pjbooks Chapter 67 The New Little Lu's Farmhouse Dishes
Chapter 67 The New Little Lu's Farmhouse Dishes
Dr. Wang, being the woman in charge, quickly got the hang of it and mastered the technique after just a few tries.
Xiao Zhang wasn't as proficient and learned more slowly.
The most surprising thing was Dr. Huang, who was even more skilled than Dr. Wang, rubbing the dough quickly and well.
Lu Yuan couldn't help but exclaim, "With Dr. Huang's speed, the kids won't have to worry about fried chicken anymore."
"Now we'll start frying. Heat the oil to about 60% of its maximum temperature, and fry for about 2 minutes."
One-tenths of the oil temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius. A simple way to judge the temperature of 60% is to insert chopsticks and see small bubbles. Seven-tenths of the oil temperature is when it emits bluish smoke, and above 80% of the oil temperature is when it emits heavy smoke.
"This batch is relatively small, so you should be fine frying it the way I suggested. If you're frying a larger batch, you can raise the oil temperature and fry it for a longer time."
Actually, besides oil temperature, there are three other factors to consider when frying food.
First, the type of oil. Different types of oil, and even oils of different qualities of the same type, require different heating times.
This is why sometimes even following the methods in short videos doesn't guarantee success.
You need to test it first to determine the heating time, so as not to burn it.
Different types of cooking oil have different smoke points. The smoke point is the lowest temperature at which the oil starts to emit continuous blue smoke when heated.
Continuing to heat the oil beyond its smoke point will destroy the nutrients in the oil and produce harmful substances.
Shops selling fried foods usually use hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is stable and has a long shelf life.
However, this type of oil contains a lot of trans fatty acids, so it makes sense to eat less fried food.
Any business that can fry soybeans directly in oil is considered a conscientious business.
Second, the amount of ingredients. If there is too little oil and too much ingredients, frying will be very slow and the oil will splatter.
If there's too much oil and too little food, it will fry very quickly, and it will burn easily if you're not careful.
Third, heat control. When the ingredients are put into the pot, the overall temperature inside the pot will drop, so you need to turn up the heat at this time.
Once the temperature rises, turn the heat to medium-low to ensure a stable temperature inside the pot.
Lu Yuan explained all the essentials of frying food to Doctor Huang and the others, and the three of them nodded frequently, taking it very seriously.
Lu Yuan didn't help with the entire process of frying the chicken popcorn; he let them operate on their own based on what they had just learned.
Fried chicken popcorn is quick, ready in just a few minutes. When it came out of the pan, apart from the heat being a little too high, it was pretty good.
Xiao Zhang couldn't wait to take a bite, crunching and slurping as he gave a thumbs up.
"These popcorn chickens are delicious, they're so crispy! Dr. Huang, you should try some too!"
The other two couldn't wait any longer and immediately picked up a piece and fed it to the kitchen, where a crunching sound immediately filled the air.
"If this were a stall in the university town, I could make so much money!" Xiao Zhang exclaimed while eating.
Dr. Huang immediately rebuked him, "If you dare set up a stall, I'll overturn it!"
"I was just saying!" Xiao Zhang said, feeling wronged, but he didn't stop talking.
Lu Yuan advised from the side, "Dr. Huang, it's not that serious. You can always use the money she earns for charity!"
Dr. Huang's eyes lit up immediately: "That makes sense! Xiao Zhang, go back and put it there!"
Xiao Zhang: "..."
. . .
The next day at noon, the brand-new Xiao Lu Farmhouse Cuisine officially launched.
Diners noticed that the signboard covered the shop next door, so they tried to go in and take a look. To their surprise, they could also dine there, and finally they didn't have to wait for a table.
The main reason why previous performance could not be improved was that many diners came and left without waiting for a table.
Starting today, there are more than double the number of seats available, so customers who didn't want to wait for a table can now find a seat.
But Lu Yuan was under much more pressure, as the kitchen had a long list of orders.
