Free Web NovelChapter 40: Chapter 34: Huo Xiang Carp
"Director, look. The number of customers ordering stir-fry dishes today is down thirty percent from usual. We even prepped extra ingredients to serve those college students, and now it’s all leftover."
In the back kitchen of the factory canteen, Head Chef Huang Fusheng looked at Wang Defa with a troubled expression.
On a cutting board to the side, all sorts of prepped ingredients were laid out—beef, pork liver, fatty intestines... you name it, and in large quantities.
Wang Defa’s face was dark as he said in a low voice, "Zhou Yan Restaurant messed things up today. If those college students had come to the canteen to eat, we wouldn’t have leftovers. It would have also generated some buzz and a good reputation for the canteen."
"Exactly! That brat Zhou Yan is a real piece of work!" Huang Fusheng chimed in angrily. "Director, you have to think of something. If this continues, we’ll lose all our stir-fry customers."
"You have the nerve to say that!" Wang Defa shot him a glare, lowering his voice, but unable to hide his fury. "I made you head chef for more than just skimming off the top!
If you can’t do your job, you son of a bitch, then get the hell out! Do you have any idea how nasty the workers’ complaints are? They’re about to start shitting on my head!"
"Yes, yes..." Huang Fusheng’s face flushed red from the scolding. "I’ll definitely do a good job."
"You useless piece of shit!" Wang Defa was still fuming. "Get the stir-fry flavors right. If we lose any more customers, I’m sending you back to prep duty!"
"I guarantee I’ll make them cook properly from now on. There will be absolutely no more problems!" Huang Fusheng nodded.
"I’m giving you one more week. Win back the customers we lost," Wang Defa said, looking at him. "And crush Zhou Yan Restaurant."
"Got it!" Huang Fusheng nodded solemnly, then hesitated before adding, "Director, I don’t think that kid Zhou Yan could pull this off alone. All he knows is how to toss a cucumber; he can’t even figure out how to make Twice-Cooked Pork.
His restaurant was about to go under, but then he started selling noodles and made a comeback. There must be an expert guiding him from the shadows."
"You mean that old codger Xiao Lei?" Wang Defa said thoughtfully.
Just then, a middle-aged man dragged a kitchen waste bin back into the kitchen, put it in the corner, and untied his apron, getting ready to leave for the day.
"Xiao Lei, come here a second," Wang Defa said to the man, his tone unfriendly.
"I’m off the clock. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow." Xiao Lei turned to leave without giving Wang Defa so much as a pleasant look.
"Stop right there!" Wang Defa was so angry he laughed. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll fire you?!"
"Afraid? My ass!" Xiao Lei stopped, turned back to look at Wang Defa, and sneered, "Who the hell do you think you are to fire me? I’ve got more seniority than you, and I haven’t made any mistakes. Fire me? Like hell!
But you’d better stop acting like a dancing monkey. If you really piss me off, don’t come crying when my spatula meets your face. I’ve got better aim than Zhou Yan, and a much stronger arm."
"You... you..." Wang Defa’s face went dark with rage.
Huang Fusheng quickly pulled Wang Defa back, while saying to Xiao Lei, "Master Xiao, you’re out of line. How can you speak to our Director Wang like that?"
"You shut up too. You couldn’t even pass the Third-level Chef exam, yet you’re a head chef. All you know how to do is suck up to Wang Defa, hopping around like a toad trying to lick a cow’s ass. You’re pathetic." Xiao Lei gave a cold laugh. "My job is a cakewalk these days. I get paid on time, my seniority keeps adding up, and all I have to do is wait for retirement. At least I don’t have people cursing me behind my back."
"You... you..." Huang Fusheng’s face darkened as well.
Xiao Lei stormed off without a backward glance.
As he rode his bike out of the factory gate, he glanced back at Zhou Yan Restaurant, a slight smile appearing on his face. ’This kid’s actually got some skills.’
Zhou Yan had just gotten back to the restaurant and parked his 28-inch roadster against the wall. Zhou Fei was already there, chatting with Zhou Miao about the big fish that Comrade Zhou had let get away.
He said hello, placed the package from Ma Xingye on the counter, and headed to the kitchen.
"Did you take Xia Yao home?" Zhao Tieying asked.
Zhao Hong also gave him a concerned look. ’That college student is so pretty, and she has a great personality. Her voice is so soft and pleasant to listen to. She and Zhou Yan look so good together.’
"Yeah, it was getting dark, and it wasn’t safe for her to go back alone," Zhou Yan replied casually. He washed his hands first. The fish had already been scored and was marinating with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine. The huo xiang, green peppers, and red peppers had also been washed.
"A pretty girl like that, of course you should see her home," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, then added with a sigh, "It’s just that she’s from so far away. From Hang City, and going to university in Mountain City. Tell me, how far is Hang City from here?"
