novelslam Chapter 91 It's lunchtime, time to get started!
Chapter 91 It's lunchtime, time to get started!
Uncle Lu's stir-fries in the northern style are cooked by Aunt Guifen in the kitchen.
Aunt Guifen is now second only to Lu Yuan in the number one position in the kitchen.
Lu Yuan analyzed it carefully and concluded that if she only cooked local-style stir-fries, Aunt Guifen would definitely be at the level of a head chef in a top restaurant in the provincial capital.
The so-called "first stove" is the first one in the kitchen, where the heat is strongest and the stove is the largest.
This means that the main stove has the best facilities and is dedicated to making signature dishes and main courses.
Uncle Lu's signature dish is still stir-fried lamb.
Apart from that, all the other dishes are dishes with the characteristics of northern China or the northwest.
Aunt Guifen's role was equivalent to that of the head cook, in addition to being responsible for the signature dish, stir-fried lamb.
They are also responsible for some stir-fried and braised dishes, including braised pork belly, stir-fried beef slices, stir-fried mutton with scallions, mutton with pickled cabbage, and spicy stir-fried tripe.
Aunt Shufang was like a second cook, specializing in home-style dishes and vegetarian dishes, including braised egg puffs, braised gluten with water chestnuts, pickled cabbage and shredded potatoes, stewed mutton, and meatball soup.
The second cook also has another responsibility: to fill in when the first cook is too busy.
So, besides stir-frying lamb, Aunt Shufang also needs to know how to cook other dishes.
Aunt Juping is like a cold dish chef, making cold beef salad, spicy chicken salad, farmhouse mixed salad, cold bitter greens salad, and cold sand onion salad.
The menu features 16 dishes, each a specialty dish with a northern flavor.
However, these dishes don't taste strange; they're not overly strong in flavor or too sweet. They have a savory, slightly spicy taste that most diners can accept without discrimination.
In terms of price, apart from the stir-fried lamb which remains unchanged at 25 yuan.
The signature braised pork sandwich has been reduced to 15 yuan, while all other meat and vegetable dishes have been reduced to 13 yuan.
Vegetable dishes are all reduced to 5-6 yuan.
Although this price is slightly higher than that in towns and county seats, it is still within the range that most ordinary people can accept.
After all, there's sometimes only one restaurant along a national highway for dozens of kilometers, so there's a reason why it's expensive.
Uncle Lu and Old Man Lu have different focuses; Uncle Lu specializes in making affordable, home-style dishes.
In this way, four stores can cover people with different price points and tastes.
If Xiao Lu's farm-style dishes can't satisfy diners, other restaurants also have the ability to meet their needs.
The first diners to enter were mostly villagers who came to watch the spectacle.
People actually have some spare cash after selling their wheat in July.
This morning was so lively, the atmosphere was so great, there were plenty of people willing to come and try it.
However, most people wouldn't dare order stir-fried lamb, as it's too expensive at 25 yuan.
Stir-fried beef slices, sauerkraut and mutton, and spicy stir-fried tripe are the most frequently ordered dishes that go well with rice.
Two people order a dish and a large bowl of rice each, and it tastes quite delicious.
This kind of stir-fried dish requires a high heat, which most home kitchens don't have enough firepower to produce the wok hei (wok aroma) of a restaurant.
In addition, without short video platforms these days, people don't have a way to learn these cooking techniques.
Therefore, these "technical dishes" that ordinary people consider delicious are very popular these days.
As the time approached 11 o'clock, the proper lunchtime arrived, and passing vehicles began to turn off the national highway.
Some of them were regular customers of Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant, and when they saw that the owner of Xiao Lu's restaurant was not open again, they habitually came over.
Others are diners who have been brainwashed by the Optimus Prime GG on the national highway these past few days and came here specifically to try something new.
These customers are not so careful when ordering food.
Master Liu is the most typical example. He drives the 109 National Highway route and comes to eat here twice a week.
