Chương 60: Garlic Sprouts and Twice-Cooked Pork! Twice-cooked pork!

Twice-cooked pork!

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. Twice-cooked pork is definitely a representative of Sichuan cuisine, and also a representative of Sichuan home-style dishes, known as the "number one dish of Sichuan cuisine." This dish has an extremely strong presence in Sichuan restaurants, and is known as one of the three heroes of Sichuan cuisine, along with Mapo Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken.

He had previously made a series of videos on Sichuan cuisine cooking techniques, which were national intangible cultural heritage, and twice-cooked pork was included in them, so its status in the industry is beyond doubt. In Sichuan, almost every family knows how to make it, and everyone loves to eat it. Boiled cabbage in clear broth is famous, but Zhou Yan had never seen this dish in roadside Sichuan restaurants, nor had he seen anyone make it; it was a high-end banquet dish.

In his family, Aunt Zhao had always firmly controlled the priority of cooking twice-cooked pork. There was no way around it; it was determined by power. However, starting today, this throne will soon welcome its new king—Zhou Yan! More than one customer who came to the restaurant had asked why twice-cooked pork wasn't served, and his answer was always stammering. After all, how embarrassing would it be for someone who runs a Sichuan restaurant to say they can't cook twice-cooked pork?

Starting tomorrow, he can stand tall and tell everyone that he can cook twice-cooked pork too! Zhou Yan loves twice-cooked pork so much! Garlic sprout twice-cooked pork is a traditional method, while the salted vegetable twice-cooked pork has a unique flavor, and green pepper twice-cooked pork is a perfect dish to eat with rice. I wonder which dish is on this recipe, or is it a gift set?

"You guys take a break, I'll go buy a piece of pork belly. Let's change things up for lunch today and celebrate with twice-cooked pork!" Zhou Yan put the enamel mug on the counter, took off his apron, pushed his bicycle, and went out.

"Twice-cooked pork is great, I haven't had it in ages." Zhou Jie smacked his lips, his mouth watering just talking about it, craving that savory meaty flavor, so different from the offal he eats every day. He's the god in charge of twice-cooked pork in their family, but he's too busy running his stall every day and rarely has time to cook it.

"Looks like I'll have to cook this afternoon," Aunt Zhao said with a smile. Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle to the riverbank, not rushing to get on, but first mentally opening the recipe. A flood of information rushed into his mind, and a minute later, his vision cleared. [Garlic Sprout Twice-Cooked Pork: The Ancestor of Twice-Cooked Pork!] From the selection of ingredients to detailed knife skills for creating the perfect "lamp-shaped" wok shape, to the precise control of heat and the perfect seasoning, everything entered his mind. This time, Zhou Yan saw a different scene. A white-haired master chef seemed to be tirelessly teaching him how to cook, while the 'him' in his mind was like someone locked in a small, dark room, endlessly looping "start—fail—start." Zhou Yan shook his head, trying to shake the thought of "Master Chef, I've done it!"

out of his head. It was indeed the most basic garlic sprout twice-cooked pork; just thinking about how to make it made his mouth water. So fragrant! Zhou Yan rode his bicycle to every knife-making stall in Suji Town, asking around until he was almost ready to give up, when he finally found a piece of "second-cut pork." Second- cut pork is essential for twice-cooked pork. It's the cut of meat closest to the hind leg after the tail has been removed, named for the second cut.

"You're lucky, kid. This piece was originally reserved for my in-laws, but they went to Jiaozhou today, so it's back on the market. Two yuan a pound," the old knife-maker said with a smile. [A high-quality piece of local pork second-cut pork]"Okay, I'll take it." Zhou Yan didn't haggle and bought it immediately. The quality of this second-cut pork was truly excellent. It was four parts fat and six parts lean, and it was genuine local pork, raised for at least a year before slaughter.

