Free Web NovelChapter 714: Chapter 624: Returning to Erbin Again
Liu Zhaofeng sighed, "Aren’t those southern princesses heading north in full force again? Kids like us from here aren’t appealing anymore; many places cater straight to them. I’m afraid my sister’s boasting might not be fulfilled."
As soon as Liu Hehe heard this, he cried out in frustration, "Wang bro, you wouldn’t know, every winter Erbin pulls off this stunt. I originally thought it wouldn’t be worse than early this year, but I underestimated them! You know the wall-to-wall carpet on Central Street last year? This year the carpet was changed, afraid the edges aren’t even, so they switched to carpeting individual steps. I was thinking we could try it out before the princesses arrive, and guess what?"
"What happened?"
Seeing Liu Hehe’s constipated expression, Wang Fan almost burst out laughing.
"They only laid it on two steps! Just to test if it works well! They’re using us locals as guinea pigs!"
Wang Fan quickly comforted him, "Alright, alright, they came from afar; they don’t want them to have a bad experience. You two stay put; I’ll go cook. In a bit, let’s turn sorrow into appetite and eat a bit more."
As soon as he said this, Liu Hehe’s resentful face changed immediately, as sunny as a rainbow after the rain.
"Oh, my. We’ve been waiting for you to say this, Wang bro. Just make a couple of simple dishes, please don’t overdo it."
Wang Fan asked the two, "Any particular dishes you want to eat?"
Liu Hehe quickly raised his hand, "Wang bro, I saw the Sheltered Harbor Shrimp you posted before. I’m not a big fan of shrimp; can you make Sheltered Harbor Crab instead? I’ll go buy some."
Liu Zhaofeng didn’t want to miss this rare opportunity and quickly said, "Wang bro, I’ve always wanted to try that crispy pork intestine head from Guangfu. Can you make it?"
Wang Fan nodded and said, "Sure, I can make it. We bought some crabs on the way back. You guys sit tight; it’ll be ready soon."
He went into the kitchen, and Liu Hehe started chatting with Zhuo Qianqian, "Where are you planning to go this afternoon, Madam? Did you do any planning?"
Zhuo Qianqian joyfully said, "Let’s just stroll on the streets today? I heard there are many places worth taking photos at these days. Are you guys free tomorrow? We want to go ice skating and make it lively together."
She added, "You can just call me Qianqian; calling me Madam feels too formal."
"Sure, that’s the generous Northern girl spirit. We’re on break; we’ll accompany you wherever you want to go and make sure you have a good time, feeling the warmth of home."
Zhuo Qianqian chuckled, "I’m a Western girl, hahaha."
The two were both very outgoing and quickly became close. People might think they had been friends for many years.
On the other side, Wang Fan started getting busy; his second uncle wanted to help but was pushed out of the kitchen by Wang Fan. With only five people’s meals, there’s no need for help.
People in the Northeast generally have the habit of stocking up on vegetables and meat. When Wang Fan opened the fridge, he found some ready-to-use pork intestines.
Pork intestines are one of the rare ingredients that chefs from both southern and northern cuisines can agree on, and the consensus is on how to clean them. Salt along with starch or other flour products are the key components for cleaning.
He cut 30 centimeters from the head section of two pork intestines, turned them inside out, and carefully removed the fat, leaving just a little.
Then he rubbed them thoroughly with born starch and salt, ensuring all impurities were completely removed, avoiding any natural flavors.
As for the smell, if you want to clean it entirely, don’t even think about it.
He sautéed ginger and green onions, added rice wine and water, along with bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and peppercorns. After boiling and releasing the spice flavors, he put the pork intestines in the pot. This step needed at least 45 minutes, which he spent preparing the crabs and other ingredients.
He couldn’t possibly only make two dishes when they were ordered, as that wouldn’t be the Northern way of hospitality.
Once all the ingredients were ready, Wang Fan started making the crispy coating for the crispy pork intestines.
Mixing white vinegar, Zhejiang red vinegar, born starch, maltose, and egg white thoroughly, he took the boiled pork intestines out and dried the surface with a blower.
Then soaked them in the crispy coating solution for a while, pulled them out, and dried them again with a blower.
He didn’t rush to fry them; instead, he hung the intestines aside as they only needed to be fried and plated later, so making them now would let them cool.
