Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Chapter 84: Chapter 77: [A Pot of Near-Perfect Braising Sauce]

The aluminum pot was huge. Pouring in the jar of over twenty catties of aged master broth only filled a small portion of it.

"Use this jar to fetch well water. Pour two jarfuls into the pot," Mrs. Xiang instructed.

Without asking any questions, Zhou Yan filled the jar with water twice and poured both into the pot.

Now the braising liquid in the pot was about half a pail full.

However, with the addition of the two jarfuls of water, the originally vibrant, reddish color of the aged master broth became much paler.

"This time, we have over twenty catties of aged master broth as a base, so we don’t need to add duck carcasses or bones to cook the broth. The aged master broth already has enough base flavor. We’ll just follow the usual method for maintaining it," Mrs. Xiang explained to Zhou Yan. "Normally when we braise meat, the liquid reduces during the process, so we have to add more water. From now on, follow this standard: however much water evaporates, you add that same amount back. Make sure to top it up each time. Plain water is fine."

Zhou Yan had already taken out his small notebook and was scribbling furiously as he asked, "Since the broth is diluted and the color has faded, what do we do now?"

"Get the fire going first. We’ll adjust the color after."

Zhou Yan immediately transferred the hot coals from the adjacent stove chamber, added a handful of rice straw, and gave it a couple of waves with a palm-leaf fan. The flames leaped up instantly, and he fed two logs of Chestnut Wood into the fire.

"One log is enough. You can’t let the braising liquid get to a rolling boil. The water will evaporate too fast, which is wasteful, and the broth can easily turn dark," Mrs. Xiang commented with a glance.

Zhou Yan immediately pulled one Chestnut Wood log out and jotted another note in his notebook.

"Bring over that jar you just carried in."

Zhou Yan turned and retrieved the jar. When he opened the lid, he saw a glossy, viscous, crimson syrup that smelled distinctly sweet.

"This is sugar caramel made from rock sugar. I made it for you in advance this time. I’ll teach you how to make it separately next time. You must use sugar caramel to color braised dishes, not soy sauce. Otherwise, the broth will get darker and darker each time you use it, and you’ll have to throw it out after a few uses."

Mrs. Xiang took a ladle and swirled it gently in the pot. The layer of fat on top parted, revealing the pale, reddish-brown liquid underneath. "Take a spoon and add the sugar caramel. Keep adding it until the color is the same as the master broth you brought home yesterday. Once it matches, the color is fixed."

Zhou Yan nodded and started adding the sugar caramel to the pot, one spoonful at a time.

As the liquid heated up and he stirred gently, the broth’s pale color began to deepen into a vibrant crimson, growing ever closer to the hue of the original aged master broth.

Having recently mastered several dishes, Zhou Yan’s control over seasoning had improved by leaps and bounds, and his ability to judge the color of a broth had sharpened significantly. He was halfway through adding what would be the final spoonful of sugar caramel when he stopped, placed the spoon back in the earthenware jar, and looked to Mrs. Xiang.

Mrs. Xiang nodded. "Not bad, your eyes are sharp. That’s about the right color. From now on, use this as the standard when you adjust the color. The meat you braise will have a beautiful, vibrant red color, and the flavor will be spot on."

"Well, I am a Chef. I’ve at least got that good of an eye," Zhou Yan said, a little smugly.

Mrs. Xiang continued, "Next, and most importantly, is adjusting the salt. Since we added water and diluted the flavor, you have to add more salt if it’s not savory enough..."

From adjusting the salt to replenishing the spices, all the way to the daily maintenance of the master broth, Mrs. Xiang taught him bit by bit. Zhou Yan followed along, learning hands-on and recording every detail and proportion in his small notebook.

An hour later, the master broth was at a boil. The Chestnut Wood was removed from the stove, and the broth’s color was now nearly identical to the aged master broth Zhou Yan had brought home the day before.

The fragrance of the broth filled the entire kitchen. You could braise a leather belt in this and it would be delicious!

[A Pot of Near-Perfect Master Broth]

A line of text popped up before Zhou Yan’s eyes.

That’s right, even the system gave it an extremely high Identification rating!

"Grandma, we’re amazing," Zhou Yan said sincerely to Mrs. Xiang.

’What Zhang Shufen said was the absolute truth.’

’Suji’s number one braise... No, wait, it should be Jiazhou’s number one braise! It really lives up to the name!’

"Mm, you’ve got some skill too," Mrs. Xiang said with a smiling nod.

Zhou Yan’s performance today had left her quite satisfied—much better than his mother.

