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

"Garlic-flavored pork belly?" Li Changfu was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of dish is that?"

It's not surprising that Li Changfu is so naive. There aren't many Sichuan dishes in Jinshi yet. For example, people here don't know much about Mapo Tofu.

"I do know this dish!" Chen Jianguo, who was standing next to him, chimed in immediately, his voice brimming with excitement.

"One year, I went on a business trip with some high-ranking leaders. It was the year our steel plant was first built. A very famous leader came to inspect the plant, and the factory director spent a lot of money to book a state-run hotel. It's said that the chef in charge of the restaurant that year was a chef from out of town, from Chengdu! This dish was on the table! Tsk tsk tsk... the taste was absolutely amazing!"

As he spoke, a look of longing appeared on Chen Jianguo's face.

You could tell from his tone that he was probably already salivating, reminiscing about the unforgettable taste he had a few years ago!

Li Changfu was somewhat skeptical and asked, "Can our Chef Chen also cook the dishes made by this chef from Chengdu?"

"Of course!" Wu Xiaochun chimed in from behind, his voice brimming with pride. "What can't my brother Chen do! You old folks, please have a good time!"

"Brother Chen! Is the garlic you ordered enough? If not, I'll go dig some more from the field!"

As he said this, Wu Xiaochun threw a large basket filled with garlic cloves directly onto the stove.

A basket full of garlic cloves appeared in everyone's view.

"Does this dish need so much garlic?" Li Changfu asked, dumbfounded.

Chen Wei nodded, and then patiently introduced the dishes.

"For this dish of garlic-flavored pork belly, it's best to choose pork belly or pork cut. First, wash the pork thoroughly, put it in a pot of cold water, and cook it until it's done. Then, immediately transfer it to ice-cold well water to make the meat firm and tender."

"Next, slice the large pieces of meat into thin slices; the thinner the slices, the more flavorful they will be. The last step is the most important: make sure to add enough minced garlic to the marinade for this half-meat. The garlic must be fragrant enough to ensure the meat is rich but not greasy!"

"Once the meat is marinated to perfection, drizzle some hot oil over it. This will bring out the aroma of the minced garlic—yum! The flavor is so delicious, it'll make your tongue tingle!"

"Plop—"

Chen Wei was speaking fluently when he suddenly heard a series of swallowing sounds.

Turning my head, I saw that the people surrounding me almost simultaneously swallowed their saliva, their longing and drooling expressions impossible to hide.

Wu Xiaochun and Li Changfu were one thing, but even Chen Jianguo, the leader who usually prided himself on being steady, had that same expression.

Seeing Chen Wei looking over in astonishment, Chen Jianguo gave an awkward smile and quickly resumed his demeanor as the head of the administrative department.

"If you ask me, Xiaowei's recipe is pretty good! I won't bother you any longer. It would be best if our colleagues at the factory could have this today."

After saying this, Chen Jianguo blushed, quickly patted his behind, and ran away.

Li Changfu and Wu Xiaochun, on the other hand, were quite familiar with Chen Wei and stayed in the kitchen to help him peel garlic, laughing and joking.

Seeing everyone working together, a large basket of garlic cloves had already been peeled clean. Chen Wei then directed Wu Xiaochun to take the garlic cloves to the back, wash them all clean, and place them in a cool, ventilated place to dry. Only then did they come to the stove in an orderly manner.

He reached out and picked up the largest pot hanging on the stove. The pot, which contained aged flavor, was filled with cold water. He lit the fire, placed the pot on the stove, and let it heat up.

He turned to select pork.

The back of the car is thick and fatty with distinct layers. This cut of meat has a good balance of fat and lean, and it doesn't easily fall apart when sliced ​​after cooking, making it perfect for cold dishes.

Chen Wei divided the pork into roughly equal-sized pieces, washed them clean, and then put all the pork into the boiling water. He casually threw in scallions, ginger slices, peppercorns, and cooking wine to remove any unpleasant smell before covering the pot with the lid.

Of course, in everyone's eyes, Chen Wei's actions of lighting the stove and adding seasonings had a strange rhythm, but everyone was used to it and just thought it was one of Chen Wei's little habits.

The meat was being cooked, and Wu Xiaochun had already brought back the dried garlic cloves.

Chen Wei, on the other hand, would place all the garlic cloves on the cutting board and gently tap them with the back of a knife, turning the garlic cloves into flat garlic slices.

"Tap tap tap tap tap tap—"

A series of sharp, rapid cuts followed, as Chen Wei moved swiftly, wielding a fine steel cleaver. With a flick of his wrist, he reduced the garlic slices to tiny granules in just a few rounds.

Upon closer inspection, the garlic cloves are distinct and uniform in size, with each cut being incredibly precise.

It wasn't that Chen Wei was nitpicking or trying to show off his knife skills in front of everyone.

It's just that this minced garlic is the soul of minced garlic pork belly. The garlic cloves need to be finely chopped, but not really minced, otherwise they won't have that coarse texture.

It retains a certain grainy texture, so it's chewy when you put it in your mouth, and this chewiness helps to alleviate the greasiness of the fatty meat.

It also allows the minced garlic to blend better with a variety of seasonings such as soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and Sichuan peppercorn oil, creating a complex and harmonious aroma.

If it's all mashed into a paste, the dish will be too spicy, overpowering the natural flavor of the pork belly—it's just too much.

After all that was done, the pork belly in the pot had already turned over enough in the boiling water, and a strong aroma unique to pork wafted out of the pot.

"Plop—"

"Gulp—Gulp—"

The kitchen helpers swallowed hard, their eyes glued to the pots on the stove.

These days, you hardly ever see pork belly except during the Lunar New Year! How can you not crave it!

Chen Wei put down the knife, walked to the pot, and lifted the lid to take a look.

The meat inside had changed color. When you gently poke it with chopsticks, you can pierce it, but there is slight resistance—just right!

"Take it off the heat! Go get some cold water! The colder the better!" Chen Wei ordered.

"Okay!" Wu Xiaochun immediately replied obsequiously, picked up the bucket, and turned to leave.

Before long, he returned with two large buckets full of ice-cold well water and placed them in front of Chen Wei.

Chen Wei then picked up a large strainer and scooped all the pork chunks out of the pot, placing them into the cool well water.

The rising heat was instantly forced back into the pork by the cold well water, and the skin, which was already on the verge of becoming mushy, tightened up instantly.

After soaking in the well water for a while, Chen Wei reached in and gently poked the skin of the pork.

It's bouncy, firm, and chewy—perfect!

Finally, we've reached the last test of our knife skills!

Chen Wei gently swung the Vajra cleaver twice on the whetstone, then casually scooped a piece of soaked pork from the large bucket. The blade instantly flashed with a cold, eerie blue light.

He took a deep breath, pressed down on the pork chunk with his left hand, and made a precise cut with the knife in his right.

"Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap—"