Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 178 Fusion Dishes

Shuxiangju Restaurant.

This is a restaurant located in a hutong (traditional alleyway). The restaurant is not large, only about 80 square meters. The tables and chairs are faded from use, and ice crystals have formed in the greasy tile grout.

The temperature inside the restaurant lobby was about the same as outside, making people shiver. A man and a woman, both wearing white chef uniforms, sat against the wall in the lobby.

The man had a square face and thick eyebrows. Underneath his white apron, a faded blue cotton-padded jacket was visible, with the cuffs worn smooth and shiny.

The woman was tall and sturdy, with a thick braid, rubbing her chapped right hand. There were old burn scars on the back of her left hand.

The male chef's name is Han Xianjin. He is Tan Jingya's father's apprentice and one of the chefs she hired.

The woman's name was Yan Hongfang, and she was also a chef hired by Tan Jingya.

A plate of peanuts sat on the square table. Yan Hongfang grabbed a handful and peeled them as she asked, "Old Han, you've got guts. Inviting your new employer to your old employer's restaurant for a tasting? Aren't you afraid people will gossip about you behind your back?"

"What old employer do we have? When the restaurant closed a few days ago, the manager told us that the restaurant might not be able to operate normally next year, and that we should keep our positions and find our own way." Han Xianjin snorted. "I talked to the manager about the food tasting a couple of days ago, and guess what?"

Yan Hongfang was somewhat surprised: "Does your store manager know that you're going to be doing a food tasting at the restaurant?"

"I was just testing him to see if the store could still open next year." Han Xianjin took out a key from his pocket and slammed it on the table. "But he didn't even hesitate before giving me the key."

Han Xianjin's face showed a hint of helplessness: "I'm completely disheartened now. I've worked in a state-run restaurant my whole life, and I never thought I'd end up like this."

Yan Hongfang laughed and said, "How old are you? You're already saying you've worked your whole life? And you're thinking of retiring now? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Han Xianjin smiled and said, "You're right! It doesn't matter who we work for. Jingya is a kind-hearted girl with her own ideas, so she won't let us down." He turned to Yan Hongfang and asked, "What about you? Is your restaurant failing too?"

“In the past two years, new privately owned restaurants have been opening one after another. There are three on our street alone. Our restaurant business has been affected quite a bit,” Yan Hongfang replied.

She only said half of what she wanted to say.

Their restaurant business was indeed affected, but the real reason was that she wanted a change of scenery. Their restaurant also had two chefs; she had joined the restaurant before the other, was more experienced, had good culinary skills, and shared the same responsibilities. So why did the other chef earn 110 yuan a month while she only received 100?

She doesn't resent others earning more than her. If someone is a better cook, more experienced, or has more responsibilities, she accepts that they should earn more.

The problem was that they both had the same job at the restaurant, with no clear hierarchy, yet she ended up earning less than the other person. This made her very uncomfortable, feeling that her abilities were not being recognized.

"Brother Han!" Just then, a voice called out from outside the shop.

Han Xianjin and Yan Hongfang left the restaurant one after the other and saw Tan Jingya riding a tricycle parked at the entrance.

"Jingya is here."

Tan Jingya patted the vegetable basket on the tricycle: "Brother Han, Sister Yan, I brought you some winter vegetables!"

Han Xianjin walked to the tricycle, lifted the cotton quilt covering the vegetable basket, revealing fresh and tender green vegetables inside, including cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, green peppers, lettuce...

Although these dishes have some dents and scratches, they will not affect their use in the short term.

"Good heavens! Jingya, where did you get all these dishes?" Yan Hongfang looked surprised. Although she had heard Tan Jingya mention them before, she still found it unbelievable after seeing them in person.

No one understands the value of these winter vegetables better than the chef.

Tan Jingya replied, "It's through another partner's connections. I invited him to try out the dishes tonight. Since we have time today and some vegetables to test, let's work out a few more dishes. I'll assist you."

Han Xianjin unloaded the vegetable basket from the tricycle and said, "Let's get started. I also brought the seasonings and side dishes. I haven't worked for a few days, so my skills have become rusty. This is a good opportunity to practice."

Tan Jingya and Yan Hongfang helped each other unload another vegetable basket from the tricycle and said, "You two write down a list of what other ingredients we need and I'll go buy them."

……

Six p.m.

Li Zhe and Wang Jianjun arrived at Shuxiangju Restaurant.

As soon as they reached the restaurant entrance, they were greeted by the enticing aroma of food. They had only had a light lunch and were quite hungry.

The two entered the restaurant, where a fireplace had been lit, making it warmer than outside.

Hearing the commotion, Tan Jingya came out from the kitchen: "Boss Li, you've arrived. Please have a seat."

Seeing that Tan Jingya was also wearing a white apron, Li Zhe smiled and said, "Sister Tan, you cooked yourself?"

"No, my cooking skills are nothing special, I just help out." Tan Jingya poured hot water for the two of them and said, "This restaurant has been closed for a while, so please forgive me if there are any shortcomings in our service."

Li Zhe smiled and said, "It's already good enough to have a place to test the dishes. Are both chefs here?" "They're both busy in the kitchen. I'll call them to serve the dishes." Tan Jingya said, then turned and went into the kitchen.

Wang Jianjun glanced around the restaurant and asked in a low voice, "Zhezi, why do you think this restaurant went out of business?"

