get a pot of bright red fish-flavored sauce. Add the previously fried tofu and start seasoning.

The seasoning method is similar to that of shredded pork with garlic sauce. Add salt, soy sauce, and a little sugar, cook for about three minutes, and then thicken with cornstarch.

The tofu bubbled and simmered in the thickening red broth. The broth was reduced over high heat, a little vinegar was drizzled around the edge of the pot, and then chopped green onions were added. The tofu was gently stirred with a spoon before being served on a plate.

The long strips of tofu, deep-fried to a golden brown, are coated with a thick fish-spice sauce and garnished with chopped scallions. They are bright red in color, fragrant, and quite tempting.

A delicious serving of fish-flavored tofu.

Zhou Yan has already seen the appraisal results.

Not bad.

A fairly solid assessment.

For the first time, the result is not bad.

"Guoguo, what did you make? It smells so good!" Zhou Momo went to the stove and stood on tiptoe to see, but the little guy was shorter than the stove, and only his two braids were dangling on the edge of the stove, which made her very anxious.

"Fish-flavored tofu, I made a new dish, we'll be eating it by ourselves tonight," Zhou Yan replied with a smile, lowering the bowl of fish-flavored tofu to show it to her first.

"Wow! It looks so good! It smells so nice!" Zhou Momo leaned forward, took a deep sniff, and her eyes lit up. She held up two fingers and said in her childish voice, "I'm going to eat three bowls of rice tonight!"

“That’s how you make three.” Aunt Zhao walked by and bent her ring finger up.

“Yes! Three bowls!” the little guy nodded.

“Okay, then have three bowls.” Zhou Yan said with a smile, handing the fish-flavored tofu to Zhao Hong’s sister-in-law, and then taking a portion of braised beef with dried bamboo shoots from the pot next to him, and a plate of pickled vegetables.

I wasted time looking at the menu, so my work dinner tonight will have to be simple: I'll start with a new dish and then have some braised beef with dried bamboo shoots.

"This tofu looks so delicious. Why are you making so many new dishes lately?" Aunt Zhao said, bringing over a bowl of rice and admiring the tofu on the table.

"It smells so good, sour and spicy, it tastes just like shredded pork with garlic sauce." Zhao Hong served the rice first, "It looks so appetizing."

"Yes, sister-in-law has good taste. Fish-flavored tofu, the fish flavor is perfect for eating with rice." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, first serving Zhou Momo a bowl of rice, then serving himself a bowl as well, "New dish, try them and see how they taste."

"Brother, is this tofu spicy?" Zhou Momo asked Zhou Yan before even picking up her chopsticks.

"Don't worry, it's just like shredded pork with garlic sauce, only slightly spicy, you can handle it." Zhou Yan smiled and put a piece into her bowl. She had secretly tried a piece of Mapo Tofu last time and cried from the spiciness, so she hadn't touched tofu in a long time.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo replied, brought her mouth close, blew on it, and then took a bite.

It's salty, sour, and a little spicy—it smells so good!
It's a little hot!
"Hoo~ hoo~" The little guy was reluctant to spit it out, so he breathed on it to cool it down. After it cooled down quickly, he savored it carefully, and his eyes lit up.

This tofu is so delicious!
My tongue won't feel numb, and the inside is so tender! It's delicious! I love it!
After swallowing the tofu, the little guy picked up his chopsticks and scooped up a big mouthful of rice, chewing it with great relish.

"Tofu is delicious! Soup is even more delicious! Brother, I want soup to mix with rice!" The little guy swallowed his rice and looked at Zhou Yan longingly.

"You do know how to eat, huh?" Zhou Yan laughed, taking a small spoon and ladling a few spoonfuls of fish-flavored soup over her rice. Fish-flavored vegetables aren't enough on their own; they're only truly delicious when eaten with rice.

"Mmm! The fish-flavored tofu tastes so good!" Aunt Zhao had already tasted a piece and looked quite surprised. "The tofu was fried, so the outer skin became crispy and absorbed the flavor immediately. It's very flavorful, but the inside is still very tender. It's completely different from Mapo Tofu, but just as delicious! It's perfect with rice!"

