"I think the flavor of the red box is richer, but the texture of the transparent box is better."
The judge sitting on the edge said earnestly, already knowing who made the two portions of twice-cooked pork.
"Not bad, hard to judge, each has its rits! Who would have thought that Boss Lu’s brother had such great skills."
"Looks like that young man was right, if only we judge, it would indeed be biased. Why not let the custors decide!"
The three judges already had an answer in mind.
Obviously, the twice-cooked pork in the transparent box must have been made by Boss Lu’s chef. There’s slightly more grease at the bottom of the box, and it has a strong wok fragrance, typical of a big restaurant’s kitchen.
Conversely, the red box has less grease. It’s clear that before stir-frying, the at was carefully seared for a mont, resulting in slightly less flavor but much better texture.
If one had to say which is more delicious, it would be a bit difficult.
Lu Yingqiu brought out several more portions, but received a sign from Lu the Second inside, saying they couldn’t go on like this, or they wouldn’t have an answer even by nightfall!
Lu Yingqiu placed the two portions of twice-cooked pork on the table. When it was ti for custors to purchase, each would first try a slice from the two portions.
"Tsk...is there a difference?" The custor in line thought for a mont, "Then I’ll buy a red box!"
"The transparent one is tastier, it’s fattier, and I love fatty. Give that one!"
This way, the efficiency indeed increased a lot. Lu Yingqiu quietly kept track of the numbers, feeling a bit uneasy.
Why does it feel like it’s fifty-fifty?
Basically, sell two red boxes, then also sell two transparent boxes, with no obvious difference.
The three judges sitting at the table weren’t much use at the mont. One of them stood up to stretch, "I think perhaps we should give up our seats to everyone and go for a walk, it’s my first ti in Hanyang."
Saying that, the judge turned to look, "Eh?" He noticed the young guy in the food cart, if not mistaken, this young man seed to be brought back by Boss Lu’s niece...a friend? Or a classmate? Anyway, young people like to say that.
"What are you planning to do?"
Above the food cart’s display window were four strips of pork belly hanging. All three judges were gourt enthusiasts, imdiately recognizing these four pieces as premium cuts of pork belly.
"If it’s pork belly, it’s mostly likely for braised pork. But have you ever seen soone selling braised pork at a stall?"
"Never seen it. Maybe they’re making sothing else, like stuffed pancakes or sothing."
The three of them stood up and moved to the front of the food cart because these four pieces were just too beautiful.
Describing a piece of raw at as beautiful might seem odd, but in fact, such at does exist.
It’s very evenly layered, one layer of fat, one layer of lean, three layers in total. The final layer is pork skin, an exquisite balance of fat and lean embodied in these three cuts!
Chen Mo used a blowtorch to sear all the pork skin, then lightly scraped off the blackened layer with the Black Blade, then rinsed it.
After repeating this process three tis, the pork skin was thoroughly cleaned and had turned a toasty yellow.
Jia Zhijun, one of the three judges, couldn’t help but ask softly after glancing at the Chinese characters on the front of the cart, "Boss, is your last na Chen?"
Chen Mo lifted his eyelids, "Yes, why?"
"Boss Chen, what are you planning to make with such high-quality pork belly?"
For true food lovers, it’s not just about loving to eat; often, seeing excellent ingredients sparks a sense of possessiveness!
These people tend to overspend while grocery shopping.
To Jia Zhijun, such beautiful pork belly must be made into sothing top-notch, regardless of what it is!
Chen Mo replied, "Twice-cooked pork."
Jia Zhijun: ???
The other two judges also appeared a bit bewildered.
"Twice-cooked pork?" said Jia Zhijun, seeing Chen Mo nod, and imdiately added, "Boss Chen, I personally suggest using this pork belly for braised pork! Such good at, it’s a waste to make twice-cooked pork!"
"Why?" Chen Mo chatted while continuing his work.
He added water to the black pot along with scallions, ginger, Sichuan pepper, and a dash of cooking wine.
This is a classic thod for removing odors; even a kitchen novice knows these items usually do the job.
Seeing Chen Mo about to put the pork belly into the pot, Jia Zhijun got a bit anxious, "Such good at should clearly be used for braised pork! Preferably sweet and sour braised pork, definitely top-tier delicious!"
Plop!
Chen Mo tossed all four pieces of pork belly into the pot, "No, I’m going to make twice-cooked pork."
The sight made Jia Zhiqiang’s heart clench a bit, but fortunately, it’s just for blanching to remove the odor, which is necessary even for making braised pork.
Jia Zhiqiang continued to persuade, "Boss Chen, as we all know, twice-cooked pork must be made with second-cut pork. This is clearly docunted in the famous Chinese recipe book of the ’50s, and also in the Sichuan Cuisine recipe book recompiled in the ’80s.
Even when twice-cooked pork was selected as one of the ten classic Sichuan dishes, it was clearly stated that second-cut pork must be used. Using pork belly for twice-cooked pork is just ssing around!"
When it cos to cooking, Jia Zhiqiang isn’t exceptional, but when it cos to culinary culture and food appreciation, he’s got so knowledge.
The other two judges also nodded, showing agreent.
Bai Pengcheng nodded and said, "Boss Chen, we’re all experienced, and when we saw your few cuts of pork belly, they indeed looked great. If you make braised pork, no matter the price, the three of us will buy it all, how about that?"
Bai Pengcheng’s logic was simple: after all, Boss Chen is just a street vendor; he’s here to do business and make money.
If I take it all and ensure you profit, isn’t that good enough?
Having appreciated gourt food for years, seeing such beautiful pork belly being allegedly wasted was truly heartbreaking.
Who knew, Chen Mo suddenly closed the pot lid with a bang, "No way, today I’m making twice-cooked pork. Just wait and see, it’s guaranteed to be delicious!"
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Jia Zhiqiang didn’t know what to say, thinking whether Chen Mo was trying to get in on the fun outside by watching the Lu Brothers’ contest?
They had tasted those two portions of twice-cooked pork, which were close to the most standard ones, differing mainly in that one was more like a restaurant style, while the other was more homade, each hard to surpass the other.
And you, Boss Chen, what are you trying to stir up? Could using the wrong ingredient make sothing even better?
After years of gourt appreciation, Jia Zhiqiang didn’t feel like wandering around anymore. He stood rooted at the cart.
Not saying a word.
Just watching Chen Mo’s moves.
I want to see how you do it!
Can you be more accomplished than the experiences of hundreds of thousands of Sichuan Cuisine chefs across the nation?
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