Chapter 724: Chapter 629: Potato and Eggplant Stew—So Good It’ll Stuff the Old Man
Thinking about the strength Liu Hehe uses on him, Wang Fan felt that these eggplants were truly unfortunate. At the same time, he desperately wished for a hero to whisk his older sister away, saving him from the dire straits.
While the siblings were busy, Wang Fan wasn’t idle either. Cutting the pork belly into pieces the width and thickness of a thumb was a skilled task. Meanwhile, Zhuo Qianqian was washing the rice to steam.
However, today there were some differences compared to before.
Around the usual crowd of mighty frozen pears and big toothy grins, there were many little princesses as well. For the sake of a delicious meal, these people really went all out, dragging their tired bodies out early to line up.
Who’s not a little gourmand, after all!
At this moment, Wang Fan, along with his uncle and a few neighboring shop owners, had already moved out his large pot from the house.
Considering the size of this pot, it wouldn’t just suffice for cooking a large goose, it could probably handle cooking a large crocodile or even itself!
To achieve greater power, you need to increase the size—this is an old tradition in Huaxia.
"Wow, what a big pot."
"Anyone carrying such a pot won’t rise again in this lifetime."
"Now this is a true pot-cooked dish!"
"Isn’t this pot enough to feed 500 people?"
"Afraid we won’t have enough to eat, it’s got to be Boss Wang."
Such a big pot requires a lot of heat. Luckily, this dish mostly simmers over low heat, so the demand isn’t overly intense.
After cleaning the pot, a large basin of lard was poured in, and with a unique aroma wafting up, the freshly cut pork belly was also added.
Next up was Wang Fan’s long-unused shovel and big spatula!
What was originally a delicate task of stir-frying had suddenly transformed into a labor-intensive process.
As the pork belly sizzled in the lard, more lard was released, and as the edges started to brown, the rich enticing aroma underwent a subtle transformation.
The smell of raw meat can’t compare to the complex aroma of perfectly cooked meat after the Maillard reaction.
A handful of spices, a bowl of scallions, and a bucket of Northeast soybean paste, both light and dark soy sauces were poured into the pot for fragrance.
"Add eggplants first, then potatoes, and not even ten bowls of rice will be enough."
Shortly after adding the varied sizes of chopped eggplants, the oil in the pot was soon soaked up, yet when the eggplants started to soften, they released some of the absorbed oil once again.
The potatoes were added next, poured in pot by pot, stirred, and covered with a lid—a display of unrestrained, bold cooking style.
One pot wasn’t his limit, with two pots set apart for alternating boiling; it was a continuous process.
Most Northeast dishes are very hardcore, which also means bold and unrefined. Dishes like sweet and sour pork, Snowy Flowing Sand, and others influenced by braised or Southern cuisines often get excluded for being too refined.
Though this potato and eggplant stew is very soft, with its exceptional ability to pair with rice, it remains one of the staple dishes.
Eggplants and potatoes are relatively mild in flavor, but when stewing, the meat’s aroma infuses, creating an irresistible essence.
During simmering, eggplants release a unique fragrance, which when mixed with the meat’s aroma, adds extraordinary depth to the flavor while balancing any greasiness.
The potatoes added later, however, truly elevated the entire aroma.
Located between 42° and 53°34’ north latitude, the Northeast is Huaxia’s coldest natural area, where the land is incredibly fertile, producing finer, softer, and more fragrant potatoes.
The strong potato fragrance wafts through the biting cold wind, akin to warm sweet sunshine.
The ingredients indeed speak.
Upon smelling this aroma, not only did Wang Fan know the potatoes were ready, others also sensed it.
As the lid was lifted, the rich aroma quickly spread into the surroundings, leading everyone to unconsciously take a deep breath.
Wang Fan didn’t hurry in serving the dish but instead added a big handful of scallions and a half basin of salt into the pot.
Picking up the big spatula, he stirred and pressed down the potatoes with the spade portion.
By now, the potatoes had become extremely tender, turning a golden hue stained red by the soup; a quick press with the spatula scattered them instantly.
The eggplants too had simmered to softness and seamlessly blended with the potato puree, the starch from the potatoes incorporating into the stew, producing a slightly gooey texture.
This gooeyness made the people in line from the Northeast salivate.
This pot of food isn’t attractive, but every Northeastern knows that an attractive potato and eggplant stew lacks soul!
Restaurants with attention to presentation might cut the eggplants and potatoes more neatly and deliberately simmer less for aesthetics, which compromises the essential texture of the dish.
"Oh my, this mushy mix poured over rice would be so fragrant, wouldn’t it?"
"With this, I need at least three bowls of rice to start."
"Buddy, your appetite is lacking; I’m starting with at least five bowls."
"Brother, that’s nothing; I need eight bowls."
"I only fill the gaps between my teeth with ten bowls."
"No bragging, let’s eat here later; whoever eats the least is a puppy."
By now, Wang Fan had already set up the revised pricing sign, with one portion for 15 yuan and unlimited servings for 30 yuan—value for money indeed.
The main thing was that the portion size was genuinely huge!
The large sea bowl was as big as a person’s head, filled with more than half a bowl of rice, topped generously with potato and eggplant stew, and it was brimming over.
Chen Luoluo looked somewhat disappointed.
She had woken up early just to taste the delicacies cooked by Boss Wang, but the large bowl of sticky, dark-looking food before her didn’t seem appetizing at all.
It couldn’t even compare to yesterday’s bone-in meat, let alone the Snowy Flowing Sand from before!
Her companion, Luo Tiantian, felt the same way.
The two stared at the large sea bowl, feeling unsure of where to start.
Chen Luoluo lamented, "The two of us can’t even finish one portion, buying two is just too wasteful."
Luo Tiantian touched her stomach, "I don’t think I can even finish half."
It wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry, she just felt she couldn’t appreciate it.
"Don’t know how to eat this? Here’s how: Use a spoon to mix the potato and eggplant on top with the rice, then don’t hesitate, scoop a large spoonful and shove it into your mouth."
Liu Zhaofeng, just carrying out a large pot of potato pieces, noticed these two who were clearly visitors from the South staring blankly at the bowl, assuming they wouldn’t know how to eat this dish, he offered some friendly advice with a smile.
"Uh... thank you."
Both Chen Luoluo and Luo Tiantian gave a polite smile, still somewhat unaccustomed to the Northeast local’s sociability and enthusiasm.
Exchanging a glance, the two sighed helplessly.
Since they were already here, oh well.
Grabbing a spoon, they half-heartedly stirred the contents of the bowl, finding that once mixed with the rice, the initially dark dish appeared less so, gaining a slight rosy hue.
Admittedly, this slight rosy tint did seem a bit more appetizing.
Spooning half a scoop of rice under their noses to take a whiff, the intense aroma was surprisingly contrary to its initial unattractive appearance.
Beyond that, the spoon held a piece of sauce-colored pork belly, with the potato and eggplant almost indistinguishable, coating the rice making it look glossy and smooth.
If nothing else, Northeast rice indeed had a wonderful fragrance; the two decided they would definitely bring back two five-kilogram bags of rice on their way home.
With the rice so close to their lips, the two hesitated no longer, opening their mouths and taking in half a spoonful of rice.
"Hmm?"
The moment the rice entered their mouths, their already large eyes widened even further, as if something unbelievable had happened.
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