1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 77 [A Pot of Near-Perfect Brine]

The aluminum pot was too big; even after pouring in this jar of over 20 kilograms of old brine, it only filled about half a bucket.

"Use this jar to fill with well water, and pour both jars into the pot," the old lady instructed.

Without asking any questions, Zhou Yan poured two jars of water into the pot.

Now the brine in the pot is about half full.

However, with the addition of two jars of water, the original bright red color of the old brine was diluted considerably.

“This time we have over 20 jin of old brine as a base, so we don’t need to add duck carcasses or bones to cook the brine. The old brine already has enough base flavor, so we’ll just do it the way we usually maintain the brine.” The old lady told Zhou Yan, “When we braise meat, the brine will decrease during the braising process, so we need to add water. From now on, just follow this standard. Add as much water as you need, and each time you add enough, just use clean water.”

Zhou Yan had already taken out a small notebook and was scribbling notes on the paper when he asked, "What should we do if the soup is diluted and the color becomes lighter?"

"You start the fire first, then you can touch up the colors."

Zhou Yan immediately turned the charcoal fire in the stove next door over, added a handful of straw, fanned it twice with a palm leaf fan, and the flames immediately leaped up. He then stuffed in two pieces of oak wood.

"One piece is enough. You can't boil the braised meat over high heat, otherwise the moisture will evaporate quickly, which will waste too much of the braising liquid and make it easy for the braising liquid to turn black," the old lady said after glancing at it.

Zhou Yan immediately removed a piece of oak wood and made a note of it in his notebook.

"Bring over the jars you just brought in."

Zhou Yan turned around, picked up the jar, opened the lid, and found a bright red, viscous syrup inside, which smelled sweet.

"This is caramelized sugar made with rock sugar. I made it for you in advance this time, and I'll teach you how to make it separately next time. Caramelized sugar must be used to color braised dishes, and soy sauce cannot be added, otherwise the color of the braising liquid will become darker and darker the more you use it, and you'll have to throw it away after a few uses."

The old lady gently stirred the pot with a spoon, causing the braising oil to separate and reveal the light reddish-brown braising liquid. "Use the spoon to add caramel coloring until it matches the color of the braising liquid you brought back yesterday. Then the color will be corrected."

Zhou Yan nodded and began adding caramelized sugar to the pot spoonful by spoonful.

As the water temperature rises and the broth is slowly stirred with a spoon, its originally light color begins to turn a bright red, becoming increasingly closer to the original color of the old broth.

Having recently mastered several dishes, Zhou Yan's control over seasoning has improved dramatically, as has his ability to judge the color of soup. He stopped halfway through adding the last spoonful of caramel coloring, put the spoon back into the earthenware pot, and looked at the old lady.

The old lady nodded and said, "Not bad, your eyes are very accurate, that's about the right color. From now on, use this standard for color matching. The braised meat will have a bright red color and taste great."

"A chef like me has a good eye for these things," Zhou Yan said with a hint of pride.

The old lady continued, "The most important thing next is to add salt. After adding water, the soup will be diluted and won't be salty enough, so you'll need to add more salt..."

From adding salt to adding spices, and then to the daily maintenance of the brine, the old lady taught Zhou Yan step by step, and Zhou Yan learned by doing, recording all the details and proportions in a small notebook.

An hour later, the brine had boiled, the oak wood in the stove had been removed, and the color of the brine was now very similar to the old brine that Zhou Yan had brought over yesterday.

The aroma of braised food filled the entire kitchen; even a belt thrown in would taste amazing!
A near-perfect pot of braising liquid

A note popped up in Zhou Yan's eyes.

That's right, even the system gave it an extremely high rating!

"Grandma, we're really amazing," Zhou Yan said sincerely to the old lady.

What Comrade Zhang Shufen said was absolutely true.

The best braised food in Suzhou... no, no, it should be the best braised food in Jiaozhou, truly deserving of the name!

"Hmm, you're quite capable too." The old lady nodded with a smile.

She was quite satisfied with Zhou Yan's performance today; he was much better than his mother.

She had thought about teaching Zhao Tieying how to make braised food back then. This daughter-in-law was quick and efficient, and organized, but she really didn't have any talent for making braised food. She couldn't even control the amount of salt when seasoning, so she had to give up in the end.

