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

Chapter 632 - Potatoes and Eggplant Stew, the Old Man is Stuffed to Death

"Boss Wang, we are your loyal fans and we really want to try your delicious food. But we were too tired after the first day to get up so early. By the time we woke up, the line was almost stretched from Central Avenue to Renmin Avenue."

"Yeah, yeah, every day I fall asleep as soon as I get back to the hotel and can't wake up before 10 o'clock."

"We're going back to the South the day after tomorrow. Can you bear to see us return disappointed?"

The Culture and Tourism Bureau can just sit back and relax, but Wang Fan can't. He has flesh and blood on his hands, and since people are asking him for help, he can't pretend not to see it.

It has to be said that these little southern princesses are really willing to spend money. Last year they spent 60 billion in three days, and this year's spending is expected to be higher, not lower. Just look at the tigers in the zoo, they have been fed so much that they have become as small as dwarf cats, and they have no desire for fresh meat when they are fed to them.

Although they enjoy good treatment, the real money is left here, not to mention that they are their own fans.

It's just a fact that I'm not always at home, so it's normal for local friends to want to taste the food I cook. We all have our own flesh and blood, so I definitely can't favor one over the other.

We have to take care of both sides, so naturally we can only find a way from ourselves. As long as we can serve food fast enough and in large enough quantities, we can naturally take care of more diners.

Once this premise is determined, it will be much easier to find dishes that meet this premise.

Wang Fan had already decided what to do without even thinking about it.

Northeastern cuisine is mainly stewed, and many dishes are very easy to make. If the ingredients are further simplified, it will also be easy to make. Potato stewed with eggplant stands out.

"Potatoes and eggplants are so bad that they'll make the old man die of stuffiness."

"Nuo" means stew, which is a northern dialect. The reason why this saying has been passed down is naturally because this dish is really powerful.

The ingredients used are just potatoes and eggplants. If conditions permit, you can also add some pork belly. It will be as easy as possible.

Thinking of potatoes, the scene of everyone peeling potatoes when making braised dishes at the beginning of the year seems to be still vivid in my mind.

But now he doesn't need to go through so much trouble. Technology is developing at a rapid pace, and things like peeling potatoes can be left to the power of technology.

My second uncle can also braise some vegetarian dishes. In order to make it easier, he bought a potato peeler a long time ago. He just pours 100 kilograms of potatoes into it and can peel them cleanly in two minutes.

Wang Fan was not vague either. He directly ordered 3000 kilograms of potatoes, 3000 kilograms of eggplants, and 1000 kilograms of pork belly. The plastic baskets filled with vegetables were piled high outside his second uncle's shop.

Second Uncle was watching the fun with a smile on his face. The owner of the fried chicken racks nearby said to Second Uncle in surprise, "Wow, you bought all the vegetables you need for the whole winter! I think there are only potatoes and eggplants?"

Second uncle chuckled: "What do you mean by a whole winter's worth of food? This is what we'll use today."

"What the hell? You said this is the amount you need for a day? Uncle, don't lie to me!"

The fried chicken stand owner's face was filled with shock and deep disbelief: "Who can sell so many vegetables in a day?"

The owner of another milk tea shop was already envious: "It's impossible for others, but even for Second Uncle's eldest nephew? Have you forgotten where that team went yesterday?"

The fried chicken stand owner thought about the huge crowds yesterday and couldn't help but sigh: "Yeah, if there were this many people lining up in my shop, I would wake up laughing in my dreams even for a day."

The milk tea shop owner was a little disappointed: "Tsk tsk, I wanted to buy one to try yesterday, but I couldn't even get in line. Uncle, tell me the truth, is your Xiao Wang's cooking skills really that good?"

Second Uncle snorted softly, "Of course! The customers' reactions are the best answer. If it weren't delicious, how could we have so many repeat customers? Take my braised meat shop, for example. Isn't it because of the spices my eldest nephew mixes that it sells so well?"

The fried chicken rack owner suddenly became cheerful: "That's right, my business has improved a lot since my second uncle opened the braised meat shop. Many people buy fried chicken racks from me after buying braised meat. If it weren't for my second uncle, I would have quit by the middle of the year."

Second Uncle and a few others were chatting, while Wang Fan was arranging the labor.

This dish does not require any technical skills in terms of ingredient preparation, so he did not ask anyone else for help. Liu Zhaofeng and Liu Hehe were able to do it very smoothly.

