1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 232 [A Quite Delicious Twice-Cooked Pork with Bean Sprouts] (A Smile Across the Sky, Silver Grand Alliance 110)

"Salted braised pork belly! Delicious! We're just missing a few steamed dishes; customers often ask about them." Aunt Zhao's eyes lit up, and she said happily, "Did you learn the craft from your master?"

Zhou Yan nodded: "I know how to make salted braised pork belly, but I need to learn and practice more about other steamed dishes."

"The twice-cooked pork with pickled mustard greens is delicious! I went to Yibin to buy beef before and had it once. It was so satisfying to eat with rice." Old Zhou looked at the pickled mustard greens and said nostalgically, "Yibin spicy noodles are also delicious. These pickled mustard greens are finely chopped, stir-fried until fragrant, and then mixed with crushed peanuts. They're incredibly flavorful."

"Then let's try stir-frying some pickled mustard greens and twice-cooked pork tonight." Zhou Yan took out a small handful of pickled mustard greens and handed them to Old Zhou. "Old man, wash the pickled mustard greens three times and soak them in some hot water. I have to go out and buy two steamers."

"Okay." Comrade Zhou took the sprouts into the kitchen.

After unloading his things, Zhou Yan gestured a couple of times with his own pot, then rode his bike to the front street, found the bamboo craftsman Hu Tianlei, and bought three large steamers.

It was bought according to the proportions of a wood-fired stove. It's a huge one. Their earthen bowls can hold about ten of them at a time.

Three layers, or thirty bowls, is enough for now.

Of course, this is the conventional arrangement.

Some heretical practitioners pile up bowls, sometimes dozens of bowls in one layer. He had seen it once; it was quite a sight.

The advantage of steaming is that you can keep adding layers, similar to braised dishes; you just need to keep an eye on the time.

With its efficient food preparation, it has become the signature dish of outdoor banquets and is famous throughout the world for its "three steamed dishes and nine braised dishes," and there's a reason for that.

"The pot needs maintenance, and so does this bamboo steamer. Did your master teach you how to maintain it?" Hu Tianlei, a thin middle-aged man, helped Zhou Yan tie the steamer to the back of his bicycle and asked with a smile.

"I really don't have that." Zhou Yan paused for a moment, then looked at Hu Tianlei and smiled, "Boss Hu, could you give me some pointers?"

"What's there to advise? Just take these three steamers to your master and exchange them for three cooked ones." Hu Tianlei grinned and said, "That's how my master uses them, isn't it?"

“That makes sense.” Zhou Yan nodded, got on his bike, and headed towards his master’s house.

I knocked on the gate of my master's house.

"Claws?" Xiao Lei looked at Zhou Yan, who was carrying three steamers.

“Master, let’s trade in the old for the new. I’ll get you three new steamers. Bring your three most comfortable steamers to trade with me.” Zhou Yan carried the steamers into the courtyard.

"Zhou Yan is here." In the courtyard, Ma Dongmei was tidying up the sprouts. When she saw Zhou Yan come in, she stood up with a smile.

"Master's wife," Zhou Yan greeted her with a smile, "I've come to change the steamer; I haven't used this new one before."

Xiao Lei's attitude was firm: "No! My steamer is working perfectly fine, I'm not exchanging it with you. Don't even think about such a thing. Was it Hu Tianlei who gave you this idea?"

“Look, he’s in a hurry again.” Zhou Yan placed the steamer on the bench next to him and looked at Ma Dongmei, saying, “Master’s wife, look, Master is scolding me again.”

"You even went to your teacher's wife to complain?!" Xiao Lei raised an eyebrow and glared.

"Hey! Stone, your magic cloak! Why are you changing it to a steamer? Zhou Yan offered you a new one in exchange and you're still not satisfied? He didn't take advantage of you." Ma Dongmei took a step forward, raised her chin, and said, "Change it! Did you hear me!"

