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

Chapter 570-Epiphany—Golden Legendary Yubei Boiled Fish!
This was Wang Fan's first time making Yubei boiled fish, and he was a little worried about whether the fish was cooked. Although the fresh and fragrant smell of the fish told him that this was the smell that only cooked fish would emit, he still had to taste it to see if it was salty, right?

Use disposable chopsticks to pick out a piece of fish from the pile of chili peppers and peppercorns. The crystal clear fish fillet is picked up by the chopsticks. There are some seasoning residues on the fish, but it does not affect its appearance. Instead, it can arouse people's appetite.

At this time, everyone's attention was focused on Wang Fan.

Everyone watched him pick up the fish fillet, and saw the fat covering the fish fillet dripping down as it was picked up. The light yellow fat dripped down in the shape of water droplets and was caught by Wang Fan in a bowl.

Watching him open his bloody mouth and eat the fish fillets that should have belonged to these diners!

"Asshole, put down that piece of fish. Even if you are Boss Wang, you can't steal our food!"

"If you want to eat it, go home and make it yourself! If you eat one more slice, one of us will have to eat one less. This is a crime!"

"Put down that piece of fish and come at me, you bastard!"

Many diners roared loudly in their hearts, with a happy expression on their faces, but their mouths were drooling and their hearts were bleeding.

I can’t imagine how delicious this piece of meat must be!
It's really embarrassing. This is one of the famous dishes in our Fog City, but it was made so well by a foreigner who came to Fog City for the first time. The quality looks much better than those I usually eat!

Do you think the raw materials are very different? No way. Boss Wang used the grass carp that Gang had caught in the fish pond.

Do internet celebrities have built-in filters? It’s true that some of them are Boss Wang’s fans, but it’s definitely impossible that all of them are. However, no one would think that this boiled fish is not delicious.

It’s still attitude!

From the moment Boss Wang touches the kitchen knife, you will feel that this chef is different from other chefs. Other chefs treat cooking as a job, but Boss Wang treats cooking as a passion that comes from the heart.

His movements were actually very slow and serious, but because each step was so precise and done in one go, he gave people the illusion that he was very fast.

Master Lin, one of China's top ten chefs, once said, "If a working chef wants to improve, he or she needs to slow down, slowly learn the raw materials of ingredients, slowly understand culinary science, slowly understand Chinese aesthetics, the color, fragrance, taste, and shape, and the details of each dish. You have to absorb it slowly. The problem is not that you don't learn, but that you don't have the motivation to learn."

Wang Fan had never met Master Lin, nor had he heard this sentence, but he had already gone further and further on this path.

As I said before, interest is the best mentor in life. When a person is obsessed with something, when a person is busy with it and still enjoys it, he has the potential to become a master in this thing and this industry. What he lacks may be just an epiphany.

Enlightenment does not happen overnight, nor does it appear without any basis. It is the result of real quantitative changes accumulating to a certain extent and forming a qualitative change at an opportunity.

Wang Fan never stopped learning and practicing. Often he even dreamed of cooking. He first spent three days making a pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which required extremely high heat and carefulness. Then he made a boiled fish that seemed simple but was extremely demanding on heat, marinade, and ratio. This gave him an opportunity for enlightenment.

The fish fillets are soft, tender and fragrant when you put them in your mouth. The fish meat is cooked to the perfect point without any dryness or garlic-like texture. The thickness is perfect. It retains the smoothness while giving you a heavy feeling of eating meat.

When pouring the oil, the generous amount of peppercorns and chilies give people a refreshing feeling of plummeting three thousand feet. When the fish soaked in the oil is taken out and put into the mouth, it does not feel greasy at all. It is absolutely oily but not greasy.

A thin layer of bean powder serves as the finishing touch.

Compared with fish, soy flour is much better at absorbing flavors. It is precisely this thin layer of soy flour that perfectly absorbs the flavors of chili, peppercorns and salt. Because it fits tightly with the fish, you can't even taste the presence of this layer of flour, giving people the illusion that the fish has completely absorbed the flavor.

The most important thing is that due to the simplicity of the marinade, the deliciousness of the grass carp itself is not lost in the slightest. The slightly spicy aroma of chili and Sichuan peppercorns perfectly brings out the deliciousness of the fish.

