Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 611 - 575: Wang Fan’s Secret Four Happiness Meatballs (Part 2)

Water chestnut is a good thing; it can clear heat, regulate lungs, and dissolve phlegm. Eating too much meat can easily produce phlegm, so this balances the flavor.

Chef Xiaoliang suddenly looked around sneakily, not missing any corner, making the other two chefs confused.

"Chef Xiaoliang, what are you doing?"

Chef Xiaoliang chuckled softly and replied, "I’m checking if there are any cameras around."

"?"

A big question mark appeared above the heads of the two chefs simultaneously.

"What cameras? What are you talking about?"

Chef Xiaoliang didn’t explain, "Nothing, nothing, just look carefully."

He was puzzled about why Boss Wang was being so meticulous; it’s just an ordinary outdoor banquet, and it was a spur-of-the-moment show-off. Is it really necessary to be so serious?

The stance he took while cutting water chestnuts was as if he was participating in a competition.

After cutting the water chestnuts, he covered the meat pieces with the chestnut fragments, Wang Fan then started cutting scallion strands, then diced the strands. His meticulous manner really made Chef Xiaoliang scratch his head.

Is it necessary to be this serious!

Is there really any difference between cutting like this and chopping?

After finishing with the scallions, he started cutting ginger, also going from ginger slices to ginger shreds to ginger dice. Fortunately, his hands were steady and precise, allowing him to work quickly. Otherwise, just cutting these dices could take so long that those uncles and aunties would have already eaten enough and left.

The ginger dice were very small, about the size of rice grains. The golden ginger dice lay on the tender white scallion shards, under which were the white-tender water chestnuts and the red-white mixed pork dice, which looked remarkably layered.

After all this, he cut large pieces of scallion and ginger, took out some five-spice powder, grabbed a handful and sprinkled it into the basin, and then cracked eggs, leaving only the yolks. He used a total of 7 and a half egg yolks, mixed them evenly, and also placed them into the basin.

Then, he took out bread chunks that had absorbed water, squeezed them dry into very small pieces with no hard core, crushed them finely, and placed them in the basin too.

With light soy sauce, chicken powder, sesame oil, cooking wine, and a pinch of salt, the base flavor was adjusted. To cater to the Sichuan people’s taste, Wang Fan innovatively added some pepper powder, and finally, a little bit of sweet potato starch, then he started mixing the meat filling.

Mixing the meat filling was quite fun, not like mixing filling for steamed buns and dumplings in one direction, but kneading and beating as if kneading dough, occasionally pinching a piece and tossing it into the basin, creating a "pop, pop" sound that was quite engaging, catching the uncles and aunties’ eyes from not far away.

Zhuo Qianqian was busy eating, while an auntie nearby said with a laugh, "Little sister, your boy is cooking; it looks quite like something."

Zhuo Qianqian swallowed a big piece of elbow skin, then looked up and said with a smile, "Auntie, uncle, I’m telling you, you’re in for a treat this time; his cooking is particularly delicious. Eat a bit less now; otherwise, when the really good stuff comes, you might not be able to eat it."

The auntie laughed heartily, "You little sister, you’re not modest. What if it’s not tasty later?"

On whether Wang Fan’s creations were tasty or not, Zhuo Qianqian had more confidence than Wang Fan himself; in her view, her boss’s culinary skills were surely not inferior to any top master chef.

"Auntie, just relax and wait for the delicious food, the kind that will make your tongue tingle with flavor."

The auntie placed a few slices of bacon into Zhuo Qianqian’s bowl, "Alright, alright, we’ll wait then. But you’re eating so much, be careful there’s no tummy room left when the dishes arrive."

Zhuo Qianqian sweetly said, "Thank you, auntie," making the old lady’s facial wrinkles seem to glow.

As people get older, loneliness becomes easier to feel; their children work outside and can only return home a few times a year. Seeing Zhuo Qianqian was like seeing their little granddaughter, feeling particularly close.

The aunties at the table kept picking food for Zhuo Qianqian, and a few uncles continuously turned the table, rotating the hard dishes towards her, afraid she couldn’t reach them. You could say she was showered with love from the whole table.

