txolops Chapter 68: The "Craftsmanship Spirit" That Was Outshone by Roadside Stalls
Chapter 68: The "Craftsmanship Spirit" That Was Outshone by Roadside Stalls
7 PM.
At the edge of the Yintai Building plaza, the queue in front of the tricycle stalls is still very long.
Apprentice Xiao Li, dressed in casual clothes, stood in the middle to back of the line.
As a kitchen staff member at the "Matsukawa" Sakura Japanese Restaurant, Xiao Li usually works with Chef Watanabe and is used to seeing all kinds of top-quality imported ingredients and complicated cooking procedures.
Before he left, he thought the same thing as Watanabe: that this was nothing more than a roadside stall that attracted people with cheap prices and gimmicks.
However, after standing in line for twenty minutes, as he slowly moved to the front of the stall, his thoughts began to waver.
Xiao Li is also a chef; he knows his stuff.
His gaze was fixed on the young boss in front of the stove.
There was no fumes, no grease stains on the floor, and all the countertops were clean.
The way the boss flipped the wok, the rhythm of controlling the fire, and even the composure when cracking eggs were definitely not what ordinary roadside vendors could achieve.
"Next!"
Wang Hai quickly packed a plate of fried rice and handed it to the customer in front of him, shouting loudly.
Xiao Li snapped out of his daze and quickly stepped forward.
"Boss, one order of fried rice, to go."
Xiao Li spoke up.
Lin Chen didn't look up, and pressed the gas stove knob with his left hand.
"Click".
The flames licked the bottom of the pot.
Lin Chen picked up a free-range egg with one hand, gently tapped it on the edge of the pan, and the egg liquid slid into the hot oil, instantly expanding.
Next, the rice was put into the pot.
The shovel flew rapidly, and the rice and eggs quickly mixed under the high temperature, making a subtle and tempting sizzling sound.
Standing to the side, Xiao Li couldn't help but swallow hard as he smelled the aroma.
"One serving, ninety-nine."
Lin Chen turned off the stove and pushed the fried rice to the side of the table.
Xiao Li quickly took out his phone to scan the QR code and pay.
Wang Hai took the takeout box and filled it with fried rice.
Then, he turned around, lifted the lid of the deep bucket next to him, scooped out a bowl of soup, closed the lid tightly, put it all into a plastic bag, and handed it to Xiao Li.
"Uncle, here's a spoon for you."
Sitting on the small stool, Tangtang looked up and pulled a disposable plastic spoon from the packaging bag in her arms, then obediently handed it over.
"Oh... thank you, little sister."
Xiao Li took the spoon and plastic bag, didn't dare to linger, and turned around to run quickly toward the entrance of Yintai Building.
……
Five minutes later.
The kitchen of "Matsukawa" Sakura Japanese Restaurant on the second floor of Yintai Building.
The kitchen was unusually quiet. All the apprentices and kitchen helpers stopped what they were doing and stood neatly in front of the counter.
Chef Watanabe stood at the front with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face.
"Chef, I've brought it back."
Xiao Li pushed open the kitchen door and strode in.
He carried the plastic bag containing fried rice and soup, walked to the counter, and placed the bag in the center.
Watanabe looked at the transparent plastic bag, a contemptuous sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Come over here, everyone."
Watanabe commanded in accented Chinese.
The apprentices and kitchen helpers quickly moved forward and gathered around the counter.
"Today, I'll use this roadside trash to teach you a lesson."
Watanabe looked at the plastic bag, his tone full of arrogance, "I'll show you with your own eyes how those who don't understand cooking use inferior seasonings and heavy oil to cover up the rot and spoilage of ingredients."
This is why the spirit of craftsmanship in our Japan always transcends these street food stalls.
After saying that, Watanabe reached out and untied the knot in the plastic bag.
He first took out the transparent plastic takeout box containing the fried rice and placed it on the table.
"A real fried rice, if made with inferior leftover rice, will definitely have a lot of cheap vegetable oil poured in to prevent it from sticking to the pan."
As Watanabe explained, he reached out and gripped the edge of the takeout box lid. "As soon as you open the lid of this kind of thing, a pungent smell of cooking oil and MSG will hit you."
Watanabe snorted coldly and suddenly exerted force on his hand.
