Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

The next morning.

Before dawn, Li Chunsheng arrived at Xiaoshi alone. Yunniang had said she would come with him last night, but Yaya was still young and sleeping soundly, so Li Chunsheng decided to come by himself.

"Hey, Manager Li, going into the water again today?" Butcher Zheng was sharpening his knife when he saw Li Chunsheng arrive and teased him with a smile.

"Of course, I need the offal," Li Chunsheng said, pointing to the piece of pork belly on the cutting board. "Today, I also need some good stuff. Brother Zheng, I'll take this piece too!"

He was referring to the belly of the pig, which is a standard three-layered pork belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, making it the best for braised pork.

"Good eye!" Butcher Zheng gave a thumbs up. "This is the most prized piece of pork belly from this pig. Is Manager Li planning to develop a new dish?"

"That's right, you can't just run a restaurant and stick to only a few dishes, can you?"

Li Chunsheng bought ten catties of pork belly in one go, and also went to the grocery store to buy a large bag of rock sugar and high-quality dried chili peppers, star anise, and cinnamon.

When I arrived at the shop, Yunniang and Yaya were already there, starting a fire and washing the pots.

"Sister-in-law, can we talk about something?"

"Chunsheng, you're the boss now, so just say it."

Li Chunsheng placed the ingredients on the table. "Sister-in-law, I was thinking, since there are two side rooms in the backyard of this shop, why don't we just sleep here? We can keep the original one and not sell it. What do you think?"

Yunniang nodded. "Yes, the main shop is fine too. I can sleep a little longer, and this room is much better than at home."

Li Chunsheng smiled and said, "Alright, let's bring the bedding over tonight. The side room has been tidied up, there's a bed and a table, we can just put on the bedding and sleep. Anyway, there's nothing of value in the house."

Yunniang nodded.

"Great! We can sleep in the shop now!" Ya Ya exclaimed excitedly.

"By the way, Chunsheng, why did you buy so much good meat today?" Yunniang looked at the large piece of high-quality pork belly with its perfect balance of fat and lean meat after washing the pot, feeling a little distressed. "This must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Li Chunsheng tied on his apron. "It's not much, Brother Zheng gave me a discount. Sister-in-law, today for lunch, we're making a new dish: braised pork!"

"Braised pork?" Yunniang was taken aback. "Does anyone eat braised pork at our shop?"

"Our braised pork is different."

Li Chunsheng picked up the ingredients and walked towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Li Chunsheng first washed his hands clean (I'm so into watching "The Sea Chef," I want to write about the orange-scented hand sanitizer).

Place the whole piece of pork belly in a pot of cold water, add scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, and blanch until the skin can be pierced with chopsticks. Remove and wash.

Next comes the reworking.

Li Chunsheng cut the pork belly into two-centimeter cubes, each with skin, fat, and lean meat.

Remove from heat!

Heat the pan without oil, then pour the meat chunks directly into the pan and stir-fry over medium-low heat.

This is a crucial step: rendering out the excess fat from the pork belly so it won't be greasy.

As the spatula turned the meat, the fat sizzled, the surface of the meat began to turn golden brown, and a meaty aroma began to fill the kitchen.

Ya Ya sniffed and couldn't help but lean closer: "Brother Li, it smells so good!"

Li Chunsheng patted her head. "It smells good already. This is just the beginning."

Next comes the test of skill: caramelizing the sugar.

Put the rock sugar into the pot, and Li Chunsheng took out some wood to simmer it over a low flame. Remember not to use a high flame.

Stirring slowly and continuously, the sugar cubes melted gradually in the hot oil, changing from white to light yellow, then to golden yellow, and finally to a deep reddish-brown, with tiny, fluffy bubbles rising to the surface.

Now! If it's a second earlier, the sugar won't turn red; if it's a second later, it will turn bitter.

"Splash!"

Li Chunsheng, quick as a flash, poured the sautéed meat chunks into the wok and stir-fried them rapidly.

The dark red syrup instantly and evenly coated each piece of meat, turning the originally browned pieces into a glossy red coat. That color was a hundred times more tempting than if soy sauce had been used!

"This," Yunniang exclaimed, stunned, "How come it's so red without soy sauce?"

Li Chunsheng didn't have time to explain. He added boiling water to cover the meat pieces, along with ginger slices, dried chili peppers, star anise, cinnamon, and a little salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook slowly.

Next, it's just a matter of enduring it.

An hour later, the broth in the pot had thickened and become viscous and glossy red.

Li Chunsheng lifted the lid of the pot.

boom!

An incredibly rich aroma, a blend of meaty, caramel, and slightly spicy scents, exploded in the kitchen like a bomb.

"Gulp."

This time, even Yunniang couldn't help but swallow.

Li Chunsheng picked up a few pieces of braised pork, sprinkled them with a little white sesame, and then plated them.

The bright red, glistening braised pork belly was piled in a large, rough porcelain bowl, trembling slightly, as if tempting one to take a bite.

"Here, have a taste." Li Chunsheng picked up a piece, blew on it, and held it to Ya Ya's lips.

Ya Ya couldn't wait and took a bite.

The little girl's eyes narrowed to slits, and her face showed an extremely fascinated expression.

"Mmm! So delicious! So delicious!" Ya Ya exclaimed indistinctly, "It's not greasy at all! It's sweet and a little spicy! Brother Li, it's so delicious!"

Yunniang also tried a piece.

She was captivated the moment she entered the room.

The pork skin is soft, chewy, and bouncy; the fatty meat melts in your mouth; and the lean meat is tender and juicy. The sweetness of the caramel and the mild spiciness of the dried chili peppers blend perfectly, instantly awakening your taste buds and making you want to devour a big mouthful of rice.

"This meat!" Yunniang exclaimed. "Chunsheng, if this were sold, wouldn't people go crazy?"

Li Chunsheng laughed heartily, "Sister-in-law, it's good if sales are booming! That's when we'll make money!"

Around noon.

A new sign has been put up at the entrance of Li's Restaurant: [Today's Special: Braised Pork Belly, a big bowl to satisfy your cravings, so delicious it'll make your tongue tingle!]

The first group to enter the store were still a few laborers and rickshaw pullers from the neighborhood.

They originally came for the braised pork, but as soon as they entered, they were captivated by the unique aroma of meat.

"Boss! What's that smell? It smells so good!" a rickshaw driver asked, sniffing the air.

"Braised pork!" Li Chunsheng placed a large bowl of freshly cooked braised pork on the counter. "No soy sauce, just pure sugar! It's fatty but not greasy, and melts in your mouth! Want to try some?"

Its bright, alluring color and its trembling texture are a fatal temptation for men who are starving.

"How much is one serving?"

"This bowl of meat, served with a large bowl of white rice, will cost you thirty copper coins!"

This price is significantly higher than braised pork, after all, the cost is there.

The driver hesitated for a moment, looked at the meat, and swallowed hard. "Damn it! I made a good fare today, so I'll splurge a little! One serving, please!"

"Alright! One serving of braised pork with rice!"

When a generous spoonful of braised pork, along with its glistening red sauce, was poured over steaming white rice, the driver's eyes widened in astonishment.

He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.

At that moment, the whole world seemed to fall silent.

The driver closed his eyes, chewed twice, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"Holy shit! It smells fucking good!"