The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 152 Just To Live To Understand
It was Li Baishun, a gangster in this area, who was causing trouble in the restaurant. He had just been released from the detention center for a few days, and his money was tight.

He is a gangster, Gu Yi is the real big brother, it is easy to get him.

Li Baishun knew how much he weighed, so he dared to show off his power in front of the common people, and pretended to be a grandson respectfully in front of his elder brother.

This is the difference between the big brother and the little brother on the road.

After being slapped and scolded, Li Baishun led his two younger brothers and ran away in a desperate manner. They probably had to go around Aqiao's Dumpling House in the future.

After all this fuss, he lost the mood to drink, so Gu Yi wanted to take Lao Tan to the karaoke hall to be chic, but Lao Tan declined.Seeing that Lao Tan would not go, Gu Yi went back to the chamber of commerce alone. Before leaving, he said that there was a business promotion meeting in Wuchuan two days ago, and he invited the chamber of commerce to participate, and asked Lao Tan to go with him, and it was considered a tour.

This old Tan didn't refuse, and agreed.

Lao Tan also wanted to take a look at Wuchuan earlier, because the restaurant has a dish called "Houshan Yijue", which is made with pancakes, shredded potatoes and eggs.At the beginning, Lao Tan didn't pay much attention to this dish. He thought it was quite ordinary. To put it bluntly, it was home-made fried potato shreds, covered with egg pancakes, and served with a few pieces of baked oil pancakes.

Such a dish is called "the best in the back mountain", which is a bit exaggerated, and he even wants to cut it off.But the click-through rate was quite high, not to mention the must-order bar, which made him curious.

He had eaten this dish and thought it was nothing.I also observed this dish at the front desk. Some customers ate it up, and some customers didn't eat it. It's good or bad.

He asked Master Liu, who made this dish, why it was called "a must in the back mountain"?Master Liu said that "Houshan" refers to Wuchuan in the north of Hohhot, and this dish was spread from there, so it is called "Houshan Yijue".As for where the "absolute" is, he can't tell clearly. He learned it this way at the beginning, so he did it.

"There are four local dishes, no matter whether it is a big shop or a small shop, every family has it. Houshan Yijue, Shanxi Fried Pork, Fried Potato Chips, and Braised Sauerkraut." Master Liu said.

Hearing what Master Liu said, Lao Tan put these four dishes on the table, but he was not optimistic about them all the time, but the hit rate of these four dishes was indeed very high.

Before the restaurant was converted into a dumpling restaurant, Lao Tan studied these four dishes and even tasted them at the Xibei main store.But I didn't taste "Hou Shan Yi Jue" and "Oiled Potato Chips", but I ate "Shanxi Over-Oiled Pork" and "Braised Sauerkraut".

"Shanxi Guoyourou" is a bit like "slippery pork slices" in Northeast cuisine, the difference is that the meat slices are thicker, the taste is stronger, and the taste of aged vinegar is strong.I was still a little unaccustomed to eating it at the beginning, but the aroma is outstanding when I taste it carefully.Due to the addition of mature vinegar during cooking, there is no greasy feeling.

Needless to say braised sauerkraut, Xibei’s homemade dish is rich in aroma and full of flavor. After one bite, you want to take two bites. After the third bite, you will feel tired, but you still want to eat it.Potatoes are added in it, and the potatoes become muddy and sandy, which has a different aroma.

It is the relationship between the people from the Northeast, and there are also regional differences. Lao Tan felt that "Shanxi fried pork" and "braised sauerkraut" were not as delicious as "slippery pork slices" and "steamed sauerkraut" from the Northeast, so he didn't study them carefully.

He felt that the dumpling restaurant serves Northeast cuisine, so it’s fine to make Northeast cuisine well and authentically. As for the local cuisine, it’s necessary to cook along with it, otherwise the customers will be hurt.

He began to pay attention to these four dishes after the lamb filling problem occurred on the opening day.

The mutton stuffing issue sounded the alarm for him. When opening a store in a place with large regional differences, he must respect the eating habits and local tastes of the local people, otherwise it will be difficult to survive.

Take Cantonese cuisine as an example, it is good and high-end.When it became popular in the provincial capital, people went to eat it once, no matter whether it was delicious or not, and whether they were used to it or not, in pursuit of quality. In that era, eating Cantonese food was a symbol of status.

With the development of the times, people are becoming more and more rational about food consumption.Northeast people who grew up with snacks like eggplant, pepper, and potatoes didn’t catch a cold with Cantonese cuisine, and they didn’t blindly follow the trend, and returned to eating authentic Northeast cuisine.

Cantonese cuisine began to go downhill in the provincial capital.

A restaurant that mainly operates Cantonese cuisine has to survive, what should it do if it wants to survive?The only way is to let go of the airs and carry out reforms based on the eating habits and taste characteristics of the Northeast people, break the traditional Cantonese cooking methods, integrate the tastes of Northeast cuisine, and make Cantonese cuisine suitable for Northeast people.

A Qiao Dumpling House is the entry of Northeast cuisine into the Northwest. If it insists on traditional authenticity and does not combine with local eating habits, it will gradually decline like Cantonese cuisine.

Lao Tan understands this truth, so he incorporates local elements into the production of dishes, otherwise he will not be recognized by the common people, and the business will not be booming.

Since local cuisine is indispensable, let's refine it.

Lao Tan began to study one dish at a time.

The first thing to study is "braised sauerkraut".

I went to Xibei and Bameng to eat no less than eight times. Combined with local recipes, the practice of stewing sauerkraut in Northeast China was also integrated, and finally an improved version of "Aqiao braised sauerkraut" was made.

