The first shop near the factory gate had a stove built outside, but he didn't know what they were cooking. There was a small square table set up in front of the door, so it looked like they also sold braised meat.
The items they made were a bit of a mixed bag.
He Zhiyuan has traveled to many places, his footprints covering Sichuan.
He had seen far too many restaurants like this near large factories, and found it hard to muster any interest.
Generally, restaurant owners like this have some kind of nepotistic relationship with factory leaders to get such good locations.
As for the taste of the food, it was basically indescribable.
He used to never even step inside a restaurant like this.
But Huang Chen brought him here today, so he'll keep it to himself for now.
A good brother recommends a restaurant to him like it's a treasure; he should at least try it before criticizing it, otherwise it seems unprofessional.
They arrived at the perfect time, just as the factory was closing. A stream of textile factory workers' bicycles poured out of the factory gate, and the three of them quickly moved aside to let them pass.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the braised meat stall was already surrounded by workers, and many customers were parking their bicycles and heading inside.
"Business is so good?" He Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised. He parked his bicycle, pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, and joined the crowd around the braised meat stall.
"Editor-in-Chief He..." Xiao Li hesitated whether to go with him, but Huang Chen stopped him and said with a smile, "Don't worry about him, he just loves watching how other people cook. Let's go and grab a seat first, or we'll have to wait for a table if we're late."
"Okay." Xiao Li readily agreed and followed Huang Chen into the restaurant.
"Boss, one pig's ear!"
"Three liang of pig's head meat!"
"One pig's snout, and three liang of pig's head meat!"
Customers rushed to order food, as if afraid that someone else would beat them to it, which made He Zhiyuan even more curious about what was so appealing about this braised pig's head.
He Zhiyuan stepped aside to let a customer who had just received the braised food come out, then squeezed in a step to the square table.
The winnowing basket on the table was piled high with pig ears, pig snouts, and strips of pig head meat, all bright red and glistening with oil, creating a visually striking display.
The caramel color was incredibly tempting; in his experience, this braised meat was guaranteed to be excellent!
Moreover, the owner was quite clever; he used a relatively small winnowing basket to fill it to the brim with braised meat.
As the saying goes, goods sell best when they're piled up. The more goods piled up, the more willing customers are to buy, giving them a sense of abundance and freshness.
If you spread it out in a big winnowing basket, you won't feel this way anymore.
Of course, there was a lot of meat, at least six or seven pig heads, weighing several dozen jin. If it could be sold out by the time the factory closed, the business would definitely be booming.
Pig's head meat sells for 2.5 yuan, while pig's ears and snouts sell for 3 yuan per jin (500g). The prices aren't cheap; several well-known braised food shops in Rongcheng sell at roughly the same price.
In the towns and villages of Jiazhou, the fact that customers are still crowding around to buy at these prices speaks volumes.
He Zhiyuan watched for a while, then his mouth dropped open in astonishment.
The chef slicing braised meat was incredibly precise. He could cut the exact amount of meat a customer wanted with a single stroke, without the slightest error.
His hands were practically like a scale.
Then watch him slice the pig's ear. His knife moved with lightning speed, the slices falling thinly, almost translucent, each one perfectly uniform in thickness.
Fast, precise, and steady!
This knife skill is comparable to the best chopping board operator in the kitchen of Rongcheng Grand Restaurant.
The sliced ear was neatly packed in an oil paper bag and handed to the customer. A few moments later, he was already slicing pig's head for the next customer.
His speed and skill were so impressive that the customers weren't bored at all. They watched with great interest, some even discussing when a weight error might occur.
He Zhiyuan never imagined that this small restaurant had such a skilled cold dish chef!
However, his gaze was quickly drawn to the large stove behind the chef. The pot was simmering with what appeared to be beef broth, and the aroma wafted over with the steam. Upon closer inspection, the meat was incredibly fragrant, with absolutely no gamey smell.
Several lines of text were written on the front of the stove.
"Cross-legged Beef? That's an interesting name…" He Zhiyuan continued reading, his interest growing.
This stove was actually a signboard, not only displaying the dish's name but also briefly recounting its origins.
The handwriting was good, and the story was well-written.
According to this, Cross-legged Beef could be considered a local specialty of Suji.
Zhou Village, where cattle are slaughtered. Huang Chen mentioned this village to him when he came to Suji last time. A lot of the beef in the Jiazhou area is slaughtered here and transported to the market for sale. The history of slaughtering cattle is long.
As the deputy editor-in-chief of a food magazine, he was different from the average gourmet. He not only loved to eat, but also enjoyed uncovering the stories behind a dish.
This small restaurant told the story of Cross-legged Beef exceptionally well.
It included the origin of the dish, its historical background, and its development and inheritance.
In just over a hundred words, the history and origins of this dish are clearly explained.
Clear broth beef, a medicinal dish, is said to dispel cold and dampness, and the soup is fresh and delicious.
But this "Cross-legged Beef" is truly something else!
He Zhiyuan stopped squeezing through the crowd at the braised meat stall, quickly exclaimed "Excuse me!" and pushed his way through the throng. He saw Huang Chen and Xiao Li already sitting inside, waving at him.
He waved to indicate he saw them, but didn't rush over. Instead, he approached the large pot.
The pot still contained about half the broth, clear and glistening with oil. He could see the broken beef bones at the bottom, and it was simmering gently.
Standing in front the pot was a middle-aged woman with a kind smile. She held a bamboo strainer in one hand, adding cabbage, beef intestines, beef tendon, and tripe into it.
Just before it was done cooking, she tossed six thinly sliced pieces of sirloin into the strainer, blanching them for a few seconds until the meat turned from red to pink. She immediately lifted the strainer from the soup pot, poured it into an earthenware bowl, and then ladled a spoonful of rich broth into the bowl. This completes one serving of "Cross-legged Beef."