The Four Joy Meatballs are not to be over-kneaded; Wang Fan just kneaded slightly, then started heating the oil. A lot of oil was used; for frying meatballs, you must use a generous amount of oil, unlike pan-frying. This has to be mentioned: the Four Joy Meatballs made by Mr. Huang that Wang Fan watched are such that every step was unexpected.

Once the oil was ready, Wang Fan began to form the meatballs, rolling them in his hands, patting them as he went. After shaping them into rounds, he coated them with a layer of dry starch, resulting in a fist-sized large meatball.

At this point, the oil temperature had risen to about 60% hot. Wang Fan placed the meatballs into the oil pot.

Under the effect of the oil temperature, the surface of the meatballs quickly turned white, the shape becoming stable. Once the second meatball was ready, the first was taken out. Just like that, four per plate were soon arranged into 16 plates.

After steaming with oil and stir-frying with scallion and ginger, he added the five-spice powder, and after smelling the fragrant aroma of the spices, he poured in boiling water until the water covered the meatballs.

If you want to make this dish well, the final step of simmering slowly over low heat should take 40 minutes. With high heat, it’s easy for the meatballs to become a pot of ground meat soup, but given the time constraints, Wang Fan could only rely on his exceptional control of the heat to shorten the cooking time.

Seeing the "gurgle, gurgle" bubbling in the pot, Xiaoliang and the other two chefs were frightened, wondering who would use such a high temperature to cook meatballs? Maybe he added glue, hence not fearing the meatballs would fall apart?

Wang Fan gave it his all, never allowing the skimmer in his hand to leave the pot for a moment, flipping it here and there, to prevent any meatball from disintegrating.

Simmering slowly over low heat also avoids the embarrassing situation of the outside being cooked and the inside raw, as the meatballs are so large and a short cooking time could easily cause this issue. So, generally, it’s safest to stick to simmering over low heat.

"It’s done."

Muttering to himself, Wang Fan gently scooped the meatballs out of the pot with the skimmer. The thoroughly cooked meatballs were very tender and could easily fall apart with even the slightest force. He had to carefully control his strength.

With all 16 plates of meatballs arranged neatly, Wang Fan took out a small pot, thickened the broth with some cornstarch, and drizzled it evenly over the meatballs.

Four Joy Meatballs can be clear stewed, braised in red sauce, or red cooked. The difference between braising in red and red cooking lies in the final thickening; braising in red just requires you to pour the stewing broth directly, while red cooking requires thickening.

Sichuan cuisine generally has a heavier taste, and Wang Fan thought the red-cooked flavor would be more suitable for them.

After thickening, the juice in the pot began bubbling continuously. Wang Fan finally drizzled a spoonful of pepper oil over it and turned off the heat.

Chef Xiaoliang and the others had been watching Wang Fan’s movements all along, and when that spoonful of thickened sauce was drizzled over the meatballs, they couldn’t help but widen their eyes.

The four meatballs sat in the same plate, the glossy sauce pouring over, instantly elevating the appearance of the dish. It was like four ordinary quadruplets suddenly having one of them don a bespoke evening gown, immediately becoming the brightest presence at the party.

Wang Fan swiftly garnished the meatballs with spring onion using a spoon, completing the dish.

"Could the few chefs please help serve the dishes? They won’t taste as good if they cool down."

Hearing Wang Fan’s call, the three chefs quickly responded and rushed over to help.

Chef Xiaoliang picked up the meatballs and couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The rich and pure aroma, mixed with a faint freshness from the meatballs, was heart-refreshing, making one want to take a bite right away.

The glossy red meatballs reflected the oil sheen, contrasting sharply with the green onion garnish on top. Red and green on clothing might not look great, but in food, they complement each other beautifully.

Wang Fan pointed to the last plate of meatballs and said to Director Geng, "Auntie, this plate is for you and the three chefs; try it when you’re not busy."

Director Geng couldn’t stop smiling, "Such a sweetheart, I’ll definitely savor your cooking later."