funbook-pk Chapter 154 On the Eve of Opening
Chapter 154 On the Eve of Opening
After a few busy days in the village, with the opening day of the barbecue restaurant fast approaching, Song Jiaojiao had Mengqi send a lot of things to the town over the past two days.
Early in the morning, Song Jiaojiao arrived in town, first going to the blacksmith shop to pick up the custom-made items, and then heading to the food stall.
Several unfamiliar faces were helping to wipe the tables in the shop, and Mu Qing was directing them from the side. When she saw Song Jiaojiao, she quickly came over.
"Mother, you've come."
"Isn't it supposed to open tomorrow? Let me see who these people are?" Song Jiaojiao asked, glancing at the strangers.
"Those are waiters, mainly to serve the dishes. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle it, so I hired them," Mu Qing explained.
“That’s right. Let’s go to the kitchen. I have two new dishes here that I can teach you to make into the restaurant’s signature dishes.”
Song Jiaojiao led Mu Qing to the kitchen, where they saw Meng An preparing the dishes for tomorrow.
"Madam, you've arrived." Meng An quickly stood up and said.
"Meng An, do a good job! The success of the barbecue restaurant depends on you!" Song Jiaojiao greeted Meng An with a smile.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will take it to heart," Meng An assured her earnestly.
"Alright, alright, don't put so much pressure on yourself. I trust your cooking skills. There are some new dishes here, why don't you come and learn them?"
Song Jiaojiao burst out laughing. Looking at the tall, serious-looking man, she couldn't help but laugh.
Meng An scratched his head, then laughed out loud, nodded, and followed behind Song Jiaojiao.
Song Jiaojiao first taught them how to make cold-cooked rabbit.
"This is how to make cold-served rabbit. The main things to note are that the chili peppers need to be soaked in water so they won't turn black when fried, and also, don't mix up the order in which you add the spices to the pan."
Cold-served rabbit tastes even better when it's cold. You can prepare it in advance and store it somewhere, but be careful not to let it spoil. It's essential to make it fresh daily for the best flavor.
Song Jiaojiao went over the precautions, repeatedly instructing the two, especially Meng An, as the food stall would still be in his hands, and Mu Qing couldn't stay here forever.
"Meng An, if you get too busy later, you can hand these things over to Meng Qi. Don't overwork yourself."
"Yes, madam, I understand."
"Okay, next I'll teach you how to make fried chicken. It's best to soak fresh chicken overnight so that the blood inside the meat is drawn out and it won't be so fishy. Different parts of the chicken cook at different times. For example, chicken thighs have more meat, so they need to be fried for a longer time, while chicken wings have less meat and the frying time will be relatively shorter."
The batter used to coat the chicken legs is made by mixing flour and starch in a 3:1 ratio, which makes the fried skin crispy.
And most importantly, the oil temperature for frying the chicken must not be too high, otherwise the outside will burn while the inside remains uncooked. Alternatively, the chicken can be fried to medium-rare (70% cooked) first, and then re-fried after a customer orders, which saves time.
As Song Jiaojiao worked, she talked, while the two of them watched and listened carefully, afraid of missing any detail.
After teaching those two things, Song Jiaojiao began to teach how to make crispy potato.
"The next dish is called Crispy Potatoes. After peeling the potatoes, soak them in water to prevent them from oxidizing and turning black. You can also add a little salt to the water. There are two ways to cook potatoes."
You can boil the potatoes, cut into chunks, until they are about 70% cooked—you can pierce them with chopsticks but they won't split open. Drain them and fry them in oil over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Then, increase the oil temperature to high and fry them a second time. This will result in a crispy exterior and a powdery interior.
"Another way is to first fry the chopped potatoes over low heat until they can be pierced with chopsticks, then take them out, raise the oil temperature to 70% and fry them again until they are golden brown. Finally, raise the oil temperature to the highest level and fry them again. Both methods can be used to complete the previous steps in advance, and then do the last step after the customer orders."
Song Jiaojiao took the fried potatoes out and drained the oil.
"The oil must be drained. This drain basket was custom-made at the blacksmith shop in town. If we need more, we can just go and make more."
The key to making delicious crispy potato is in the preparation of the ingredients. Salt and soy sauce are essential. If you like it sour, you can add some water infused with dried orange peel, and then there's garlic water infused with garlic.
Making garlic water is simple: just peel and mince the garlic, add an appropriate amount of cold boiled water, and let it soak for an hour.
Next, add sugar to the potatoes. Sugar is essential; it enhances the flavor. Finally, add chili oil, fried peanuts, and houttuynia cordata (a type of herb), and mix everything together well.
As Song Jiaojiao spoke, her hands never stopped moving, and by the time she finished speaking, the crispy potato in her hand was ready.
"Here, have a taste and see how it tastes." Song Jiaojiao placed the bowl on the stove and handed Mu Qing and the others a few pairs of chopsticks.
The two tried it and found it to be quite good. The taste was sweet and sour with a hint of spiciness, and the addition of houttuynia cordata helped to cut through the richness. The potato skin was crispy, while the inside was soft and powdery.
Once they tasted it, they couldn't stop, and finished the crispy potato dish in no time.
Seeing how happily the two were eating, Song Jiaojiao thought it was a good meal.
There are so many ways to cook potatoes, and they're all delicious no matter how you cook them. Song Jiaojiao's favorite is still crispy potato, so we'll make this one for now.
With the food problem solved, it was getting dark. The newly hired waiters all had accommodations in town, so they didn't sleep here that night. Song Jiaojiao still slept next to Mu Qing.
Perhaps because she was too excited, Mu Qing couldn't fall asleep and tossed and turned in bed.
"Muqing, are you nervous?" Song Jiaojiao asked softly.
"Mom, did I disturb you? I just can't sleep because I'm thinking about the opening tomorrow," Mu Qing replied to Song Jiaojiao, her voice filled with excitement.
"Hey, it's not like this is the first time I've experienced something like this, why are you still so excited?"
"Mother, this is different. Last time, you were basically in charge of the half-day business, but this time I'm in full charge. I'm just afraid I might not have done something right." Mu Qing said nervously, getting more and more anxious as she thought about it, worried that she might have done something wrong and it would have delayed the business.
"Alright, no one can be perfect in every aspect. We can fix what we didn't do well later. But if you don't sleep, you won't have the energy to take care of the store tomorrow."
Song Jiaojiao comforted her, saying, "You only know how to walk this path after you've walked it yourself. Outsiders' words can only offer a little guidance."
"I understand, Mother, I'll go to sleep now." Mu Qing thought it made sense. There's always a way to solve a problem once it happens. If she didn't sleep now, she wouldn't be able to look her best tomorrow.
Song Jiaojiao knew that Mu Qing had always been a smart child. This time, Song Jiaojiao had basically not been involved in the food stall matter; Mu Qing had handled everything. Judging from the current situation, Mu Qing had done a very good job. The specific results would only be known tomorrow.