"Snowflake Chicken? This isn't a dish from our Kong Sect, is it? Using this dish to commemorate my Grandmaster?" Zhou Yan's eyes widened, his expression slightly strange.
Xiao Lei shook his head and said seriously, "You just don't understand. Back then, the Old Luo family's lineage was cut off, which had a huge impact on my master. It was the fuse that made him decide to open a class at Le Ming Restaurant and bring out all the recipes from the Kong Sect.
For many years afterward, he studied the recipes left by Old Luo, trying to recreate the Snowflake Chicken, but he never succeeded. He only managed to make the appearance, and the taste was completely different from what Old Luo made. This became his regret. In his later years, he would often mention it to me, urging me to try it if I had the chance.
He said that dishes like Snowflake Chicken, which are not commonly found in ordinary Sichuan restaurants, are not ordered by many people, require meticulous preparation, and are selective in their customers. It may be completely lost in the future.
I certainly couldn't learn this recipe even if I had it. But if you did learn it, and then showed it off to everyone, and it might even get featured in the Jiazhou Daily, then the story of your grandmaster's act of giving up his family's traditional skills to his own family, and then opening classes to pass on Sichuan cuisine, would have a perfect ending."
Zhou Yan fell silent after listening, looking at Xiao Lei with some surprise.
Master is quite insightful.
The fact that his grandmaster Kong Huaifeng attempted to recreate the Snowflake Chicken was quite unexpected for him.
With the sudden passing of Old Luo and the Little Luo still too young to carry on the family tradition, several classic dishes have lost their lineage in the Luo family.
To some extent, the entire tradition of these dishes has been broken in Jiazhou.
Snowflake Chicken, Jart Meat (Tan Zi Rou)... these were all signature dishes of Le Ming Restaurant back then, high-end and classy. Le Ming Restaurant was definitely ahead of Feiyan Restaurant, and Old Luo deserves half the credit for supporting half of Le Ming Restaurant's success.
The three members of the Kong family supported the other half of the Le Ming Restaurant's success, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were evenly matched back then.
Today, disciples of the Kong Sect are scattered throughout restaurants of all sizes in Jiazhou and even Chengdu. There are highly respected master chefs like Kong Qingfeng, renowned masters like Fang Yifei and Song Bo, chefs like Xu Yunliang who have secured a place in Chengdu restaurants, and many other chefs who shine in various restaurants. They all bear the mark of the Kong Sect.
The Luo family is rarely mentioned by others anymore. The Little Luo has grown into the Old Luo, and now he works as a chef in the kitchen of Le Ming Restaurant, making excellent Kong-style dishes.
The fourth generation disciple of the Kong Sect replicated the Snowflake Chicken that the Luo family used to excel at, creating a truly perfect closed loop.
Zhou Yan nodded: "Okay, then I'll make Snowflake Chicken."
"No, junior brother, you really know how?" Zheng Qiang asked in shock.
"What are the chances of success?" Xiao Lei was also somewhat surprised. He was just giving it a try. If it didn't work out, Zhou Yan could at least show off another dish.
Zhou Yan pondered for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. I think it's quite delicious. It meets the standards described in the recipe: 'eating chicken without seeing chicken' and 'eating meat without seeing meat', and it's tender, smooth, and fragrant."
Xiao Lei thought for a moment and nodded, "If you think it tastes good, that's fine! I believe in your abilities. Tomorrow at noon, once you've braised the meat, deliver it to No. 8 Linjiang Street in Linjiang Town. That's your grandmaster's old house, where the banquet is held.
Your grandmaster uncle said the notice was rather rushed. We'll prepare the ingredients ourselves for tomorrow's dishes, everyone should use their best skills. Preparing things yourself is the easiest, and if anything goes wrong, you can't blame anyone else."
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. He only needed to prepare one young chicken, which he could bring along when he went grocery shopping tomorrow. However, he wasn't very good at killing chickens. He turned to Zheng Qiang beside him and asked, "Senior Brother Zheng, do you know how to kill a chicken?"