"Clatter."
The plastic lid of the takeout box was opened.
Everyone in the kitchen instinctively held their breath, waiting for the "pungent smell of cooking oil" that the head chef had mentioned.
However, the moment the lid was lifted...
There is no smell of cooking oil, no smell of MSG, and no pungent smell of any inferior seasonings.
A fragrant aroma of scallions and eggs, mixed with the delicate fragrance of rice fully released by the high temperature, wafted out along with the remaining heat from the box, instantly filling the nostrils of every chef present.
Watanabe had prepared a whole host of critical words, but the moment he smelled the fragrance, it was as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat.
His voice abruptly stopped.
Watanabe suddenly lowered his head and stared at the fried rice in the lunchbox.
The lunchbox didn't contain the mushy, sticky rice he had imagined, soaked in grease.
Each grain of rice is distinct and presents a dry appearance.
The egg liquid coats each grain of rice, like scattered gold.
The chopped scallions are sprinkled on top, and there is not a trace of burnt food.
What Watanabe found most incredible was that he couldn't see even a tiny bit of excess oil!
"this……"
Watanabe's pupils contracted sharply.
All the words in his mind about "heavy oil and salt" and "junk food" were instantly shattered in the face of this box of fried rice.
No! That's impossible! How could a roadside stall possibly control the heat and oil temperature to such a perfect degree?
Even he, the head chef, wouldn't dare say that he could always cook perfectly with this skill!
"Head Chef..."
A kitchen helper nearby smelled the aroma and said, "This fried rice...it doesn't smell like MSG, and...it smells so good."
"Shut up!"
Watanabe snapped at him, sounding somewhat exasperated.
His face turned pale.
As a proud head chef, he would never allow himself to bow down to a Chinese street food in his own kitchen.
"Fried rice is just a superficial dish!"
He might have added some chemical flavoring agent to the rice!
Watanabe forced an excuse and turned his gaze to the remaining soup bowl in the plastic bag.
"And this soup is free!"
Watanabe grabbed the soup bowl, pointed at it, and shouted, "This is the thing that best exposes their deception!"
The free soup is absolutely just dishwater made with MSG, concentrated broth, and various chemical additives!
Watanabe gritted his teeth and yanked open the lid of the soup bowl.
"Clatter."
The lid is open.
Watanabe lowered his head, preparing to be greeted by the scent of artificial fragrance.
However, when he saw what was in the soup bowl, he froze completely.
There was no floating oil or cloudy seasoning residue in the soup bowl.
There was only one bowl of soup, which was light amber in color and crystal clear.
At the same time, a delicious aroma wafted out.
No flavoring can replicate this taste!
This is a chef's most basic common sense.
This incredibly clear yet intensely flavorful broth can only be made by using the finest ingredients, simmering it over low heat for an extended period, and constantly skimming off any foam and oil.
This is hardly dishwater.
This is clearly a top-quality clear soup!
Watanabe stared blankly at the bowl of soup, his hands hanging limply at his sides.
He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.
His earlier remarks about "craftsmanship" and "criticizing inferior products" now felt like invisible slaps to his own face.
The kitchen was deathly silent.
Everyone noticed Chef Watanabe's loss of composure.
Standing to the side, Xiao Li looked at the box of fried rice that was emitting an enticing aroma, and couldn't suppress a chef's curiosity about food.
He picked up a disposable plastic spoon.
"Chef... I... I'll try a bite."
Xiao Li said it cautiously, then scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and put it in his mouth.
Bring your upper and lower teeth together and chew.
The slightly chewy texture of aged rice, the rich and savory aroma of free-range eggs, and the refreshing sweetness of scallions blended perfectly in Xiao Li's mouth.
It's not greasy at all, just dry and fragrant that gets better the more you chew.
Xiao Li's eyes lit up instantly. He stared at the lunchbox in shock, then scooped up another spoonful and put it in his mouth, carefully savoring the texture of the rice grains colliding between his lips and teeth.
After swallowing the fried rice, Xiao Li looked up at Watanabe, who was frozen in place.
"Head Chef..."
Xiao Li swallowed hard and spoke.
"His rice... seems to be cooked even better than our store's top-grade Koshihikari rice..."