Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 52 (Part 1)
Don’t read this chapter if you are hungry! You have been warned~
Translated by Pure
Edited by Alkonost
Chapter 52.1 Rice or Millet?
Wang Quan opened his mouth wide, shoveling in the remaining quarter of the rice bowl that had been perfectly mixed with bean paste. He swallowed it in a few mouthfuls.
His proposal might have seemed like an offhand remark, but Lin Jingzhe took it seriously. He suddenly realized that his thinking was really too narrow; he had neglected many things.
He wanted to improve the life of the Zhou Family, but could only think of persuading Mother Zhou, an exceptional cook, to open a shop and become an entrepreneur. However, Wang Quan was different. The other party was indeed an ingenious man who molded the future of the manufacturing empire with his own strength. His words could cause an inscrutable twist of fate——
Instead of catering to individual orders, wouldn’t it be more profitable to mass-produce products on the assembly line?
Currently, every profession has only begun to develop. The food industry in particular was like a newborn baby. Most people live frugally now; they don’t have extra financial resources to add extravagant condiments. However, in future generations, who didn’t have a few bottles of pickles and sauces in their refrigerators?
Lin Jingzhe could attest to this from his personal experience. When his company sent him abroad for the first time in his previous life, he found himself in London for six days. He and his colleagues had all ventured out together, scouring the area for a Chinese supermarket, yearning for a taste of home in the form of pickles or instant noodles.
Mankind's demand for food would eventually become more and more intense with the gradual affluence of the economic situation. Considering their country's population of over a billion, there was a substantial potential market to tap into!
Coming to this conclusion, Lin Jingzhe couldn't help but become secretly startled.
He used his chopsticks to pick up a slice of the beef shank that Wang Quan endlessly praised and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, he could not only taste the perfectly blended spices, but also the bean paste specially pickled by Aunt Zhou. Her paste was different from the standard soybean paste sold in the future. One could still feel the texture of the soft and supple grains of soybean. The salty soybeans were fully fermented and thoroughly flavored, and each grain contained a rich and mellow aroma. The tantalizing taste would leave people craving for more.
Lin Jingzhe wasn't hungry initially, but he couldn't help eating a big mouthful of rice to pair with the savory beef.
Meanwhile, Wang Quan had already finished two bowls of rice. After he hollowed out the half-filled jar of almost bean paste, he had no choice but to try the jars of pickles. Unexpectedly, he became hooked again. He chewed the crunchy preserved radish cubes, which were hand dried and hand cut by Mother Zhou, with relish. He quickly finished a bowl of Dense Broth Noodle, and then took a lamb bone from an enamel pot, sucking the bone marrow again and again.
His eyes were completely focused on the food in front of him, but he didn’t forget to praise the bowl of noodles wholeheartedly. "This is really delicious!"
This was Mother Zhou’s unique take on Dense Broth Noodle. Despite her seemingly ordinary appearance, her culinary skills were exceptional. She began by stir-frying minced meat with onions and garlic, to which she added thinly sliced radishes. Once everything was cooked thoroughly, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots would be incorporated into the mixture. The last step was to pour in the soup base and adjust the flavor as needed, and then starch would be added to thicken the broth.
Before serving, Mother Zhou would sprinkle a handful each of hot pickled mustard tuber, green onions, coriander, and powdered pork rind, stirring them well. It was then topped with noodles that were cooked in bone broth.
A spoonful of Mother Zhou’s sesame chili oil was added just before eating. The fragrant thick broth wrapped around each noodle, the countless seasonings would be elevated by the spicy chili, making the ordinary pork rind the finishing touch. Even Lin Jingzhe, accustomed to her dishes, couldn't resist this simple yet extraordinary bowl of noodles, not to mention Wang Quan who was having it for the first time.
Wang Quan touched his stomach. He felt that the food had already stacked up to his throat, but he couldn't help himself to reminisce about the meal.
Lin Jingzhe had remained silent since he started eating, only moving his chopsticks from time to time. However, at this moment, this seemingly well mannered man suddenly spoke out——
"Mr. Wang, did you mean what you said?"
Wang Quan was taken aback. "What?"
"It's what you mentioned just now, the mass production of compound condiments." Lin Jingzhe asked him, "Mr. Wang has a background in the food industry in Changqing, right? Surely it wouldn’t be difficult for you to produce sauces?"
"Ah?" Wang Quan had just mentioned it casually just now, but Lin Jingzhe was actually considering it. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling after overeating, he shifted back to his business mindset.
Wang Quan pondered for a moment, and spoke with hesitation, "Mr. Lin, to tell you the truth, my hometown is in Zhongshui Province. People from that area like to top their rice with various pastes, and every household would keep a little bit of it in their kitchen. More than ten years ago, there were already people selling their own pickled bean paste on the streets. "
"However, I have eaten sauces for so many years, and none could compare with the ones I ate just now." He tapped a sauce cap on the table with his chopsticks, and continued in a serious tone. "You should know that my hometown is a major producer of compound condiments and the largest soy sauce factory in China is in our county. Despite this, I've never encountered this specific flavor profile. Are you sure this sauce can be successfully mass-produced?"
