1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 61 This is so delicious!!

"How is pork belly wrong? Aren't they all half-fat and half-lean meat?" Zhou Jie followed into the kitchen, humbly seeking guidance.

In his mind now, Zhou Yan is already a master of Sichuan cuisine.

Not to be outdone, Aunt Zhao also went into the kitchen. Twice-cooked pork was her specialty, and it was what she relied on to control the kitchen at Old Zhou's house.

Zhou Yan wants to seize power, so she... needs to try it out first before deciding whether to give it to him.

"The fat between the skin and lean meat of the second cut of pork is tender and crisp. It only needs to be boiled for 20 minutes before it can be taken out and set aside. On the other hand, the sinewy part between the skin and lean meat of the pork belly needs to be cooked for a long time to soften it, otherwise it will be mushy and chewy. It is suitable for making braised pork and steamed pork belly," Zhou Yan explained to the two of them with a smile.

"There's such a thing?"

Aunt Zhao and Zhou Jie both seemed to be deep in thought. When they usually made twice-cooked pork, they would buy whatever meat was available at the butcher's stall. If there was no pork belly, they would buy pig's head meat. Anyway, it tasted good when stir-fried twice.

"Brother Jie, start the fire." Zhou Yan called to Zhou Jie to help.

"Alright!" Zhou Jie consciously moved to the back of the stove, stuffed a bundle of straw into it, and pulled the bellows twice. The remaining embers immediately ignited the straw.

Zhou Yan scooped two ladles of cold water into the pot, added a piece of flattened ginger and a few sections of scallion, then cut the cleaned pork into three-finger-width and six-centimeter-long pieces and put them into the pot.

"Cut the meat about three fingers wide; if it's too thick, it won't cook through easily. Add scallions and ginger to the pot, put the meat in cold water, and cook until the blood and foam come out. Skim them off promptly, and the meat will have almost no bloody smell," Zhou Yan explained to the two of them as he cooked.

While the meat was cooking in the pot, Zhou Yan also prepared the other ingredients.

The fermented bean paste in the shop is Pixian bean paste, which is divided into new and old according to the year. The old bean paste has a longer fermentation time and a richer soy sauce aroma, but its color is darker. If you use it to stir-fry twice-cooked pork, it will turn black and the color will not look very good.

Therefore, we use fresh fermented soybean paste, which is scooped out and finely chopped. The color of the twice-cooked pork depends entirely on this paste.

"You even went out of your way to buy sweet bean sauce? Can't you just use white sugar?" Aunt Zhao asked curiously, looking at the sweet bean sauce that Zhou Yan had opened.

"Sweet bean sauce can help cut through the oiliness, reduce greasiness, and enhance the aroma. While white sugar can also enhance the flavor, adding too much can make it cloying," Zhou Yan explained.

Wash the garlic sprouts, gently smash the large heads with a knife, then cut them diagonally with pointed ends to maximize the release of the garlic sprout flavor. Separate the white parts of the garlic sprouts from the leaves.

The pork belly was cooked for about twenty minutes. When you could easily pierce the lean meat with chopsticks, it was about six or seven tenths cooked. Then you took it out and sliced ​​it.

“The step of slicing the meat is very important. You see, you need to slice the meat into pieces that are two millimeters thick, about the size of a coin. If they are too thick, they won’t absorb the flavor well and will be too greasy. If they are too thin, they will curl up as soon as they hit the pan, and the fat will turn into cracklings that are too tough to chew.” Zhou Yan picked up a piece of meat. “The best state is when the meat is still slightly undercooked in the middle.”

Aunt Zhao and Zhou Jie put their hands in front of them, listening and watching attentively, just like two young apprentices.

I don't know why, but normally when I stir-fry twice-cooked pork, it's done in a few quick stirs and it's delicious with rice. But when Zhou Yan puts it in his mouth, the dish suddenly seems more sophisticated.

Zhou Yan didn't cook all 1.2 jin of meat in one pot. He left 4 liang in a bowl to cook later that evening, so it would be fresher and tastier.

"Turn up the heat a little, but not too high. First, add the rapeseed oil, then pour in the sliced ​​meat and stir-fry over low heat. See, it shrinks immediately and becomes a perfect lamp-shaped hollow." Zhou Yan stir-fried the curled meat slices, pushed them to the side, and first cooked and fragrant the finely chopped fermented bean paste in the oil at the bottom of the pot, then stir-fried it together with the meat.

The originally white slices of meat were instantly stained with a bright red color.

