1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 264 [A Less Than Satisfactory Steamed Pork with Rice Flour] (Part 2)

Zhou Momo was overjoyed, and Zhou Yan also looked at the plate of steamed pork in his hand.

A less-than-ideal steamed pork dish

Good grief, it didn't even reach the "not bad" mark!
That day, under my master's supervision, I made more than twenty copies, which means I've completely failed at the training.

What went wrong?

Was the seasoning ratio incorrect?
Or is the rice noodle stir-fry not done right?
Judging from its appearance alone, it looks pretty good.

"This steamed pork looks so cute!" Aunt Zhao came in to serve the dishes and praised the steamed pork in Zhou Yan's hand.

"It looks so peaceful, and it smells so good too." Zhao Hong, who was serving the rice, nodded in agreement.

"It's my first time making this, so it's probably not quite right." Zhou Yan was a little unsure of himself as he carried the steamed pork out, planning to study it more carefully later to see which step went wrong.

As everyone took their seats, their eyes fell on the steamed pork with rice flour.

New dishes are always something to look forward to.

In particular, Zhou Yan's new dishes always bring pleasant surprises.

"Eat up, and give me feedback on the steamed pork after you're done," Zhou Yan said with a smile, first putting a piece of pork and a piece of pumpkin on Zhou Momo's plate.

"Thank you, bro~" Zhou Momo said, blowing on the bowl to warm it up, then took a small bite. Her eyes lit up, she chewed and swallowed, then took another bite, followed by a big mouthful of rice, eating with great relish.

"The meat is so soft and pink, it's so delicious~~" Zhou Momo looked up at Zhou Yan and gave him a thumbs up: "Brother, you're amazing!"

"Then eat more, okay?" Zhou Yan couldn't help but smile. The little guy was giving her a lot of emotional value, and his words were much nicer than the dog system's.

"Mmm, it's soft and chewy, salty, fragrant, and spicy. It tastes really good and goes especially well with rice." Aunt Zhao tasted a piece of meat and nodded repeatedly, then shoveled a big mouthful of rice into her mouth. "It's delicious, but it feels a bit salty."

"Hmm, it's a bit salty, but it goes well with rice." Old Zhou said, taking a bite of meat and shoveling rice into his mouth.

Zhou Yan picked up a piece of steamed pork with rice flour using her chopsticks. The rice flour coating was very even, and the texture looked quite good. She took a bite.

The meat was tender and melted in the mouth, and the rice noodles absorbed the savory meat juices, with distinct grains and a very fresh and tender texture, which perfectly met Zhou Yan's expectations.

but……

It was indeed a bit too salty.

The saltiness is so prominent that it overshadows the savory flavor.

Zhou Yan swallowed the meat in his mouth and couldn't help but shovel a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Well, the texture is fine, the taste is not bad, but it's definitely lacking.

Because of its high salt content, it became a dish that goes particularly well with rice.

There was a problem with the seasoning.

Zhou Yan took another bite, and after savoring it carefully, he basically pinpointed the key to the problem.

Soy sauce is to blame.

I was short on time this morning, so I made steamed pork with rice flour on a whim and used seasonings that were readily available in the kitchen.

When preparing the marinade for the meat slices, too much soy sauce was probably added.

The salty red soy sauce he used was probably saltier than the one his master used. It was already salty enough for coloring, and then he added half a spoonful of regular soy sauce. That's where the problem lies.

Ultimately, it comes down to relying too much on the formula and not making flexible adjustments.

There are two ways to adjust your recipe: either buy the same soy sauce as the chef and add it according to his proportions, which will make it less likely to go wrong.

Alternatively, you can re-season it yourself, experimenting little by little, using the soy sauce that's available in the store to bring out the flavor.

After thinking it over, Zhou Yan still leaned towards the latter.

You can't learn a dish and use a specific brand of soy sauce, can you?
Kitchen seasonings must be simple. The more you understand each seasoning, the higher your cooking efficiency and the better your seasoning skills will be.

"I think it's delicious, it goes well with rice, and the flavor is especially fragrant. It's even better than the banquet I had last time," Zhao Hong said, enjoying her meal.

"This pumpkin is amazing! It's so sweet and soft, so delicious!" Li Lihua nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yan tasted a piece of pumpkin. It was a millstone pumpkin, which was in season and had been stored for a month. It was so sweet that it tasted like it had sugar added. It had absorbed all the oil and fragrance. One bite and the sweetness reached his heart.

Really delicious!

“Pumpkin, I want more~~” Zhou Momo looked up at Zhou Yan.

"I'll put some more pumpkin in your bowl." Zhou Yan put two more pieces of pumpkin into her bowl.