"A Qiao Braised Sauerkraut" retains the original style of stewed sauerkraut, without any changes in the matching of main and auxiliary ingredients, which are still sauerkraut, pork ribs, pork belly, and potatoes.The technique of stewing sauerkraut is integrated into the production, and the Northeast seasoning is used. It tastes the same aroma, but it is more refreshing. There is no phenomenon of wanting to eat the third bite but afraid of greasy mouth. It has been well received by guests.

Then study the other three dishes.

When he was researching the "One Wonder in the Back Mountain", he met a local chef who told him about the origin of the "One Wonder in the Back Mountain".

Wuchuan is located in the north of Hohhot. The county governs three towns and six townships, and its economy is not developed.

In the poor years in the past, the common people had a hard life, and there were no delicious treats for guests at home. Fried shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs, and two fried pancakes were good treats.Over time, these three things have been handed down and become a catchphrase, "What about the guests at home, potato pancakes and scrambled eggs."

Later, after being improved by chefs, it became "a must in the back mountain".

Absolutely where?
To be precise, in addition to the memory of the past hard days, there is also a nostalgia for my mother's taste when I was a child.

Any ordinary delicacy handed down carries the memories and emotions of the common people.Although it is just an ordinary home-cooked dish, it is a lifetime aftertaste and nostalgia for the people living in this land.

After learning about the past and present of "Houshan Yijue", Lao Tan invited famous teachers to visit his friends, ate more than a dozen local restaurants, and summed up a method.

His approach is recovery, back to basics.

This was originally a pair of main and non-staple food with two dishes and one main food. In order to pursue the appearance and appearance, the chef combined three dishes into one dish.

Cut the baked oil cake into evenly sized triangular pieces, and arrange them radially on the side of the plate. Put the fried potato shreds in the center of the plate, and cover part of the oil cake so that the pointed corner of the oil cake is exposed.Then spread the eggs into omelets and cover the shredded potatoes.It looks beautiful and pleasing to the eye.

Some dishes have a shape, and the viewing degree has increased, but they have lost their original taste.

The pancakes are placed on the bottom of the plate and covered with shredded potatoes. The covered part softens, and it tastes soft and the taste is gone.Spreading eggs into pancakes looks good, but it’s inconvenient to eat.If the spread is good, it’s okay, if the spread is not good, it will inevitably be soaked in oil in order to pursue the color and shape, and the taste will be gone by then.

"Houshan Yijue" should be eaten like this.

The baked oil cakes are uncovered layer by layer, and when eating, spread potato shreds on top, and then roll up a few pieces of scrambled eggs to eat, so that it can feel and taste.

There are three key points to make this dish well.

First, the potato shreds should be fried until the heat is high, just like the ones at home. You can’t blanch them in water, but directly fry them raw. It’s better to use soybean oil and larger chopped green onions. Nourish the bubbles, that's the way to go.

The second key point is pancakes.Pancakes are called "beating cakes" in Northeast China. We often hear women say: "It's easy to eat today. Fry a dish, make two cakes, and add a soup, which is enough for them to eat." Making two cakes is baking. Two fritters.

The cake surface should be mixed with cold water and should not be too soft.The reconciled noodles are rolled into a large sheet, and soybean oil is spread on it, then rolled up, squeezed into a jelly, flattened, and rolled into a cake.When frying, there should be no oil in the pot, and fry on both sides, and take it out when it is cooked.Then heat the oil in the pan, put the baked cakes into the pan and bake them until golden on both sides, take them out, and that's it.

The baked pancakes are crispy on the outside and layered on the inside, just like spring pancakes. They are tender and fragrant, and you can eat one piece without eating vegetables.If you tear off the layers and add fried potato shreds or bean sprouts, and it’s not sauerkraut vermicelli, then the taste is not to mention, it’s very delicious.

The third key point is scrambled eggs.Home-style frying method, add more chopped green onion to the beaten eggs, put a little salt to make it a little salty, and fry it in the pan.

If these three key points are mastered, this dish will be a success.When it comes to the table, there is a plate of fried shredded potatoes, a small plate of scrambled eggs, and a few golden and crispy pancakes.Tear off the pancakes, add shredded potatoes and fragrant scrambled eggs, eat it, the more you eat, the more you want to eat it, it smells delicious.

Of course, it is very troublesome to make this dish, first of all, pasta is needed.The pancakes are freshly baked and delicious, but they are not crispy and tender when baked in advance.

When the guests order this dish, they have to take out pancakes for one person, which will inevitably delay making dumplings.

In order to make good cakes without delay in making dumplings, Lao Tan bought a baking pan.

Many local guests who come to the dumpling restaurant say that "Houshan Yijue" is authentic, and it tastes authentic after eating.

To put it bluntly, up to now, the profit made by "Houshan Yijue" is not enough to buy a baking pan, but the value of this investment, the intangible profits and value it generates far exceed its own.

Lao Tan loves food, and he is today because of his love.

He kept improving his research on dishes, even to the point of obsession.If this is not the case, the dishes and dumplings in the dumpling restaurant will not be well received, and there will be a lot of fire.

People need dedication throughout their lives.If you are not dedicated, you cannot be professional, and if you are not professional, you cannot become an expert.Only experts can concentrate and be the first.Otherwise, how can you say that you can be the number one scholar?

There is no gain without giving.We all understand the simple truth, but not many have achieved it, either it is impossible to do it, or it cannot be persisted.

The avenue to simplicity, return to the basics.

Shennong tasted all kinds of herbs, and the tea was in the grass.

Taking the past as a mirror, one knows that people need to be tempered; taking the present and the past, one knows the vicissitudes of life.

People live a lifetime of vegetation and autumn, rather than drifting with the tide in a daze, it is better to simply move forward.

Not for anything else, just to live to understand.

(End of this chapter)