"Good question." Li Zhe stroked his chin. This was indeed something he needed to figure out, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease once the restaurant opened. "I'll find an opportunity to ask later."

Wang Jianjun nodded.

After chatting for a while, Tan Jingya brought up the first dish: "Mr. Li, this is a modified version of Kung Pao Chicken. Would you like to try it?"

Li Zhe first smelled the aroma; it smelled very good. Then he looked at the ingredients inside: chicken, scallions, diced cucumber, fried peanuts, and some other side dishes.

Li Zhe tasted all the ingredients and nodded, "It tastes good." It was no different from the Kung Pao Chicken that Li Zhe often ate in his later years. He asked, "How did you modify this dish?"

Tan Jingya explained, "The classic Sichuan dish Kung Pao Chicken only contains chicken, fried peanuts, and scallions. We added cucumber to make it more refreshing and suitable for the taste of northerners."

"Oh," Li Zhe replied meaningfully.

Most of the Kung Pao Chicken he ate in his later lives contained cucumber, and some even had carrots. He always thought that Kung Pao Chicken should be like this, but he never imagined that the version he ate in his later lives was a modified one.

Soon the second dish was served: stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers.

The shredded pork was very tender, and the green peppers were crisp. Li Zhe thought it would be perfect with another bowl of rice.

The third dish was braised beef brisket with tomatoes. The beef brisket was tender and flavorful, and the red tomato broth was delicious. Li Zhe thought it would taste even better with rice.

The fourth dish, salt and pepper oyster mushrooms, was golden brown and coated with salt and pepper, crispy and fragrant.

The fifth dish is boiled beef, with spinach at the bottom and beef on top. Hot oil is poured over minced garlic and chili powder, and the aroma is irresistible.

The sixth dish is stir-fried lettuce with black bean dace. This is a quick and easy dish, ready in less than a minute.

The seventh dish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, is not difficult to make and can be done at home, but you might not be able to buy tomatoes.

The eighth dish, stir-fried broccoli with garlic, wasn't particularly delicious. It was marketed as a Western dish, and it wasn't cheap. People were only interested in trying it out of curiosity.

The next four dishes were all classic Sichuan dishes: Mapo Tofu, Sliced ​​Beef and Offal in Chili Sauce, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce. They all tasted very good, at least to Li Zhe, they tasted very authentic.

Wang Jianjun ate with great satisfaction and asked, "Sister Tan, are all these dishes Sichuan cuisine?"

Tan Jingya said, "The last four dishes are all classic Sichuan dishes. The first few dishes are modified versions of the winter vegetables we have. I had thought about opening a classic Sichuan restaurant before, but after thinking about it carefully, I realized that our advantage is winter vegetables, and winter vegetables also make the most money in the restaurant, so why not focus on promoting winter vegetables?"

Tan Jingya pointed to the shredded pork with green peppers on the plate and said, "Take this dish for example. Other restaurants don't have green peppers at all. Customers who want to try something new have to come to our restaurant. We can also make dishes that other Sichuan restaurants have. We have the dishes that others have, and we can also make the dishes that others don't have. As long as the taste is good, customers will naturally choose our restaurant."

Li Zhe concluded, "Are you planning to open a restaurant that mainly serves Sichuan cuisine with some modifications?" A more accurate description would be fusion cuisine, though Li Zhe wasn't sure if that term still existed in this era.

Tan Jingya nodded: "That's right. In the past two years, one or two thousand private restaurants of all sizes have opened in Beijing, and there are quite a few famous Sichuan restaurants. If we want to make a name for ourselves and gain a foothold in Beijing, we need to have our own unique features."

Li Zhe agreed with Tan Jingya's idea and said, "Sister Tan, now that the dishes are ready, let's invite the two chefs out and sit down for a chat."

"Okay." Tan Jingya got up and went to the kitchen.

Only the two brothers remained in the living room.

Li Zhe asked, "Brother, what do you think?"

Wang Jianjun said in a low voice, "It tastes good, but it's a bit spicy."

Li Zhe smiled and said, "Can a restaurant be called a Sichuan restaurant if it's not spicy?"

Tan Jingya invited the two chefs out. Wang Jianjun was somewhat surprised to see that one of them was a female chef. In his mind, chefs were all men; he rarely saw female chefs.

Li Zhe picked up the kettle, poured hot water for the two of them, and then raised his cup: "Thank you both for your hard work and hospitality. I'd like to offer you a toast with water instead of wine."

The two seemed surprised by Li Zhe's politeness. Han Xianjin stood up, holding his water glass, and said, "Mr. Li, you're too kind. This is what we should do."

Yan Hongfang also picked up her water glass and took a sip. Seeing Li Zhe sit down, she sat down as well.

Tan Jingya pointed to the male chef and introduced him: "This is my senior brother Han Xianjin. He made those classic Sichuan dishes. He is also my master's last disciple."

She then pointed to the female chef and introduced her: "This is Chef Yan Hongfang. She made most of these improved dishes. She knows many different cuisines. If you have any ideas for improvement, you can tell her."

Li Zhe nodded, having roughly understood: Han Xianjin had a Sichuan cuisine apprenticeship and was responsible for making classic Sichuan dishes; Yan Hongfang did not have a clear apprenticeship, but could cook a variety of dishes, with fusion cuisine being her main focus.

(End of this chapter)