Even this little guy who loves meat has absolutely no resistance to this pumpkin.

Although the steamed pork with rice flour did not meet Zhou Yan's expectations, it was well received by everyone, and even half a piece of pumpkin was left.

Zhou Yan walked to the counter, took out his notebook, and quickly wrote down a few lines of feedback, mainly focusing on seasoning, suggesting that the amount of soy sauce needed to be adjusted.

Just as he finished reflecting, the textile factory's closing bell rang, which also meant Zhou Yan's work bell had rung.

The steamer basket used for steaming buns in the morning is now filled with savory braised pork belly, its aroma so enticing that workers coming out of the factory gate slow down their pace.

The steaming hot pot of braised beef with skewers is even more tempting in this cold winter.

As the weather gets colder, sales of braised beef have increased, and we've quietly increased the supply by ten bowls in the last two days, which have all sold out.

After two busy hours, the last table of customers paid their bill, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Yan took off his apron and came out of the kitchen. He saw a young man in a black jacket park his car in front of the restaurant, walk in, and smile at Zhou Yan, saying, "Master Zhou, I'm here to discuss the menu for Wednesday's dinner with you."

"Okay, please sit here." Zhou Yan picked up a notebook and led Lin Qing to sit down at a clean table that had been prepared.

Zhou Yan took the banquet hosted by the Municipal Economic Commission very seriously and was determined not to make any mistakes.

Lin Qing, Director Chen's secretary, was in his early twenties with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He had a very handsome appearance. After sitting down, he got straight to the point: "This banquet is for Hong Kong, Macao and foreign businessmen who intend to invest in Jiaozhou, as well as the accompanying leaders. The city attaches great importance to it and has invited many famous Jiaozhou chefs to jointly prepare the banquet."

After initial screening and careful consideration, we hope Chef Zhou can be responsible for preparing the Snowflake Chicken Soup and Braised Beef for the dinner that evening, with a tentative scale of three tables.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yan immediately nodded: "No problem."

Lin Qing then said, "To ensure food safety, we hope that the chefs can prepare the dishes on-site. I wonder if Chef Zhou has any difficulties in this regard?"

“Braised beef won’t do. Braised beef has to be braised in a restaurant.” Zhou Yan shook his head. “I can’t bring my braising liquid from the restaurant to your canteen. It’s not realistic.”

"Unable to overcome?"

“It’s insurmountable.” Zhou Yan’s attitude was firm: “Whether it’s spilling halfway through or the old brine spoiling due to bumps, these are consequences I can’t afford.”

Lin Qing pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I will report this situation. If you need someone to accompany you to purchase beef that day as a supervisor, I wonder if you can accept that?"

Zhou Yan laughed upon hearing this: "I don't mind, as long as your comrades can accept arriving at the restaurant at five o'clock and then braving the cold wind to go with us to Zhoucun to buy beef."

“Five o’clock…” Lin Qing paused for a moment, then wrote down the time on the paper. “Okay, I will report this situation.”

After exchanging a few more words, Lin Qing helped her colleague bring back six ounces of beef and six ounces of braised pig's head before heading back.

"What's going on? Why do we need to send someone to supervise?" Aunt Zhao asked, puzzled.

“It’s normal. Leaders are afraid of problems arising from this kind of thing, so it’s not unreasonable for them to pay attention.” Zhou Yan smiled, not caring at all. Lin Qing was already considered quite adaptable.

The task is quite simple: braised beef and snowflake chicken soup, just two dishes, very simple.

It seems that this banquet has gathered the top chefs of Jiaozhou. I wonder which members of the Kong school will be present, but Kong Qingfeng is most likely among the invitees.

That's good. He can go and broaden his horizons to see what a real high-end Sichuan banquet is like.

The dishes on his menu are mostly simple, appetizing dishes; he probably wouldn't consider high-end banquets.

The snowflake chicken soup wasn't on the menu, but it was selected, which shows that they did know about his situation.

The braised beef was selected because they had eaten at the restaurant a couple of days ago and thought it was pretty good.

Compared to braised pig's head and braised pork intestines, braised beef is indeed a bit more elegant. It's a decent cold dish and was chosen.

The banquet for Hong Kong and foreign businessmen will likely feature light and refreshing dishes.

These kinds of banquets are usually just for show.

If a few side dishes were served, and a group of businessmen and leaders in suits were holding bowls, mixing Mapo Tofu and eating rice, then things would get a bit out of control.

Of course, this is not a state banquet, and since it's in Jiaozhou, there might be a few authentic Sichuan dishes served.

Zhou Yan put the notebook back on the counter, said goodbye to Aunt Zhao, and pushed her bicycle out to buy a steamer.