"Come on, let's change it." Xiao Lei waved his hand helplessly. "There are only three left over there, you can take them and leave."

Ma Dongmei waved her hand and said, "Never mind him, go and choose for yourself. Take whichever one you like, and let's see what he dares to say."

"Master, I'll go choose one then." Zhou Yan grinned at Xiao Lei and walked towards the three stacks of bamboo steamers piled up under the corridor.

These steamers are actually quite new. The oldest one is no more than two months old, and some have probably only been used once or twice. They were recently purchased and still look very new.

Zhou Yan picked out three that looked relatively new and clean, and smiled at Xiao Lei, saying, "Master, thank you."

"It's fine if the cage doesn't open, but you still need to maintain it when you get home, otherwise it'll get moldy and smelly after only a couple of uses. Then I won't let you come back to exchange it," Xiao Lei said, his hands behind his back.

"After use, clean it thoroughly and place it in a cool, ventilated place. Regularly brush it with oil and steam it. This will gradually create a patina, just like the process of seasoning an iron pot. The more you use it, the better it becomes."

If you're not going to use it for a long time, put it in a well-ventilated place to air out. Don't expose it to direct sunlight, and also prevent it from getting damp and moldy...

Zhou Yan took out her notebook and began to take notes carefully.

Sure enough, you can learn something real by coming to your master.

“Okay, I’ve got it.” Zhou Yan carried the steamer out, tied it to the back of his bicycle, and grinned at Xiao Lei: “Master, I’ll come back to exchange it with you when I buy a new steamer.”

"Get the hell out of here!" Xiao Lei grabbed a feather duster from the side.

Zhou Yan rode off on his bicycle, calling out, "Master's wife, I'm off now! Come visit the shop later!"

“Yes, that’s right—” Ma Dongmei replied with a smile, “This child is well-behaved and has a good personality.”

"Now I've just become a bit mischievous." Xiao Lei put down the feather duster and laughed, then picked up three steamers and walked towards the kitchen.

Ma Dongmei followed him into the kitchen and said earnestly, "You said Zhou Yan is twenty years old. Should I, as his teacher's wife, help him find a wife? My third sister's daughter, Juanjuan, is eighteen this year. She works as a cashier at Jiaozhou Department Store. She's fair-skinned, pretty, has a good personality, and a respectable job. She's a good match for Zhou Yan."

"Juanjuan is a good girl, and her personality is nice too, but I'm afraid she's not quite meeting Zhou Yan's standards anymore," Xiao Lei said casually as he added water to the pot. "Why? Does Zhou Yan look down on working people now that he's made money?"

"That's not the reason. When he paid today, he pulled out a Shanghai-brand leather wallet, saying it was a gift from a beautiful lady." Xiao Lei placed the steamer in the pot, looked at Ma Dongmei with a smile, and said, "Tell me, what beautiful lady would be willing to give him such an expensive wallet?"

Ma Dongmei's eyes lit up: "So that means there's probably something going on."

"Zhou Yan's mouth is getting better and better at talking. He's quick-witted, hardworking, and earns money. We don't need to worry about him getting married at all," Xiao Lei said with a smile.

"That's right, he's tall and handsome, I don't know how many young girls are attracted to him." Ma Dongmei nodded in deep agreement and said with a smile, "Actually, it was my third sister who took the initiative to ask me about Juanjuan. She said that Juanjuan had met Zhou Yan and knew that he was your apprentice, and she had a good impression of him."

“You should avoid matchmaking. If it works out, you get a pig's trotter; if it doesn't, you might be nagged about it for the rest of your life. Don't do it, don't do it.” Xiao Lei added fuel to the fire. “Zhou Yan bought a big house across from Jiaozhou Wharf. Juanjuan might not be a good match for him.”

"He's even bought a house in Jiaozhou! Zhou Yan is really capable..."

……

The capable Zhou Yan carried the steamer home, tested its size on the pot, and found it to be just right.