"Delicious!" Zhao Hong took a bite, shoveled a big mouthful of rice into her mouth, and nodded repeatedly.

Comrade Zhou remained silent, simply shoveling rice into his mouth; his appetite spoke volumes.

The diners gave it good reviews. Zhou Yan picked up a piece of tofu and first observed its color. The sauce seemed a bit too thick, and the broth was too viscous. It was a bright red color with a slightly cloudy appearance, and the tofu wasn't coated very evenly.

Before deep-frying, the tofu is coated with a dry powder, similar to frying ginseng, to achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior. This also helps the tofu develop a better crispy crust, making it easier for the flavors to penetrate.

However, during the cooking process, some of the starch on the surface of the tofu is incorporated into the broth, which has a certain thickening effect.

Zhou Yan hadn't considered this aspect of the effect, so the thickening was a little too thick.

The tofu explodes on the tongue with a fresh, savory, sour, and spicy flavor, and the fish flavor is absolutely perfect.

The fried tofu, which is crispy on the outside, becomes softer after absorbing the fish-fragrant sauce, and has a unique crispy and fragrant taste.

The tofu retains an exceptionally delicate texture inside, creating a delightful combination of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

It is indeed a good everyday dish to eat with rice.

The advantages are obvious, but so are the disadvantages.

If the sauce becomes too thick, it will taste a bit sticky. The amount of cornstarch should be reduced slightly for a better texture.

The starch coating on the tofu was a bit too thick, which affected the texture of the tofu. It felt like it was coated in a shell, and that needs to be improved.

The recipe says: Dip in dry starch and deep-fry.

The right amount of dipping sauce is something the chef has to figure out and experiment with.

The seasoning was alright, but Zhou Yan felt the cooking time could be increased slightly. The tofu wasn't quite flavorful enough, which might be due to the thickness of the tofu strips. He could try to improve that next time. Why is it so difficult to cook from a recipe?
Because you have to constantly review, correct mistakes, improve, and then start all over again.

Zhou Yan shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth. It was still a long way from being "extremely good"—a daunting task indeed.

However, he discovered that he still had some advantages.

She's a food blogger for good reason; her ability to nitpick hasn't diminished at all.

You can tell the difference between good and bad just by tasting it, and then make improvements based on the problems, and the progress will be remarkable immediately.

"Should this dish be on the menu?" Aunt Zhao asked.

"It's still a long way from being on the menu. There's a lot of room for improvement. I'll consider putting it on the menu once I'm satisfied with it myself," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

"You're still not satisfied with how delicious it is?" Zhao Hong was a little surprised, but quickly added with a touch of emotion, "You chefs have such high standards. I'm afraid I could never make tofu this delicious even if I made it my whole life."

Everyone ate and chatted, but Zhou Momo was oblivious to everything else, focusing solely on her food.

After finishing one bowl, I had another. I actually ate three bowls of rice with the fish-fragrant soup.

"I'm full!" Zhou Momo put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Brother, your cooking is so delicious! I love your cooking the most! I want to eat your cooking for the rest of my life!"

"Then you can live next door to your brother's house from now on, and come over for meals every day," Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

"Hmm?" Zhou Momo tilted her head, puzzled. "Mom, why is it next door? Can't I live in the same house as Guoguo? We're family! Mine belongs to Guoguo, and Guoguo's belongs to me too."

"Then when your brother marries your sister-in-law, and you marry someone else, won't you have to separate the family?" Aunt Zhao said with a smile. "If you can live next door, I'll be burning incense in gratitude. I'll be happy to see you two siblings every day."

"Splitting up? I don't want to split up!" The little guy shook his head like a rattle-drum, snuggled up to hug Zhou Yan's arm, leaned his head against it, and looked up at him with pleading eyes, tears already welling up in his eyes: "Brother, are you going to split up with me? Brother~ Hmm~~"

The little one's voice is so sweet and childlike when he tries to be affectionate.

Who can bear this?

"No, no, you'll always have a room in my house, and it will definitely be the biggest and prettiest." Zhou Yan quickly shook his head, his attitude sincere.

