Food starts with Mapo Tofu

Chapter 7 Mapo Tofu (Final)

In Chen Nian's heart, the sound of firecrackers originally celebrating the New Year is like the gongs and drums to see Master Xue off.

But he knew that Master Xue would come back after only a few years.

After fifteen years, Master Xue was finally taken to the army.

Only Chen Nian and the proprietress were left in the shop.

Before Master Xue left, he basically taught Chen Nian how to make several dishes in the store. With the previous knowledge of Mapo Tofu, Chen Nian took over all these tasks logically.

After that, Chen Nian went out to buy vegetables in the morning alone, prepared vegetables by himself, and cooked vegetables by himself.

The proprietress helped clean up.

As for the taste, except for the first half a month or so, it was a bit inconsistent, but gradually with the aging, everyone has accepted the young chef in this shop.

Some people even come to matchmaking for Chen Nian several times.

Anyone can be hungry in this world, but only the cook can't.

In addition, Chen Nian himself is tall and handsome, and his figure has become stronger and stronger after cooking in the kitchen for several years.

If you tidy up well, change the set of cooking clothes.

That is also the appearance of an outstanding young man in the new era.

The contemporary Lanling King reappears!
But these were all rejected by Chen Nian. If it wasn't for the fact that Chen Nian could occasionally see Chen Nian sitting at the door of the shop secretly glancing at beautiful women passing by when he was free, the proprietress might really think that Chen Nian actually liked men.

"Why doesn't such a young and strong guy want a wife?"

"Even if you have no experience, it's better to play with your friends first!"

"How is it? Sister Ma told me about another girl yesterday. She has very high requirements. I heard that she has studied and is a good match for you. If you plan to meet her, Aunt Lu will give you a holiday."

After hearing this, Chen Nian tactfully refused, "Aunt Lu, I'm not in a hurry now, why should a man have no wife?"

Aunt Lu shook her head when she heard it, and tapped Chen Nian's shoulder bitterly: "Hey, if you don't listen to advice, you'll know when you become a bachelor in the future!"

Chen Nian smiled, returned to the back kitchen, and started preparing dinner.

The days are like this day by day, and Chen Nian doesn't know when this kind of life will end. Now he can cook Mapo Tofu very skillfully.

And Chen Nian is not just picking up people's teeth. In the second year of his independent cooking, he directly replaced the original Douban with Doubanjiang.

After chopping it up, it tastes even better in the pot than before.

And when thickening the corn, through repeated attempts, the one thickening turned into three successive thickenings.

After the second prickly ash, it was less than once.

Because after aging, I found that this can better lock the taste, and it also improves the finished product of Mapo Tofu after it is placed on the plate, both in terms of appearance and taste.

As for other dishes, old age is not as good as mapo tofu.

It's just enough as a home-cooked dish in the store.

The reporter from the middle car came a few more times. After hearing that Master Xue was transferred to the army to cook, he was obviously a little sad.

But after eating the aged tofu, there was a look of surprise!

"Your master's true biography!"

"No. It's not the same. The taste is a bit different. It's a little fresher than before. What did you add?"

Chen Nian was a little proud, but said calmly, "Doubanjiang, Z County Douban, chop it up and put it in."

The car spoke slapped his thigh: "Wonderful!"

"When your master comes back, I think he will treat you differently!"

Chen Nian blushed from being praised by the reporter Che.

After all, this gentleman has been eating Master Xue’s mapo tofu since the 20s, and he was able to get such an evaluation at this time. If he didn’t laugh out loud on the spot, it’s because of his old restraint.

In addition to Mr. Che, some non-commissioned officers from Master Xue's unit also came several times.

They all come here admiringly.

As a result, after tasting Chen Nian's craftsmanship, they were full of praise, and Chen Nian also asked them to bring some daily necessities to Master Xue, and of course there were also letters.

Chen Nian also learned from them that Master Xue is doing well now, even fatter than before he went to the army.

This made Chen Nian very gratified.

That is to say, the proprietress didn't quite understand after hearing the news.

I thought to myself that when I was in the store before, I didn't squeeze Master Xue too much, did I?

However, it is very happy to hear news from Master Xue from time to time. Every time I write a reply, the proprietress will show it to Chen Nian after writing it, and ask him to polish it.