There aren't enough steamers, so there's nowhere to put the finished buns, and we have to move them around a lot, which is a bit of a hassle. It would be better to buy a few more steamers, which would make it easier to switch between them.

Moreover, the steamed buns are only sold for a little over an hour during the morning rush hour, so the efficiency of serving must be guaranteed. Otherwise, once the workers' shift ends, the unsteamed buns will be wasted.

He Ermao could ride his tricycle to sell steamed buns in other places, but they didn't even have a tricycle, so they had nowhere to sell them.

"Your business is so good! You bought eight more steamers?" Hu Tianlei asked, somewhat surprised as he helped Zhou Yan tie the steamers to the back of his bicycle.

"There's nothing I can do, that's just my ability." Zhou Yan smiled and took out his wallet to give him the money.

Hu Tianlei nodded: "You have the ability. I've heard that your restaurant is doing better than the state-run restaurants. If you were open on Sundays, you would have ruined the state-run restaurants."

"I'm not taking the blame for this. The state-run restaurant and I are not on the same level. I just run a small business next to the textile factory." Zhou Yan waved his hand repeatedly, got on his bike and rode away. He didn't want to incur the jealousy of the state-run restaurant for no reason.

"In terms of cunning, he's not much different from his master. They truly are master and apprentice." Hu Tianlei smiled as he watched Zhou Yan's bicycle disappear into the distance.

Back at the hotel, Zhou Yan cleaned, steamed, and oiled the steamers, working for two hours to prepare all eight steamers.

"Boss, with so many steamers, how many buns are you going to make tomorrow?" Li Lihua walked over and asked Zhou Yan.

"Make three hundred tomorrow, and try to ensure that every customer who wants steamed buns can have some," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he stacked the steamers.

Tomorrow is Saturday, I can rest for a day after I finish this.

Zhou Yan has decided to write an announcement stating that starting this week, the business will no longer be open on Sundays, and reservations will not be accepted.

Monday to Saturday is tiring enough. Money can never be fully earned. We need a day off to rest and rejuvenate, and also to free up time to handle things outside of restaurant operations.

Zhou Yan is young, so he can hold on even without rest.

But Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou are not young anymore. Working six days and resting one day helps alleviate their fatigue to some extent.

This is important for sustainable work.

Even the most ruthless capitalist has to give people weekends off.

Zhou Yan went to the supply and marketing cooperative, went straight to the counter, and asked the saleswoman who was knitting a sweater behind the counter, "Comrade, do you have an alarm clock?"

"An alarm clock?" The saleswoman, a woman in her thirties, looked up at Zhou Yan. "We do have them, but can you afford them? They cost over twenty yuan."

"What brand is it? Can I see it?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile as he took out his wallet.

The sales clerk glanced at the wallet before putting down the half-knitted thermal underwear she was holding. She got up, took a box from above the counter, carefully opened it, and placed a round alarm clock on the counter: "Look but don't touch. This is a Diamond brand alarm clock, made by the Shanghai Clock Factory. It's twenty-five yuan and fifty cents."

Zhou Yan looked at the palm-sized round alarm clock, which had a green iron shell around its exterior, two legs at the bottom, two iron bells on the top, and a small hammer in the middle—a classic double-bell alarm clock.

The dial features a mother hen with two chicks, a diamond logo slightly above the center, and the words "Shanghai Clock Factory" written below.

Customers who were selecting items at the counter all turned to look.

A 25-yuan alarm clock is expensive.

"I'll take this one, but I need to test if it works." Zhou Yan took out two 100-yuan bills and five yuan and fifty cents in change from his wallet and placed them on the counter. He then picked up the alarm clock and wound it up twice.

The second hand began to tick, and the alarm clock rang with a click-clack sound.

The sound was crisp, and you could almost feel the mechanical sensation of gears turning.

The most interesting part is the old hen's head, which keeps pecking at the ground with its head down, so lifelike.

There was no room for bargaining at the supply and marketing cooperative, and Zhou Yan was too lazy to waste his breath, lest he get beaten up by the salesperson.

When we started selling steamed buns, alarm clocks became a necessity. If we didn't get up to knead and proof the dough by the appointed time, we wouldn't be able to make steamed buns for the day.

Twenty-five yuan is a bit pricey, but this alarm clock feels cool and heavy in your hand, and has a very good texture.

"Okay, I'll take it." Zhou Yan put the alarm clock back into the box and said to the salesperson.

"You're quite straightforward." The sales clerk was somewhat surprised. She picked up the money on the counter, counted it, wrote a receipt, and handed it to Zhou Yan. "Alright, you can take it now."

