1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 249 The meat buns made by Guo Guo are all meat! (6k-page compilation)

Zhou Yan opened his eyes and stared blankly at the incandescent light on the ceiling for a long time.

Perhaps the light was too bright, and tears soaked her pillowcase before she slowly sat up.

[Ding! After experiencing Song Changhe's long series of fragmented memories, the recipe for [Sprout and Pork Buns] has been unlocked!]

An excellent chef should be proficient in both hot and cold dishes to handle various situations in the kitchen with ease.

Side Quest Triggered: Sell 1000 bean sprout and pork buns. Completion Reward: [Bun Making from Beginner to Burial] Accept: Yes/No

Before Zhou Yan could even savor Song Changhe's eventful first half of life, system notifications began ringing in his mind.

[Bean Sprout and Pork Buns]!
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. He remembered Huang Chuyu's pickled mustard greens and pork buns, which had thin skin and generous filling. They were not only a collective memory for all the disciples of the Li Family Martial Arts School, but also made his mouth water.

Steamed buns belong to the category of white-cooked dishes.

In those days, chefs didn't distinguish so much between white and red dishes. The emphasis was on being a master chef, proficient in both.

Every chef in the kitchen of Chengdu's major restaurants has at least two special skills in preparing pastries.

Even his master was a master at frying dough sticks, and for a time, the soy milk and dough sticks in the factory canteen were very popular.

Of course, the ramen he makes is also among the white dishes.

Steamed buns are considered a top breakfast item, and in Sichuan, they hold a similar status to noodle shops.

It may seem like you just wrap the meat filling in dough and steam it, but there's actually a lot more to it than meets the eye.

How thick should the dumpling skin be? How can I make it soft and fluffy? How much meat filling should I use? Does it need to be cooked in advance?
Laymen can only tell that the skin is thin and the filling is large, but it is difficult to explore the secrets behind it.

The restaurant can now sell 120 bowls of noodles every morning, which is basically its peak.

As his noodle-making skills became more and more proficient, Zhou Lihui also mastered the techniques of seasoning and scooping toppings and meat sauces, making his morning business relatively easy.

Adding steamed buns to enrich the breakfast offerings could significantly boost revenue.

The noodles cost six cents a bowl, which the customer thought was a bit expensive.

What about those two-cent buns?
The filling of the bean sprout and minced meat bun is made by stir-frying bean sprouts and minced meat. The amount of meat used in one bun is not much, so the cost is controllable.

The steps of making steamed buns, such as fermenting the dough and preparing the filling, are relatively troublesome, but when it comes to the bun-making stage, it can be done by training Aunt Zhao and others, thereby achieving the goal of rapid production.

If the steamed buns sell well, I'll definitely make a lot of money.

There is no doubt about this.

Making steamed buns is no easy job; it requires working from dawn till dusk, and the money is hard-earned.

But who can resist the temptation of "from beginner to burial"?
Zhou Yan decisively opened his reward.

The art of making [bean sprout and pork buns] warms the mind and quickly stirs up memories.

From kneading the dough to proofing it, then to making the filling, wrapping, and steaming, the entire process is executed flawlessly.

Three minutes later, Zhou Yan's eyes regained their clarity.

They already had a plan in mind.

The soul of the bean sprout and pork bun lies in the bean sprouts, which give the pork bun its unique aroma and texture.

With the recipe swirling in her mind, Zhou Yan was already looking forward to the hot buns coming out of the oven, and to having a thin-skinned, generously filled bean sprout and pork bun.

He picked up the watch on the bedside table and glanced at it; it was exactly eight o'clock.

Never mind, there's no meat at home. I'll get up an hour earlier tomorrow morning to knead and proof the dough!
Even if others don't say it, Zhou Momo definitely loves to eat it; I can't help but imagine the little one holding a big meat bun and munching on it.

She had previously bought him meat buns from the steamed bun shop near the bridge, but after three bites, she couldn't find any meat filling, making her feel cheated.

This time, he personally made sure she tasted what it meant to have a bun filled with meat filling in one bite.

Exhausted both mentally and physically, I fell fast asleep the moment the lights were turned off.

……

"You've successfully become an apprentice? Great! I'll bring two pounds of beef over to your Sixth Master later. They don't slaughter cattle, so this is something they can serve." Zhou Han looked at Zhou Ming with a beaming smile.

"Then you should also prepare a gift for your master's apprenticeship ceremony, right? You can't go empty-handed, can you? When you were a child, we gave your master ten pounds of beef as a gift, and that was back in school." Ma Jinhua followed up, "You said that Mr. Song is a master, so what should we prepare?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Han also looked at Zhou Ming.

