Food: Random stalls, customers chase me all over the country

Chapter 557 - A Brief History of the Development of Sichuan and Chongqing's "Shuizhu Jianghu"

"Leader, that cumulus cloud is still there. Should we still fight?"

"Fight! We must fight! We were inexperienced yesterday, but today we must stop the rain!"

At a meteorological bureau, two personnel were talking while looking at a cumulus cloud in the sky.

Cumulus congestus clouds have a low cloud base and a bulging cloud body, and look somewhat like cauliflower. They are a very suitable cloud layer for artificial rainmaking operations, second only to cumulonimbus clouds.

"Yesterday's shot got us scolded all day, so we're going to avenge that humiliation today no matter what! Hit the target!"

……

When Wang Fan woke up in the morning, he found that the weather outside had finally returned to normal.

After washing up, we continued today’s food journey.

They have already eaten noodles, grilled fish, and Jianghu vegetables, and tried hot pot on the first day, so today their goal is to eat skewers and hot pots.

Chuanchuan, maocai, hotpot, malatang, and boboji are just like dumplings, wontons, wontons, and chao shou. It is really difficult to sort out the differences and relationships between them. Wang Fan also spent a lot of effort to figure out the relationship and differences between them.

Chuanchuan, maocai, malatang and boboji can be said to come from the same school. They have a common master called "hotpot", and this school can be called the "boiling school".

Hotpot is the master and he has two apprentices, one is called "Maocai" and the other is called "Chuanchuanxiang".

Later, after the two apprentices learned the skills, they went out to set up their own business and gradually made a name for themselves. However, because they had a good relationship as brothers and often cooperated with each other, the two of them jointly trained another apprentice named "Malatang".

The characteristic of hot pot is that it is eaten while being cooked, and the seasonings can be freely matched. People in Sichuan and Chongqing like to dip it in oil, while people in the north prefer sesame paste. The hot pot in Sichuan and Chongqing is mainly made of various offal, which has a stronger taste, and the climate is relatively humid, so it is rich in oil and ingredients.

In the north, beef and mutton are mostly used, supplemented with clear soup pot and sesame paste to taste the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves.

As for the relationship between the two sides, there is actually not much connection. At most, they all belong to the "boiled school". There is no master-disciple relationship between the major schools, just like the boxing and kicking kung fu that everyone practices, Sanda, boxing and free fighting have nothing to do with each other.

The characteristic of Maocai is that it is cooked before eating. The chef is responsible for everything from cooking to seasoning. The seasoning of Maocai is also very different from the hot pot base. It is relatively lighter. In some places, the Maocai soup base can even be drunk directly.

Malatang originated in Sichuan. Later, the iron pot people from Northeast China were sent to Sichuan to learn from it. After learning, they returned to Northeast China and incorporated their own characteristics into the transformation, thus giving rise to the Northeastern style Malatang.

Mou Liang and Yang Moufu, who are now more well-known, are both representatives of the Northeastern style of Malatang.

There is a world of difference in taste between Sichuan Malatang and Northeastern Malatang. Sichuan Malatang is both spicy and numb, while Northeastern Malatang is neither spicy nor numb. And because Northeastern Malatang likes to add a lot of sesame paste, the numbness in Northeastern Malatang has gradually been replaced by sesame paste.

Wang Fan also gave a friendly reminder to fans: don’t think that just because you can eat the extra spicy Northeastern Malatang, you can challenge the medium spicy Sichuan Malatang. Sichuan Malatang can teach anyone who thinks he is tough enough a lesson.

Sichuan Malatang is very popular and has different variations in different places.

In North China, it has become boiled spicy skewers cooked in small grids on the roadside, which is somewhere between Malatang and Chuan Chuan Xiang.

In the northwest region, the soul of Malatang becomes a layer of chili peppers on top of the ingredients. The Tianshui Malatang that was once very popular is a representative of this.

In the north, many people easily confuse Chuan Chuan Xiang with the spicy skewers sold on the street. In fact, it is relatively easy to distinguish them.

Chuan Chuan Xiang is usually sold in stores, while Mala Chuan is a street snack.

People usually eat Chuan Chuan Xiang with three or five friends, and the average cost is around 50-100 yuan. Spicy skewers on the street are impulse buys, and people just sit down when they see something and want to eat it, and the average cost is around 20 yuan.

Chuan Chuan Xiang is equivalent to hot pot with skewers, but the base ingredients have their own changes and the taste is completely different.

Moreover, Chuan Chuan Xiang was not willing to be lonely, and he trained two apprentices, one of whom was called "Leng Guo Chuan Chuan" and the other was called "Bo Bo Ji".

Leng Guo Chuan Chuan and Bo Bo Ji are from the same school, but the two disciples learned different martial arts.