"Thank you." Zhou Yan put the receipt and alarm clock in her pocket and went out.

"A 25-yuan alarm clock, bought without hesitation, this young man is so rich."

"Exactly! I looked at those hairbands that cost three cents three times, but I couldn't bring myself to buy them."

"Isn't that Mr. Zhou, the restaurant owner at the entrance of the textile factory? His restaurant is doing very well, selling hundreds of kilograms of braised dishes a day. Buying an alarm clock is nothing to him."

"Small business owners are making so much money? Riding a bicycle, wearing a watch, carrying a wallet, casually buying an alarm clock! Things have really changed!"

"If it weren't profitable, would so many leaders give up their official positions to go into business? Farming is a dead end. After the New Year, I'm planning to go to Shenzhen with my cousin to work."

The customers in the supply and marketing cooperative were all talking about it, their words filled with envy for Zhou Yan.

"Guo-ge~ Guo-ge~ What are you carrying in your hand?" Zhou Momo was swinging on the swing at the door when she saw Zhou Yan come back and asked curiously.

"Chicken pecking at rice alarm clock." Zhou Yan raised his hand and flashed it, then pushed his bicycle through the door.

"Huh? What?" Zhou Momo stopped playing on the swing, carefully climbed down, and ran into the store.

"Alarm clock." Zhou Yan had just parked the car when he saw her toddling in with her short legs. He smiled and placed the alarm clock on the table.

The stopwatch was still ticking even after it had been wound up, and the chicks were also pecking at the rice.

"Wow! A chick that can move!" Zhou Momo climbed onto the stool, leaned over the table to look, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Bought an alarm clock? It must have cost a lot!" Aunt Zhao chimed in, equally intrigued. "This hen crows by itself in the morning?"

"What kind of noise would you make if you called out?" Zhao Hong asked curiously.

In the countryside, there are no such rare things. People are woken up by the crowing of the roosters raised by their neighbors. It's considered good if a house even has a clock hanging on it.

"I'll set it so you can hear a sound." Zhou Yan picked up the box, carefully read the instruction manual, and then set the alarm clock for three minutes later.

He's quite adept at using smartphones; setting up an alarm clock is a piece of cake for him.

Ring ring~~~
Three minutes later, a crisp bell rang.

"It really does make a sound!"

"The sound is so crisp and clear, this little thing is really great!"

Everyone stared at the alarm clock with delight, their eyes filled with surprise and wonder.

"This chick is chirping so loudly!" Zhou Momo covered her ears. "So awesome!"

"I don't know if the time is accurate, but it looks pretty good." Old Zhou looked it over from left to right.

"It doesn't matter if it's early or late, it's just a matter of a few minutes of time difference. With this, you don't have to worry about me oversleeping anymore, you can just sleep peacefully." Zhou Yan turned on the alarm and said with a smile.

"Okay." Old Zhou nodded. Getting up early was indeed of little use to Zhou Yan.

……

The next morning, Zhou Yan was woken up by an alarm clock hidden under the covers.

The ringtone was a bit muffled, but it came with a certain amount of vibration and sound, enough to wake Zhou Yan from his sleep.

And it avoided the harsh ringing that would suddenly wake him up, which would be too unsettling.

Zhou Yan turned off the alarm, got out of bed, put on her clothes, and went straight out downstairs.

The second day after waking up early, my body was noticeably more accustomed to it.

Brushing my teeth and then washing my face with cold water immediately made me feel refreshed.

If we plan to sell 300 steamed buns today, we need to prepare enough flour for 350, leaving 50 extra for failures.

Just as Zhou Yan finished kneading the dough, there was a knock on the door.

Zhou Yan walked quickly to the door, peeked out through the crack, and then unlatched the door.

Standing outside the door was Zhang Laosan, with a tricycle parked next to him, loaded with seven or eight pig heads and a basket of pork.

"Zhou Yan, the meat has arrived. Please check it." Old Zhang said with a smile.

“Okay.” Zhou Yan took the flashlight from him and shone it on the pig heads on the truck one by one. They all met the quality requirements.

Looking at the meat in the basket, it was all cut and selected according to his requirements, and the quality was generally quite good.

Zhou Yan picked out a piece of pork belly and said, "This piece of pork belly is a bit too fatty, especially this half. It'll be too greasy to eat. Take it back and get me a more even piece. My old man can bring it back on his way back from selling meat. The rest is fine, just cut it into pieces."

"Okay, I didn't notice this. I'll go back and get you a new piece." Old Zhang nodded in agreement and started carrying the meat into the shop.

Zhou Yan's level of trust in Zhang Laosan increased, and he started having him deliver fresh meat to his door.

(End of this chapter)