The two of them don't want money, and they won't do it if you pay them. They only have one request, which is to make an extra portion for the New Year's Eve dinner, right?
There are only three people on Wang Fan's side. If half of the dishes cooked in the pot are distributed, it will be enough for the three of them to eat. Naturally, there is no problem with this request.

"Just cut the potatoes like this with a knife and then cut them into irregular shapes like this. Tear the eggplants by hand, not too big or too small."

Wang Fan spoke as he demonstrated.

He pressed the kitchen knife against the peeled potato, then tilted the blade, and with a soft "click" sound, he removed a piece of the potato. "The size doesn't matter, just be careful not to hurt your hands. If that doesn't work, you can use a spoon."

Then pick up the eggplant, break it a few times and pull it into pieces. It’s as easy as it can be.

Liu Hehe patted his chest confidently and said, "This kind of work is no problem at all. It's too easy. Brother Wang, just leave it to me. You take care of the potatoes, and I'll take care of the eggplants."

Liu Zhaofeng nodded: "Sister, your strength in breaking eggplants is really a waste of talent."

Thinking of the strength with which Liu Hehe twisted him, he felt that these eggplants were really unlucky. At the same time, he also hoped that there would be a brave man who could kidnap his sister and save him from the dire situation.

While the brother and sister were busy, Wang Fan was not idle either. Cutting the pork belly into pieces as wide and thick as a thumb was also a laborious task. Zhuo Qianqian washed the rice and steamed it.

But today is still a little different from before.

That is, among the original group of big frozen pears, there were also many little princesses. In order to get a bite of delicious food, these people really tried their best and actually dragged their tired bodies to get up early to line up.

Who isn't a little greedy girl!

At this moment, Wang Fan, together with his second uncle and several neighboring store managers, had moved out the big pot that he had kept in the bottom of the box.

With the caliber of this big pot, it is more than enough to stew a big goose, a big crocodile or even yourself.

If you want greater power, you have to increase the caliber. This is an old Chinese tradition.

"Wow, what a big pot."

"Anyone who takes on this blame will never be able to turn things around in his life."

“This is real iron pot stew!”

"Isn't this pot enough for 500 people?"

"I'm afraid we won't have enough to eat, so it has to be Boss Wang."

A larger pot requires a higher fire, but fortunately this dish is basically cooked over low heat, so the requirements are not outrageously high.

After cleaning the pot, a large bowl of lard was poured into the pot. Along with the unique aroma of oil, the freshly cut pork belly was poured into it.

The next thing to appear was the shovel that Wang Fan hadn’t used for a long time!

Cooking, which was originally a delicate job, suddenly became a physical job.

When the pork belly is stir-fried in lard, it quickly releases more lard. When the burnt edges begin to appear, the already rich and tempting meat aroma quietly undergoes a qualitative change.

The smell of stir-fried raw meat is far from comparable to that of cooked meat that has already undergone the Maillard reaction. Add a handful of star anise, a pot of chopped green onions, a bucket of Northeastern soybean paste, and light and dark soy sauce to the wok and sauté until fragrant.

"Put the eggplant first and the potato later. Ten bowls of rice won't be enough."

Not long after the eggplants of different sizes are put into the pot, the fat in the pot is almost absorbed. However, when the eggplants begin to become soft, some of the absorbed fat will be released again.

Put the potatoes in, pour them in one pot at a time, stir them, and then cover the lid and it's done. The main feature is a bohemian, rough and bold character.

One pot is naturally not his limit. He can use two pots to stew alternately after a period of time and cannot stop at all.

The vast majority of Northeastern dishes are very hardcore, which can also be understood as bold and unrefined. Northeastern dishes such as sweet and sour pork, snow-covered bean paste, and candied silk series, which are heavily influenced by braised dishes or southern cuisine, are often excluded from the hardcore category because they are too refined.

Although this potato and eggplant stew is very soft, it is still one of the representative hard dishes because of its strong ability to go well with rice.

Both eggplant and potato are ingredients with light smell, but when stewed with the aroma of meat, the rich flavor becomes irresistible.

During the stewing process, eggplant will emit a unique aroma. This unique fragrance mixed with the meat aroma can make the layers of meat aroma extremely rich and can also neutralize the slight greasiness.

The smell of the potatoes added later sublimated the entire rich aroma.

The Northeast, located between 42 degrees and 53 degrees 34 minutes north latitude, is the coldest natural area in China, and the land is extremely fertile. The potatoes grown here have a more delicate taste, a softer texture, and a richer aroma.

