Chapter 396 - 201: Master Zhou, Spare Some Time to Guide Me, Too

Chapter 396: Chapter 201: Master Zhou, Spare Some Time to Guide Me, Too

’Interviewing chefs is a great idea!’

’I’ll have to pay more attention to this group in the future.’

’My notebook is packed with material. I’ll have plenty to write about when I get back.’

Once the table was cleared, the cold dishes started being served outside.

Kong Qingfeng stood up, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, find your own seats. The banquet is starting!"

Like students let out of school, the crowd scattered, breaking into groups of threes and fives to find seats.

As soon as Zhou Yan stepped out, he saw Zhou Momo kneeling on a stool, waving at him and yelling, "Brother! Here! Over here!"

Mrs. Zhao and Comrade Zhou were sitting right beside her, with an empty seat next to them.

Zhou Yan smiled and walked over.

The little one tucked a candy from the adjacent stool back into her pocket, patted the stool, and said in a sweet, childish voice, "Brother, you sit here! Sit right next to me. I saved this stool for you."

"Alright." Zhou Yan smiled, sat down, and reached out to pinch the little one’s chubby cheek.

The other guests at the table looked at the little one, all with smiles on their faces.

The cold dishes were already on the table: a platter of braised pig’s head, braised beef, and a mix of braised pig ears and pig snout. But the chopsticks hadn’t been handed out yet, so everyone could only stare, swallowing countless times as they smelled the fragrant aroma of the braised meat.

Mrs. Zhao smiled and said to Zhou Yan, "What a grand affair! There’s even a Sichuan opera performance this afternoon. We should stay and watch, right? We can eat dinner before heading back."

"Alright, let’s watch. We don’t have anything to do back home today anyway." Zhou Yan nodded.

It wasn’t easy to watch an opera these days. After all, they didn’t live in the city, so they had to wait for a traveling troupe to visit the countryside.

As they spoke, the hot dishes began to arrive at the table.

Today’s feast was still based on the ’Nine Big Bowls,’ but compared to Zhou Hao’s wedding last time, today’s Nine Big Bowls were even more substantial.

Inlaid Bowl, Salted Burnt White, Sweet Burnt White, Steamed Pork with Rice Flour, Dongpo Pork Knuckle, Steamed Duck, Steamed Chicken, Steamed Rock Carp...

The three cold dishes weren’t even counted as part of the Nine Big Bowls.

The square table for eight was packed with food, every dish generous in portion.

When the hot dishes began to arrive, so did the chopsticks. There were no suspense-building speeches—a definite plus.

Zhou Yan had been busy all morning and had only managed to sneak a couple of bites earlier. He was starving by now. He first put a piece of Sweet Burnt White in Zhou Momo’s bowl; the little one had been staring at it with longing eyes ever since it was placed on the table.

Sweet Burnt White, also known as Jia Sha Rou, had a layer of sugar sandwiched in the middle and was a favorite among children.

Zhou Yan first drank half a bowl of the Inlaid Bowl’s broth, which was incredibly savory. Then he went for a piece of the Dongpo Pork Knuckle, half fat and half lean.

The pork knuckle was bigger than a fist, its color a glossy crimson. When it came out of the pot, a thick sauce had been drizzled over it, coating the meat.

The steaming time was just right. The skin and meat separated as soon as they were pinched with chopsticks. The lean meat, especially, fell apart at the slightest touch. It wobbled precariously when lifted, and after being coated in the platter’s sauce, you had to hold your bowl underneath it, lest you waste a good piece of meat by letting it fall apart midway.

He slipped the pork knuckle into his mouth. SWISH. It melted instantly. The skin was soft and glutinous, the fat rich but not greasy. The lean meat was soft but not mushy, tender but not dry. Its savory flavor was accompanied by a subtle sweet-and-sour taste and a mild, not-at-all-overpowering, numbing spice.

"This is delicious!" Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up. He felt it was even tastier than what he’d had at Zhou Hao’s wedding banquet!

’Master Xiao’s really got it!’

’After making this dish so intensively for a while, not only has he not slacked off, but his skills have actually continued to improve.’

’The flavor is just perfect.’

[An Extremely Good Dongpo Pork Knuckle]

Zhou Yan glanced at it.

’As expected, the evaluation was quite high.’

’You have to eat the fatty part of a Dongpo Pork Knuckle; that’s the essence of the dish.’

’Just eating the lean meat misses the point.’

"SLURP!" Zhou Momo had just eaten a piece of the Dongpo Pork Knuckle skin that Mrs. Zhao fed her. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she exclaimed in delight, "So yummy! The skin is so fragrant! I want more!"

Zhou Yan took another bite, this time of the Steamed Rock Carp. The texture was delicate, tender, and smooth, with a flavor that was all about pure umami and fragrance.

The seasoning was very simple: just slivers of ginger and scallion, with a drizzle of composite soy sauce.

What you were meant to enjoy was the Rock Carp’s own ultimate freshness and its firm yet tender, smooth texture.

It was a completely different feeling from the Dry-Burned Rock Carp, but no less delicious.

’As expected, high-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.’

"Little friend Momo, we meet again." Qian Siyuan, making his rounds with toasts, arrived at Zhou Yan’s table. He smiled and greeted Zhou Momo, then beckoned. Wang immediately walked over carrying a beautiful tin box, which Qian Siyuan took with a smile and handed to the little girl. "These are cookies. A return gift for the drawing you gave me last time. I hope you like them."

"What a pwetty box!" The little one took the tin box, her gaze completely captivated by the beautiful sea of flowers on its lid. After a moment, she looked up at Qian Siyuan, her voice brimming with a bit of excitement as she said in her sweet, childish way, "I love this box so much! It’s so pretty! Thank you, Uncle! I’m so happy~~"