"Killing chickens? I'm quite good at it." Zheng Qiang nodded, his eyes filled with a hint of melancholy and vicissitude: "I've been killing chickens at the restaurant in Rongcheng for three years. My heart is colder than a knife."
"Then can you kill a chicken for me tomorrow? I'm not very good at killing chickens yet." Zhou Yan said.
"There are fifty tables tomorrow, and I'm not sure I'll have time to kill a chicken for you." Zheng Qiang scratched his head. "Why don't you just grab a senior brother to kill it for you tomorrow, or I can ask my master to kill it for you. I heard that my master will be coming tomorrow, and he's going back to Jiazhou this afternoon."
"Is Senior Master Uncle Xu coming too?" Zhou Yan was somewhat surprised. Qian Siyuan was his grandmaster's nephew, and his return from searching for his relatives was a big deal. As the senior disciple of the Kong Sect, Xu Yunliang had to take leave to attend in person. That was a matter of responsibility.
"Letting my Senior Master Uncle do the killing, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
Xiao Lei said irritably, "If you know it's inappropriate, you should take some time to learn from your father how to kill a chicken. You buy three or four chickens everyday to make cold chicken dish. Your father's skill in killing chickens is just as good as his skill in killing cows. Killing chickens, ducks, and even pigs are basic skills for chefs. They are tested in chef level exams. Once, the knife skills test involved deboning and cutting half a pig."
"I know, I know." Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, not wanting to ask that one more question.
However, what his master said made a lot of sense. His knife skills were not bad, but he really hadn't handled live animals like chickens, ducks, and geese much.
His father was an expert at slaughtering cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese.
The best teacher is right beside him, he should humbly seek his father's guidance and study hard.
He'll definitely need to take a chef's certification exam later.
What a prestigious title! When people introduce him as Boss Zhou, the owner of a small restaurant, or Master Zhou, a national-level master chef, the difference is striking.
Zhou Yan couldn't possibly run a small restaurant in Suji forever. Without formal education, a professional qualification certificate was his stepping stone.
The chef's certification exams in those days were still very strict, with a limited number of chefs at each level each year. This is unlike the later rise of short videos, where everyone became a first level or top level master chef.
For example, the special grade chef assessment two years ago required applicants to have 20 years of work experience, a certain reputation, and experience cooking in large restaurants.
Finally, passing the assessment and obtaining the Special Grade Chef Certificate is highly valuable. It is usually awarded to head chefs of major restaurants who are already renowned masters.
It is said that the exam questions are very broad, requiring proficiency in both red[1] and white[2] works, which is a great test of the chef's comprehensive abilities.
This certificate is recognized by big restaurants, and having it can raise your salary to the corresponding level.
Zhou Yan wasn't in a hurry about this. He didn't know much yet and needed to accumulate more experience.
Moreover, with only two and a half years of apprenticeship experience in the factory canteen, and now being self-employed, he probably doesn't even qualify to register for the Level 3 chef exam.
This matter will most likely involve connections within the sect and finding a solution from the Kong Sect.
After all, the Kong Sect is full of talented people. Grandmaster Uncle Kong Qingfeng is a special level three chef, and Senior Master Uncle Xu Yunliang is a level one chef. Senior Master Uncle Fang Yifei and Senior Master Uncle Song Bo are more famous than Xu Yunliang, but one is far away in the capital and the other has been with the leader overseas for many years and has not yet returned to take the level test.
If he can demonstrate a level of performance that satisfies the Kong Sect, perhaps the registration issue can be resolved later.
To forge iron, one must be strong oneself, so he also needs to hone his basic skills.
Zhou Yan packed a bag of braised vegetables for his Senior Brother Zheng, who had been staring at the bowls of braised vegetarian dishes and swallowing his saliva several times, and then smiled as he saw them off at the door.
"No wonder your master said you have a big appetite, he was absolutely right." Xiao Lei said, looking at Zheng Qiang who was already eagerly eating the braised vegetables.