Years ago, she had also considered teaching Zhao Tieying how to make braised dishes. Her daughter-in-law was a quick and organized worker, but she truly had no talent for it. She couldn’t even control the amount of salt when seasoning, so Mrs. Xiang eventually had to give up.

Looking at the perfect pot of master broth, Zhou Yan was eager to get started. "How about I go get a pig’s head to braise in this?"

Mrs. Xiang shook her head with a smile. "You’re not selling anything today, so don’t go making things for no reason. We have that outdoor banquet tomorrow. How are we supposed to eat a whole pig’s head?"

"That’s true." Zhou Yan nodded. Speaking of the outdoor banquet, he added with a laugh, "The cold braised dishes from the local caterer definitely won’t be as good as what I could make with this broth. After all, this is the legacy of the Zhang Family’s braised foods, the best in Suji! It’s a shame I won’t get a chance to show off for the guests."

"You’re just full of schemes," Mrs. Xiang said, rolling her eyes at him with a smile.

"Grandma, you underestimate your influence. The mason who built this stove for me a couple of days ago is still craving your braised pig ears and beef offal. If you came out of retirement, even just to endorse me and say I’m your successor, my business would be absolutely booming," Zhou Yan said with a grin, looking at his grandmother.

"Just be my spokesperson. I won’t use your reputation for free. From now on, I’ll cover all your liquor. I’ll get you six catties a month of the best stuff from Old Zhang."

"You’ve got plenty of little schemes, don’t you? It’s not impossible for me to endorse you, but I don’t want your liquor. I want your food to pass my standards," Mrs. Xiang said calmly, looking at him. "People remember my braised dishes being delicious, they don’t forget for decades, and they all praise my skill. That’s because I put my heart into making good food. If you make a shoddy product and still claim to be my apprentice, wouldn’t that just ruin my reputation? I don’t want people cursing my name even after I’m dead and in my grave."

Zhou Yan stopped smiling.

At that moment, the word "legacy" suddenly felt incredibly heavy.

Mrs. Xiang’s craft had once been able to support a large family, allowing her four sons to marry and have children, yet she hadn’t passed it down to any of the younger generation.

Selling braised dishes, no matter how hard, couldn’t be more tiring than getting up in the middle of the night to slaughter a cow.

Mrs. Xiang was not a selfish person. She nurtured every junior in the family with love. Even her daughters-in-law respected her, rather than feared her.

For the craft of making braised dishes, she was choosing a successor.

Until Zhou Yan himself came to her door, saying he wanted to learn.

Perhaps from that day on, she had been seriously considering the matter.

Once she made up her mind, she poured out half of her treasured aged master broth and gave it to Zhou Yan.

That moment was the beginning of the inheritance.

Zhou Yan used to be a food blogger focused solely on making money. His mind revolved around monetizing traffic, thinking about how to use gimmicks or celebrity endorsements to drive sales, and then using the quality of the food to retain customers.

There was nothing wrong with that approach, really. Otherwise, Zhou Yan Restaurant would never have opened; it would have been finished, with no hope of revival.

But his grandmother’s words gave him a newfound reverence for the concept of legacy.

It wasn’t just a slogan.

Nor should it be a cheap formula for going viral.

What he should inherit was the craft his grandmother had inherited from her own grandfather. It was the unforgettable flavor that kept customers coming back, and the mindset of being completely responsible to those customers.

"Grandma, I understand. I won’t tell anyone you taught me until my braised dishes get your approval," Zhou Yan promised solemnly. "And in the future, I won’t teach it to just anyone either, unless I find an apprentice who is talented, down-to-earth, and reliable."

A smile appeared on Mrs. Xiang’s face. She nodded and said, "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

Next, Mrs. Xiang went on to explain in detail the braising times and techniques for various types of ingredients, and Zhou Yan recorded every word meticulously.

"Vegetables must never go into the master broth pot, or you’ll ruin the whole batch. If you want to braise vegetables, take out ten catties of broth from the main pot separately. Then, add water and adjust the seasoning. Vegetables don’t need that much salt. After braising twice at most, you have to discard that broth."

"Ingredients with strong flavors, like pork intestines and beef offal, must also be braised separately. Otherwise, they’ll muddle the flavor of the aged master broth."

"For braising beef..."

Zhou Yan had already filled five or six pages with notes.

"Just writing things down isn’t enough. Next time you’re ready to start braising for real, tell me in advance. I’ll supervise you for the first time. Let’s start by making sure you don’t make any mistakes," Mrs. Xiang said leisurely.

"Deal. I’ll start next Monday. I’ll begin with a braised pig’s head. What do you think?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at his grandmother.

"Sounds good to me."

...