Although this dish contains a lot of oil and countless chili peppers and peppercorns, it is cooked to perfection and what you taste is the deliciousness and original flavor of the fish. If the side dishes stole the show, it cannot be called a success in any way.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for creating a golden legendary dish using an ordinary recipe."

"Congratulations to the host for reaching a new level—half-step master."

"There is no reward for completing this achievement. I hope the host can maintain his original intention, continue to pursue the pinnacle of culinary skills and enjoy the process. On the journey of culinary advancement, there are also beautiful scenery along the way."

Wang Fan just laughed it off about not having any reward, but he was very satisfied with his title of Half-Step Master.

He feels that there is still a gap between him and those masters, but he will not belittle himself and think that he is ordinary, because that would be denying his efforts.

The previous lv is now gone, leaving only the title of Half-Step Master shining brightly.

But I just need to keep this title to myself and I will definitely not tell anyone about it, just like when Cooking Master Boy didn’t tell everyone that he was a top chef, it was his followers who told him.

Besides, the "Super Chef" Xiao Dajia is very impressive when he speaks out, while the "Half-Step Master" Wang Fan is a bit...

"Boss Wang, stop being stunned. My stomach has already grabbed me by the neck. If I don't get enough food in five seconds, it's going to kill me."

A scream brought Wang Fan back to reality, and he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when he heard the words.

I don’t know if it’s because opposites attract, but most of his diners are social toughs who can tell all kinds of jokes.

"Let's eat, let's eat."

Boiled fish is also a dish that should be eaten while hot. If the temperature drops, the lard will solidify and you will be inedible.

The locals obviously understood this as well. After getting their meal, they didn't leave at all. Instead, they went straight to find a place to eat.

Wang Fan did not pour all the oil on the boiled fish at once, but divided it into several batches. One pot was used to boil water to blanch the fish fillets, while the other pot was used to boil oil to stir-fry the peppercorns and chili peppers. This resulted in his boiled fish being basically at its best time to eat.

Although all the diners were interested in boiled fish, not all of them ordered it. Firstly, they felt embarrassed to do so, and secondly, they were reluctant to give up eating Boss Wang’s other dishes, which would definitely leave them with regrets. After all, Boss Wang’s products must be top-quality, and they taste good only when they are cooked with a combination of meat and vegetables.

There are five or six kinds of green leafy vegetables, but because the cooking methods are basically the same and a whole pot can be prepared in less than a minute, Wang Fan doesn't have to spend too much time preparing them.

But the juicy greens of the vegetables were equally tempting, which undoubtedly reduced Wang Fan's costs. After buying the food, the people he knew gathered together and couldn't wait to start enjoying today's lunch.

The first thing you eat must be the absolute protagonist of today - boiled fish.

The food in the office canteen is actually quite good, the canteen chef’s cooking skills are much better than those in ordinary small restaurants, and there is no problem with the raw materials, but there is indeed a big difference in the taste.

The simpler the ingredients, the more they can reflect the difference between chefs. Although both are boiled fish, the one made by Wang Fan is so tender that it melts in your mouth, and the flavor is also rich.

The rich aroma of the seasoning and the delicious taste of the fish are both integrated and independent. Even so many chili peppers and peppercorns cannot cover up the taste of the fish itself.

Moreover, the fish fillets are very smooth when you put them in your mouth, and you can't feel the layer of batter on the outside of the fish fillets when you chew them. All these perfect details are integrated into this pot of boiled fish, creating a difference as high as several floors.

"Wow, this fish fillet looks like it's not that spicy despite all the chili peppers. However, the aroma of the chili peppers is completely brought out, and it's all absorbed by the fish fillet. It feels like a spray of chili perfume in your mouth. It's so refreshing!"

"And it's incredibly tender. The whole fish melts on your tongue."

"Did you notice? Boss Wang's fish doesn't even have any bones in it!"

"What the hell? Really? Synthetic meat?"

Shen Bowen looked at the guy with disdain: "You idiot, didn't you see that Boss Wang always kills fish fresh? How can you make synthetic meat out of freshly killed fish?"

"Um... isn't this the end of the story?"