"Wow! This braised dried bean curd sticks is so delicious when it's hot! It's soaked up all that rich braising liquid, and every bite is bursting with flavor, it's incredibly fragrant." Zheng Qiang looked at Xiao Lei and asked with a smile, "Master Uncle, would you like to try some?"
Xiao Lei's throat bobbed, and he cleared his throat: "Then...then I'll also criticize one."
"Here you go, there's no one else around anyway." Zheng Qiang smiled and handed him a piece dried bean curd sticks with a bamboo stick.
"Mmm! It tastes even better when it's hot!"
...
"Not open again tomorrow? Why don't we just stop operating on Sundays from now on? We can relax and have a good time, and our customers won't want to come over for meals on the weekend, so they won't keep thinking about it." Aunt Zhao looked at Zhou Yan and said seriously, "All in all, we've only opened twice and turned away our customers three times."
"If I'm free next week, I'll definitely open for business." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "You guys can have a good time tomorrow. I'll deliver the meat over and probably won't go home until night.
The banquet for welcoming relatives tomorrow has a very high budget, fifty tables. They need braised dishes for lunch and dinner, this alone is over a hundred jin (approximately 50 kg) of braised meat, which will cost over 300 yuan. We can make over 100 yuan profit."
"As expected of a big boss, the meal allowance is too high!" Aunt Zhao was delighted to hear this and said with a smile, "That's great. I'll have your dad help you deliver the meat tomorrow. Over a hundred jin piled together will crush the meat. Two bicycles will be just right."
"Linjiang is not close, more than 15 km away. I'll go with you, so you can save your energy cutting meat and cooking." Comrade Old Zhou also offered.
"Okay, it's settled then." Zhou Yan nodded. He would treat it as taking Comrade Old Zhou to a banquet. He could also help kill the chicken tomorrow, which was better than having his senior master uncle do it.
"Guo Guo, can I go to the banquet?" Zhou Momo had been drawing nearby and overheard their conversation. She ran over and asked him with expectant eyes.
"This..." Zhou Yan looked at the expectant expression on the little one's face, feeling a little reluctant to refuse, but also not knowing how to agree.
"You stay home tomorrow, and Mommy will make you an egg pancake. We're not relatives, so it's not appropriate for us to just go and join in the fun at their banquet." Aunt Zhao bent down and picked her up, smiling as she said, "Mommy will make you an egg pancake with braised meat, even better than the one your Guo Guo made at Laoxiaoding last time."
"Really!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded her head: "Okay! Momo wants to eat it!"
"Guo Guo, what delicious food do you have for the banquet tomorrow?" Zhou Momo turned to Zhou Yan and asked.
Without hesitation, Zhou Yan replied, "It's a banquet, with Steamed Pork With Rice Flour, Salted Braised Pork Belly, Dongpo Pork Knuckle..."
"Huh? Guo Guo, you guys are eating so well and you didn't even take me! You're so mean!" Zhou Momo pouted, tears welling up in her eyes, her big eyes misty and looking extremely aggrieved.
Even egg rolls with braised meat don't smell good anymore.
"You know perfectly well that she's a foodie, and you can't mention delicious food in front of her, yet you still dared to say it. Now look what you've done, you'll have to coax her yourself." Aunt Zhao rolled her eyes.
"Don't cry, don't cry, I'll pack some food for you tomorrow." Zhou Yan quickly comforted her with a smile.
Zhou Momo counted on her fingers, "Then I want Steamed Pork With Rice Flour, Salted Braised Pork Belly, Dongpo Pork Knuckle..."
Well, she ordered a whole table full of dishes, not missing a single one.
If she had this good memory in school, her grades would definitely be good.
"Okay, I'll pack a lot back for you." Zhou Yan agreed with a smile. Tomorrow he would bring a multi-layered lunchbox and ask Senior Brother Zheng to help pack each dish.
As the saying goes, "If the cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be good[3]."
