Chapter 489 - 232: An Extremely Good Salted Burnt White

Chapter 489: Chapter 232: An Extremely Good Salted Burnt White

"Your Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard is fantastic! The smell alone is making my mouth water." Mrs. Zhao had watched the whole process from the side and couldn’t help but praise him.

"It smells so good! Brother, what are you cooking? Lemme see!" Zhou Momo dragged over a small stool, took off her shoes to stand on it, and stared at the Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard in the pan. Her eyes instantly lit up. "Wow! It’s meat! I love meat the most!"

Zhou Yan watched her with a doting smile. "You go sit down first. I’ll just stir-fry the pork liver and a vegetable dish, then we can eat!"

"Mhm." The little one nodded, put her shoes back on, and with her little short legs, trotted happily after Mrs. Zhao, who was carrying a dish out the door.

Her eyes were fixed on that steaming plate of meat.

Nothing else mattered.

The spicy stir-fried pork liver and the stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings were both quick to cook. In just a moment, Zhou Yan came out carrying two more dishes.

Mrs. Zhao and the others had already set the table with bowls and chopsticks, and had even scooped rice into the bowls.

"Brother, hurry, hurry!" Zhou Momo patted the empty spot next to her. She turned to smile at him and said in a sweet, childish voice, "We’re gonna eat dinner~~"

"Coming," Zhou Yan said, putting the dishes down and sitting beside her with a smile.

"Time to eat." With a single command, Mrs. Zhao picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of Twice-Cooked Pork. The meat was coated in finely chopped pickled mustard, and the curled-up "lantern socket" shape of the pork was filled with more, all glistening with oil. She placed it in Zhou Momo’s small bowl.

"Thank you, Mama," Zhou Momo said, then leaned forward eagerly and took a bite. Her eyes instantly lit up.

’The meat is so soft and tender, and the veggies are so fine and crispy. It smells so good!’

"Brother, the meat you made is so, so yummy!"

The little one swallowed the meat and looked up at Zhou Yan, her gaze clear and her eyes filled with adoration.

"If you like it, eat up," Zhou Yan said with a laugh, placing another piece of meat in her bowl.

The little one took a bite of meat, then shoveled a large mouthful of rice into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out as she chewed like a greedy little squirrel.

Her short legs, dangling in the air, swung back and forth. You could tell she was in a very good mood from her meal.

Comrade Zhou also picked up a piece of Twice-Cooked Pork and put it in his mouth. After chewing for a moment, his eyes lit up.

The crisp, tender pickled mustard coated the soft, rich Twice-Cooked Pork. In addition to the pork’s savory aroma, the unique salty fragrance of the pickled mustard was added, growing more fragrant with every chew. It was fatty but not greasy.

Comrade Zhou swallowed the meat and couldn’t help but exclaim, "This pickled mustard is so authentic! Real-deal Yibin pickled mustard, the flavor is just incredible! Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard really hits the spot!"

He looked at Zhou Yan, suddenly feeling a great sense of relief and pride.

’Back then, sending him to culinary school instead of forcing him to learn how to butcher cattle with me was really the right choice.’

’Otherwise, where would I ever get to eat so much delicious food in my life?’

"It’s so good! This pickled mustard isn’t too salty, but it still makes you want to eat more rice." Mrs. Zhao nodded as well, eating with great relish.

Zhou Yan picked up a piece of Twice-Cooked Pork, making sure to include a slice of garlic sprout and a generous amount of pickled mustard, and ate it in one bite.

The crisp and tender pickled mustard had a satisfying crunch that ordinary salted vegetables lacked. After being fermented with brown sugar, it also carried the fragrance of spices, creating a wonderfully complex flavor profile.

The dry pickled mustard soaked up the fat from the Twice-Cooked Pork, its texture becoming softer and more luscious.

The Twice-Cooked Pork itself was consistently good: the soft, sticky skin paired with the firm lean meat, the "lantern socket" curls embedded with pickled mustard, and the unique, fresh aroma of the garlic sprout leaves—it was truly endlessly delicious.

’If Twice-Cooked Pork with garlic sprouts is the basic version, then this Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard would be the upgraded version.’

’They each have their own unique flavor, but I prefer the one with pickled mustard.’

’It really is the perfect dish to eat with rice!’

The moment the meat went down, he shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth.

After savoring it carefully, if he had to find a flaw, it would be that the seasoning needed a slight adjustment.

It was still a tiny bit too salty.

The pickled mustard already had a savory, salty flavor, and more salt was added during the cooking process.

Of course, if you were considering its purpose as a dish to accompany rice, this slight saltiness could be overlooked.

For a dish meant to go with rice, a little extra saltiness meant it would make you eat even more rice.

Zhou Momo took a spoon, leaned forward, and scooped a spoonful of the glistening pickled mustard from the plate onto her rice. She then mixed it all together with her spoon and ate with great enjoyment.

’She’s definitely going to be a foodie when she grows up. She just gets it.’ Zhou Yan couldn’t help but smile. ’The little one figures it out on her own, always finding new ways to eat.’

The Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard was the first dish to be polished off. Even the leftover pickled mustard on the plate was used by Zhou Momo to mix with three bowls of rice.

The name Zhou Sanwan was well-deserved.

"I see this Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard is really a hit. Will it be on the menu tomorrow? What would be a good price for it?" Mrs. Zhao asked Zhou Yan, already looking forward to it.

"It won’t be on the menu tomorrow. We’ll add Salted Burnt White tomorrow, and then the Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard next week. We need to control the pace of releasing new dishes," Zhou Yan said after a moment of thought. "The price will stay the same, two yuan per serving. Customers can order whichever version they want."

Mrs. Zhao said, "But what if all the customers order the one with pickled mustard? Won’t that needlessly increase the cost of the pickled mustard?"

"It’s fine. A single serving of Twice-Cooked Pork uses very little pickled mustard; it’s just one ingredient. The pickled mustard isn’t expensive either, so the cost increase is limited." Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile. "Besides, not all customers will necessarily order the one with pickled mustard. Tastes differ. Some people just prefer the one with garlic sprouts."

Compared to the slight increase in cost from the pickled mustard, after the price of pork had been halved, the profit margin on Twice-Cooked Pork priced at two yuan per serving was quite substantial.

Thanks to the excellent quality of Old Huang’s pickled mustard, the first attempt at Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard earned a "Quite Good" evaluation.