Chapter 140: Let You Open a Food Shop, You Operate at 3 AM

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Protagonist:

Lu Feng

After changing several basins of clear water, Lu Feng washed them again; the water in the basin was still clear and bright, and only then did he stop.

He casually fished out a piece of pig trotter from the water basin and held it under his nose to sniff.

The pig trotter piece had none of the usual porky gaminess, only a faint meat fragrance, and it even carried a hint of grass fragrance.

Washing to this extent should be about enough; Lu Feng nodded in satisfaction.

For him, who pursued culinary skill to perfection, he would absolutely not let slip a single detail that might affect the final texture.

Lu Feng found a large pot, set it on the gas stove, and with a splash poured in half a pot of cold water.

Then he dumped the cleaned pig trotter pieces into the pot, threw in some sliced ginger and scallion segments, and turned on high heat to start boiling.

After a few minutes, the water in the pot began to boil; residual blood inside the pig trotters was forced out bit by bit, forming a layer of gray-brown foam on the water surface.

Lu Feng kept scooping out the foam in the pot with a spoon until the water in the pot turned clear and no more foam formed.

The pig trotters in the pot rolled up and down continuously with the boiling water; meat fragrance began to drift out slowly from the pot along with the steam, mingling with the pungent aroma of scallion and ginger, permeating the kitchen.

After boiling another five minutes, Lu Feng reached out to turn off the fire, used a slotted spoon to fish the pig trotter pieces out of the pot, and set them aside to drain.

Taking advantage of this time, Lu Feng took the spice box from the cupboard; it was packed full of various spices for braising meat.

The spices cannot be thrown directly into the pot later; doing so would make the braised pig trotters carry a comparatively heavy medicinal herb taste, and the broth would be slightly bitter.

Lu Feng brought a small basin, put the spices in it to soak in warm water, drawing out the spices' fragrance in advance.

Soaked spices can remove their own bitter and astringent taste; this way the flavor can better fuse into the broth later, and the broth's taste will be even more mellow and rich.

With everything ready, Lu Feng began to caramelize sugar for the pig trotters.

To make the braised pig trotters turn out with an enticing color that makes one's appetite surge at a single glance, the step of caramelizing sugar is indispensable.

Lu Feng turned on the gas stove, heated the wok, then poured in an appropriate amount of cooking oil.

After the oil temperature slowly rose, he grabbed a handful of rock sugar and tossed it in.

The rock sugar slowly melted in the wok; at first it was a semi-transparent syrup, wrapping around oil specks as it swirled in the wok, slowly turning golden yellow.

Lu Feng's eyes fixed on the color change of the syrup in the wok; when the syrup turned amber and began to bubble with small bubbles, he picked up the already blanched pig trotters and swiftly dumped them into the wok.

The moment the pig trotters hit the wok they let out a burst of "sizzle" sounds; the caramel's sweet fragrance rose up wrapped around the pork's aroma.

Lu Feng held the spatula and slowly stir-fried; the pig trotter pieces in the wok were evenly coated with a layer of reddish-brown caramel color, each piece of skin gleaming with an oily luster, looking very appetizing.

He continued stir-frying for a while, then poured a circle of cooking wine along the wok's edge.

The cooking wine evaporated into white mist under high heat, taking the last trace of pork gaminess from the pig trotters away into the air.

Lu Feng's right hand maintained the stir-frying motion while his left hand grabbed the pre-sliced ginger and scallion segments from the chopping board and threw them into the wok.

Then he added some light soy sauce and dark soy sauce to the wok and continued stir-frying for a while.

After simple seasoning, the aroma in the wok began to become enticing; the pork fragrance mixed with the aroma burst from scallion and ginger, making him unable to help swallowing saliva.

Seeing the pig trotters in the wok were about done stir-frying, Lu Feng poured the pig trotters from the stir-fry wok into the large pot specifically for braising meat, slowly added boiling water, and stopped when it just covered the pig trotters.

Then he fished out the previously soaked spices, packed them into a gauze bag, tied it tight, and tossed it into the pot.