Zhou Momo eats little, a bite of each dish is enough. He'll let Mr. Qian know beforehand, and it should be fine.
Just then, a car slowly pulled up in front of the restaurant.
Secretary Xiao Wang got out of the passenger seat and entered with a smile, saying, "Boss Zhou, tomorrow is the family reunion banquet. To thank you for your help, President Qian invites your whole family to attend. Here is the invitation. We hope you can accept the invitation."
"Whole family?" Zhou Yan took the invitation and saw that it indeed read "A sincere invitation to Zhou Yan and his family." He smiled and nodded, "Okay, then please thank Mr. Qian for the invitation. We will attend tomorrow."
"Alright, then I'll head back now." Xiao Wang nodded and turned to leave.
"No need to pack anymore, our whole family can go eat together." Zhou Yan smiled and waved the invitation in his hand. Qian Siyuan was so thoughtful, inviting his whole family.
"Yay! Momo wants to go to the banquet too!" Zhou Momo clenched her little fists and happily raised them above her head, unable to contain her excitement. "Guo Guo, shall we go now? I want to change into a pretty dress!"
"We'll go tomorrow." Zhou Yan smiled and tapped her head. The little one only listened to half of what he said, except when it came to food.
"They even sent out invitations for the thank you banquet. This boss is really meticulous." Aunt Zhao took the invitation and glanced at it. The notification was rather rushed, but the invitation was still written quite formally.
Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Then you and Momo can come with us tomorrow morning."
"Sure, we're free anyway, going to the banquet is perfect." Aunt Zhao nodded, put down the invitation, and looked at Zhou Yan, asking, "Should we bring gifts?"
"He's the boss of a big foreign company, so he should be expected to accept gifts at his thank you banquet." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll prepare a red envelope. If everyone's giving gifts, we can give one too."
The thank you banquet was now set, and it seemed Qian Siyuan had specifically waited for his master's availability.
This money was deliberately meant for his master to earn.
Fifty tables, at three yuan per table, that's one hundred and fifty yuan.
That was the price for a basic Nine Large Bowls meal. Qian Siyuan's thank you banquet was on a higher level, and the dinner that evening was also quite good, the price per table was probably even higher then.
The way the wealthy repay favors is always so endearing.
…
In the evening, Zhou Yan was writing down the ingredients and quantities to be used the next day, Comrade Old Zhou was maintaining his fishing rod that hadn't been in the water for several days, and Aunt Zhao was trying on the clothes she would wear for the banquet the next day.
This evening, Zhou Momo had a blast playing with a group of factory kids. Aunt Zhao washed her face and dried her body, but before her feet were even dry, Zhou Momo fell asleep in her arms.
"Sanshui, do you think this outfit suits me?" Aunt Zhao asked Comrade Old Zhou, tucking the hem of her Dacron floral shirt into her suit trousers.
Comrade Old Zhou put down his fishing rod, looked at it carefully, and nodded, saying, "Okay, this looks smart and classy, and it looks good with your leather shoes!"
Aunt Zhao smiled and nodded: "Okay, then I'll wear this outfit tomorrow, and wear a light cotton coat over it."
Zhou Yan was impressed by Comrade Old Zhou's response, he responded to every question with clarity and articulation, not just casually giving a perfunctory answer. This is something that is quite difficult to maintain in a long term relationship between husband and wife.
Aunt Zhao looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Zhou Yan, I've already picked out your clothes. Just wear the new one. It's getting colder and colder these mornings, so take out that corduroy jacket and wear it too."
"Okay." Zhou Yan replied.
The next morning, Zhou Yan and Comrade Old Zhou went to buy meat and also bought a young chicken.
Back at the restaurant, it was still dark when the father and son turned on the lights and began to prepare the pig's head.
With enough ingredients for fifty tables, they needed to allow sufficient time for preparation. Moreover, it was a 15 km journey from Suji to Linjiang, which would take them nearly an hour by bicycle, so the earlier the better.