"How about we get a pig's head to braise?" Zhou Yan asked, eager to try, looking at the perfectly prepared braising liquid.

The old lady shook her head with a smile: "Don't mess around if you're not selling today. We're having a feast tomorrow, how are you going to eat a pig's head?" "That's true." Zhou Yan nodded, and when it came to the feast, he laughed and said: "The cold dishes braised by the local chefs are definitely not as good as the ones I braise with this pot of braising liquid. After all, this is the Zhang family's best braised food tradition in Suzhou. It's a pity I didn't have the chance to show off my skills to the guests."

"You're so full of tricks." The old lady smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

"Grandma, you underestimate your influence. The bricklayer who built this stove for me the other day was still raving about your braised pig ears and offal. If you came out of retirement, even if it was just to endorse me and say I'm your successor, my business would definitely boom." Zhou Yan looked at the old lady and said with a grin:

"Just be my spokesperson. I won't use your reputation for nothing. From now on, I'll cover all your drinking expenses. I'll give you six catties of the best wine from Old Zhang's place every month."

"You've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve. I'm willing to endorse you, but I don't want the wine. I want your food to pass my test." The old lady looked at him calmly and said, "People remember my braised food as delicious, and they haven't forgotten it for decades. They all praise my skills because I put my heart into making good braised food. If you make it poorly and still claim to be my apprentice, wouldn't that ruin my reputation? I don't want to be criticized and gossiped about even when I'm lying on the floor."

Zhou Yan stopped laughing.

The word "inheritance" seems to have become particularly heavy at this moment.

The old lady's skills were enough to support her large family and allow her four sons to marry and have children, but she didn't pass them on to any of her descendants.

Selling braised food is hard work, but it's not as tiring as getting up in the middle of the night to slaughter a cow.

The old lady was not a selfish person. She nurtured every younger member of her family with love. Even her daughter-in-law respected her, rather than feared her.

She is looking for a successor to her craft of making braised dishes.

Until Zhou Yan came to my door himself, saying he wanted to learn.

Perhaps she started seriously considering this matter from that day on.

After confirming the situation, she poured out half of the old brine that she treasured and handed it to Zhou Yan.

That moment marked the beginning of the inheritance.

Zhou Yan used to be a food blogger focused solely on making money, with her mind on monetizing traffic and figuring out how to use gimmicks or celebrity influence to open up sales channels, and then retain customers through the quality of her dishes.

This approach isn't actually wrong; otherwise, Zhou Erwa's restaurant wouldn't have been able to open and would have been gone. How could it possibly be brought back to life?

But the old lady's words instilled in him a sense of awe for the concept of inheritance.

This is not just a slogan.

It shouldn't be a data password either.

What he should inherit is the craftsmanship that the old lady passed down from her grandfather, the taste that customers can't forget, and the attitude of being absolutely responsible to customers.

"Grandma, I understand. I won't say you taught me how to make braised food until you approve of it." Zhou Yan solemnly promised, "I won't teach others casually in the future, unless I meet a talented and reliable apprentice."

The old lady smiled and nodded, saying, "I'm relieved to hear that."

Next, the old lady explained to Zhou Yan in detail the braising time and techniques for various braised dishes, and Zhou Yan took detailed notes.

"Vegetables should never be put into the braising pot, otherwise the whole pot of braising liquid will be wasted. If you want to braise vegetables, take out ten catties of braising liquid separately from the braising pot, and then add water and seasoning. Vegetables don't need that much salt. At most, you can braise them twice, and then you have to throw away the braising liquid."

"Ingredients with strong flavors, such as pork intestines and offal, should be braised separately, otherwise they will mix up the flavors of the old braising liquid."

"Braised beef..."

Zhou Yan's notes already spanned five or six pages.

“Just writing it down won’t do any good. Next time you’re going to start making braised food, tell me in advance. The first time you’re making it, I’ll keep an eye on it for you. Let’s start by making sure there are no mistakes,” the old lady said slowly.

“Okay, I’ll start braising next Monday, beginning with pig heads. What do you think?” Zhou Yan asked the old lady.

"I think that's a good idea."

……

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(End of this chapter)