Why do people born in the 80s and 90s remember pork as so delicious? It's not just childhood nostalgia. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Pigs in those days ate pigweed and bran, and were raised for a full year before slaughter, unlike fast-growing pigs fed commercial feed. The texture and taste of the meat were very distinct. The pork weighed one jin and two liang, costing two yuan and forty cents.

"Grandpa, did you raise this pig yourself?" Zhou Yan asked casually as he handed over the money.

"The butcher slaughters pigs every day, but he doesn't have that many pigs to slaughter at home. They're all pigs raised by farmers in the surrounding villages," the old man said with a smile as he counted the money.

"They all eat pig feed, the meat is very fragrant."

" I run a restaurant near the textile factory. If I buy five jin of pork from you every day, how much discount can you give me per jin?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Five jin every day?" The old man paused, looking at him, and said, "Then your business won't be very good." Zhou Yan: "..." The old man was quite the yin-yang master.

"One yuan and ninety cents, such good pork, I don't have to worry about selling it every day, but if you consistently buy it every day, I'll give you a ten-cent discount," the old man said.

"One yuan and eighty cents a pound. I might need to buy pork hock, ribs, and kidneys from you again soon," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Go ask around, Zhou Erwa Restaurant is now the best-reputed and busiest restaurant around the textile factory."

"One yuan and eighty cents..." The old man pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, what's your name?"

"Zhou Yan."

"My name is Xu Lao Er. I'll save some meat for you tomorrow, still here. Come pick it up."

"I only want good pork, like this piece today is about right," Zhou Yan instructed, taking the meat home. Zhang Lao San was a reliable pork supplier, but nowadays butchers usually only sell one side of pork, and the second cut only yields about five or six pounds. One serving of twice-cooked pork requires half a pound of second cut meat. Even if Zhang Lao San saved second cut meat for him every day, it would only be enough for eleven or twelve servings.

Zhou Yan planned to price the twice-cooked pork at one yuan and sixty cents, the same price as braised pork ribs, because their costs were similar. If it exceeded one yuan, he would only make fifty cents per serving, very conscientious. But twice-cooked pork is different from braised pork ribs; this is a best-selling dish. In this day and age, who doesn't love the feeling of biting into a mouthful of juicy goodness? Even at 1. 6 yuan a serving, Zhou Yan expects it to sell well.

So he ordered five jin of pork belly from Xu Lao Er, and had previously ordered five jin from Zhang Lao San as well. He'll prepare twenty servings of twice-cooked pork tomorrow and go all out. If the cooperation with Xu Lao Er goes well, it's like adding a key pork supplier. If Zhang Lao San isn't slaughtering pigs, he won't be in a rush to find a substitute. On the way, Zhou Yan bought a bunch of green garlic sprouts.

Garlic sprouts are cheaper now, only 12 cents a jin, so a bunch costs 10 cents, enough for several servings of twice-cooked pork. When he passed the supply and marketing cooperative, he went in and bought a jar of sweet bean sauce.

"You went half an hour to buy some meat? Did you go all the way to Jiaozhou to buy it?" Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle into the restaurant, and Zhou Jie laughed.

"I had to ask all the butchers in Suji before I could find this piece of second-grade pork. It's really good." Zhou Yan parked the car, took the piece of meat off the handlebars, and showed it off with some pride.

"If you don't have spare cuts of pork, just use pork belly. It's the same thing." Zhou Jie said, somewhat puzzled.

"Exactly, pork belly smells just as good." Aunt Zhao chimed in, reaching for the meat from Zhou Yan's hands.

"I'll cook it. It's one of my specialties."

"My skills are pretty good too. How about I let you try my twice-cooked pork today?" Zhou Jie said eagerly.

"Using pork belly isn't authentic at all. You're wrong from the very beginning." Zhou Yan put the meat back and walked towards the kitchen with a smile.

"I'll make you twice-cooked pork today. I'll show you what authentic garlic sprout twice-cooked pork is like." (End of Chapter)