redvbooks Chapter 46 Group Members Eat First
Chapter 46 Group Members Eat First
Chen Feng's eyes turned serious the moment the flames ignited, and his gentle demeanor was replaced by a professional seriousness.
"Xingruo, watch carefully."
Chen Feng held the iron pot firmly with his left hand, and deftly scooped up a spoonful of glistening lard with his right hand, sliding it into the bottom of the pot. With a sizzling sound, the lard quickly melted, and a thin layer of blue smoke slowly swirled along the edge of the pot.
"When making Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce), the oil temperature is the first hurdle. When the shredded pork is put into the pan, the oil temperature should not be too high. About 50% heat is the most appropriate. This is called 'warm oil for spreading out the meat.' If the oil temperature is too high, the surface of the shredded pork will shrink instantly and it will not be tender."
As Chen Feng spoke, he extended his hand to Xing Ruo: "Shredded pork."
"Oh... okay!" Xingruo paused for a moment, then quickly handed over the plate of marinated shredded meat from the cutting board.
Her movements were still a bit clumsy, her eyes fixed on Chen Feng's actions, her mind still trying to process the explanation about "gentle oil" she had just heard.
"despair."
Chen Feng took the plate, and with a slight flick of his wrist, the evenly shredded meat, as if spit out by a photocopier, slid down the edge of the pan into the oil. He quickly stirred the meat with his long chopsticks, and the originally sticky shredded meat quickly separated in the warm oil, turning from pale red to white, and emitting a pure meaty aroma.
"Controlling the heat is the soul of a chef, while 'rhythm' is the skeleton of stir-frying." Chen Feng scooped out the shredded meat, leaving a little oil at the bottom of the pan, his eyes sharp.
"Next, pickled chili flakes."
Xingruo hurriedly handed over the dish of bright red pickled pepper bits.
"Master, here you go."
"Remember, the soul of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) lies in this 'Yu Xiang sauce' and pickled peppers."
The pickled peppers should be put into the pan first and stir-fried until the oil turns red. The heat should be low so as not to burn them.
Listen to the sound; once the moisture has evaporated and a complex, sour and spicy aroma emerges, that's when you add the minced ginger and garlic.
Chen Feng spoke slowly, but every point of knowledge struck Xing Ruo like a hammer blow.
"After pickled peppers come minced ginger and minced garlic. The order is important. Ginger enhances the freshness, and garlic adds aroma."
Next are the shredded wood ear mushrooms and shredded bamboo shoots. These two should be stir-fried quickly over high heat to maintain their crispness.
As Chen Feng spoke, he skillfully flipped the iron wok. With each shake, the ingredients in the wok would draw a beautiful arc in mid-air, the red, white, black, and green colors intertwining under the firelight, dazzling and captivating.
Standing next to Chen Feng, Xingruo felt her head buzzing.
She could understand every word the chef said, but the information was just too dense. One second he was talking about oil temperature, the next he was discussing the order of ingredients, and then he was talking about switching the heat.
Her already somewhat dim-witted mind felt like it had been stuffed with a bunch of tangled threads; trying to untangle them only resulted in more and more loose ends.
"Master... I, I haven't memorized the exact proportions for the sauce yet..." Xingruo said somewhat awkwardly, rubbing her apron. Her voice was barely audible.
Chen Feng turned his head to look at Xing Ruo and saw her furrowed brows, a rare smile appearing on his serious face.
"No rush. Xingruo, cooking skills aren't learned by memorization, but by observing and understanding."
There are still over ninety orders to cook. Just stand next to me, observe carefully, and think deeply. If there's anything you really can't figure out, don't wait for me to teach you; just interrupt me and ask boldly.
Chen Feng's unreserved trust and patience were like a gentle spring, soothing Xing Ruo's anxiety.
She took a deep breath, and mimicking Chen Feng, slightly puffed out her chest, her gaze gradually becoming focused.
"Yes, Master, I understand. I will definitely look carefully."