Jing Chuan laughed and interrupted, "It's not synthetic meat. When he was processing the grass carp, he also removed the small bones on the grass carp. This usually requires a professional fish shop owner who has been selling fish for many years to do, and it is also time-consuming and laborious."

Shen Bowen gave a thumbs-up. "Uncle still knows more, but that's only for Boss Wang. Who else in the other shops would remove fish bones?"

Jing Chuan nodded and praised, "These past few days, I've discovered that eating his cooking is simply a delight. There's not even a scrap of seasoning left in any dish besides the necessary ingredients. You can chew all the dishes with your eyes closed, and I've unknowingly increased my appetite."

Shen Bowen's eyes lit up and he said, "Uncle, you have a good eye. Boss Wang has an old tradition. Basically, anything that affects the palatability will be removed. He said so himself before."

Through Wang Fan's topic, Jing Chuan quickly integrated into Shen Bowen and his group of young people. The atmosphere was quite good as they ate and chatted. During the conversation, Jing Chuan suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Little brother, do you know that the air-raid shelter vegetable market will open tomorrow?"

Shen Bowen said, "Of course I know. Not only that, I haven't asked my mother to buy groceries these past two days. I'm waiting to fill the refrigerator tomorrow. I'll go with her tomorrow to help bring some popularity to our livelihood project."

Jing Chuan looked at the others, and they all nodded. "I know. Boss Wang not only posted on Weibo, but he's also been promoting it whenever he's free these past two days while selling food. I bet everyone who's been to this market these past two days doesn't know about it."

Jing Chuan's smile suddenly brightened. "Okay, I'm glad you all know. I'll go over there tomorrow if I'm free. Boss Wang is planning to sell Northeastern breakfast there tomorrow. You won't get the chance to eat authentic Northeastern breakfast without leaving Wudu. It's rare."

This was the only condition Wang Fan put forward when Jing Chuan negotiated with him.

As for the endorsement fees and some other things, Wang Fan refused to take any of them.

Jing Chuan was also a straightforward person. Since Wang Fan didn't want any money, he would use the money originally intended for Wang Fan to buy ingredients and give out free breakfast on Saturday.

Jing Chuan originally thought that Wang Fan would agree readily, but he didn't expect Wang Fan to refuse.

"It can't be free. Except for those over 70 years old, everyone else has to pay a fee. This money can be used as supplementary cost for site maintenance. It can also share some of the pressure for those caring businesses."

Jing Chuan blushed a little when he thought of the conversation at that time. He was busy with these things all day long, but he didn't think as much as a young man.

However, he also moved back to Yicheng: "Brother Wang, this is a great idea. I will bring it up again at the meeting. If the customer flow here stabilizes, I will set up an affordable breakfast here. Although the taste of this breakfast may not be comparable to yours, at least it can ensure that these vegetable farmers have a warm meal."

……

Wang Fan got up at two o'clock in the middle of the night.

That's the thing about making breakfast; unless everything is pre-made, you're going to have to get up really early.

He planned to make authentic Northeastern cuisine for breakfast today, but time was limited and he was alone, so he wouldn't have too many options.

Chive boxes, chive and egg buns, fried dough sticks, and large buns soaked in oil are today's dry goods.

Millet porridge and salty tofu pudding are rare commodities today.

Although this number is a lot, the filling of the leek box can be used with the leek and egg bun. Just add more vermicelli to the leek box.

The dough for leek boxes, leek eggs, and big buns can be mixed together. After mixing, just add different ingredients and ferment for different times. It is not too troublesome.

When a truly great chef is cooking, he doesn't need a lot of help. Many things can be done at the same time. He even has enough energy to clean the kitchen utensils, cutting boards, etc. while he is cooking.

After working for more than four hours, Wang Fan finally prepared almost everything.

These are just the prepared raw materials, which need to be made on site after they arrive, otherwise the products will not be able to be sold for long. He has no doubt about tomorrow's customer flow, which is definitely a terrifying number.

The biggest advantage of this air-raid shelter is its convenient transportation. In addition to the subway not far away, the area outside the air-raid shelter is also very spacious. Yesterday, Wang Fan parked the RV directly at the gate, so he didn't have to bother today.

The place doesn't open until 8 o'clock, so Wang Fan can close his eyes and rest for a while. After a good rest, he will face the last tough battle in the foggy city.

(End of this chapter)