Chapter 128 - 107: A Day at the Restaurant
Chapter 128: Chapter 107: A Day at the Restaurant
After dinner, Ning He first inspected the ingredients that had already been prepped for the day.
Youzhen followed alongside her, giving a rundown of the day’s ingredients.
"...We’re out of oxheart cabbage, but they sent three large bags of Brussels sprouts. We don’t have much liquid egg today—only five liters—but we have eighty raw eggs. We have plenty of bean meat, though, about fifty-seven pounds, plus another forty pounds of tofu. They were out of long eggplants and only sent the round kind. Also, we only got two bags of lettuce, but four bags of kale. No green beans, but they sent a ton of fennel and celery. There’s only one pumpkin, and half a basket of zucchini..."
A flicker of worry appeared in Youzhen’s eyes as she spoke.
It had been like this for the past few days—they were always short on ingredients for the diner’s signature dishes. She was beginning to suspect the vendor was doing it on purpose.
Ning He glanced at the piles of various vegetables in the baskets and basins, her expression calm.
Ever since Gates had made that threat, she’d been waiting for his next move. This was very likely his handiwork.
Even though the guy came in to eat every couple of days, putting on the perfect act of a loyal customer, he clearly hadn’t given up on his malicious intentions.
"It’s fine. Just do as I say. Quarter all the Brussels sprouts. Set aside two liters of the liquid egg for the pancake stall, then scramble and mash the rest. Fry all the raw eggs so they have runny yolks. Prepare the bean meat the way I taught you last time: roll it into logs, use the press to form it into vegetarian chicken, deep-fry it until it puffs up, then soak it in the master brine. Peel the round eggplants, cut them into small cubes, salt them, and squeeze out the excess water. Wash the lettuce and save it for the vegetarian meat rolls. Strip the kale leaves and blanch them. I still have a few of those two types of eggs I made before—take them out, peel them, and chop them up. Finely chop all the fennel and celery. As for the zucchini..." Ning He paused to think. "Slice a small portion, dice another small portion, and cut the rest into small segments. Salt all of it to draw out the moisture."
Youzhen listened, taking notes as she went.
"Also, find that block of cheese I bought the other day. It’s time to use it. There should be a carton of milk in the fridge—sift some cornstarch for me. I’m going to make a dessert. And one more thing, prepare forty pounds of flour. We’re making baozi today."
"Got it. We’ll get started right away."
"Okay. I’m going to rest for a bit. Call me when it’s time."
Ning He patted Youzhen’s shoulder and went upstairs. Just like Connie and the others, she pushed a few chairs together to make a temporary bed and lay down for an afternoon nap.
About an hour and a half later, Youzhen’s voice roused the three of them. They got up, quickly washed their faces, put on their chef’s uniforms, and entered the kitchen.
Ning He had spared no expense on this kitchen, adding even more equipment over time. It had a commercial wok range, an integrated stove, a combi-steamer, a noodle press, and no fewer than twenty different pots and pans. There were even three master brine pots, each one large enough to fit a person inside. From stainless steel steamers and thermostatic electric cookers to every kind of ladle, spatula, and strainer imaginable, the kitchen had it all.
Some of the more specialized tools couldn’t be bought new; she’d had to hunt for them in several second-hand markets.
The moment she stepped into the kitchen, Ning He was like a commanding general on a battlefield. Her senses were sharp, taking in everything at once as she directed her team in perfect concert.
"Make sure the Brussels sprouts are roasted until they’re browned on the inside, otherwise you won’t get rid of the bitterness."
After offering the reminder to Youzhen, who was working on the Brussels sprouts, Ning He turned and took the wok ladle from Ah Huai, who was making dry-pot cauliflower.
"When you’re tossing the wok, you have to relax your wrist. Tilt the lip of the wok slightly inward. Wait for the ingredients to slide to the edge, then quickly pull back and flick your wrist up to catch them." As she spoke, Ning He executed a perfect toss, and all the ingredients landed smoothly back in the wok.
She handed the ladle back to Ah Huai. "Practice with soybeans later when you have time. There’s no rush. You can still get good flavor just by stir-frying it."
Then, she walked over to Connie.
Connie, Youzhen, and two other female trainees were all hunched over their stations, intently wrapping baozi.
In large bowls before them were two types of filling. One was a mix of fennel, tofu, diced shiitake mushrooms, and egg. The other was celery, carrots, egg, and braised dried tofu. They were seasoned with salt, Ning He and Connie’s secret-recipe soy sauce, a sprinkle of their "cheat-code" white pepper, and a pinch of sugar to bring out the umami.
Both were classic vegetarian fillings. Combined with the fact that the women were generous with the stuffing, making each bun with a thin skin and a plentiful core, the result was an aromatic, savory, and chewy delight. If dipped in a bit of Ning He’s special chili oil, almost any customer could devour four or five in one sitting.
Connie was the fastest learner; her baozi-wrapping technique was already on par with Ning He’s. Youzhen’s two classmates were slower, but the buns they made were still more than good enough to sell.
Seeing that everyone was fine for the moment, Ning He moved to an empty wok and began preparing today’s signature dish: Quick-Poached Eggplant Noodles.