"Dad, teach me how to kill a chicken later." Zhou Yan said to Comrade Old Zhou while scraping pig hair.
"I only kill two or three chickens a day, so I can just kill them while I'm at it. Aren't you busy cooking the toppings and sauces?" Comrade Old Zhou replied casually.
"Having more skills is never a bad thing. If I want to take the chef certification exam in the future, these are all basic skills." Zhou Yan said.
"Okay, then I'll kill the chicken a little later next time so you can learn." Comrade Old Zhou nodded.
After soaking for a sufficient time, the braised meat was gradually taken out of the pot. The inside of the bamboo basket was lined with two layers of gauze. The braised meat was then put into the bamboo basket, and another two layers of gauze were placed on top. A new straw hat was then placed on the bamboo basket to prevent dust.
Zhou Yan's bicycle had two baskets strapped to the back, while Comrade Old Zhou's only had one strapped to one side, to make it easier for Aunt Zhao to ride.
"Let's go to the feast!" Zhou Momo shouted happily, sitting in front of Zhou Yan's 28-inch bicycle and clenching her little fist.
Zhou Yan said, "Dad, lead the way. I've never been to Linjiang before."
"Alright." Comrade Old Zhou replied, leading the way.
He bought and slaughtered cattle, traveling to almost every town and village in Jiazhou, he practically knew the map by heart.
In an era when road signs were rare items, it was possible to find various villages by relying on memory.
They rode for fifty minutes to reach Linjiang Town. Before they could even ask for directions, they saw a large crowd gathered on the street ahead. A row of makeshift stoves lined the roadside, with steamers stacked higher than a person, creating a rather spectacular sight.
"That's it." Zhou Yan said, rode his bicycle over, and soon found Zheng Qiang and his master in front of the stove, busy stir-frying toppings.
Surrounding them was a row of people dressed in chef's uniforms, representing both middle-aged and young generations, they were clearly chefs of the Kong Sect, and many were familiar to Zhou Yan.
"Zhou Yan is here!" Zheng Qiang, with his sharp eyes, called out.
A flurry of eager gazes immediately turned to Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan was featured in the Sichuan Cuisine magazine, and his Cross-legged Beef even made it to the cover, making him the most prominent figure among the fourth generation of Kong Sect disciples.
This season's issue of "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine in Jiazhou has been sold out, thanks in large part to the outstanding contributions of chefs from the Kong Sect.
There's no way around it. They don't even know when the issue featuring the Kong Sect will be published, and it certainly won't have a cover like that.
Having such a junior brother or junior nephew in the sect is quite prestigious.
There were also senior members of the sect and fellow apprentices who hadn't come last time and hadn't seen him. They were even more curious about Zhou Yan. How could a 20 years old young man, who had been learning to cook for less than three years, be on a magazine cover?
Chefs are hardworking people and have never believed in geniuses.
No matter how talented you are, you still have to start by learning knife skills and techniques. Slicing and shredding both require practice, and seasoning and heat control require a long time of exploration to master.
But if there truly is a genius, everyone hopes they emerge from the Kong Sect, and it would be even better if they were one's own disciple.
Zhou Yan was wearing a corduroy jacket that Aunt Zhao had custom-made for him today, over a white cotton-linen shirt, and suit trousers. He wasn't wearing leather shoes today because he was going to work, but a new pair of liberation shoes, making him look smart and handsome.
Even those who hadn't met Zhou Yan in person had seen his picture in magazines and naturally recognized him.
Zhou Yan applied the brakes, stopping his bicycle in front of the group, and greeted them with a smile, "Dear senior master uncles, master uncles, senior brothers, and junior brothers, you've all arrived so early!"
Zhou Momo greeted in her childish voice, "Hello, uncles, elder brothers~~"
Only then did everyone notice the little girl sitting on the front bar of Zhou Yan's bicycle. She was wearing a little leather jacket, had her hair in two braids, and wore tiger-head shoes. She had a chubby little face and delicate features. She was a beautifully sculpted little girl, and her voice was soft.