"What should we send?" Zhou Ming scratched his head upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, said, "How about I ask Teacher Song tomorrow?"

“That works too.” Ma Jinhua nodded with a smile, glanced at Zhou Ming, hesitated for a moment and said, “Teacher Song has been so good to you and has helped you so much. Why don’t you invite her over for a meal later?”

Zhou Ming shook his head: "No need, I bring Teacher Song some braised dishes made by Zhou Yan every now and then, and I've already thanked her."

Ma Jinhua rolled her eyes at him. How could she have given birth to such an idiot!

Zhou Han said, "Then tomorrow, let Zhou Yan braise two beef shanks and send them to Teacher Song. It'll be a good opportunity to show respect to your master as well?"

Ma Jinhua rolled her eyes again.

We found the reason; he's just like his father—a blockhead!

“One thing at a time. Is bringing some braised dishes enough to repay a favor? Or do we need to formally invite them to a meal?” Ma Jinhua said seriously.

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes, Mom, you're right."

Ma Jinhua smiled, "Then tell me in advance which day we're eating so I can go buy the groceries..."

“No need to buy groceries, I’ll take her to Zhou Yan’s shop to eat.” Zhou Ming shook his head and said tactfully, “Mom, so you don’t have to work so hard.”

“He’s afraid people will think he’s repaying kindness with enmity,” Zhou Han translated for him.

"Zhou Han! I've really spoiled you!" Ma Jinhua picked up a feather duster that was leaning against the side.

"Oh dear, I meant I was worried you'd be too tired," Zhou Han quickly apologized, then said to Zhou Ming, "If you're going to treat Teacher Song to dinner later, and if it's appropriate, please invite me and your mother along too."

Ma Jinhua stopped what she was doing, glanced at Zhou Han with some surprise, and then nodded to Zhou Ming, saying, "Your father is right. If it's appropriate, you should invite us too."

"Old man, you also want to eat Zhou Yan's cooking?" Zhou Ming nodded with a smile: "Of course, Zhou Yan's cooking skills are really good. Today he made salted braised pork belly, and everyone who ate it praised it. The guests were very satisfied."

"No, we are..."

“Exactly, I’m really craving it. I’ve been dreaming about his twice-cooked pork ever since I had it last time. It’s not even the same dish as your mom’s.” Zhou Han grinned.

"Zhou Han, explain yourself! What dish did I make?" Ma Jinhua grabbed Zhou Han's ear, exasperated. "My twice-cooked pork was delicious! All you ever do is eat!"

"What's the big deal? A person's life is just about eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating." Zhou Han shrugged.

Zhou Ming shook his head and went back to his room. He had already made up his mind to invite Teacher Song to dinner tomorrow night. He had just bought a new bicycle, so he wanted to celebrate and thank her for lending him the bicycle during this time.

……

Comrade Xiao Zhou got up before dawn today.

I got up early at 4:30 to knead the dough.

Unlike noodles, making steamed buns requires adding yeast to leaven the dough, and the requirements for this leavening step are quite high.

The quality of the dough's rise determines the texture of the steamed buns.

The key to making steamed buns is a soft, fluffy, and delicious dough.

Zhou Yan rummaged through the condiment cabinet and found several packets of dry yeast produced by Southwest Pharmaceutical Factory No. 3.

That's good, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make these steamed buns today.

He examined it carefully for a while, and after confirming that there were still three days left on the expiration date and it hadn't expired, he confidently took it to knead the dough.

The most important thing when kneading dough is the water ratio. Add flour and water in a 2:1 weight ratio. Add half a pound of warm water to one pound of flour, along with five grams of yeast and ten grams of sugar dissolved in the warm water.

When the weather gets cold, using warm water can help the dough ferment faster.

Kneading dough requires a smooth surface, a clean bowl, and clean hands. After adding water and stirring until the flour forms clumps, knead it into a smooth dough, place it in an enamel bowl, and cover it with a clean, damp towel.

This morning he didn't knead much dough, only four jin of flour, enough to make about fifty steamed buns.

Five adults, plus Zhou Lihui, a boy who's only half a kid, and Zhou Momo, the little one.

That's more than enough to eat.

Today I'll make a sample for my family to try first.

If everyone enjoys the food, then we'll need to find Master Zhang, the bricklayer, to help build a new stove at the entrance, right next to the beef stew, specifically for steaming buns and vegetables.

A stack of bamboo steamers piled on the stove makes a ready-made signboard.