The pot of cold pot skewers is cold, but the soup and skewers are hot, so don’t be misled by its name, it is actually hot.

As for Bobo Chicken, the ingredients are heated and cooled before being put into the soup, so the pot is cold, the skewers are cold, and the soup is also cold, but it is not frozen and is more like a cold dish.

As for why it is called Bobo Chicken, it is because it is originally made of chicken.

Wang Fan understood it as a person learning from an apprentice with skills. After learning, he added vegetables and other meat ingredients, and it became the Bobo Chicken we have today.

Maocai is a hotpot for one person, with the vegetables in the bowl; hotpot is a hotpot for a group of people, with the vegetables in the pot; Chuanchuanxiang is a hotpot with vegetables skewered together; Boboji is a skewers served in a cold pot, and Malatang is a skewers served in a hot pot.

Although both are hotpot, Sichuan hotpot and Chongqing hotpot are also very different. Although the two are close to each other, their origins and developments are completely different. However, Wang Fan will study this difference when he plans to go to Sichuan.

The most recommended Chuan Chuan Xiang restaurants are "Linjiangmen Xiu Niang Chuan Chuan Xiang" and "Li Jie's Family of Three". Wang Fan liked the name of the latter very much and chose it as his first stop.

The shop run by Li Jie and his family of three is very interesting. It looks like a home in a residential building converted into a restaurant. The decoration style is very homey. There is also a small round sign at the door saying "Li Jie gets a free meal". I just don't know whether the final right of interpretation belongs to the shop.

The benefits of traveling off-peak remain the same. When the two arrived, the dishes in the restaurant had just been prepared. The skewers were 70 yuan per pound. Zhuo Qianqian took the plate and tongs and started picking up the dishes that she and Wang Fan liked.

Wang Fan himself ordered a serving of fresh-cut dragon fish and fresh tripe from Tangjiatuo slaughterhouse.

The sirloin is a long strip of meat between the tenderloin and the spine, and is considered the most tender part of the cow.

The soup base was served quickly. It was mainly made with beef and red oil. Various spices were swirling in the pot. A dozen red and plump peppers were crowded on the edge of the pot, which made people want to drool.

Zhuo Qianqian hadn't even chosen her skewers when Wang Fan's order of fresh-cut diaolong (a type of diaolong) and Tangjiatuo slaughterhouse tripe arrived. The diaolong (a type of diaolong) was served on an oval plate, the bottom of the plate covered with slices. The portion looked quite good, and the beef was rosy red, with a subtle raw aroma. There were no seasonings on the plate, just a crisp, fresh cut. Wang Fan could tell at a glance that it was freshly cut.

After eating out these few days, he found that although the prices here in the Fog City cannot be said to be cheap, the ingredients used in most stores are very fresh, which coincides with the choice of cooking by himself. The price of things can be more expensive, but the ingredients used must be worthy of the price. Many skewers and hot pot restaurants opened in other places cannot adapt to the local environment and the main reason is that the ingredients are not up to standard.

There are always some people who think that the soup base of hot pot and skewers is strong enough and they can pass off inferior products as good ones without being discovered. But fake ones are always fake. Even if you can't tell the difference in taste, there is definitely a difference in mouthfeel.

Pick up a piece of dragon meat and put it into the pot. The red oil is boiling. The dragon meat has completely changed color after just lifting it up and down twice. As long as the color of this thin meat slice changes, it means it is cooked. Cooking it further will affect the taste.

Zhuo Qianqian also said it was very heavy and walked over. Wang Fan blew on it and handed it to her.

Zhuo Qianqian took a bite and said with a bright look in her eyes, "It's so fresh."

Wang Fan nodded. Whether the beef and mutton are fresh or not will definitely not escape the mouths of DJI people. Since Zhuo Qianqian said it is fresh, then the meat is definitely fresh enough.

The lady boss said proudly at the counter, "Little sister, let me tell you, all the ingredients here are delivered this morning, so they're absolutely fresh! If you eat anything that's not fresh, I'll give it to you for free!"

Zhuo Qianqian smiled sweetly and said, "Okay, sister, your soup base tastes great too."

The proprietress was so delighted to be called "sister" that her eyes curved into crescents: "Little sister, you really know what's good. Take your time eating. I'll give you a portion of bread and crispy meat." After saying that, she walked straight into the kitchen without waiting for Zhuo Qianqian to refuse.

Wang Fan couldn't help but give Zhuo Qianqian a thumbs up.

I don’t know if it’s because the people in the foggy city are too enthusiastic or if my girlfriend is too charming, but these past two days, any boss or boss lady who talked to her would give her something to eat, such as sweet tofu pudding, crispy pork or some side dishes.