******
"Ah?" When Lin Jingzhe asked Mother Zhou about her soy paste recipe, she turned to look at him in doubt. "How can there be any recipe? I just marinate whatever is available. At most, the beans were hand picked for better and cleaner quality. If the customers ask me about it, I tell them the same thing.”
Mother Zhou never hid her secrets; she was always such a person. Whenever she comes up with a new recipe, Mother Zhou would openly share it whenever a friend or colleague asked about the method. The snack bar’s kitchen was located outside because she was never afraid of her craft being stolen from others. Despite the thriving business and the multitude of storekeepers eager to learn her 'secrets', no other restaurant had managed to replicate her recipes even though her every move was observed by the queue of customers waiting outside the store every day. Mother Zhou remained open and frank but even so, after so long, she still has yet to hear of any restaurant that had learned her recipes.
When others tried to inquire further, it put Mother Zhou at a loss; she really didn't secretly play any tricks.
Indeed, such is the nature of cooking. It may just be a little difference in heat, a small difference in the ratio of raw materials, a pinch more of salt, or one less spoonful of cooking wine. The final result would be completely different depending on the slight discrepancies.
When Lin Jingzhe talked to her about selling her sauces, she initially thought it was a joke. "These little bean pastes and pickles are put in the store for customers to taste. There wouldn’t be anyone who would spend their hard earned money on such things."
As she spoke, Mother Zhou scooped up the small wontons out of the boiling water, and put them into the clear soup with fried dough sticks and pickled vegetables. The customer waiting outside the counter stretched her head to look at the bowl in her hand and then gave a request, "Give me extra pork lard!"
Mother Zhou laughed. She scooped a heaping spoonful and put it in the bowl.
The snow-white lard melted in the hot broth, blossoming into clear oily flowers floating on the surface of the soup. The irresistible aroma of the lard, rendered by Mother Zhou herself using only premium local pig fat, immediately made the nearby guests turn their heads. The finished product was extraordinarily fragrant and very popular with customers. They would prepare a large pot, but it would always run out midday. The children of the nearby merchants would sometimes come asking for a spoonful during meal time. Stirred into hot fluffy rice with a few drops of soy sauce, then topped with a sprinkle of green onions, it transformed into a mouthwatering delicacy that was more delicious than the luxury foods from overseas.
The customer eagerly took the small bowl from her hand, put it on the table, and took a small plate to scoop up the seasoning Mother Zhou put on the dining table——
"Boss." When the customer opened the lid of the jar and saw that there were only a few drops of bean paste left, she was very disappointed. "The bean paste is gone again."
Mother Zhou wiped her hands as she smiled and apologized to her, "Sorry, these are all pickled by hand and I didn't make much. I didn't expect it to be so popular. I just put these out this morning, but it’s already all gone..."
The customer sighed. She had no choice but to take a spoonful of crispy pepper rings marinated in wine vinegar instead. While holding the small enamel jar, she still couldn’t help glance longingly at the small jar that used to contain the bean paste. "Wouldn’t be great if you sold these condiments in the store. Alas, I have to go abroad to go back to school again on Monday, and I won’t be back until at least a few months. Without your seasonings, I can already foresee my forsaken future.”
Mother Zhou felt distressed for this customer. She immediately took a new plastic bag, turned around, and filled it with two large pickled bamboo shoots from the pickle jars behind the counter. She gave it to the young customer, so she could take it home to enjoy.
The guest was flattered. Presumably she was not short of money, so she refused several times before abruptly stuffing twenty yuan into Mother Zhou's apron pocket for the pickles.
Mother Zhou hurriedly called her husband to scoop a stewed pig trotter to give to the generous customer.
Lin Jingzhe leaned on the table and observed all of this unfold while munching on the pickled pepper rings. All the folks from Liyun Town loved to eat spicy food; they liked to throw a few chili peppers in their daily cooking. Lin Jingzhe doesn’t enjoy eating anything spicy, but Mother Zhou's flavors were the exception.
The fresh and tender peppers rings were sliced thinly. The peppers used for the base of these pickles were the elongated ones that weren’t too spicy, so most could handle it. Although it was only marinated for a few hours, the high surface area of the thinly sliced peppers allowed the sweet and sour juices to completely permeate through every centimeter of the pepper. Lin Jingzhe's palate was not very sensitive, thus he could only taste the predominant ingredients, such as cooking wine, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and white sugar. However, this did not prevent him from stuffing another slice into his mouth as he gasped from the heat.
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Dense Broth Noodle (糊汤面) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFrVntwO_4I
Pork lard
Pickled pepper rings
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!