He only felt this busy during the two days he reopened.
Fortunately, the six new aunties were very helpful and took care of all the work outside the stove for Lu Yuan, so all Lu Yuan had to do was frantically stir-fry in two woks at the same time.
These six women were originally intended for the two newly opened shops; they had no plans for their own side.
But now it seems we need to ask Lu Wen to find a few more aunties to help.
Actually, Lu Yuan didn't have much experience with this kind of home-style restaurant.
His main work experience was in the kitchens of star-rated hotels.
A kitchen of that level often has dozens of people with clear division of labor, and they focus on exquisite cooking rather than quantity.
For Lu Yuan, this bustling scene is also a learning process through doing.
After finishing cooking the last meal, Lu Yuan rested in the shade under the eaves, as usual.
There was an electric fan in the room, but he preferred the feeling of natural wind.
A group of graceful young women were walking out after finishing their meal, and Lu Yuan thought they looked somewhat familiar.
After seeing Lu Yuan, the group of girls whispered among themselves and secretly glanced at him.
"Sister Yuwen, it's that handsome chef!" a round-faced girl whispered.
"Jingjing, shut up! You embarrassed me last time." Zhang Yuwen glared at the round-faced girl, annoyed.
Jingjing said, "This time is different. Master is going abroad. How about we hire a handsome chef to prepare a nice farewell feast for him?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuwen gradually stopped walking.
Their master treated them like a mother, teaching them to dance, taking care of their lives, and teaching them how to be good people.
My master was devoted to dance her whole life, and eating was her only hobby, but as a dancer, she couldn't eat as much as she wanted.
Therefore, tasting the finest delicacies became her greatest pleasure.
After her master retired, her daughter, who lives in the United States, has called for her several times.
Now that her daughter has given birth, she has finally made up her mind to travel overseas to spend her later years in peace.
Zhang Yuwen and her apprentices have been planning a farewell banquet for their master these past few days.
Jingjing's suggestion really appealed to her. Of all the restaurants she had ever eaten at, none could compare to Lu Yuan's cooking skills.
Zhang Yuwen blushed slightly as she recalled the embarrassing moment she had made in front of Lu Yuan last time. After gritting her teeth, she still walked towards Lu Yuan.
"Hello, sir. May I invite you to prepare a banquet in the provincial capital?"
Lu Yuan looked up and remembered that the other person was the girl who had inexplicably called him out of the kitchen last time.
"Sorry, I don't take on house calls for cooking," Lu Yuan said decisively.
Zhang Yuwen was slightly disappointed after hearing this. She nodded politely and turned around to go back.
She wasn't familiar with Lu Yuan, and asking him was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. Even if he refused, she had no reason to ask Lu Yuan for help again.
Just as she was about to abandon this impromptu yet somewhat awkward idea, Lu Yuan's calm voice sounded from behind her:
"However, my family now offers private banquet booking services, you can consider it."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuwen immediately turned around, her eyes earnest, and said:
"Really? But your restaurant doesn't seem to have any private rooms..."
Zhang Yuwen and her friends ate at the same old restaurant and didn't notice anything different about the other side.
Lu Yuan pointed to the next room, then simply stood up and said, "It's over there. Never mind, come with me."
Zhang Yuwen turned around, smiled and gave Jingjing and the others an OK sign, pointed to the next room, and immediately followed Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan led them through the adjacent front hall to a quaint little courtyard.
The walls still bear the manga of "Naruto," and the tables in the middle of the courtyard are full of diners.
In the corner of the courtyard, Wei Yinghong added some flowers, plants, and a water tank in the morning, saying that the local Yin-Yang Master (a Taoist priest who performs rituals) had told her to arrange them this way.
Overall, the style appears somewhat casual, but it exudes a sense of sophistication in every detail.
"Why didn't we come here to eat earlier? This courtyard is so beautiful!" Jingjing exclaimed.
Everyone nodded in agreement; the natural breeze in the courtyard was clearly more pleasant than the fan inside the house.