The rich aroma of potatoes wafts in the biting cold wind, and the fragrance is as warm and sweet as a ray of sunshine.

The ingredients really speak for themselves.

When they smelled this scent, not only did Wang Fan know that the potatoes were ripe, but others also smelled it.

When the lid of the pot was opened, the rich aroma in the pot quickly spread around, and everyone couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fragrant steam again.

Wang Fan was not in a hurry to serve the food in the pot. Instead, he sprinkled a large bowl of chopped green onions into the pot, and then sprinkled half a bowl of salt.

Pick up a large spade and, while stirring the pot, use the spade head to crush the potatoes in the pot.

At this time, the potatoes had become extremely soft, and the golden color had been dyed red by the soup. With a push of the shovel, the originally large pieces instantly fell apart.

The eggplants had already been stewed until soft and mushy, and the crushed potato paste had quietly blended into the eggplant puree. The starch contained in the potatoes had also melted into the soup, making this pot of potato and eggplant stew appear a bit sticky.

But it was precisely because of this sticky feeling that the people from Northeast China waiting in line couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

This pot of dish is really not good-looking, but all Northeastern people know that a good-looking stewed potato and eggplant must be soulless!
Restaurants pay attention to the presentation of this dish. Generally, the eggplants and potatoes are cut into regular shapes, and the heat is deliberately reduced during stewing to prevent the potatoes and eggplants from becoming too mushy. However, this also causes the dish to lose its most crucial taste.

"Oh my goodness, how delicious would it be if it was all mushed up like this and eaten with rice?"

"For this kind of situation, I need to start with at least three bowls of rice."

"Dude, you don't have a good appetite. I need at least 5 bowls."

"Dude, you're almost there. I need 8 bowls."

"I just managed to fill my teeth with stuff after eating 10 bowls."

"Don't brag, we'll eat here in a while, whoever eats the least will be the puppy."

Wang Fan had already put up the sign with the changed prices. The price was 15 yuan per portion and 1 yuan for all-you-can-eat. It could be said to be good value for money no matter what.

The main thing is that the portion of this bowl is really huge!

The big bowl was as big as a human head. Half a bowl of rice was put in it, and a big spoonful of stewed potatoes and eggplant was added to cover it. The big bowl was almost bulging.

Chen Luoluo was a little disappointed.

I got up early just to eat the delicious food made by Boss Wang, but the big bowl of sticky, black food in front of me didn't seem to be delicious at all.

This is not only inferior to the previous snow-capped quicksand, but even the big bones from yesterday are not as good as it!

Her companion Luo Tiantian felt the same way.

The two looked at the huge bowl in front of them and felt like they had no idea where to start.

Chen Luoluo said with some regret, "We can't even finish one portion between the two of us, so buying two is really a waste."

Luo Tiantian touched her stomach and said, "I don't think I can finish even half of it."

It’s not that she wasn’t hungry, she just felt that she was not worthy enough to enjoy it.

"You don't know how to eat this? Just use a spoon to mix the potatoes and eggplants together with the rice, then don't hesitate to scoop a big spoonful and put it directly into your mouth."

Liu Zhaofeng just came out with a big bowl of potato cubes. Seeing these two people who looked like they were from the south staring at the big bowl, he thought they would not eat this kind of food, so he smiled and reminded them.

"Um...thank you."

Chen Luoluo and Luo Tiantian smiled a little awkwardly. They were still a little uncomfortable with the familiarity and enthusiasm of the people from Northeast China.

The two looked at each other and sighed helplessly.

Now that you're here, hey.

He picked up the spoon and stirred the bowl listlessly with it. The dish, which was originally a little black, was not so dark after being mixed with the rice, and became a little red.

Not to mention, the redder skin seems to have a little appetite.

I scooped half a spoonful of rice with a spoon and smelled it. The rich aroma was inversely proportional to its appearance.

Apart from a piece of reddish-brown pork belly on the spoon, the potatoes and eggplants were basically indistinguishable from each other. They were attached to the rice grains, making them appear oily and smooth.

Apart from anything else, the rice in Northeast China is really delicious. The two decided to carry two five-pound bags of rice when they return.

The rice was already at their mouths, so they stopped hesitating and took half a spoonful of it with their mouths.

"Ok?"

The moment the rice entered their mouths, their already big eyes widened even wider, as if something incredible had happened.

(End of this chapter)