For pig trotters to become soft, tender, and flavorful, melting in the mouth, the braising time is not short.

Lu Feng glanced at the time on his mobile phone; it was still two hours until six o'clock.

He estimated that by the time the shop opened for business, the pig trotters in the pot should be about done braising.

In the next two hours, he still had to prepare the soup bases for other soup noodles.

Lu Feng stretched his limbs, then began to get busy.

…………

5:00 PM, Yingbin Hotel.

Xiao Yue arrived at An Liang's room door, lightly knocked twice, then pushed the door open.

An Liang sat in the room, a laptop before him, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

Xiao Yue coughed lightly, stood at the door and asked, "Teacher An Liang, it's almost dinner time; what would you like to eat tonight?"

An Liang's hands didn't stop; hearing Xiao Yue's voice, he didn't even turn his head: "Whatever, you decide."

Then he suddenly thought of something, turned his head with a dead-serious face and added: "As long as it's not ramen; I don't want to eat ramen lately."

Xiao Yue made a bitter face and sighed; An Liang's single "whatever" had truly stumped her.

She picked up her mobile phone, fingertips swiping nonstop on the screen, calculating which restaurant might interest An Liang a little more.

Suddenly, the mobile phone went "ding" and a message popped up.

After reading the message, Xiao Yue's eyes instantly lit up; she raised her head with some delight and said loudly to An Liang in the room: "Teacher An Liang! Why don't we go to that shop from last night again? Xiao Long just messaged me saying the Boss made Pig Trotter Noodles today, asking if we want to go eat together!"

An Liang's hands typing on the keyboard paused for a moment, then he snorted through his nose and said in a stiff tone: "I'm not going."

"But... when you were in that shop yesterday, your evaluation of that shop Boss's culinary skill wasn't pretty good?"

Xiao Yue blinked, recalling yesterday's bowl of Braised Beef Noodles, and couldn't help continuing: "That shop's flavor is indeed very delicious; today they made Pig Trotter Noodles again, I remember you quite like eating pig trotters, could it be you really don't want to go taste it?"

"When did I ever say I like eating..."

An Liang couldn't help turning his head, his tone carrying some doubt.

When he saw the drool flowing from the corner of Xiao Yue's mouth, the rest of his words didn't continue.

Looks like the one who likes eating pig trotters is Xiao Yue.

Seeing her craving it to this extent, An Liang also felt a bit unable to bear it.

Even if he himself doesn't go, there's no need to stop Xiao Yue.

Isn't it just Pig Trotter Noodles?

It's not like I haven't eaten it before.

For Pig Trotter Noodles to be made Delicious, the pig trotters must be melt-in-the-mouth, fatty but not greasy, bursting with Soup/Juice at a single bite, paired with a mouthful of springy Handmade Noodles...

An Liang's mind couldn't help but conjure the Appearance of a Bowl of Aroma-assailing Pig Trotter Noodles, imagining the Taste/Flavor within, and for a moment he was actually somewhat Distracted.

"Teacher An Liang, do you want to go or not?"

Seeing An Liang's gaze vacant, Xiao Yue didn't know what he was thinking, and couldn't help but speak up and ask again.

An Liang snapped back to his senses, couldn't help but swallow his saliva, his gaze somewhat Hesitant.

He had said yesterday in Lu Feng's Shop Inside that he would never go again, and many people around, including Assistant Xiao Yue, had all heard it.

If he went along with Xiao Yue right now, wouldn't that be slapping his own face?

However, after Tasting Lu Feng's Culinary Skill, An Liang couldn't help but also feel some anticipation for the Pig Trotter Noodles he was making today.

He secretly made a Decide in his heart.

If Xiao Yue persuaded him a couple more times, he would put on an Appearance of reluctant compliance and go eat with her.

That way, if asked, he could also say it was Xiao Yue who forcibly dragged him there to eat.

This way he would both save face and get to Taste the Pig Trotter Noodles.

Best of both worlds.