In the morning, steamed buns release a fragrant aroma of meat mixed with wheat, attracting workers who come by the scent.

As the weather gets colder, no one can resist a hot steamed bun.

And it's a bean sprout and pork bun!

Moreover, it's good to put the steamed dishes at the door so that Aunt Zhao can take care of them, so that she doesn't have to occupy a stove in the kitchen.

As the variety of steamed dishes increases, it will be more convenient to have a dedicated pot so that steaming hot dishes are always available when guests arrive.

"Why are you up so early today kneading dough?" Old Zhou came downstairs and was somewhat surprised to see Zhou Yan busy in the kitchen.

"I was planning to make steamed buns this morning, so I got up early to knead the dough. It takes longer for the dough to rise in winter." Zhou Yan took off her apron and came out of the kitchen, hanging it on a nail behind the counter. "Come on, let's go buy groceries."

"Steamed buns? You can make steamed buns?" Old Zhou was a little surprised, as Zhou Yan had never shown this skill before.

"Sprout and pork buns, my specialty. You'll know once you try them." Zhou Yan pushed the cart out.

"This is great! The pickled mustard greens and pork buns are really delicious. I had them once when I was buying beef in Yibin. The pickled mustard greens added made them taste amazing." Old Zhou swallowed hard, already looking forward to it.

After buying beef from Zhoucun, I went to get more meat from Zhang Laosan.

As for Xu Lao Er, Zhou Yan regularly gave him two pig heads and eight pig trotters every day to maintain their relationship.

The rest of the pork was mainly obtained from Zhang Laosan.

There's no other reason than that Zhang Laosan is indeed a capable person; he has excellent control over the quality of the meat, and so far there has been no case of him passing off inferior meat as superior.

The quality of the pig's head, liver, intestines, and pork belly used daily is up to standard.

The meat was all loaded onto the truck. Zhou Yan pointed to a foreleg and gestured: "Uncle Zhang, I want two jin of foreleg meat, just this piece. Make a cut like this for me."

"Zhou Yan, why are we having pork belly today? What new dish are we making?" Old Zhang asked curiously as he cut the meat for Zhou Yan.

Now Zhou Yan supports half of his meat stall business, using over a hundred kilograms of meat a day.

He can earn quite a bit every day just from the meat he sells to Zhou Yan.

"I'm making bean sprout and pork buns for my own family," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

Zhang Laosan said, "Sprout and pork buns? I've never had them before. Do they taste similar to salted vegetable and pork buns? I do like salted vegetable and pork buns. I had them when I went to Jiaozhou to eat meat before. They were salty and fragrant." "They're different. The flavor of sprouts is quite different from our Jiaozhou salted vegetables. They're crisper." Zhou Yan shook his head. "However, our Jiaozhou salted vegetables are still quite good. They each have their own merits."

Comrade Zhou said, "Let me tell you, I've tried them all. Sprout and pork buns are definitely better than salted vegetable and pork buns. Sprouts have a crisp and tender texture that salted vegetables can't match."

Old Zhang nodded and said, "Okay, when you start selling these pickled mustard greens and pork buns, I'll definitely buy a few to try and see what they taste like."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded. It’s good that they’ve already reserved a potential customer before even starting to sell.

Dragging the meat back to the restaurant, Zhou Yan lifted the towel to take a look. The dough had expanded quite a bit, but it was still a little short of doubling in size. He covered it and let it continue to ferment.

Zhao Hong, Li Lihua, and Huihui had already arrived at the shop and started helping to process the pig's head and intestines.

Before dawn, the restaurant was already bustling with activity, its lights on inside and out.

Aunt Zhao also got up and helped take the meat out of the basket. Seeing the piece of pork shoulder that was placed separately to the side, she asked curiously, "What's this piece of meat for?"

"For the meat filling used to make steamed buns, you need to choose pork shoulder with a 3:7 fat-to-lean ratio. I'll make two baskets of pickled mustard green and pork buns for everyone this morning," Zhou Yan explained, picking up the pork shoulder and heading to the kitchen to stir-fry the meat filling first.

The bean sprouts were soaked before leaving home, rinsed three times with well water to remove excess salt, and then chopped.

Heat the pan without oil, then add the moist bean sprouts and stir-fry until the surface moisture evaporates.

As the moisture evaporates, the unique aroma of the bean sprouts is released during the stir-frying process.

This step is crucial. Only by stir-frying the bean sprouts until they are half-dry can the bean sprouts be better absorbed by the oil when stir-fried with meat, while ensuring their crisp and tender texture.