The dish was ready quickly, and the bowl contained a good amount of meat: offal, beef tendon, and beef.
Zhao Tieying had noticed He Zhiyuan long ago. He was chubby, wore glasses, and stood in front of the stove, glancing around as she made cross-legged beef. She was a little wary, but still smiled and said, "Why don't you sit inside to eat? There are two empty tables."
"No rush, no rush." He Zhiyuan waved his hand and asked with a smile, "Miss, did you make this cross-legged beef? The soup smells so good. Can you tell me what spices and Chinese herbs you put in it? Was the soup really simmered for eight hours? Did you have any special tips when you were blanching the side dishes?"
Zhao Tieying's smile vanished, her eyes sharpening as she stared at He Zhiyuan coldly. "You bespectacled guy, who sent you as a spy?"
"I could tell you weren't a good person just now. You stared at me making cross-legged beef, and then you dared to ask me all sorts of questions!"
"Peering into the stove to watch the ingredients being cooked—stealing oil and fire!"
"What? You want to steal the skills?!"
"Believe it or not, I'll shovel you!"
He Zhiyuan, seeing Zhao Tieying raise her bamboo stainer, took two steps back in fright, his glasses falling down to the tip of his nose.
This woman is a real shrew!
Zhou Miao, who was cutting braised meat outside, turned around upon hearing the commotion, staring at He Zhiyuan, his grip on his cleaver tightening.
The customers all looked over, wondering what was going on.
"Comrade, you've misunderstood!" He Zhiyuan quickly waved his hand, not expecting such a misunderstanding.
"Comrade Zhao Tieying, this is my friend." Seeing this, Huang Chen quickly stood up and walked over, putting a hand on He Zhiyuan's shoulder and introducing him with a smile, "This is Comrade He Zhiyuan, the deputy editor-in-chief of 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine. He's not a chef, nor is he here to steal recipes; he writes articles."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieying quickly put the bamboo strainer back into the soup pot, smiling somewhat awkwardly, "Oh, he's Mayor Huang's friend. I misunderstood. I'm sorry, comrade."
Yesterday, Mayor Huang said he was going to treat his friends to a meal at their restaurant and ordered some dishes. Today, she almost beat one of his friends up, mistaking him for a culinary thief! How embarrassing!
What kind of magazine's deputy editor-in-chief is he, a cultured writer… Will he write articles criticizing her everyday after he gets back?
Zhou Miao silently turned back and continued cutting the pig's head.
"It's alright, it's alright. I was too abrupt and didn't introduce myself beforehand." He Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses, not annoyed at all.
This wasn't the first time he'd encountered this situation. He'd even been chased for three blocks by a chef wielding a cleaver, but being threatened with a bamboo strainer was nothing compared to this.
After all, in the culinary world, his way of asking questions has always been rather provocative, and he was used to it.
Besides, chefs have apprenticeships and secret recipes; they're not willing to share everything.
But as the deputy editor-in-chief of a food magazine, he loved asking readers questions they wanted to know.
Forget everything else, just ask first.
Perhaps some chefs are generous and willing to share, which would be a contribution to the preservation of Sichuan cuisine.
He personally getting a few scoldings is nothing.
The readers of "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine include not only cooking enthusiasts and housewives, but also many chefs who want to learn knowledge and skills from their excellent colleagues.
The magazine was founded to explore Sichuan culinary culture, delve into culinary theories, exchange Sichuan cooking techniques, introduce local delicacies, and provide industry information.
Simply introducing delicious dishes without discussing their origins or cooking methods is ultimately lacking.
"Comrade Zhao, just serve us the dishes I ordered yesterday." Huang Chen said, pulling He Zhiyuan back to his seat, grinning from ear to ear.
"What are you laughing at? Don't I have any pride?" He Zhiyuan sat down, also unable to suppress a laugh.
Huang Chen smiled and said, "You're too impatient. If you have any questions, wait until you've finished eating. I'll take you over and introduce you first, then you can ask. Even if they don't want to answer, they won't resort to violence."
"You don't understand, this cross-legged beef looks really good, I couldn't help but ask." He Zhiyuan's eyes darted around the restaurant.
The restaurant was quite spacious, with nineteen tables but it didn't feel crowded. Every table was occupied, and there was even a line outside waiting to eat. For a small town, this kind of business was very good.
The restaurant had eight people table with long benches, and the floor was covered with a layer of cement mortar. The table and benches were wiped clean and there was not a trace of oil stains. It wasn't decorated, but it looked clean and tidy, better than 99% of small rural restaurants.
"What did you order?" He Zhiyuan's gaze fell on the menu wall. The menu was quite simple.
"Cross-legged beef, twice-cooked pork, double pepper minced beef, braised pig's ears, cold chicken dish, four dishes and a soup." Huang Chen said.
"That's too much for three people. I see the portions here are huge." He Zhiyuan said, shaking his head.
"If you can't finish it, pack the cold dishes to take home. Since you're already here, I wanted you to try a couple more dishes." Huang Chen said with a smile, opening the liquor first.
While they were talking, the cross-legged beef served first.
Three dry dipping sauces, three small bowls for soup, and a dish of pickled radishes were served.
"The cross-legged beef is here! I'll try the soup first!" He Zhiyuan immediately sat up straight and picked up a spoon to ladle some soup for himself.
This cross-legged beef was the most interesting dish on the menu for him!
"Sichuan Cuisine Magazine?" In the kitchen, Zhou Yan watched He Zhiyuan, who was drinking soup from his bowl, and seemed thoughtful.
If it could be published in a magazine, it would probably have a good effect on increasing the restaurant's visibility, right?
In this era, magazines are a medium with considerable reach!