So adorable!
"Hey!"
"Hello, little one."
Everyone responded with smiles.
"This is my sister, and behind us are my parents. They've come to this thank you banquet at Mr. Qian's invitation." Zhou Yan introduced with a smile, explaining that Qian Siyuan had invited them to avoid any misunderstanding that he was bringing his family to freeload.
"Stop standing around chatting, hurry up and help me get the braised meat off the bicycles, then get to work and start cutting them!" Xiao Lei walked over and directed with a smile.
Everyone responded, and a group of fourth-generation disciples stepped forward to help unload the baskets and carry them aside for preparation.
Today there were many chefs, and Xiao Lei was in charge of everything.
He'd been hosting a month long series of banquets, and had never fought such a lavish battle before.
Zhou Yan had prepared to bring Comrade Old Zhou along to help out, but now it seems he can't get involved at all.
Aunt Zhao took Zhou Momo aside to get some candy, while Zhou Yan and Comrade Old Zhou parked their bicycles before returning to the stove.
"Cut half and keep half, we'll need this braised meat for dinner tonight! Cut the pig's head meat and beef into pieces the thickness of coins, and the ear pieces into thin slices..." Master Xiao gave instructions to everyone, stern and clear.
"Okay!" the young apprentices replied in unison.
"Zhou Yan, right? I'm Xu Yunliang." A slightly overweight middle-aged man with thick, curly black hair, dressed in a chef's uniform, walked over and said with a smile on his square face.
"Senior Master Uncle, I'm Zhou Yan, hello, hello." Zhou Yan quickly shook hands with him.
This was his first time meeting his Senior Master Uncle Xu Yunliang. He looked somewhat like Zheng Qiang, and seemed quite approachable.
"You're so young and talented! You're only twenty and you've already been featured in Sichuan Cuisine magazine, and your dish even made the cover. You're incredibly talented." Xu Yunliang said, looking at him with admiration.
"You flatter me, Senior Master Uncle. I was just lucky." Zhou Yan quickly replied.
"A chef's dishes are all about skill, if they're delicious, they're delicious. There's no such thing as luck. You don't need to be modest. I'm very happy you're in the magazine, it's an honor for our Kong Sect." Xu Yunliang said with a smile, then glanced at Xiao Lei, who was busy beside him, his tone becoming slightly sour.
"It's your master who's a bit eccentric. Writing a letter is one thing, but he even sent me a copy of 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine, as if he was afraid I wouldn't see it. He even put a bookmark on the page with your interview, cut from a liquor box, about half the thickness of the magazine. He's so smug!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan's lips curled up slightly. He could almost picture his master's smug expression as he slipped the liquor box into the magazine.
How could he do this to his own senior brother?
Xu Yunliang looked at him and asked again, "Your master said he's busy preparing the banquet today and wants you to cook a dish. What are you planning to cook?"
"I'm going to make Snowflake Chicken." Zhou Yan replied.
[1] In the food industry, food processing and preparation are accomplished by two distinct job roles, commonly referred to as "red work" and "white work." Red work refers to the work of preparing dishes. It consists of three steps: "vegetable preparation," "ingredient preparation," and "cooking." The origin of the name "red work" is unknown. According to veteran chefs in the industry, "Because blood is frequently seen when slaughtering live animals at the kitchen counter, and the processing of raw materials all takes place on the counter, the name 'red work' came about."
[2] "White work" refers to the specialized craft of preparing staple foods, pastries, and various snacks. The process includes selecting ingredients, processing, and cooking. The finished product is usually made by one person, preserving a strong local flavor and the individual characteristics of the maker. Common techniques include steaming, boiling, baking, grilling, and frying. Because this craft uses rice and flour as raw materials, which are mostly white, and the processing takes place on clean workbenches, it is commonly called "white work."
[3] This implies that food theft by cooks is an inevitable phenomenon that cannot be eradicated, unless there is no more food to steal.