Rebirth 07: Starting with Saving a Bankrupt Restaurant

However, I really can't think of anything suitable as a cold dish right now.

Zhou Wen clapped his hands: "I've got it!"

Zhou Wen wasn't thinking of any regional delicacies, but rather a popular internet-famous dish that only gradually gained popularity in later generations: fried chicken skin.

This dish may sound inferior to other delicacies, but if prepared well, it can taste just as good.

However, back in 07, the market only sold frozen chicken skin, so it was still a bit troublesome to buy a large quantity of fresh chicken skin.

They can only go to designated local chicken slaughterhouses or large live poultry wholesale markets for on-site slaughter and pickup.

There are some differences, to be honest.

At a slaughterhouse, you might need to buy in large quantities at once. At a live poultry wholesale market, you can choose the chicken skin and buy in smaller quantities, but it might be more expensive.

The live poultry market was some distance from the restaurant, so Zhou Wen rode his bicycle toward his destination.

Upon entering the live poultry market, Zhou Wen was immediately struck by the stench of poultry. He shook his head.

Fresh chicken skin costs about two to three yuan per pound.

There wasn't much to negotiate. After paying and taking the goods, Zhou Wen quickly hung the chicken skins he bought on the handlebars of his bicycle, straddled it, and pedaled away from the market.

The main problem is the strong smell from the live poultry market.

……

"Fried chicken skin?" Shi Ying was a little confused for a moment.

When Shi Ying arrived at the restaurant, she saw Zhou Wen processing chicken skin.

After asking around, I learned that my boss wanted to make a dish with chicken skin.

"Boss, do you make a dish out of chicken skin on your own?" Shi Ying thought she had misheard. Chicken skin could be made into a dish on its own?

"Hmm." Zhou Wen focused on preparing the chicken skin: "Fried chicken skin, you'll know once you try it."

Shi Ying didn't ask any more questions. She naturally trusted her boss's cooking skills and then started processing the chicken skin together.

Although it had already been treated at the market, there were still some areas where the hair wasn't completely removed, so it needed to be treated again.

Processing chicken skin is indeed a bit troublesome; you need to carefully examine it with tweezers before plucking out the feathers.

About twenty minutes later, after the chicken skin was processed, it was washed again carefully.

After washing and draining the chicken skin, marinate the prepared and chopped chicken skin.

Pour in sesame oil, cooking wine, and pepper, then stir well.

Next, you need to prepare a batter. Pour some cornstarch and flour into a bowl, mix them together, and add a little baking powder to make it fluffier.

After adding water and stirring, it should have a yogurt-like consistency.

The marinated chicken skin is then placed in the prepared batter and thoroughly coated before being placed in the pot.

Soon, a "buzzing" sound began to ring out.

Zhou Wen kept using a strainer to scoop up the chicken skin, afraid that the skin would absorb too much oil and become greasy after just a few bites.

When they are almost done frying, shake off the excess oil.

Zhou Wen first tasted a piece of chicken on its own, and the skin crumbled with a gentle bite.

Because the chicken skin had already been marinated, it already had a certain flavor, mostly from the marinade spices, and partly from the natural aroma of the chicken skin itself.

"Is it good, boss?" Shi Ying asked curiously. Although she could smell the aroma of the chicken skin, it was indeed a bit hard to eat if it was taken out of context.

Just like the beef heart from before, but this is a bit harder for Shi Ying to accept, even though the shape and color are quite good after frying.

Zhou Wen smiled and said, "When has anything I've ever made tasted bad?"

Shi Ying carefully picked up a piece of chicken skin with her fingers, first sniffed it in front of her nose, and found that it did smell really good.

Then, place one end of the chicken skin near your mouth, gently touch it with your teeth, and the fried chicken skin will make a "crunch" sound, just like a potato chip.

After finishing one piece, Shi Ying ate another.

"How are you feeling?"

Shi Ying nodded and said, "This is like a small snack."

Zhou Wen nodded: "I'll adjust the flavor a bit more."

After saying that, Zhou Wen added some cumin powder and white sesame seeds to the chicken skin, and then, holding an iron basin, he stirred the seasonings evenly like flipping a wok.

"Let's try again now."

"Okay." Shi Ying tried again with a piece of fried chicken skin that had been seasoned.

Then came a pleasant surprise. If the initial chicken skin was just a pleasant surprise for Shi Ying, then the seasoned chicken skin was a delightful delight.

Zhou Wen put the chicken skin into the small basket where he had previously put the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

"You can also try the condiments on the tables outside, such as chili peppers, pepper powder, or sugar."

Shi Ying took the basket of fried chicken skins, nodded, and went to the front hall to try it out as Zhou Wen had suggested.

What she most wanted to try was chili peppers, so Shi Ying took a small dish from the kitchen.

Then, he scooped two spoonfuls of chili into the dish, picked up a piece of chicken skin, dipped it in the chili, and put it in his mouth.

Shi Ying raised an eyebrow; the chicken skin dipped in chili definitely tasted different.

The boss was absolutely right; each chicken skin tastes different depending on the seasoning you dip it in.

Just like a potato chip that comes in many different flavors.

Shi Ying tried all the seasonings on the table.

But when it comes to so many different flavors of chicken skin, Shih Ying's favorite is the chicken skin dipped in chili sauce.

……

When Shan Wei arrived at the store, Shi Ying let him try the fried chicken skin as well.

"What is this?" Shan Wei asked, looking at the deep-fried chicken skin.

"Goosebumps," Shi Ying said truthfully.

"Chicken skin? The boss made a separate chicken skin?" Shan Wei confirmed.

Shi Ying nodded and said, "Try it, it tastes pretty good, just like a snack, you can't stop eating it."

"You can try this chicken skin without any seasoning first."

Dan Wei nodded, and then, following Shi Ying's advice, he first tried a piece of chicken skin without any seasoning.

It has a crispy texture and becomes more fragrant the more you chew it.

good to eat.

Dan Wei truly didn't expect that the fried chicken skin would be so delicious.

"Try these seasonings too. This one was made by the owner himself. And you can also try the chili oil and other things on this table. They all taste pretty good."

"Then I'll try the one with the owner's own seasoning first."

The seasoned flavor tastes very different from the original flavor.

Shan Wei couldn't help but nod.

After that, I tasted all the seasonings on the table one by one, and finally found that the best-tasting seasoning was the one made by my own boss.

Shi Ying likes spicy food, so chicken skin dipped in chili sauce is her favorite.

Zhou Wenye came out of the kitchen: "How is it? The chicken skin tastes alright, right?"