Travel back to ancient times and open a Sichuan restaurant

Zhong Laoer picked up a piece with the chopsticks beside him and tasted it. He felt that the saltiness and toughness were just right. He quickly took the large wooden basin and scooped it into the basin one spoonful at a time.

He scooped half of it, then picked up the pot and poured it directly into the large wooden basin.

Master Zhang quickly helped him to steady the large wooden basin so that the whole pot could fit into it just right. The two of them worked together to move it away, put it aside and covered it with a lid to prevent it from cooling down too quickly.

The two pots in the kitchen were also ready. Zhong Ruyi and Zhong's mother had already served one pot, and the second brother and Master Zhang came in to help with the remaining pot, which was quickly poured into the wooden basin.

Now it’s time to braise the remaining pots. There is still some braising liquid at the bottom of the pot. Zhong Ruyi hasn’t poured it all out. The braising liquid will become more fragrant as it is braised more.

Master Zhang asked curiously, "Miss Zhong, aren't you going to pour out the contents of this pot?"

Zhong Ruyi said seriously, "Master Zhang, the sauce in this stew will become more fragrant the longer it is stewed, so don't pour it out next time."

Master Zhang asked again, adhering to the spirit of asking questions when you don't understand, "Why?"

Zhong Ruyi's hands kept moving, and he said as he worked, "Because during the braising process, the flavor of the spices will slowly penetrate into the food, and the taste of the food will be more intense."

"After braising for a long time, some components in the spices will change, producing new aromas, and the taste of the marinade will become richer and stronger. However, the marinade should be changed regularly to avoid stomach upset or illness."

Zhong Ruyi could only talk about the simple ones. As for the difficult ones, such as the chemical reactions of the ingredients to produce new aromatic substances, Master Zhang would definitely not understand such a new term as chemical reaction.

Master Zhang asked again, "Is the aniseed the recipe for the stewed food?"

Zhong Ruyi nodded, took out a new bag of spices from the cupboard, unzipped the drawstring, and poured it into a clean dustpan beside her so that Master Zhang could see it more clearly.

Bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, peppercorns, cardamom... Zhong Ruyi would read a name and pick it up to show Master Zhang.

Master Zhang listened carefully, and when Zhong Ruyi finished, he asked, "I know cinnamon, isn't it a kind of Chinese herbal medicine? And where can I buy vanilla and star anise?"

"I also bought these at the pharmacy. I'll write your name on the list and give it to you. I'll also give you a few packets of the marinade ingredients to take back with you."

"The flavors of our Zhongji braised food are already fixed. Every time I choose the proportion of spices, I always follow the previous adjustment. However, if some ingredients or personal tastes are different, you can also make appropriate adjustments."

She scooped a few pieces with a spoon and gave them to Master Zhang to taste. "Master Zhang, please try it. You are the ones running the business. It's up to you to decide how to adjust the flavor."

Master Zhang took it and ate a piece. The taste of this dish made by Zhongji is really good. No wonder so many people buy it.

The boss only asked me to come and learn, but didn't say anything else. I just needed to learn the recipe first and then go back and talk to the boss about the taste.

"This tastes delicious! I really can't think of anything more delicious."

Master Zhang praised it, thinking in his heart that the boss himself had also eaten Zhongji braised food and praised it highly.

Zhong Ruyi said, "Master Zhang, when you go back, you can use my stewing proportions first. After a few days, ask the guests in your tavern to see if they are satisfied with the taste. If many people are dissatisfied, you can adjust the taste."

She said everything she needed to say. This was also what the master sent by Manager Ding taught her. However, the proportions used in Manxianglou were still those of Zhongji and had not been changed.

Master Zhang followed Zhong Ruyi or Zhong Erge all morning long, and asked questions when he saw something he didn't understand, and he wouldn't stop until he understood it.

Soon the braised food from the second time can be taken out of the pot. The second time's braised food can be directly taken out and sold, while the first time's braised food needs to be put back into the pot and heated up again.

Master Zhang left with the braised food recipe written by Zhong Ruyi and a few packets of marinade ingredients. He originally wanted to help, but the three of the Zhong family were enough, and since he was not needed, he left first.

Before leaving, Zhong Ruyi said to him, "Master Zhang, if you don't understand anything about this recipe, please come and ask me."

After Master Zhang thanked Zhong Ruyi, he left. He had to go back to teach the other masters in the tavern, so he would be busy.

When Master Zhang returned to the tavern, the boss and several other masters were also there. Seeing him back, the boss asked him to go to the room where he usually rested.

Master Zhang pushed the door open and walked in, "Boss!"

Old Wu nodded and pointed to a stool for him to sit down. "Sit down. How was your study today? Miss Zhong didn't hide anything, did she?"

Master Zhang honestly told me everything that happened today. "Miss Zhong explained it in great detail. When I asked her about something I didn't understand, she explained it to me in detail."

He took out the recipe and several packets of marinade ingredients from his pocket and showed them to the boss.

"This is the marinade recipe Miss Zhong wrote down, and there are a few packets of marinade she mixed herself."

Old Wu quickly took it and took a look at it, then put it under his nose and smelled it. There was a faint fragrance. Is this the thing that made Zhongji's business flourish?

He unzipped the drawstring, poured the contents into his palm and looked at them carefully. Well, he didn't understand. It was okay for him to do business, but he was really not familiar with the things in the kitchen.

He poured the marinade back into the cloth bag, then took out the marinade recipe written by Zhong Ruyi and looked at it carefully. If he didn't understand, he asked Master Zhang beside him.

Master Zhang suddenly thought of something and quickly said, "Boss, Miss Zhong said that we should use these packets of marinade first. How it tastes depends on whether the customers like it."

"If you don't like it, or think it's too bland or too salty, then adjust it."

He really wanted to ask, if they had to braise the offal every day in the future, could they hire two more young people? He had stayed in Zhongji for most of the day, watching them clean and braise the pig offal, and his waist ached when he thought about having to do the same as them.

Old Wu didn't notice the conflicted look on Master Zhang's face. He held the prescription in his hand, reading it and nodding.

It seems that Miss Zhong really did not hide anything, and the amounts of star anise, bay leaf and grass fruit etc. were clearly marked.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm going to have to work hard on the tavern business from now on. If the braised food sells well in the next month, I'll give you a raise!"

When Master Zhang heard this, the dull pain he had been feeling seemed to stop immediately. Now, even if he was given the same thing as pig offal to treat, he could handle it immediately without any backache!

Old Wu went on to say, "By the way, now that we have this recipe, we can sell more than just braised offal. I think braised edamame and braised pork will also work. The offal in this town and in several nearby counties and villages has been contracted by Manxianglou and Zhongji. Let's not compete with them for this business and try something else."

what?

No braised pig offal?

Master Zhang thought that he would have to stay with the pigs for the next period of time, but he didn't expect that this was the boss's plan.

That's fine! Whatever is braised is braised, as long as it tastes good, it will sell.