Once the bean sprouts are stir-fried and ready to serve, scoop a spoonful of lard and add the chopped minced meat to stir-fry.

He didn't mince the meat, but cut it into small pieces to ensure the texture.

Zhou Yan didn't like eating buns made with minced meat, and he didn't even know what kind of meat it was, as it usually tasted very gamey.

Three parts fat and seven parts lean meat; stir-fry for a while and the oil will be released.

Stir-fry until it changes color, then add chopped ginger, cooking wine, light soy sauce, and a spoonful of sweet bean sauce.

The sweet bean sauce is mainly used for coloring and enhancing the flavor; its brown, oily appearance is incredibly tempting.

Then add the previously stir-fried bean sprouts.

As soon as the dried bean sprouts are put into the pot, they immediately become coated with an oily sheen, and when stir-fried with lard, their aroma becomes even more intense.

"This sauce smells so good! I think it would be delicious to mix with noodles!" Old Zhou came in after smelling the aroma, and his eyes lit up when he saw the oily stir-fried minced meat with pickled mustard greens in the pot.

“That makes sense. I’ll try it later.” Zhou Yan nodded. That would give him a new topping for the dry noodles, and it would be a completely different flavor from the minced beef.

The stir-fried ingredients were ladled from the pot into an enamel basin.

I drew a basin of ice-cold water from the well, let the stir-fried meat cool down, and then placed it in the well water to cool it down further.

The oil needs to solidify so it's easier to wrap when you're done.

The principle is similar to that of soup dumplings, but soup dumplings use frozen and solidified meat jelly.

All he needed to do was solidify the lard; the conditions weren't that strict.

However, once the weather gets warmer, we'll need to consider getting a refrigerator.

He saw it at the department store last time; it was an imported Japanese product, and each one cost over a thousand yuan.

Domestically produced ones aren't cheap either.

With the filling set aside to cool, Zhou Yan began to stir-fry the meat sauce and toppings.

"You chopped the chilies pretty well today; your knife skills have improved again," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he stir-fried minced beef with two kinds of peppers.

"I'm still far from being as good as my uncle." Zhou Lihui smiled shyly, but his expression brightened considerably.

With the three bowls of meat sauce and toppings ready, Zhou Yan lifted the lid of the bowl covered with a damp towel.

Goodness, the dough has risen so much, it's almost touching the top of the bowl.

This dough is now ready.

Knead the dough by hand to remove the air inside, knead until the surface becomes smooth again, and then start dividing it into portions.

The rolling pin was gently pushed in my hand, and one by one, the dough sheets, thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, were laid out on a tray sprinkled with flour.

"Making steamed buns? I can make glutinous rice balls and wontons, but I really don't know how to make steamed buns. How did you steam them so fluffy and soft?" Zhao Hong came in carrying several cleaned pig heads and stood to the side full of curiosity.

Li Lihua also came in carrying a bag of pork intestines. She peeked inside and cautiously asked, "I don't know how to make steamed buns either, boss, can I watch?"

"Aunt Li, come and take a look. If it sells well, you'll have to help out to keep up with the demand." Zhou Yan smiled and beckoned Li Lihua over. Wrapping fillings is a skill that requires dexterity and quick movements.

A successful steamed bun shop can sell thousands of buns in a morning. If the owner were to make them all by himself, he couldn't possibly do it all by himself.

"I'll learn too!" Aunt Zhao put the bone broth in the pot and ran into the kitchen.

"Look, hold the dumpling wrapper in your hand, and use this spoon to scoop a spoonful of meat filling. Make sure it's a full spoonful; there must be enough filling so it's delicious to eat. But don't add too much, or the wrapper will break and you won't be able to wrap it properly. Pinch the pleats tightly to seal it..."

As Zhou Yan spoke, he demonstrated to everyone.

In no time, a plump bun appeared in his palm.

"Huh? Did I miss something?"

"How did it turn into a steamed bun?"

"Do it this way or that, and then it's done?"

Zhao Niangniang, Zhao Hong, and Li Lihua were all dumbfounded, and exclaimed in unison, "Amazing!"

"Actually, it's similar to making wontons and glutinous rice balls. You just put meat filling into the dumpling skin. The difference is that you have to pinch out the pleats, making twenty-two pleats."

Hold the dough with three fingers, place the filling in the center, pleat it evenly with your index finger, and then seal it. See, the finished product looks like a chrysanthemum, very beautiful." Zhou Yan slowed down her movements and continued demonstrating.

Making steamed buns is a skill that requires practice.