The excitement of trying cooking for the first time overwhelmed the fear at that moment.
Xingruo discovered that the originally cold and lifeless ingredients seemed to come alive in the hands of her master, and the addition of each ingredient seemed to tell an interesting story.
The moment Chen Feng poured the prepared "fish-fragrant sauce" down the side of the pot, time seemed to stand still in the entire Human World Fireworks restaurant.
"Sizzle—!"
A loud, crisp sound erupted from the bottom of the pot. As steam rose rapidly, a complex aroma, like a wild horse unleashed, instantly conquered every corner of the shop.
It's the tangy spiciness of pickled red chilies after being quenched at high temperatures, the mellow aroma of aged vinegar released in the heat, the caramelized fragrance of heated sugar, and the spicy aroma of garlic and ginger. These flavors blend and recombine perfectly in the air, ultimately creating a complex aroma with a powerful and penetrating quality.
The diners who were previously discussing the price of "38 yuan per serving" fell silent in that instant.
Zhao Dafa was sitting at the table, rubbing his unruly, rumbling stomach. When the aroma wafted into his nostrils, his already wide eyes practically bulged out.
"Plop—"
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. He seemed to have forgotten that he had already been waiting for almost an hour.
"My goodness... this taste..." Zhao Dafa muttered to himself, a glistening tear unconsciously trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Is this still the Yu Xiang Rou Si I know?"
Lin Xiaoyu could no longer maintain her composure as an artistic young woman. Her delicate little nose twitched incessantly, and she almost jumped off her chair.
The sour, spicy, sweet, and savory flavor, without any greasiness, instantly put her tired spirit, which had been exhausted from waking up early, into a state of high excitement.
"It smells so good... How can it smell so good?" Lin Xiaoyu murmured, her eyes fixed on the busy black figure in the open kitchen.
Standing by the counter, Zhang Qiang looked at the diners in the room, "frozen" by the aroma, and felt incredibly satisfied.
He looked at the bright red dishes bubbling in the pot and thought to himself: Fengzi really knows how to make home-cooked dishes stand out.
Chen Feng was making the final reduction of the sauce. His spoon moved swiftly in circles, coating every strand of meat with a glistening, reddish-brown sauce.
Watching Chen Feng's actions, Lin Xiaoyu suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Oh no, that's not right!"
She astutely noticed that although Chen Feng's pot of food was quite large, it looked like it was only enough for two or three people at most. But there were already about ten people sitting in the restaurant. Who should get the first pot?
"If the boss pays first, the others will definitely cause trouble. In situations like this, whoever pays first is the boss!"
"Hehe, none of them reacted, I've taken first place!"
Lin Xiaoyu seemed to have been put on fast forward. Before anyone could react, she darted to the cashier, her movements as nimble as a deer darting through the forest.
"Brother Qiang! Quick! I'll pay for my shredded pork with garlic sauce! I've already scanned the QR code on WeChat!"
"Ring—WeChat Pay received payment, thirty-eight yuan."
The crisp sound of the payment being processed was particularly loud in the quiet shop.
This sound completely startled the diners who were still immersed in the aroma.
"Holy crap! This girl's hands are fast!" Zhao Dafa suddenly realized, forgetting his earlier complaints about the price, and practically roared as he rushed toward the counter.
"Boss! Qiangzi! Give me one! No, grab a spot for me! I'll pay too! Damn it, nobody can take this first bite from me!"
"Me too! I paid for it too!"
"Damn it, get in line! How can you people have no manners at all!"
The once quiet and tidy store instantly descended into chaos. Several diners who had initially been observing the situation, seeing Lin Xiaoyu and Zhao Dafa's "desperate" approach, decided they didn't want to be left watching others eat while they did, and rushed to the cashier.
Zhang Qiang, having seen his share of big occasions, was remarkably calm after yesterday's ordeal. He stood before the cashier, his booming voice instantly drowning out the clamor of the crowd:
"Everyone, please don't push! Don't push! Our lives are all about fate and rules! Everyone step back and take your turn!"