Wang Fan’s menu was pretty solid, featuring Cantonese cuisine with crispy pork intestines and Sheltered Harbor crab; Sichuan cuisine with Mapo Tofu and boiled meat slices; Northeast cuisine with chicken stew with mushrooms and Guobaorou; Hunan cuisine with chopped pepper fish head; and Lu cuisine with oil-fried double crisp.
Not to mention a regular restaurant, even a large-scale one might find it hard to assemble all these solid dishes.
Thanks to his second uncle’s foresight during renovation for having a master chef, the cooking equipment was restaurant-standard. Otherwise, with regular cooking equipment, these dishes might not have been ready until evening.
Watching Wang Fan magically fill the table with dishes instantly, the siblings’ eyes nearly popped out.
"Wow, without knowing, one might think, Wang bro, you used pre-made dishes."
"Sis, don’t say that—if the pre-made dishes were this good, I’d buy them without hesitation."
"Hehe, hehe, we’re in for a treat today. Wang bro, can I take a picture?"
Wang Fan chuckled, "Go ahead, make yourself at home. Why be polite? After taking pictures, wash your hands and let’s eat."
The second uncle took a deep breath, praising, "Kid, I have no idea who you inherited these cooking skills from. This table of food would probably give even Erbin’s chefs a hard time duplicating."
Wang Fan laughed, "I must have inherited it from you, second uncle. If you had learned cooking back then, you’d have been one of Huaxia’s top ten chefs by now."
At this point, Liu Hehe, Liu Zhaofeng, and Zhuo Qianqian all took out their phones to snap pictures, and soon the second uncle joined them as well.
The table was not only lavishly spread but also beyond criticism in terms of color, aroma, and taste. Sharing it on social media would make many friends envious.
Especially seeing the top-notch appearance of the two dishes they ordered, they couldn’t help but salivate while taking photos.
Liu Zhaofeng couldn’t wait to grab a piece of crispy pork intestine in front of him.
Unlike the usual way of slicing intestines, Wang Fan cut them open and then sliced them. The reddish-brown outer skin was slightly cracked, and you could hear a faint crunch when picking them up with chopsticks. You could tell, without even trying, that it must be incredibly crispy.
The tender white intestine meat underneath the reddish-brown skin had a rich sweet aroma with a faint scent of seasoning, blending well with the intestine’s original smell, which instead of distracting, enhanced an instinctive desire.
"Crunch..."
The sound wasn’t loud but exceptionally crisp; the perfect timing formed a thin crispy surface layer. As the teeth pressed down again, you felt the intestine’s tender and smooth texture.
Salty, sweet, with a slight tang, mixed with the aroma of frying, every bite full of rich and mellow meaty fragrance.
"Wow, Wang bro, your cooking skills—I’m really at a loss for words."
After savoring for a while, Liu Zhaofeng couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up in praise.
Wang Fan laughed, "If you like it, eat more. And you don’t need to be so reserved while eating; look how relaxed your sister is."
Liu Zhaofeng glanced over, and seeing how his sister was eating made him want to flee. Which girl visits someone’s home and gnaws on crab legs with both hands?
Noticing his embarrassment, the second uncle laughed heartily and gave him half a shiny red crab, "Don’t be shy; we’re not strangers here. Eat like you would at home."
Liu Zhaofeng felt a bit embarrassed but then noticed how relaxed Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian were while eating and decided not to hold back, indulging in his Northeast-style hearty eating.
With five people and eight dishes, it certainly wasn’t less. Besides, Wang Fan’s serving sizes were considerable too, but after a round of battling them, besides the piled crab shells, you could barely find any leftover dishes on the table.
The five sat back in their chairs, rubbing their bellies, feeling like they didn’t even want to move a finger.
"Wang bro, I feel your cooking skills have improved so much since you came back this time—totally chef-deity level."
"I agree. It feels like every dish hit that core spot on the taste buds. I’ve never eaten so much before."
"Lucky Wang bro isn’t home all the time. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to come mooch every day. Wouldn’t my weight shoot up?"
"If this kid were at home all the time, I think even I could gain weight—no matter how ’can’t gain weight’ you are, you can’t handle meals like this every day."
Outside, the snow was white and glistening, while inside, the warmth surged. Post-meal chatter was always pleasant and cozy.
This is the feeling only home brings.