Add a spoonful of sweet bean sauce and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the garlic sprout heads and stir-fry. Finally, add the garlic sprout leaves, stir-fry a few times, and then remove from the pan and plate.

The bright red slices of meat curled up like lamp-shaped indentations, glistening with oil, while the white garlic shoots and green garlic shoot leaves blended together to create a perfect dish of stir-fried garlic shoots.

The rich aroma of twice-cooked pork, mingled with the fragrance of garlic sprouts, wafts up with the rising steam.

"Gulu."

Aunt Zhao and Zhou Jie both swallowed hard.

"It smells so good! I want to see it too!"

Zhou Momo also came running after smelling the aroma, and stood on tiptoe to try and get a peek at the stove.

She was so small that even on tiptoe she couldn't reach the stove, and she couldn't see what was in the plate, which made her very anxious.

"Look, your brother made twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts. We're having meat for lunch today," Zhao Tieying said with a smile as she scooped her up.

"Wow, this looks so delicious! The chef is amazing!" Zhou Momo clapped her hands, already swallowing hard. "Come on, let's take it out, everyone!" Zhou Yan picked up the generous plate of twice-cooked pork and left the kitchen.

Zhao Hong and Zhou Jie brought out the rice and bowls, and each of them was given a pair of chopsticks.

Besides twice-cooked pork, I also ordered two bowls of braised beef and cooked a bowl of cabbage as a vegetarian dish.

However, the star of today's lunch is undoubtedly the plate of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts placed right in the center of the table.

It looks excellent and smells delicious; it's quite different from their usual twice-cooked pork.

"Don't just look, start eating!" Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Let me try it first." Aunt Zhao picked up her chopsticks and first picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork. Inside was a piece of garlic sprout. She picked it up and shook it. It was very elastic and glistened with oil.

The moment it enters your mouth, the skin is fragrant and chewy, the fatty meat melts in your mouth, and the lean meat is not dry at all. It even has a bit of a springy texture. One bite is fatty but not oily, fragrant but not greasy.

Biting into the garlic sprouts sandwiched in the middle reveals their unique fragrance blending perfectly with the twice-cooked pork—the taste is simply amazing!

Aunt Zhao held the empty chopsticks for a while, savoring the lingering fragrance on her lips and teeth.

"It's delicious. From now on, you'll be in charge of making twice-cooked pork at home," Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan, her expression a mixture of relief and wistfulness.

This is her signature dish, which she has been cooking for twenty years, but she is handing over the cooking rights today.

But it was Zhou Yan who took the spoon, and he brought out such a delicious twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts. She had no choice but to accept it.

I even... am somewhat interested in learning it.

This is even better than what the local chefs at the village banquet make. The local chefs use pork belly, and the taste is indeed not as good as what Zhou Yan makes with pork shoulder.

"Fourth Auntie is convinced already? Let me try." Zhou Jie picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork and put it in his mouth. His expression went from shock to intoxication, and finally to amazement.

This twice-cooked pork smells so good!
He couldn't think of any more words to describe it. The meat was tender and chewy, and the garlic sprouts were so fragrant.

The savory flavor with a hint of sweetness is intoxicating and makes you want to shovel rice into your mouth.

Zhou Jie picked up the bowl and shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice. The fragrant steamed rice paired with twice-cooked pork was simply divine.

"Zhou Yan, from now on, you have to make twice-cooked pork for every family gathering. Grandma can't come!" Zhou Jie looked at Zhou Yan with a serious expression.

He would call it the most delicious twice-cooked pork ever!

none of them.

"You should tell Grandma that next time," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"The meat is so delicious, I want to eat three bowls of rice!" Zhou Momo had already started eating, her cheeks bulging as she chewed the meat, her little head bobbing up and down as she ate with great relish.

She's too young to know how to describe how delicious it is.

But the meat was very fragrant, better than my mom's, and not as spicy.

Zhou Miao and Zhao Hong ate it and praised it repeatedly, saying it was the best twice-cooked pork they had ever eaten.

Zhou Yan was the last to pick up his chopsticks, taking a piece of twice-cooked pork and rolling it up with a garlic sprout – this was the proper way to eat it.

With one bite, his eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully savored the subtle changes in the meat between his lips and teeth. This feeling was very interesting, like reviewing a past event.

The exquisite texture of the pork belly, the precise knife skills, the perfect cooking time, and the perfect seasonings all combine to create this dish of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, which has an exceptional taste and unique flavor.

he made it!

Perfect twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, done!

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(End of this chapter)