"That little girl, Xiaoyu, came in first, and this big guy, Uncle Zhao, came in second. The rest of you, line up one by one. Those who don't line up won't get any today!"
With Zhang Qiang's strong efforts to maintain order, order was finally slowly established. Although Zhao Dafa didn't get first place, he managed to grab the second spot. At this moment, his old face was beaming with joy, completely forgetting that he had come here that morning specifically to ambush Xiaotu Baozi.
Chen Feng listened to the commotion outside from inside the kitchen, shaking his head with a helpless smile. His original plan was to first use a few small dishes to distribute a little bit to each table so that everyone could taste it, and then buy more if they thought it was worth the price.
Who knew that Lin Xiaoyu, that clever and mischievous girl, would start a "buying frenzy" that everyone was about to ignite.
However, seeing the diners' almost frenzied enthusiasm, Chen Feng was also very happy.
Xingruo stood next to Chen Feng, completely stunned.
She never imagined that cooking could not only fill people's stomachs, but also elicit such eager and frantic expressions from so many strangers.
She looked at the diners vying to pay at the counter, and then at the chef's still steady and unwavering back.
At that moment, an extremely strong sense of pride welled up from the bottom of Xingruo's heart.
"Master is really amazing..."
Xingruo silently thought to herself. In her logic, if her master's cooking could drive people this crazy, he must be making a lot of money. If it were like this every day, her master's debts would surely be paid off quickly, and Mengmeng would definitely be able to live the best life.
She even started to fantasize about a constant stream of people coming here. And her task was to wash those mountains of dishes clean.
"I need to work harder. The master is responsible for making such delicious dishes, and I'm responsible for cleaning this place up until there's not a speck of dust."
Xingruo felt that she had been of some use and smiled happily, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.
"Xingruo, the betting odds are out."
Chen Feng neatly placed two large white porcelain plates on the table. With a flick of his wrist, the wok spun beautifully in the air, and the glossy, oily, and steaming hot shredded pork with garlic sauce was evenly distributed into the two plates.
Chen Feng was not stingy with the portions. Each plate was piled up like a small mountain, with shredded pork, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and scallions interspersed together, all coated in a rich sauce and exuding a captivating reddish-brown sheen.
Just then, the rice cooker's beeping sounded at the perfect moment.
Chen Feng deftly ladled out two large bowls of snow-white, plump rice.
"Take this to Little Fish Girl." Chen Feng handed the tray to Zhang Qiang.
The view followed the plate of shredded pork with garlic sauce and landed on Lin Xiaoyu's table.
Lin Xiaoyu sat upright, her hands nervously clasped together. When the plate of shredded pork with garlic sauce, exuding an irresistible aroma of sour and spicy flavor, was placed steadily in front of her, she felt as if the scenery before her eyes was becoming somewhat blurry.
"This looks so tempting..."
Lin Xiaoyu swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to immediately pick up her chopsticks, and shakily raised her phone.
[Protecting the Best Little Bunny] WeChat Group:
Little Fish Doesn't Want to Draw Anymore: "[Image] Reporting to everyone! The first serving of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) has arrived! Look at the color, the sheen... the boss's skills are truly unbeatable! Group members, eat first!!!"
The shredded pork in the photo is translucent and glistening, with a thick but not greasy sauce. Each strand of black fungus has an enticing sheen, and the scattered specks of pickled chili oil are like agate, creating a visually striking effect.
Lin Xiaoyu put down her phone, and under the almost murderous, envious gazes of the crowd, she awkwardly stuck out her tongue. Then, she took a deep breath of the mellow, vinegary aroma, finally picked up her chopsticks, and fiercely plucked at the pile of pointed shredded meat…
At this moment, the entire restaurant, Renjian Yanhuo, was filled only with the rich aroma of fish and the wildly beating hearts of the diners.