"Over four thousand li. It’s a three-day train ride."
"Four thousand li? Celestial Bodhisattva! I can’t even imagine how much the ticket must cost." Zhao Tieying shook her head repeatedly. To her, even Rongcheng was far, and she’d only been to Jiazhou a few times. She couldn’t begin to fathom a distance of four thousand li.
"It’s fast if you fly," Zhou Yan said with a laugh.
"A plane? Who can afford that?" Zhao Tieying shook her head. "Last time I was at the commune office, I heard them holding a Dragon Gate Formation. They said the secretary went on an inspection trip with the higher-ups, and he needed a certificate from the county just to fly. A single ticket cost several hundred yuan, enough to buy a bicycle."
"That expensive?" Zhao Hong gasped in shock. "Then if you two get married in the future, how often could she go back to visit her family?"
"Huh?" Zhou Yan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed helplessly. "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? We’re not dating, and we haven’t talked about getting married."
"Your sister-in-law sure dares to dream big. Even I wouldn’t dare to imagine something so wonderful. Even among college students, Xia Yao is in the top tier—she’s poised and generous, efficient and thorough, and her social graces are impeccable." Zhao Tieying grew more animated as she spoke, staring at Zhou Yan. "You rascal, you should give it a try! A daughter-in-law this good... if we miss out on her, I won’t be able to sleep at night."
"Mom, I’m going to make the Huo Xiang Carp now. I’ll leave the braised eel to you, okay?" Zhou Yan didn’t dare to continue the conversation.
He took out pickled ginger, pickled cowpeas, and pickled peppers from the pickle jar and finely diced them. Then he minced fresh ginger, garlic, and chili peppers together—a very important step.
He used only the leaves of the huo xiang, mincing them as well to fully release their flavor.
He heated rapeseed oil in a wok. When the oil was about sixty percent hot, he slid in the carp and pan-fried it until both sides were golden brown, then removed it and set it aside.
To the remaining oil in the wok, he added a spoonful of lard. Once hot, he tossed in the minced ginger, garlic, and pickled peppers, stir-frying until fragrant. Then, he added finely chopped doubanjiang, stir-frying over low heat until the red oil was rendered. Finally, he added the pickled cowpeas and stir-fried everything together.
The aroma exploded in an instant—sour, spicy, and fragrant!
When Sichuan people cook fish, they’re generous with the oil, side ingredients, and seasonings. It’s all about achieving that complex, blended flavor.
At this point, he added a spoonful of water, followed by MSG, pepper, white sugar, and soy sauce to enhance the flavor and umami, along with a dash of Baoning vinegar to cut the fishiness and add aroma.
He returned the previously fried fish to the wok, making sure it was just covered by the sauce, and let it simmer over low heat. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Zhou Yan glanced at Zhou Lihui, who was standing by the stove, and said with a smile, "Huihui, you want to learn how to cook fish too?"
"Yes," Zhou Lihui nodded in admiration. "You’re amazing, Little Uncle. This fish smells so good, even better than Mom’s."
"Your uncle is a professional Chef. Of course his cooking is better than mine," Zhao Hong, who was tending the fire behind the stove, said with a laugh.
In the adjacent wok, Zhao Tieying’s eel was already cooking. The eel segments bubbled in the red sauce, and it smelled quite fragrant as well.
After watching Zhou Yan cook these past few days, Zhao Tieying had picked up a few tricks. The main one was to be generous with the ingredients. As long as the seasonings were good, you could even make a shoe sole taste delicious.
After the carp had simmered for six or seven minutes, Zhou Yan took a wide platter and first transferred the fish onto it.
He turned up the heat to reduce the sauce, adding a little cornstarch slurry to thicken it. When the sauce had thickened and started to bubble vigorously, he tossed in the huo xiang and chopped scallions. After a few quick stirs to fully infuse their flavors into the sauce, he poured it over the cooked carp.
The thick sauce, interwoven with green scallions, pickled cowpeas, and red and green pickled peppers, blanketed the carp, looking utterly irresistible.
As the aroma of the fish wafted through the air, Zhou Lihui gulped. ’So fragrant!’
"That smells incredible. I didn’t expect Zhou Yan could cook fish this well too," Zhao Hong also exclaimed in admiration.
Zhou Momo and Fanwa crowded at the kitchen doorway, their noses twitching as they sniffed the air.
"It smells so yummy! Brother!" Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up. "Is it fishy-wishy? I wanna eat!"
"Mhm, Huo Xiang Carp," Zhou Yan said, handing the platter to Zhou Lihui with a smile. "Go wash your hands. I’ll just stir-fry a vegetable dish, and then we’ll eat."
