1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 63 My Foolish Brother (Please Read On!)

"Garlic sprouts and twice-cooked pork, a new dish!" Wang Hongliang was indeed interested and nodded, "Okay, you cook a portion for us to try. Opportunities to try new dishes don't come often."

"Twice-cooked pork is a delicious dish. The last time we had it at Rongleyuan, I still can't help but salivate when I think about it," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile.

"Okay, please wait a moment, I'll get right away." Zhou Yan turned and went into the kitchen.

In the past two days, Zhou Yan has proven that the celebrity effect still works in this era. Wang Hongliang and Lin Zhiqiang came to the restaurant to eat and felt that there were not enough dishes, which gave them an opportunity to help taste the dishes.

Zhou Yan felt that the big fuss today must be thanks to Uncle Lin, since he had only ever contacted Lin Zhiqiang.

The old factory director must have also intervened; otherwise, how could he have taken down Sun Meili and Wang Defa with just a hundred yuan in rent?

The factory canteen has a monthly turnover of over 30,000 yuan. The two lovers have been working in the canteen for two years, and who knows how much they've profited. What's 100 yuan?

It's only right that Zhou Yan send them a dish to do them this favor.

This is the remaining cut of meat; it's a bit too little to make a standard serving.

The braised pork ribs are served first, and the stir-fried vegetables can be cooked again quickly, which is the biggest advantage.

Next came the crucian carp with mint, and only then did I wash the wok and start stir-frying the twice-cooked pork.

A little over four ounces of pork belly can make quite a large plate of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts.

Zhou Yan took a ceramic bowl, filled it halfway with rice, poured a spoonful of the remaining beef and bamboo shoot broth over it, then took four pieces of twice-cooked pork and a few slices of garlic sprouts from the plate and placed them on top of the rice. He then scooped a spoonful of freshly heated spare ribs and added a few slices of pickled radish.

This is Zhou Momo's dinner: twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts and braised pork ribs over rice.

Zhou Yan promised her at noon that he would cook twice-cooked pork for her in the evening, and he would take out her portion separately.

With this one pinch, there were only a little over three ounces left.

When Zhou Yan brought out the twice-cooked pork, Zhou Momo stared intently at it. When she saw that it was served to Lin Zhiqiang and his group, her lips trembled, and she looked very aggrieved. Her eyes were red, and tears were welling up in her eyes, but she managed to hold back her tears.

When the twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts was served, its savory aroma drew the attention of the guests.

"One serving of stir-fried garlic sprouts uses half a pound of pork belly, but this one only has a little over three ounces, so it's not a whole serving. You guys try it and give me your feedback on this new dish," Zhou Yan said with a smile, emphasizing the amount of meat.

"Hmm! This 'Lamp-shaped Pork' is authentic!" Wang Hongliang's eyes lit up as he looked at the plate of twice-cooked pork. "Only the best cuts of pork, precise knife skills, and just the right amount of heat can produce such authentic 'Lamp-shaped Pork'."

"The bright red twice-cooked pork, the white garlic sprout stems, and the green garlic sprout leaves—the vibrant red, white, and green colors look delicious!"

"Try it." Wang Hongliang picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of twice-cooked pork. The pork was curled up like a lamp, trembling when picked up, and glistening with oil. "Look at this state. When you pick it up, the oil glistens. This is called 'tickling and glistening,' which means the cooking time is just right."

I put the meat in a bowl, and then added a piece of garlic sprout stem to the meat to eat together.

The moment it entered his mouth, Wang Hongliang's eyes lit up. He chewed slowly, savoring the taste. After swallowing, he shoveled another mouthful of rice into his mouth, tasted another piece, and nodded repeatedly after finishing.
"The fragrant and glutinous skin, the melt-in-your-mouth fatty meat, and the slightly chewy and tender lean meat collide between your teeth, with the unique fragrance of garlic sprouts also mixed in."

"One bite and it's rich but not oily, fragrant but not greasy."

"The meat is of exceptional quality, and when stir-fried in a large pot over an earthen stove, it tastes especially delicious."

"good to eat!"

"The twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts tastes almost exactly like the one made by Master Rong Leyuan. In my opinion, it's absolutely delicious and goes perfectly with rice."

"You flatter me." Zhou Yan listened with a smile. The old factory director was indeed sophisticated; he knew how to appreciate good food and how to praise it.