When he saw Uncle Lu and Old Man Lu's GG, he immediately guessed that it was Lu Yuan who was behind it.
So he never intended to drive to Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant; instead, he parked his car directly in front of Uncle Lu's house.
After lifting the curtain, he immediately caught Lu Yuan, who was observing from the kitchen doorway.
"Boss Lu, I knew you'd be here! You're opening a new store way too fast!"
Lu Yuan grinned and said, "Master Liu, I guessed you'd come this morning."
"How did you guess?" Master Liu asked curiously.
Lu Yuandao said, "As soon as I open a new store, you'll definitely be there!"
Master Liu thought for a moment, then opened his eyes wide and nodded, saying:
"That's really true! So I'm really bringing good fortune to your restaurant. How about you give me a free meal today, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Yuan immediately shook his head and refused, saying, "That won't do. Our Lu family's ancestral rule is that we will never offer free meals!"
"Haha!" Master Liu pointed at Lu Yuan and wagged his finger, chuckling and teasing, "No wonder you're making so much money, little Lu!"
While chatting with Lu Yuan, Master Liu sat down at the doorway.
The three shops owned by Sister Lu, Uncle Lu, and Old Man Lu were originally houses belonging to the village collective and were not built for people to live in.
Therefore, in terms of area, it is not as large as Xiao Lu Farmhouse Restaurant, which has its own house; the hall only has 12 tables.
When Master Liu sat down by the door, along with the other tables of villagers who had already arrived, the hall suddenly felt very lively.
However, the backyard is the same size as the mala tang restaurant, with 12 tables set up in the same location.
The difference is that the private rooms in Uncle Lu's and Old Man Lu's backyard can also accommodate people.
The private rooms here are not for private banquets, and there are no special dishes in the private rooms; they are the same dishes from the main dining area menu.
These private rooms are mainly prepared for large gatherings such as company dinners or family reunions.
Chef Liu was much more generous when ordering food; stir-fried lamb had long become his favorite, so it was a must-order.
The dish of braised pork skewers, which he had never heard of before, also piqued his strong interest.
He was accompanied by three drivers, and two dishes were clearly not enough.
So, at Lu Yuan's suggestion, he added a cold beef salad and braised gluten with water chestnuts.
The cold beef salad was served quickly.
Uncle Lu's cold beef salad certainly wouldn't use beef tendon, as that would be too expensive.
Lu Yuan chose beef fore shank, which is the most suitable part of the cow for cold dishes, apart from the shank.
The beef fore shank has evenly distributed tendons, and after braising, the slices have a beautiful texture. It has a chewy and firm texture, with tender tendons and fragrant meat, and is neither dry nor stringy.
The side dishes for cold beef salad are green peppers, cilantro, and fried peanuts.
The sauce is mainly garlic and vinegar sauce, with a salty, savory and slightly sour taste, supplemented with a little sesame oil to highlight the fresh and savory flavor of the beef itself.
Master Liu picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, nodding and saying, "Delicious! The flavor isn't too strong; it's quite refreshing!"
This cold beef salad gives you that feeling: it's not amazing, it's understated, but it leaves you with a lingering aftertaste.
A few minutes later, the braised pork skewers were served.
The golden-yellow slats, coated with a thin layer of thick, glossy broth, looked incredibly appetizing.
Master Liu had never seen this kind of food before. He curiously picked up a piece, examined it, and then fed it into his mouth.
Lu Yuan improved the preparation process for this braised sandwich, requiring Aunt Gui Fen to deep-fry it again before braising it.
The goal is to maintain a certain crispness even when the sandwich is dry-fried in broth.
So, Master Liu's first impression upon tasting it was that it was chewy on the outside and slightly crispy, neither burnt nor hard.
The sandwich patties, soaked in the braising sauce, are soft yet firm, with a hint of egg flavor and a chewy texture, offering a slight springy bounce when you bite into them.