Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 610 - 575: Wang Fan’s Secret Four Happiness Meatballs

Does this feel a bit like "everyone knows my name across the world"?

Wang Fan stepped forward and extended his right hand: "Thank you, Master Xiaoliang."

Master Xiaoliang laughed heartily and shook hands with Wang Fan as well: "After shaking your hand, I won’t wash my hand for a month. I’m going back to practice my skills. Maybe this will help my culinary skills improve by leaps and bounds."

Isn’t that a bit shameless of you?

Master Xiaoliang’s words left the other two chefs and Director Geng dumbfounded.

Are you implying that this young man’s culinary skills are much better than yours? Is that possible?

Aren’t you the disciple of our Sichuan cuisine master, Master Liu? Are you praising him too much?

Seeing the three of them confused, Master Xiaoliang quickly explained: "This is Boss Wang, known as the strongest wild food boss. Since my master came back from France, he’s been talking about him non-stop, saying Boss Wang’s culinary skills are not inferior to his and, in some aspects, even much stronger."

Then he added to Wang Fan, "My master is Master Liu Fei."

Wang Fan didn’t expect this Master Xiaoliang to be a disciple of Master Liu; sometimes it really feels like a small world.

Hearing this, the other two chefs immediately dropped their disdain. Master Xiaoliang is the absolute C-position among them, and if even Master Liu praises this young man, who are they to say otherwise?

Director Geng laughed heartily: "I didn’t expect to pick up such a talented individual by chance, huh? What dish do you plan on making?"

Wang Fan had already thought about what to make. These are all elderly people, and there happens to be a dish in the North with a very good meaning, a soft taste, very suitable for these elderly people.

"Auntie, I’m planning to make Four Joy Meatballs. These four meatballs represent ’happiness, prosperity, longevity, and joy.’ The round shape signifies unity and togetherness, and they’re soft and tender, a suitable dish for these grandpas and aunties."

Director Geng was overjoyed: "That’s the one, the one. You’ve said it so well I’m eager to taste it."

Wang Fan had already walked to the stove, with many ingredients still placed behind him.

Four Joy Meatballs have a beautiful meaning, a soft and rich flavor, and are very common in the North; they’re seen at almost every banquet.

In Huaiyang cuisine, there’s a dish called braised lion’s head that looks a bit similar, but the similarities end with the round shape, as the preparation and ingredients are quite different.

The ingredients needed for Four Joy Meatballs are very simple: pork, water chestnuts, steamed buns, eggs, green onions, and ginger. Wang Fan had just seen the water chestnuts; the other ingredients are quite common.

Wang Fan chose pork shoulder, picked up a kitchen knife, and lightly scraped the blade with his thumb, making a crisp "crack" sound that indicated its sharpness.

He laid the pork flat, quickly trimmed the edges, and swiftly sliced the whole piece into thick slices. Then he cut the slices into strips and then diced them into small pieces, the entire process fluid and swift, making even Director Geng almost applaud.

Outsiders watch for fun, while insiders watch for skill; such swift knife skills can’t be honed without years of practice.

Although Master Xiaoliang had recognized Wang Fan and often heard his master praise him, he still felt a bit unconvinced.

He watched Wang Fan’s operation carefully, wanting to see just how great this talented individual really was.

As for knife skills, at least in this cutting, they were excellent. Each cut was not only precise but very steady, with the resulting slices, strips, and dices being almost uniform, which greatly affects the outcome of the dish.

Wang Fan counted the tables; there were a total of 15, so he’d need to make at least 60 meatballs. Four meatballs require over a pound of meat, so he needed to cut over 15 pounds of diced meat.

For convenience, many chefs prepare the meat filling using a meat grinder, but the difference in texture between ground meat and diced meat is substantial and is one of the key factors distinguishing between ordinary and premium dishes.

After cutting the meat, Wang Fan took out a basin, filled it with water, and broke all 15 steamed buns into it.

Although the three chefs were all Sichuan cuisine chefs and had come across this symbolic dish, Wang Fan’s step-by-step method varied greatly from what they knew, leaving them at a loss.

"Master Xiaoliang, this doesn’t seem to be what I learned, does it?"

"What’s the purpose of the steamed buns?"

"I don’t know, my master never taught this."

"Then who’s right?"

After pondering for a moment, Master Xiaoliang whispered: "My master’s a Sichuan cuisine chef after all, and this is a Northern dish, so it should be Boss Wang’s way that’s correct?"

"Oh... then let’s watch carefully. Maybe we can learn something new and impress our peers later, haha..."

"Right, right. I just looked up this Boss Wang, and wow, he’s really famous! He’s even cooked at a Michelin restaurant. Let’s see what’s different about him."

After soaking the steamed buns, Wang Fan spread the meat filling on the cutting board, then gently and quickly tapped the diced meat with the knife’s edge and back until a fine meat floss formed among the diced meat.

The water chestnuts, which had already been peeled, were soaked in water. He noticed earlier that there were dishes made with water chestnuts, saving him from peeling them.

He fished out the water chestnuts and diced them finely, with the meat diced to about the size of soybeans. The water chestnuts were diced slightly smaller; garnish should always be smaller than the main ingredient to avoid overpowering the dish, and this way, the texture would have greater complexity.