Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 371 - 372: Preparing Braised Prawns with Cabbage
Zhuo Qianqian finished speaking, took out her phone, and went to make a call to her mom.
Zhuo’s mom’s school was already on break, but there was still some work left to finish, otherwise, she would have come along to help.
When she received her daughter’s call, Zhuo’s mom chuckled and said, "What’s so urgent that you had to call me? Can’t wait to get home to tell?"
Zhuo Qianqian said, "Mom, it’s like this. We’re really short of hands here. Don’t you have a few underprivileged students in your class? I think we can contact them to see if they have time to come and help. The boss is always very generous when hiring people."
In their town, there were indeed quite a few wealthy people, but no matter where you go, there are always some who are poor. Some kids have never even met their parents and live with their grandparents. Some don’t even have grandparents anymore and rely on the town’s welfare, naturally not having much money.
"And mom, don’t you think that making those beef meatballs could be a long-term thing? Let those underprivileged students and their families do it together. This way, I think it could be a stable source of income. The boss says these meatballs aren’t hard to make, mostly just labor intensive, without too much technical skill, so I think it could suit them well."
Zhuo’s mom, upon hearing Qianqian’s words, had visions of those children’s faces flashing in her mind.
Thinking of the taste and texture of the meatballs she had yesterday, she couldn’t help but get a little excited.
Those meatballs don’t need to be exactly the same; as long as they reach 80% of the taste and texture, they won’t have any trouble selling!
If this works out, it could really solve their living problems.
"Would Wang Fan be willing to teach them properly?"
This was something Zhuo’s mom was worried about because, being a teacher herself, she knew that teaching students can be quite troublesome. Besides, why would someone teach for no reason?
Zhuo Qianqian chuckled, "Don’t worry, mom. The boss is very kind. He has taught several people before, and their businesses are doing quite well now."
Starting with Feng Haoyu and Li Wei, followed by the two brothers helping in the kitchen, and even that one-time acquaintance from Guangfu who learned the fried chicken recipe from Wang Fan—now their businesses are booming, with lines of people stretching out the door as soon as they open.
Zhuo’s mom made a sound of agreement, "Then, you go talk to Wang Fan. If he’s willing, I’ll contact those students."
After hanging up, Zhuo Qianqian asked Wang Fan, "Boss, there are a few underprivileged students at my mom’s school; although they’re only eleven or twelve years old, they’re quite tough because they’ve been working since a young age. Do you think they could come and help? If possible, I think we could teach them how to make the beef meatballs. This way, they could have a means to make a living in the future."
Wang Fan laughed when he heard this, "That would be great, as long as they are willing to come."
In his previous life, he had been taken care of more than a few times and had heard countless times, "No need to thank me. Just do what you can when you’re able to."
Clearly, this was something within his capabilities.
What he didn’t expect was that this small decision of his was like the butterfly of fate flapping its wings gently.
With excitement, Zhuo Qianqian pecked Wang Fan on the cheek, "I knew the boss was the best! I’ll go tell mom."
Wang Fan, feeling a bit guilty, glanced at Mr. Zhuo, who was glaring at him, and pretended to focus seriously on the cabbage.
Shrimp with Cabbage is a classic Lu Cuisine dish, and its appearance rate in major Lu Cuisine star-rated hotels is quite high.
Wang Fan had ordered sun-dried napa cabbage, which was perfect for this dish.
The napa cabbage mainly used the leaves, and the stems were reserved for pickling as a little benefit, as they weren’t worth much anyway.
The main focus of the orders was on the Shrimp with Cabbage, so he decided to make this dish first.
Pouring oil into the pot, he sautéed the cabbage, sprinkling in a bit of salt to allow the moisture within the cabbage to be fully released, so it could absorb the shrimp broth later.
Once the cabbage’s water was released, it became a bit limp and was scooped out into a colander to drain.
He poured oil again, and with a sizzle, the shrimp heads without the intestinal tracts went straight into the pot.
Many people don’t remove the heads when making this dish, let alone fry the heads separately, but frying the heads alone brings out a richer shrimp oil than direct frying.
A large pot of shrimp heads, legs, and shells yielded only a bowl of shrimp oil; the residue Wang Fan didn’t discard either, crushing it in a grinder and straining it through a sieve to eliminate any remnants.
Heating the pot again, he sautéed green onions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, and poured in the filtered shrimp oil, creating a golden liquid that was unbelievably enticing, with an aroma that made everyone exclaim in delight.
"To be honest, I’d buy this broth at 15 [yuan] a serving. It’s that fresh; I could have three bowls just with noodles thrown in," someone said.
"No kidding, no wonder what Boss Wang makes is so delicious; every step is meticulous," another added.
"Selling it at 15 a serving makes it feel undervalued. This would cost at least seventy or eighty at another place," more chimed in.
"Consider yourself lucky for getting a bargain. Boss Wang’s likely trying to boost the sales of this seafood farm, just making a little hard-earned money for himself," one more remarked.
Wang Fan ignored the whispers around him; the shrimp oil in the pot had turned amber, and what was initially a potful had reduced by half.
Pouring the shrimp oil into a bowl set aside, he cleaned the pot before pouring back the first batch of shrimp oil.
Sautéing green onions and garlic until fragrant, the shrimp meat quickly turned pink in the pot, with the rich and thick aroma becoming almost tangible.
He poured the drained cabbage into the pot, with a splash of yellow wine, salt, and a bit of sugar, stirring it a few times before pouring the amber shrimp oil into the pot.
The once limp cabbage now appeared glossy and tempting after being soaked in the shrimp oil, the thick savory taste mingling with the freshness of the cabbage, seemingly even more enticing.
As Wang Fan stirred, he also tossed in some cilantro stems into the pot, sans leaves.
The diners watched the pot eagerly, nearly drooling at the sight.
This dish was one of Wang Fan’s improvements.
The main difference was the addition of ginger during the second shrimp oil simmering.
Since the shrimp oil was poured in last, the ginger wouldn’t affect the shrimp meat’s texture but still imparted its unique flavor.
"Dish is ready."
Wang Fan uttered these two words lightly, causing everyone’s excitement to surge; those who had lined up long ago had only one thought now: to buy the Shrimp with Cabbage quickly and eat it heartily!
Using every taste bud, they aimed to savor every bit of this dish’s deliciousness.
