In the 1970s, it started with contracting out communal dining.

"Sit down, sit down, Xiao Chen, don't be shy!" Old Zhou said, pulling over a stool for Chen Wei.

Chen Wei waved his hand: "Section Chief Zhou, I'm here to get a request approved. The cafeteria is preparing to launch a new dish, and I'd like to ask the purchasing department to help me purchase some ingredients."

"Hmm? You're bringing out new dishes! Great, Xiao Chen, you're too kind. What do you need to buy? Let me see." Old Zhou smiled as he took the slip of paper and saw that it listed tofu and fermented bean paste.

"Oh, you just want to buy tofu? No problem! When do you need it?"

The purchasing department has a monthly purchasing plan, and the consumption of ordinary ingredients like tofu is included in the plan. Tofu is naturally no challenge for Lao Zhou.

"If the purchasing department staff goes out this afternoon, could you bring me a tray? I plan to try the dishes this afternoon," Chen Wei said truthfully.

"This afternoon? Let me see!" Zhou Jianjun pretended to flip through his workbook, then quickly nodded. "No problem. Xiaotian and the others are going out shopping this afternoon. I'll have them bring it back for you. Ladies, you're so thoughtful when you buy things!"

Zhou Jianjun was very polite; he even reached out to offer him a cigarette.

Chen Wei quickly stopped him: "Section Chief Zhou, I don't smoke. Here's the note, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now..."

"Ah—" Zhou Jianjun laughed awkwardly, stuffed the cigarette into his mouth, and then quickly got down to business.

"Don't go yet. Section Chief Ma just personally delivered a note to me. Didn't your cafeteria apply for an electric fan? Come on, I'll take you to the warehouse to get it!"

Chen Wei was overjoyed that the electric fan had arrived so quickly.

He originally thought he would have to wait a few more days, but there was nothing he could do; the procedures for state-owned enterprises were just too troublesome.

But it's good, now that we've moved back, we can use the electric fan.

-

The two arrived at the warehouse.

The warehouse is definitely not as cool as the office building, but it's much cooler than the cafeteria.

The warehouse manager was a middle-aged woman. When she saw that Zhou Jianjun had personally brought Chen Wei, she quickly got up and went to the back to get the things.

Not long after, a middle-aged woman came out carrying a box that was about half a person's height. Chen Wei went up to take it and found that it was quite heavy.

The electric fans of that era were solidly made, unlike the flimsy plastic ones of later generations.

The two took the electric fan and left the warehouse.

"Thank you, Section Chief Zhou!" Chen Wei said with a smile.

Zhou Jianjun waved his hand, his face gentle: "No need to thank me, I've heard from my colleagues that everyone in the factory is clamoring to eat your cooking, Xiao Chen! When can I try your cooking?"

"Section Chief Zhou, if you don't mind, I'll bring you a portion when I'm tasting the dishes this afternoon." Chen Wei wasn't stupid. Zhou Jianjun had personally brought him to the warehouse on their second meeting, which was already considered taking care of him.

Even if my uncle has connections to protect me, I can't completely neglect my relationships with my colleagues.

"Oh! Xiao Chen, then I won't refuse! I must try Chef Chen's cooking!" Zhou Jianjun beamed as he saw the two of them getting closer.

The taste of Xiao Li's lunchbox at noon was indeed very tempting. Zhou Jianjun was quite excited at the thought of having the chance to be the first to taste Chen Wei's new dishes.

-

With the electric fan, the dormitory no longer felt so stuffy and hot.

Standing under the electric fan, the cool breeze blowing through me made me feel a comfortable coolness all over my body.

He lay down on the cool mat and fell asleep in no time.

Around 3 p.m., Li Changfu from the purchasing department knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock—Master Chen! The tofu you ordered is here!"

Chen Wei was startled awake from his dream and quickly got up from his metal bed in the dormitory.

Upon opening the door, one could see Li Changfu with a big smile on his face. Outside, there was a tricycle with two boards of tender tofu on it, looking plump, white, and delicious.

"It's still warm, the grocery store just made it." Li Changfu pointed to the tricycle behind him.

"Thank you, Master Li!"

Chen Wei quickly took the tofu and headed towards the cafeteria.

It's only a little past three in the afternoon, and there's no one in the cafeteria, which makes room for Chen Wei to try out the dishes.

After examining the system panel, Chen Wei finally understood the process of making Mapo Tofu.

First, cut the tofu into small cubes about two centimeters square, then blanch it in salt water to remove the beany smell.

Take a little bit of fermented soybean paste and fermented black beans, chop them up, and stir-fry them over low heat until the oil turns red. Then add clear broth and tofu and simmer over medium heat until the flavors are absorbed.

Before taking it off the heat, add a thickening step so that the sauce coats the tofu completely.

After cooking, sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped green garlic shoots, then drizzle with hot oil to release their aroma.

The key to this dish is to use lard when frying the fermented soybean paste. The aroma of the lard will help the tofu absorb the flavor of meat.

The heat level isn't the key; the key is the knife skills.

Tofu is soft and difficult to cut. The key to making Mapo Tofu for large-scale cooking is to cut it into uniform pieces that don't fall apart after cooking and keep each piece distinct.

Now that we understand the preparation process, it's time to start tasting the food.

Chen Wei turned around, took the tofu off the shelf, cut off a piece, took a deep breath, and began to cut the tofu.

Cutting tofu is a skill; tender tofu is too soft and will crumble at the slightest touch.

You need to use a pushing motion with the knife—that is, tilt the blade and gently push it along the texture of the tofu.

This way, the tofu won't break, and you can still cut the vegetables quickly.

This minor issue was no problem for Chen Wei. His knife skills had reached a high level of proficiency, and every piece of tofu he cut was perfectly square and exactly the same size.

After cutting a whole slab of tofu, there were hardly any pieces of tofu residue left on the cutting board.

Chen Wei looked at the full bowl of tofu and was very satisfied.

Next, the oil is heated by lighting the fire. As soon as the pot is placed on the stove, the system panel appears.

[Stove temperature: 370℃]

This time, there was no need to wait for the pot to get fully hot. Chen Wei simply turned on the water pipe next to him and put plenty of water into the pot.

The first step is to blanch the tofu in salt water to remove its beany smell.

After the water in the pot was half-boiled, the tofu was carefully slid into the pot.

Chen Wei added another large spoonful of salt to the pot.

The way you blanch the tofu in this dish is also very important. You can't wait until the water is boiling before taking the tofu out, otherwise the boiling water will wash the tofu apart, and the dish won't look good.

Once the water in the pot was just starting to boil, Chen Wei quickly poured the entire pot of tofu onto a strainer.

The water used to blanch the tofu naturally flowed down the strainer into the basin below. The tofu was blanched just right, delicate and smooth with a slight salty taste and no beany smell.

Next, Chen Wei washed the pot again and then turned the stove up high again, preparing to stir-fry the vegetables.