It's like a mother who sends WeChat greetings to relatives during the Chinese New Year, but doesn't know how to say it. After editing the good news in the dialog box, she insists on seeing her in the old age.

Three years passed without knowing it.

The youngest son of Lao Li, who sells beef, also married a wife, but he still sells meat every day.

In his words, he is used to doing one thing all his life.

My heart is always empty when I rest.

In Chen Nian's fifth year as the chef, another waiter was found in the store, and Chen Nian called her Sister Deng.

But it was also in this year that Master Xue came back.

It happened to be noon at that time, after Master Xue entered the door, he put down his things and walked towards the back kitchen.

Master Xue, who was not good at words, seemed a little happy this time, and he talked a lot. While pulling Chen Nian to the door to meet him, he said: "I improved Mapo tofu again in the army. Let’s add Doubanjiang, that’s what the boys in the army gave me.”

Master Xue was speaking vigorously when his voice suddenly stopped.

Because his line of sight happened to be above the stove, inside an enamel basin, the sliced ​​bean paste covered with red oil was watching him quietly.

"When did you use the bean paste?"

"About three years ago."

Master Xue was silent for five seconds.

Then he stomped his feet angrily, and kept cursing in dialect: "Mom sells batches, these bastards, after eating from you, give me advice, and don't tell me what you know, the fairy is so rigid, angry!" I'm dead!"

But Chen Nian soon discovered that when Master Xue started using Z County Douban, the mapo tofu he fried was still not as good as the other party!
Only then did Master Xue regain a victory.

Older gingers are more spicy!
Afterwards, the two continued to clank in the kitchen.

In the 60s, Chen Mapo Tofu Shop moved to Xiyulong Street and changed its name to Wensheng Restaurant.

A few years later the name was changed back.

During the period, once Chen Nian had just finished packing the dishes in the back kitchen, he saw Master Xue bringing a reporter Che who looked much thinner to the store, and settled him down.

Then I came to the back kitchen, made a fish-flavored dumpling with potatoes and took it out.

Chen Nian has always remembered that Reporter Che's expression at that time was somber, as if a soldier died for a confidant.

Another 20 years have passed, and Chen Nian has changed from a young man to a middle-aged man.

If he didn't record the days when he came to this world every day, and recalled that he was just studying in this world every morning when he opened his eyes and closed his eyes before going to sleep, I'm afraid he would think that this world is the real one, and that the original world is the real one. It was a dream.

Over the years, Chen Nian's craftsmanship has also surpassed that of Master Xue.

When Master Xue passed away, Chen Nian changed Master Xue into a new suit and organized the funeral in a simple manner.

After the end, I went back silently and fried a portion for myself, Mapo Tofu.

Listening to the voice in the old radio that is still strong for more than 20 years, everything is as usual, except that the announcer has changed.

"Today is December 1974, 12, and it is also a day that all Chinese people should remember. It took 19 years for the Sanmenxia Water Conservancy Project to be completed yesterday. "

Chen Nian listened to the voice on the radio.

"The Sanmenxia Dam has also been completed. How time flies."

If there are Hong Hong and Lao Chen in this world, they are probably only five or six years old now?
Chen Nian thought.

At this moment, that mysterious cookbook suddenly appeared in his mind.

[Own a restaurant of your own and unlock the recipes. 】

[The first dish: the perfect version of "Ma Po Tofu" has been learned and unlocked successfully]

[Conditions for opening the second course "Braised Pork": 1000 servings of the perfect version of "Ma Po Tofu" for dine-in. 】

【The memory rehabilitation training will start soon.】

　The signing was successful.

　　Thank you for your rewards, and ask for another wave of monthly tickets~
　　***
　　Thank you for the 5000 starting point coins rewarded by the poor boy who loves to steal pigs.

　　Thanks to the exquisite Zhang Yu for the 2000 starting point reward.

　　Thank you, please start your performance, Beggar Xiaotong's 1000 starting point coins reward.

　　Thanks to Sichuan Flavor Crisp, I hate fried chicken with long names, and CLANNAD Okazaki Shio's 100 starting point reward for the sleepy spider crab.

　　Thank you all and love you all.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)