"Your house? Isn't it our house? Humph~~" The little guy's pouting lips were so thick they could practically hold an oil bottle.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's our home." Zhou Yan was overjoyed, but had to cover her mouth to avoid seeming insincere.

"I knew you were the best!" The little guy smiled and rubbed his head against his arm, as sweet as a kitten.

Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head. Regardless of whether she came back to live there in the future, he would definitely leave her a beautiful, large room at home.

After the meal was finished and the table was cleared, guests began to arrive from outside.

Zhou Yan went into the kitchen and was so busy that her feet barely touched the ground.

Zhou Momo moved a small stool, sat down next to Old Zhou, and began her daily work, greeting the guests familiarly.

"Sister Qingqing, your hair looks so beautiful today!"

"Aunt Liu, are your silver earrings new? They're so pretty!"

"Hello Uncle Sun, the braised meat is delicious, but don't overindulge in alcohol. My grandma said it's okay to drink a little, but not too much~~"

The little one has an excellent memory; she can remember everyone who has spoken to her by name or surname, and then call out their name accurately the next time they meet, and chat with them familiarly for a bit.

Her outgoing and friendly personality is very appealing to customers.

She was only a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, with no aggression or ulterior motives, only cuteness.

"Okay, okay, I'll only drink two ounces tonight." Accountant Sun nodded with a smile, his voice unconsciously becoming a little more lilted.

Some people even buy some braised dishes or come in for a meal just to chat with her.

Boss Zhou's food is delicious, and the young boss provides a lot of emotional value. If you're going to eat out anyway, why not come to Zhou Erwa's restaurant?

The child laborer hired by Zhou Yan, who receives a daily wage, has become the restaurant's lucky charm.

After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan went out for a run and ran into Lin Zhiqiang, so they ran together for a while.

"Uncle Lin, Mr. Qian has successfully found his relatives and held a thank-you banquet yesterday. Has your cooperation been finalized?" Zhou Yan asked curiously. This matter originated from Uncle Lin's performance.

"It's hard to say. The other party has taken the samples, but whether the cooperation will be successful depends on their internal discussions and decisions. There won't be a result for a while."

"Qian Siyuan's company is quite powerful. It is a top-ranked silk company in North America, producing high-end goods. The company owns several well-known brands, and its scarves and clothes are very expensive and exported to various countries. So when he came to China this time, domestic manufacturers racked their brains to establish a cooperative relationship with him. Our factory did not have much of an advantage, so we had to play the emotional card."

Lin Zhiqiang shook his head with a smile, "However, I am very happy that Mr. Qian was able to find his relatives, regardless of the cooperation. He had originally invited my whole family to a banquet, but I was in Chengdu yesterday attending a provincial technical conference and missed it, which is a pity."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "That is indeed a pity. The meal standard yesterday was quite high, with a high-class nine-bowl feast, and we even invited the Jiaozhou Sichuan Opera Troupe to perform. The kids must have loved it. Zhou Momo went crazy with it."

“Don’t even mention the kids, I like it too!” Lin Zhiqiang sighed. “I love the outdoor banquets here the most. We don’t have any relatives, and our younger colleagues are usually too embarrassed to invite us. I’ve been here for more than two years and have only had two outdoor banquets. Yesterday, even the hot pot in Chengdu didn’t taste as good.”

Zhou Yan: ...

Uncle Lin is a man of strong emotions.

"Uncle Lin, I'll call you next time if I have the chance," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"You'll probably call me when you get married," Lin Zhiqiang said, looking at him softly. "Are you still in contact with Xia Yao lately?"

“There was correspondence.” Zhou Yan nodded, feeling like he’d been caught red-handed by his parents.

"It's fine." Lin Zhiqiang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

As they chatted, the topic quickly shifted to Hong Kong's return to China and Sino-US relations.

Of course, this topic was mainly brought up by Qian Siyuan.

……

Around 10 a.m. the next day, just as Zhou Yan had taken the vegetables out of the braising pot, Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang arrived with Lao Luo.

"Teacher Zhou, we've come to learn from you," Xiao Lei said with a smile as he walked into the kitchen.

"I hope you will give me more guidance, Master Zhou," Zheng Qiang said with a smile.

"Please give me your guidance, Master Zhou." Old Luo followed him into the kitchen.

