Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 300 - 301: Stir-Fried Beef River in Motion, Impossible to Critique!
Dry-fried Beef River must be stir-fried on the spot to capture the full flavor.
Wang Fan held the wok in one hand and a spoon in the other, placing the sliced and marinated beef into the wok when the oil was heated to 60% hot.
With a "sizzle," the rich aroma of the meat instantly spread out, but that’s not what prompted the students’ amazement.
It was when Wang Fan scooped some rice wine from the table beside him and drizzled it into the wok that a huge flame flared up with a "whoosh!"
That was the reason behind the students’ exclamations.
As the flames subsided slightly, Wang Fan added a dash of soy sauce, flipped the spoon, and plated the beef tenderloin from the wok.
Without cleaning the wok, he threw in some trimmed silver sprouts, followed by onions and scallions, added a pinch of salt and continued stir-frying. The fiery flames reignited in the wok, naturally drawing more gasps from the students.
"This is real excitement!"
"Ka-tong, gou you ka-nou ji zi."
"Just this technique alone was worth the price of admission, eh."
Once the side dishes in the wok were cooked, Wang Fan flipped them with the iron spoon and placed them together with the beef on the same plate.
Then, a spoonful of clear water was used to rinse the wok, making it instantly spotless.
With the wok empty and oil unheated, a handful of rice noodles was immediately added to it. Wang Fan did not rush to move them, letting one side of the noodles crisp as they made contact.
The crisp aroma of the rice noodles is something that’s fried, not stir-fried; this is a key point from the recipe.
As the crisp aroma started to rise, Wang Fan quickly poured the beef and side dishes back into the wok, added some chive flowers, and began to stir-fry.
Instead of using a spoon, he used a pair of long chopsticks, skillfully tossing the wok in one hand while swiftly shaking the rice noodles apart with the chopsticks, making it all look so flavorful.
Pouring the bowl of caramel sauce into the wok, a few flicks later, the originally white rice noodles were dyed a sauce-like red.
"Wow... it smells so good..."
"Oh man, why does it smell so delicious? The crisp, crispy aroma just makes you drool."
"Oh my goodness, forget using a wok, please stir-fry this in my mouth, thank you!"
The students in the front row indicated that they could hardly resist this temptation any longer.
The intense aroma overwhelmed their taste buds, and they felt like their salivation was outflowing uncontrollably, no matter how hard they tried.
Wang Fan’s chopsticks started stirring swiftly, then the iron wok was flipped and with a deft wave of the chopsticks, five porcelain plates suddenly contained five servings of traditional dry-fried Beef River, leaving the wok empty.
Finally, he sprinkled some dry sesame seeds on each plate.
White sesame seeds fell onto the freshly prepared dry-fried Beef River like raindrops, making the entire dish look even more inviting with this sudden garnishing.
The entire set of movements was so fluid, the whole process of stir-frying the Beef River took just two minutes.
As the five plates were prepared, the number on the counter changed to 475 servings.
While Yang Wei and Wu Ming were still in line, Professor Liu had started eating.
After all, proximity allowed for the moon to be seen first at the water’s edge, and with the boss’s girlfriend as his chit, isn’t it reasonable to start a little earlier than others?
"Ah, dry-fried Beef River."
Professor Liu said with much emotion.
Zhuo Qianqian, puzzled, asked, "What’s so special about this dry-fried Beef River?"
Professor Liu smiled and replied, "When I worked part-time, there was a world food magazine contest where I deemed dry-fried Beef River the world’s top snack. That was 20 years ago, and it’s been 20 years since I last tasted it."
Zhuo Qianqian instantly showed interest, "Then, you must taste it now. Since you rated it so highly back then, it must be delicious. Taste this and tell me how it differs from the one back then, so I can give feedback to my boss."
That’s not really her picking on him, but Wang Fan always asked her for one thing, which was feedback on his food from the students.
Praise wasn’t something he wanted to hear; he was eager for some criticism to improve his culinary skills. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Even if the renowned local gourmet can’t pick out faults, the students naturally wouldn’t be able to either.
It was universal praise, with the only criticism being that there weren’t enough portions made, so if you arrived late, there’d be nothing to eat.
Professor Liu felt a stiffness in his face at Qianqian’s word; the memory not long gone began assaulting him.
With full confidence to find faults, he could only point out there might be an issue with the plating.
The main thing was it was for the students and still fast food; asking him to focus on plating would leave the students starving.
But aside from the plating, there was genuinely nothing to fault!
Let me bring a lantern. Let me bring it!
If you bring it up again, I’ll really get angry with you!
"Qianqian, let’s not talk too much while eating."
"Eh?"
Zhuo Qianqian stared blankly at her teacher, wasn’t it you who started the conversation?
At this point, Professor Liu no longer had the energy to deal with his beloved pupil.
Dry-fried Beef River must be eaten hot; once it stands for too long, its wok energy dissipates, leaving it tasteless.
The saucy red hue looked so appetizing, although this color didn’t seem to come from dark soy sauce.
Did he specifically make a caramel glaze?
Zhuo Qianqian bought his portion for him, so he didn’t witness the cooking process.
Picking up a chopstick of dry-fried Beef River, the chopsticks held rice noodles, side dishes, and a big chunk of beef. Bringing it under his nose, the incredibly dense aroma wafted, making him eager for a bite.
Something feels off!
This dish, while focused on its fragrant aroma, has a flavor too intense!
So much so that despite having forgotten the aroma of the dry-fried Beef River from 20 years ago, he was certain this current one surpassed that!
(￣～￣) Chew!
Placing it in his mouth, the intense aroma immediately flooded his mouth, as the heavy wok energy directly hit his taste buds.
A gentle bite, and the rice noodles were incredibly tender with crisp flavors emerging, noticeably feeling the bite through the beef, crispy on the outside, tender inside, blooming deliciously on the tongue.
The flavors of various vegetables blended adeptly, tightly wrapping in the sauce around each rice noodle, each bite surprisingly not greasy, but rather refreshing.
It’s brown sugar!
Professor Liu’s eyes lit up.
Tasting it, he finally discovered the key; the faint sweetness carried distinct caramel notes, and with his professional ability, he quickly grasped the reason.
It turns out he used brown sugar instead of dark soy sauce for coloring, or possibly this traditional method meant not using dark soy sauce for color?
Such an incredibly aromatic and enticing dish, Professor Liu didn’t wish to think further.
Picking up another chopstick and placing it in his mouth, he closed his eyes and began savoring the myriad of flavors within the Beef River.
Not my place, not my concern—he’s no longer a part-time critic—why bother finding fault?
Faced with such a delicacy, enjoying is only natural, and at nearly 50, peace of mind leads to longevity and wellness; being a fault-finding villain spoils the mood.
Besides, it’s his beloved pupil’s boyfriend; leave some room for interaction later, and for the sake of everyone involved, this traditional dry-fried Beef River, nothing to criticize whatsoever!
