Food: How come this boss knows everything?

Chapter 256: Chefs must respect every ingredient

When you stir the pan with a spatula, you can see bright fat gradually coming out from the bottom of the pan.

The old lady was very satisfied with this situation.

Then added soy sauce and cooking wine.

She said to Li Rui Xiaohan:

"Look, these are domestic chickens. You can add more water so they can withstand stewing."

As she spoke, she took out a bottle of Uncle Chen's treasured Big Green Stick and poured it into the pot.

After the water boils, cover the pot and keep simmering over high heat.

After waiting for thirty minutes, the old lady opened the lid of the pot again and started seasoning.

Her method of seasoning is very simple.

Just added salt and sugar.

After adding the seasoning, the old lady took out the beans that she had dried at home and put them in.

At this time, the fire can be slightly reduced.

"It needs to simmer for another half an hour. Lao Chen and the others should be back soon."

The primary schools in the village were merged together due to a decrease in the number of students.

It took Grandpa Chen some time to bring his granddaughter Ke Xin back.

Xiao Kexin was not shy at all and seemed to enjoy being with the guests.

He calls me brother or sister all the time, which is very cute.

She dawdled in the yard for a while before, at Aunt Chen's urging, she took Xiao Ma back to the house to do her homework.

When the pancakes in the pot are cooked, you can start eating them.

Li Rui and Xiao Han helped bring the clay pot chicken into the house, and Uncle Chen invited people to eat.

The old man was very grateful to Li Rui and his friends for helping him pick up the phone.
"I'm sorry for the poor hospitality. Please just eat something simple."

"You are too polite, Mr. Chen."

People gathered around the table.

After Chen Kexin returned home, she was busy playing with her sister Ma Jinge and only then noticed that there was chicken stew at home.

She looked at the big pot of meat in the pot in disbelief and opened her little mouth.

As if to confirm something, Ke Xin put down her bowl and chopsticks and ran out to the yard like a flash.

The two old men looked at each other:
"This girl, what is she doing again?"

"Let's eat. I'll go take a look."

Everyone was curious about where the little girl had gone. Chen Kexin had already run back. She was already crying and asked Uncle Chen:

"Grandpa, is my chicken gone?"

Uncle Chen was very puzzled, "Why are you crying? Isn't it in the pot?"

Xiao Kexin cried even harder.

"My chicken."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Ma Jinge comforted the little girl, "Ke Xin, try it quickly. It won't taste good if it gets cold."

After saying that, he passed a piece of meat to her.

Chen Kexin looked at Xiao Ma, her face full of sorrow, "Sister, why are you like this?"

But she did not refuse the chicken that was handed to her mouth.

Ke Xin chewed it with big mouthfuls, and suddenly she thought it tasted good, and she started to laugh.

“The chicken is really delicious.”

The old lady touched the little girl's head and said, "Don't cry, little girl. Eat your food obediently."

After this little episode, everyone at the table started to taste the food.

Auntie Chen’s version of home-cooked clay pot chicken from Luobotun does not have the complicated sauces used in restaurant recipes.

It highlights the meaty flavor of the chicken.

After more than an hour of stewing, the meat is still tender and juicy.

The seasoning of sugar and salt seems careless, but it is a mixture of salty and sweet, slightly numb and spicy. Every piece of chicken is covered with sticky reddish-brown soup when it is taken out of the pot, which is especially delicious with rice.

The dried beans that my aunt dries at home are also full of flavor.

The outer skin of the beans is dried and then moistened with the soup from the clay pot chicken. It is still quite chewy.

The small dough cakes stuck in the pot look wrinkled on the surface, and the places that come into contact with the soup have been stained dark.

It has a soft and tender texture, and tastes even better when dipped in soup.

Li Rui praised the old lady's craftsmanship:

"Auntie, your clay pot chicken is really amazing. You used to run a restaurant, right?"

The old lady likes what young people say very much.

She smiled and said, "No, it's just a home-cooked meal. We like to cook a pot of it during the winter solstice and have a lively meal at home."

Lively and bustling.

After hearing this, Uncle Chen thought of his son and daughter-in-law, who are now working in other places and probably won’t be back until the Chinese New Year.

It has been a long time since the life of two old people taking care of their little granddaughter has been so lively.

But the granddaughter finally calmed down.

Uncle Chen doesn't want to mention Ke Xin's parents.

He winked at his wife, and the two old people changed the subject:

"It's delicious, so eat more. Would you like some white wine, guys? I have some loose liquor here."

Xiao Ma and Ke Xin sat together.

After eating a few pieces of chicken and a pancake, the little girl's mouth was greasy and the tears on her face were wiped away.

Looks like he enjoyed his meal very much.

Forget about the death of the big rooster.

Compassion, like eating, is a human instinct.

While crying and bidding farewell to the big rooster, they also said that the meat was delicious. In children, these two characteristics will be more obvious.

Uncle Chen said:
"Chickens eat grains, and people eat chickens. One pound of meat requires ten pounds of grains."

This simple truth reminded Li Rui of what Santiago once said.

Meat is an important food source for humans.

But chickens, ducks, fish, pigs, cows, and sheep are lives, and plants and trees are also lives.

As a chef, your choice of ingredients will indirectly harm lives.

So when cooking, be reverent and respect the ingredients.

Presenting ingredients in the most delicious state is what a chef should do.

When you eat, you can be grateful, grateful for the sacrifice of food and grateful for the gift of nature.

Perhaps this is what Santiago meant when he talked about helping to improve cooking skills.

"Xiao Han, what did you realize?"

The young man didn't have a deep understanding of it, "Is it important to choose the ingredients when cooking?"

"Let me tell you about it."

After dinner, Li Rui and his two companions said goodbye to Uncle Chen and his family.

He felt that from the perspective of safety, he should still give this old driver a reminder:

"Uncle, I have something to tell you. You drive a small car. If you go to the city, you must be safe and drive to the side of the road."

Uncle Chen was a bit stubborn like an old man in the village. Although he was not targeting Li Rui, he was very tough when he said angry words:
"How dare they bump into me?"

The aunt doesn't spoil him.

"You old bones, if you really hit them, you will be the one who suffers. We will have to take care of you later."

The old man smacked his lips and said, "You guys are right. I have to be more careful next time."

After leaving Luobotun, Li Rui called Santiago.

"Brother Ji, we are out of Luobo Village. This time we had clay pot chicken, which was really delicious. Thank you for providing a good place."

Santiago's voice sounded lazy. He must be very comfortable at home.

"I didn't lie to you."

“I even think what you said makes sense.”

"Of course, Li Rui, why is your cat shaking its butt towards me? Haha, that's weird."

(End of this chapter)