Zhou Yan: ...

Sometimes I really want to call the police.

"You're braising so much at once? Can you sell it all?" Old Luo looked at the basket full of braised meat and the bowls of braised vegetables next to him, a look of shock on his face.

There are hundreds of pounds of braised meat and hundreds of pounds of braised vegetables as well.

How can a small restaurant in a small town sell so many braised dishes in a day?

Their Leming Restaurant also has a chef who specializes in making braised dishes and cold dishes. They usually braise about 30 to 40 jin of meat, and they braise more on holidays, but it never exceeds 100 jin.

But Leming Hotel is one of the top two hotels in Jiaozhou!
With a century-long heritage, it once surpassed Feiyan Restaurant and is still the main hotel in Jiaozhou for receiving leaders and foreign guests.

"Don't even mention not being able to sell them all; sometimes we don't even have enough to sell." Before Zhou Yan could speak, Xiao Lei had already chimed in with a smile, "Old Luo, don't underestimate our Jiaozhou Textile Factory. We're a major taxpayer and a major foreign exchange earner, and that's no exaggeration. We have three thousand employees, and our wages are among the highest in Jiaozhou. Since the workers are well-paid, they're willing to spend some money on food."

Zhou Yan nodded: "We can basically sell them all, but sometimes we might have a pound or two left over."

Luckily, they arrived a dozen minutes late. Huang He had just left with the braised meat. If Lao Luo had seen them, it wouldn't have been good.

After all, the rivalry between Leming Hotel and Feiyan Restaurant for the title of the best restaurant in Jiaozhou has been going on for more than just a year or two; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them sworn enemies.

"You're amazing!" Old Luo exclaimed in amazement. Selling out all 100 jin of braised meat and 100 jin of braised vegetables, how much money must you have made?

It must cost at least a hundred yuan, right?

Oh my God!

He earns over a hundred a day! That's more than his monthly salary!

Is being a self-employed individual really that profitable these days?!

After thinking about it carefully, Lao Luo became somewhat dazed.

Last week, he was drinking with Xiao Lei, and Xiao Lei gave him a glimpse into the situation. He had worked as a village cook for a month and organized ten banquets, earning a little over 600 yuan. Zheng Qiang, on the other hand, earned 400 yuan.

He was tempted after hearing this. He had worked at Leming Hotel for more than 20 years, and even with his seniority and various miscellaneous subsidies, his monthly salary was only 108 yuan.

It's one thing that he doesn't earn as much as Zheng Qiang, but today I discovered that he doesn't even earn as much as Zhou Yan, who sells braised food at his restaurant.

His Dao heart suddenly became somewhat unstable.

My desire to go to sea is stirring within me.

"I told you there are opportunities everywhere now, right? With your cooking skills, if you went out and started your own business, you could rent a shop in a busy area of ​​Jiaozhou and just sell stir-fries. Keep the menu simple at first, with stir-fried pork and salt-fried pork as your main dishes. Don't make the stall too big, and you could easily earn a few hundred yuan a month, definitely more than you made in Leming," Xiao Lei said with a smile.
"Old Luo, when have I ever lied to you? I used to think that being a self-employed person was undignified, even a dog wouldn't do it."

But after I tried it, I realized, "Wow, it's really delicious!"

"I...I've never done business before, I have no experience, and I'm not very good at dealing with people," Lao Luo said hesitantly.

Xiao Lei rolled his eyes at him: "Tell me about this batch of self-employed individuals, which one of them has any business experience? They're all complete novices, relying entirely on intuition to make a living."

"What you said makes some sense," Lao Luo nodded.

After listening to the two chat for a while, Zhou Yan smiled and said, "If Uncle Luo really wants to open a restaurant, these past two years have indeed been a good opportunity. However, there are many tricks to opening a restaurant, and I've fallen into quite a few traps myself. If you really want to do it, you can come to me for advice. I'll help you plan things out. Let's not talk about making money, but at least avoid losing money."

　Please vote for me with your monthly tickets!
　　Which IP's Light Summoning Character? If you're all participating, let's all summon 'Zhou Momo'!

　　Let's see if we can break into the top 100?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)