Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 264 - 265: Mouthwatering—Braised Pork Ribs and Green Bean Noodles
"I’ll make a hearty dish for you to celebrate at lunch."
Zhuo Qianqian licked her lips, "Boss, just make spare rib and bean noodle stew, and make a lot. My three roommates can join in too."
In fact, Great Border Province is also a carbohydrate haven, with noodles and naan being indispensable in their meals. Zhuo Qianqian hadn’t had noodles in a while, and she was really craving them.
Wang Fan leaned his face over, tapping his cheek with his finger.
Zhuo Qianqian’s fair cheeks blushed slightly, but she still boldly kissed Wang Fan on the cheek.
Just as Wang Fan, feeling smug, was about to start cooking, Zhuo Qianqian let out a light hum and leaned her face closer to his.
Her eyes carried a hint of mischief, and mimicking Wang Fan’s earlier gesture, she gently tapped her own cheek with her finger.
Wang Fan’s face turned red, and he was momentarily stunned, his gaze irresistibly drawn to Zhuo Qianqian’s action.
Her slightly chubby cheeks were tender and luscious, as if they could gush out water. Her skin was naturally fair, now tinged with a soft blush, just like cherry blossoms blooming at night.
The gentle tapping caused her cheeks to quiver slightly, reminiscent of flower petals swaying in the gentle breeze, charmingly pitiable.
Wang Fan was at a loss, his heart pounding with nervousness. When had he ever encountered a situation like this?
His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water, but he hesitated to take the next step.
Zhuo Qianqian’s lips curled slightly upward with a triumphant smile, and she inched her cheek closer to Wang Fan.
You pure and pristine boss, you’re destined to not escape from my grasp, wahahaha!
Seeing Zhuo Qianqian’s proud yet teasing gaze, Wang Fan suddenly gained a burst of courage. He leaned forward, brushed Zhuo Qianqian’s cheek like a wild boar rooting the ground, then quickly turned and rushed into the kitchen. Soon the sounds of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen could be heard.
Zhuo Qianqian let out a cheeky laugh and asked, "Boss, are you okay? Need any help?"
"No... no, I’m fine! You go to class, and later just bring your classmates straight to the private room to eat."
"Alrighty, bye boss."
After a while, Wang Fan peeked out from the kitchen, exhaling only when he confirmed Zhuo Qianqian had indeed gone, quickly taking deep breaths to calm his wildly beating heart.
Thinking about how silly he looked just now, Wang Fan wanted to slap himself in the face.
"Embarrassing!"
Scolding himself in disappointment, Wang Fan finally started preparing the ingredients for the spare rib and bean noodle stew.
The area around the school had always been a hotly contested spot, having almost everything you need nearby. It didn’t take long for the things Wang Fan ordered to be delivered: a total of 10 pounds of spare ribs, 5 pounds of beans, and 2 pounds of potatoes. Noodles he already had, so these should be enough for the four of them plus himself.
Spare rib and bean noodle stew is a traditional northern dish that doesn’t really belong to any particular cuisine, yet it’s commonly seen in many northern areas.
Different places have their own ways of making it, and the taste can vary greatly.
Wang Fan had recently become enamored with improvising his cooking, planning to make his own version of spare rib and bean noodle stew.
Pour water into the flour to knead it into a ball and let it rest, then heat up the oil for frying the beans.
Frying the beans forces the moisture out, making them less watery when you eat them and a bit tougher compared to unfried ones. When it comes to potato and bean stew, he prefers fried beans, as they’re much more fragrant than those that aren’t fried. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
While frying the beans, he washed the spare ribs, which were pure ribs, cut into finger-length pieces and looking very fresh.
The combination of flour and a little salt is enough to draw most of the blood out of the ribs.
After retrieving the beans, he put the cut potatoes in to fry, then started blanching the ribs.
He didn’t change the water while blanching, simply skimming it three times to remove the scum, producing a clear pot of broth with no gamey smell.
Changing the water means losing the flavor of the ribs, and after growing up in Guangfu, Wang Fan now avoids making that mistake.
While simmering the ribs, he started another pot, cooked caramel, added spices, then placed the blanched ribs straight into the pot to stir-fry. Once the ribs began to tighten and take on color, he poured the rib broth into the pot.
High-temperature frying gives ingredients a special aroma, and even with just simple beans and potatoes, the kitchen was already fragrant and inviting.
Fishing out the fried potatoes, Wang Fan began making the noodles.
Taking out the dough, he kneaded it once more, then rolled it into thin sheets, stacking them evenly. Twirling the kitchen knife in his hand, he began slicing the noodles deftly.
This is a step Wang Fan doesn’t recommend others to learn. His knife skills aren’t particularly good; rather, his kitchen knife has a feature that prevents cutting hands, so trying this without caution could lead to unwanted consequences.
The pot with the simmering ribs began to bubble with rising steam, like turbulent waves surging up and down. The broth rolled and bubbled with a "gurgling" noise.
The ribs tumbling in the broth, coated in an enticing caramel hue, exuded a rich meaty aroma that was mouthwatering.
Wang Fan poured the fried beans and potatoes into the pot, then reheated the oil in the pan and added the freshly cut noodles.
The ultimate calorie bomb: spare rib and bean noodle stew!
Once the noodles were fried to a golden brown, he took a big bowl of broth from the simmering ribs, since the broth left in the pot was insufficient to cover the ribs. With the noodles placed on top, they wouldn’t come into contact with the broth.
Closing the lid, letting the noodles steam, was essential to live up to the name of the dish "stewed noodles."
After steaming for 8 minutes, Wang Fan lifted the lid, poured the reserved broth over the noodles, then covered the pot again to let them steam further.
Saying it was simple but making it wasn’t nearly as easy. By this point, it had taken nearly an hour, and it was almost 11:30.
Wang Fan didn’t bother with the noodle pot anymore. From here on, time would reward him with the perfect spare rib and bean noodle stew.
Bringing out the adjusted beef filling and dumpling skins from the cooler, Wang Fan began pinching the potstickers.
Unlike traditional potstickers in the north, which are open at both ends, he chose the shape of Nanjing dumplings, not for any particular reason, but because these potstickers could hold broth and squirt!
If both ends were open, all the juice would be wasted, wouldn’t it?
Not adding aspic would require making another type of filling, which would be more trouble than it’s worth.
Plus, the most important thing is, his chosen potstickers were a hit with the students.
Though they were only freshly made in the morning, their golden, crescent-moon appearance received unanimous praise, surprisingly outpacing even the sales of pan-fried buns.
He had no choice but to cater to the students’ tastes and increase production of the potstickers.