After watching for a while, Li Lihua volunteered: "Boss, I've watched enough, can I give it a try? I'm pretty good at making wontons and steamed rice cakes."

"Aunt Li, come here." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Li Lihua picked up a dumpling wrapper and placed it in her palm. She then picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful of meat filling onto the wrapper, carefully pinching the edges to create pleats.

After pinching it six or seven times, the skin broke.

Li Lihua was a little embarrassed: "Oh dear... no, I've learned how to use my eyes, but not my hands yet."

"It's okay, you just need to practice more to get the hang of it. Keep going, I think you're getting the hang of it." Zhou Yan took the bun from her hand, quickly sealed it, and although it looked a bit ugly, it didn't reveal the filling, so it was fine for the family to eat.

"Okay, I'll have another one." Li Lihua responded, slowing down this time and being more careful.

She actually managed to make it, but she only managed to make fourteen pleats, and the top wasn't shaped into a chrysanthemum; instead, it was just a small lump of dough.

"Then I'll give it a try too." Zhao Niangniang and Zhao Hong were greatly encouraged and started to try it out.

The series of failures made the two of them give up.

One person made a glutinous rice ball, while the other sewed and patched it up to barely wrap the meat inside.

"Come again next time. It's a waste to waste this little bit of noodles today. I want to try your steamed buns." Aunt Zhao chose to give up.

"I'll clean the hair off that pig's head again," Zhao Hong said, finding herself another task to do.

"Shall I practice some more?" Li Lihua asked hesitantly.

“Go ahead and practice, Aunt Li. You learn quickly. I’ll correct you a bit more, and you’ll be able to do it right away.” Zhou Yan nodded, picked up a piece of dough, and continued to explain to her.

Li Lihua had worked in the kitchen and had experience with pastry making, so her basic skills were better than those of Aunt Zhao and the others, and she was naturally faster.

Encouraged by Zhou Yan, she made more and more pleats, and her finishing became more and more skillful.

Although the number of pleats still hasn't reached twenty-two, the opening has been finished in a chrysanthemum shape.

Four pounds of flour and two pounds of meat were used to make fifty steamed buns.

Zhou made more than thirty inkstones, each one round and full with even folds.

The two failed attempts made by Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hong looked out of place in the corner of the steamer.

Li Lihua made twelve, and the number of pleats increased significantly. The last one even had twenty pleats, showing considerable talent.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that she worked as a wonton maker for half a year.

This put Zhou Yan at ease. Old Mrs. Qiu was truly his lucky star, leaving him such a formidable general.

Place the buns in two steamers and let them rise naturally for about twenty minutes. Once the buns have noticeably expanded, start steaming them with cold water.

Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once steam is rising, reduce the heat to medium-high and steam for ten minutes. Then remove the heat and let it sit for another five minutes.

"Guoguo! Are we really having steamed buns today? Big steamed buns with lots and lots of meat?" Zhou Momo had already gotten up. Her cheeks were flushed from being rubbed with a towel by Aunt Zhao. She had her hair tied in little pigtails and sat obediently on a small stool, looking up at Zhou Yan with her little face full of anticipation.

"Yes, it's already steaming in the steamer, it'll be ready soon, can you smell the aroma?" Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Mmm! I smell it, it smells so good!" The little one nodded his head and touched his belly. "Listen, my tummy is thundering."

Everyone in the kitchen was waiting for the steamed buns to come out of the oven, and they all laughed when they heard this.

Zhou Yan glanced at his watch; the time was just right. He stepped forward and reached out to lift the lid of the steamer.

Steam rose up.

One by one, large, white, fluffy meat buns with clearly defined pleats came into view.

The basket of about twenty meat buns above was all made by Zhou Yan. They were all the same size, and the skin was so thin that the meat color was visible through it.

The aroma of the bean sprout and meat filling wafted up with the steam.

Everyone swallowed hard.

"Come on, Momo, eat first." Zhou Yan took the little one's special little bowl, and filled it with a steamed bun, making it bulge out into a pointed shape.

"Wow! What a big bun!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up. She took the bowl with both hands and took a bite.

"So hot!"

The little guy breathed out a breath, took a bite of the thin bun skin, revealing the juicy meat filling that was almost bursting out.

Ignoring the scalded lips, the little one stared at the bite mark and exclaimed in a sweet, childish voice:

"You can taste the meat in just one bite!"

"Every pot of meat buns is packed with meat!"

　There will be another update today, but it will be very late. Check back tomorrow morning!
　　Requesting monthly votes~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)