I picked up another piece of dragon meat and dipped it in the broth. The light brown beef was slightly curled up, with a few slices of chili pepper stuck on it, and paired with the misty white fog, it looked very tempting.

After cooling it down a bit, put it in your mouth, and the rich aroma of chili and soup base will instantly fill your mouth.

Then, as the teeth chew, the tender beef spreads between the teeth, releasing a rich meaty aroma.

The meat is indeed very tender. You can feel the elasticity and delicateness of the beef with every chew, as if it is dancing on the tip of your tongue.

The beef absorbs some of the soup base, and the soup base will continue to moisten the beef as you chew it. Eventually, the aroma of the seasoning will penetrate into every fiber of the beef, making it even more delicious.

Compared to hot pot, this skewer is lighter in taste and slightly less spicy, which allows the taste of the fresh meat to be perceived by the taste buds and gives Wang Fan a completely different experience.

Wang Fan looked at another plate of beef tripe.

The name of this tripe is very telling. They even brought the slaughterhouse with them, so how could it not be fresh?
Fresh tripe has no smell if it is washed clean and not soaked in those medicines. Wang Fan smelled it and it smelled just like the tripe itself, and it was washed very clean.

He picked up a piece, rinsed it a few times, and then passed it to Zhuo Qianqian, who was happily stuffing skewers into the pot and put them into her mouth without even raising her head.

The rich soup hangs between the small particles of tripe, making a "crunch" and "crunch" sound when chewed in the mouth. The crispy and tender taste is very sufficient. Apart from the rich aroma of the hot pot oil itself, there is no other taste.

Zhuo Qianqian didn't say anything, but just opened her mouth again.

Wang Fan smiled and picked up another piece, rinsed it for her, blew it cool a little, and then handed it to her mouth.

It is impolite not to reciprocate. Zhuo Qianqian picked out a string of beef wrapped in pickled garlic from the pot and handed it to Wang Fan's mouth.

Wang Fan once again marveled at the creativity of the people in the Fog City and the inclusiveness of Jianghu-style skewers. It is true that everything can be shabu-shabued, and after there is nothing left to shabu-shabu, you can freely combine them and continue shabu-shabuing. Even his master's hot pot can't make this beef wrapped in pickled garlic.

The tender beef is wrapped with crispy and sweet pickled garlic, which makes a "crunch" sound when chewed in the mouth. The sweet and crispy pickled garlic combined with the mellow and fragrant beef gives you an unprecedented experience.

The pickled garlic is well-marinated, and the crispy garlic meat is full of sweet and sour juice. As you chew it, the flavor gradually penetrates into the slightly tough beef, creating a more unique taste. Even after swallowing it, the aftertaste remains in your mouth.

Just then, the proprietress came out from the kitchen. In addition to the bread and crispy meat that she promised to give to Zhuo Qianqian, she also had a plate of shrimp balls in her hand.

The proprietress said enthusiastically, "Little sister, as soon as I saw your eldest sister, I felt like we got along really well. This shrimp paste is our new dish. It's handmade and absolutely fresh and delicious. You should try it too."

Wang Fan was speechless. How could this damn charm be so great?
Zhuo Qianqian chuckled and said, "Thank you, sister, but we still have to pay you. Please put it directly into our account."

The lady boss's face changed and she pretended to be angry and said, "If I say it's a free gift, then it's a free gift. What's the point of asking for money? Don't be polite to me. If you like it, just bring your friends to patronize my place."

Wang Fan felt that there must be a reason why some people's shops were doing better and better. The food in some shops was so good that it attracted many customers. The food in some shops was nothing special, but the boss was very knowledgeable and could attract many repeat customers.

This store has both of these conditions, so it is impossible for its business to be bad.

However, he would definitely pay the money in the end, including paying the bills for the restaurants that had delivered food to him before. He would be grateful for the food he received, and it was inevitable that there would be errors in his comments after accepting other people's food. It was enough to receive the kindness, and the benefits were not necessary.

There is a full bowl of shrimp paste, which can be scooped directly into the pot with a spoon. The shrimp paste is also well-made, and tastes crispy, chewy and fragrant. It is better than the level of ordinary hot pot restaurants, and the key point is still to highlight the freshness.

Then Zhuo Qianqian started to show her power. As the skewers she took were cooked, one after another began to appear in front of Wang Fan.

Mint beef, spicy beef, tenderloin slices, bullfrog, etc. All the ingredients are very fresh.

Thousands of ingredients must be fresh, and all delicacies must be hot. If they are both fresh and hot, the taste will not be too bad even if made by someone who doesn’t know how to cook.

Apart from the poor environment in the store, this store is at least considered very good in Wang Fan's opinion.

(End of this chapter)