"Why did you buy three old ones?" Aunt Zhao asked in confusion.

“I’ll exchange this for a new one from my master. This kind of steamer is perfect; you can use it right away without having to boil or grease it,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. He placed four pieces of oak wood on the ground and put the steamer in the corner.

There's no need for it today. He ordered a few pounds of meat from Zhang Laosan and will start making salted braised pork belly tomorrow morning. He'll serve a small amount of this new dish first to warm things up.

"Would your master be willing to do that?"

“My master was reluctant to part with it, but my master’s wife is so good to me. She let me choose whatever I wanted, and my master didn’t dare to say no at all,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Your master also met you." Zhao Tieying smiled upon hearing this.

Zhou Yan glanced at the time. After a busy afternoon, it was already 4:30. He took the bean sprouts soaking in hot water from the enamel basin next to him and wrung out the water.

The quality of these bean sprouts is indeed excellent. They are glossy and moist, with uniform roots. When chopped into small pieces, they have a sweet and fragrant aroma.

He reached out, pinched off a small piece, and put it in his mouth. It was perfectly salty and slightly sweet, with a crisp and tender texture that made a crunching sound when chewed, and it was especially fragrant.

This is the difference between pickled mustard greens and regular pickled vegetables. Pickled mustard greens are made from the tender stems of green vegetables, with the leaves removed and only the stems cut into strips about the thickness of chopsticks.

We select the crispest and most tender parts to achieve the ultimate crisp texture.

In addition to salt, brown sugar water and spices such as Sichuan peppercorns and star anise are added during the pickling process. The process involves three pickling steps and two cellaring steps.

The "three pickling and two cellaring" technique creates the unique flavor of Yibin pickled mustard greens.

The purpose of tasting is to control the saltiness. It should be a little less salty than he expected, which allows the chef more room to work his magic and doesn't need to worry too much about the saltiness of the bean sprouts causing the whole dish to be too salty.

Cut a piece of pre-cooked pork belly into coin-thick slices. The pork belly is cooked just right, with the inside still slightly raw.

Finely chop the fresh fermented soybeans, wash the garlic sprouts, gently smash the large heads with a knife, then cut them diagonally with pointed ends, separating the white parts of the garlic sprouts from the leaves.

Heat a wok over a fire. Once the wok is hot, stir-fry the finely chopped bean sprouts to remove the surface moisture.

On the way back, Zhou Yan consulted Master Xiao and Master Zheng, who advised that the bean sprouts should not be overcooked, otherwise they would lose their crisp and tender texture and become tough and dry, making them inedible.

Once the meat is cooked and removed from the pan, add rapeseed oil to the pan, then add the sliced ​​meat and stir-fry over low heat until it shrinks and curls into a standard lamp-shaped indentation.

Mix the rendered fat with the rapeseed oil, push the meat to one side, add the finely chopped fermented soybean paste, stir-fry over low heat until cooked, fragrant and the oil turns red, then stir-fry the meat back together.

The white slices of meat, coated in chili oil, immediately turn a bright red.

At this point, add the previously stir-fried bean sprouts. The hot oil releases the aroma of the bean sprouts, and the dry bean sprouts are coated with a bright red oil color, instantly becoming fresh and oily.

Add a spoonful of sweet bean sauce and continue stir-frying. Then add the garlic sprout heads, and finally the garlic sprout leaves. Stir-fry a few times, then remove from heat and plate.

The bright red slices of meat curled into lamp-shaped nests, filled with finely chopped bean sprouts, glistening with oil.

White garlic shoots and green garlic shoot leaves dot the landscape.

The aroma of twice-cooked pork with pickled mustard greens wafts up with the rising steam.

A pretty good twice-cooked pork with pickled mustard greens.

"Wow! The first time was [quite good]!" Zhou Yan's eyes lit up.

　Thank you so much, Yixiaotianqing, for the Silver-ranked gift!

　　Requesting monthly votes! Bonus chapter +10...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)