“Not at all. I used to think that my twice-cooked pork was one of the best in Suji Town, and I didn’t even acknowledge Chef Fan from the state-run restaurant as the best.” Wang Hongliang said with some emotion, “But after tasting your twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts today, I think I can only be considered second to last in Suji.”

The other customers craned their necks to look. This twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, which was praised so highly by the old factory director, smelled delicious and looked even more tempting. After hearing the old factory director's comments, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

This twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts is a must-try!

Lin Zhiqiang also tried a piece and praised it highly, finally concluding, "The factory manager is right. Even if it were made by the master chefs at Rongleyuan, it wouldn't be any better."

The Lin brothers, who were originally focused on gnawing on ribs, turned their attention to the twice-cooked pork upon hearing this. Lin Jingxing picked up a piece to taste first, and his eyes immediately lit up.

It smells so good! It's soft and chewy, and tastes delicious.

Lin Bingwen hesitated for a moment. He didn't like fatty meat, and this meat looked too fatty. He looked at Lin Jingxing expectantly and asked, "Brother, is it delicious?"

"It's not tasty, it's too fatty, you definitely can't eat any of it." Lin Jingxing said seriously, his chopsticks already picking up the second piece of twice-cooked pork and feeding it to his mouth. He chewed it happily, and after swallowing, he didn't forget to shovel a couple of mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

"If it's not good, why are you eating it piece after piece?" Lin Bingwen swallowed hard, looking at the juicy twice-cooked pork.

"I'm not afraid of fatty meat. See that piece of rib left on the plate? I saved it for you. Hurry up and eat it. I'll just eat some fatty meat," Lin Jingxing said.

Lin Bingwen's gaze was indeed drawn to the braised pork ribs. He picked up a piece of rib and gnawed on it, saying, "Brother, thank you."

"You're welcome, my good brother." Lin Jingxing mumbled a reply while eating his rice.

My foolish brother.

Let me enjoy the delicious twice-cooked pork!
After listening to the comments, Zhou Yan returned to the kitchen satisfied. With the factory manager's words, the twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts was a sure thing!

This made the other guests extremely hungry; they were itching to get a bite themselves.

But those are the factory director and deputy factory director!
Who dares?

I reckon only Director Zhao Dong from the silk reeling workshop would dare to do that; he's thick-skinned and has a big appetite.

Zhou Yan brought the bowl of rice with toppings from the kitchen to Zhou Momo, who was practically drooling with hunger.

"Wow!" Zhou Momo's big eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the rice covered with twice-cooked pork and ribs. Then she looked up at Zhou Yan and asked, "Brother, is this mine?"

"Of course it's yours. I've put the meat on top, and there are ribs too. Eat slowly." Zhou Yan smiled and stuffed a spoon into her hand. There was no way to cook four slices of twice-cooked pork separately for her, so she had to eat with the guests first for dinner tonight.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo replied in her sweet, childlike voice, picked up her spoon, and began to eat.

The bowl was huge; she almost buried half her face in it, and she ate with great relish.

The twice-cooked pork was fragrant and tender, the ribs were soft and juicy, and the rice was topped with a spoonful of braised beef broth. The rice grains were soaked in the broth, and every bite was filled with the aroma of beef broth. It was so delicious!

Zhou Momo thought this was the most delicious meal she had ever eaten!

"Take small bites and chew slowly, don't swallow it all at once," Zhou Yan reminded him from the side.

The broth is delicious when mixed with rice, but it's easy to forget to chew it properly. Swallowing rice without chewing it thoroughly can put a lot of strain on the stomach and intestines, especially for little ones like Zhou Momo.

Zhou Momo paused in her scooping of rice, then obediently chewed the rice grains in her mouth, one bite after another, eating with great relish.

"Boss, what is that young lady eating? Why does she eat so deliciously?" The customers at the next table had been watching for a while and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

“The rice is mixed with braised beef broth, and topped with some twice-cooked pork and braised spare ribs, all of which are on the menu,” Zhou Yan replied with a smile. “If we really want to give it a name, then we’ll call it a double-topped rice bowl with garlic sprouts, twice-cooked pork, and braised spare ribs.”

"Rice with toppings?" The customer had never heard of it before, but thought the name was quite fitting.

"So, how much is a serving of rice with toppings? Can you combine any of the dishes in the restaurant to make a topping? How many kinds of dishes can you combine?" A girl immediately asked her question.

Many interested guests also looked at Zhou Yan.

Even if you come to eat alone, you can still get several dishes. Isn't that a reality?

What a genius!
……

　Please read on!
　　My incredibly intelligent readers!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)