Siheyuan: Buyers get rich from hunting

At dawn, a gentle ray of sunlight penetrated the sparse clouds and gently sprinkled on the sleeping earth. Everything seemed to wake up slowly at this moment, covered with a layer of light golden light. He Yuzhu, the chef in the kitchen of the steel rolling mill, wore a simple but clean blue cloth work clothes and a pair of worn but comfortable cloth shoes, and stepped briskly into this cooking world that belonged to him. In his left hand, he held a black iron kettle that had gone through the baptism of time and was slightly old. The pot body was mottled, recording the beginning of countless mornings; in his right hand, he held a small and exquisite red porcelain cup with simple patterns painted on the wall, revealing a breath of life. His steps were steady and powerful, and every step was an expectation for today's work.

He walked to the familiar stove and gently placed the iron kettle and porcelain cup in his hands on the slightly rough stove, his movements were gentle and skillful. Then, he sat leisurely on a slightly short but sturdy stool and began his daily compulsory course - making tea. As the boiling water slowly poured into the iron kettle, the shriveled tea leaves seemed to be given life, rolling and stretching happily in the water. In an instant, a fresh and elegant tea fragrance overflowed from the mouth of the kettle and filled the entire kitchen.

He Yuzhu took a deep breath, and the fragrance of tea seemed to penetrate his heart directly, making him feel refreshed and extremely happy. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and savored the wonderful taste of the sweetness and bitterness of the tea. It was a kind of happiness that only those who truly understand life can experience. The fragrance of tea was overflowing, perfectly blending with the quiet atmosphere of the morning, forming a harmonious picture. At this moment, time seemed to freeze, and the whole world was quiet. Only he was left with the curling tea fragrance, enjoying this rare tranquility and comfort.

Just as he was immersed in his own world, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence. He Yuzhu's apprentice Xiao Ma, a young and energetic young man, rushed back to the kitchen. He was panting, with a few drops of sweat on his forehead, but his face was filled with excitement and joy that could not be concealed. He panted and said to He Yuzhu, "Master, we have fresh pork today! The canteen director specifically asked you to show your skills and cook a sumptuous meal for everyone!"

Hearing this news, He Yuzhu's eyes flashed with surprise, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted slightly, revealing a satisfied smile. He nodded, indicating that he had already known the good news, then stood up and gently put the teapot aside, ready to start his cooking journey today.

He walked to the chopping board and carefully observed the piece of fresh pork. The pork was bright in color and had clear texture, as if showing him its quality and deliciousness. He Yuzhu secretly calculated in his mind, thinking about how to use these high-quality ingredients to make a mouth-watering and memorable dish. He said to Xiao Ma with a firm and confident look: "Xiao Ma, today we are going to use this fresh pork to make five different flavors of big pot dishes, so that every worker can taste the deliciousness and feel our dedication."

As he spoke, He Yuzhu picked up a piece of pork with fat and lean meat and expertly cut it into cubes of uniform size and shape. As he cut, he explained to Xiao Ma: "When making braised pork, the choice of meat is very important. You must choose this kind of pork belly with fat and lean meat, which is fat but not greasy, and lean but not dry. This will make the braised pork taste better and more mellow." After speaking, he carefully put the cut pieces of meat into a large bowl for later use, as if he was treating a precious work of art.

Next, He Yuzhu heated the oil in a pan, and when the oil temperature reached the right level, he quickly put the chopped green onion and ginger into the pan. Instantly, a strong green onion aroma filled the air. Then, he poured all the pork chunks in the bowl into the pan, and kept frying them with the spatula in his hand. Each piece of pork was evenly heated under his skillful hands, and the surface gradually showed an attractive golden color, as if covered with a layer of dazzling coat. The whole kitchen was filled with an intoxicating aroma, making people want to taste the delicious food that was about to be baked.

Xiao Ma stood aside, watching He Yuzhu's every move intently, afraid of missing any details. His eyes were full of admiration for the master and love for the art of cooking. He nodded from time to time, expressing his understanding and recognition of He Yuzhu's explanation, as if he was having a silent communication with the master.

When the pork was fried in the pot until it was just right and exuded an alluring aroma, He Yuzhu began to season it. He picked up the bottle of cooking wine and gently poured it in, allowing the mellow aroma of the wine to blend perfectly with the pork; then, dark soy sauce and light soy sauce were added successively, adding rich colors and layers to the dish; finally, he poured in enough water to let the seasoning and pork dance together in the pot. He gently stirred a few times, his movements were elegant and skillful, as if he was performing a carefully choreographed dance, allowing the seasoning to fully blend and penetrate into every piece of pork.

At this critical moment, He Yuzhu smiled mysteriously, took out a few crystal clear rock sugar from the small jar beside him, and gently sprinkled them into the pot. He turned to look at Xiao Ma and explained with a smile: "When stewing braised pork, adding some rock sugar is my little secret. It not only makes the meat more red and attractive, but also makes the taste more rich and mellow, which makes people have endless aftertaste."

After adjusting the seasoning, He Yuzhu quickly covered the pot, lowered the heat to just the right level, and let the braised pork slowly simmer in the pot. He kept an eye on the changes in the heat to ensure that the temperature in the pot always remained within the most suitable range. His focused expression and skillful movements seemed to announce to the world: This is the true art of cooking!

About half an hour later, a rich aroma began to waft out of the pot. The aroma seemed to have a magical power, making people salivate and unable to resist. He Yuzhu opened the lid of the pot at the right time and gently turned the braised pork with a spatula to check whether they were stewed until soft and tasty. The meat pieces rolled in the pot, becoming soft and juicy; the soup also became thick and tempting, and the color became more and more bright and eye-catching.

Finally, a classic braised pork with good color, aroma and taste was presented in front of him. Xiao Ma was deeply attracted by the deliciousness of this dish and couldn't help swallowing his saliva. He excitedly said to He Yuzhu: "Master, this braised pork looks so delicious! I can't wait to taste it!"

He Yuzhu smiled, his eyes revealing satisfaction and pride in this dish. He continued, "Don't worry, there are still four dishes. Today we will let everyone taste five different flavors of big pot dishes, and this is just one of them."

As he spoke, he cut the remaining pork into thin slices and marinated it with cooking wine, salt, starch and other seasonings for a while. Then, he heated up the oil in a pan and added onions, ginger, garlic and dried chilies to stir-fry. The fragrance instantly filled the entire kitchen. Then he added the marinated pork slices and quickly stir-fried them. The slices jumped and rolled in the pan, as if telling their delicious story.

"Xiao Ma, watch carefully. When frying the spicy hot pot, you have to control the heat well. After the meat slices change color, you need to add spices and chili sauce so that the flavor can fully penetrate into it." He Yuzhu explained the cooking techniques and secrets while stir-frying.

After the meat slices changed color, he quickly added peppercorns, star anise and other spices and continued to stir-fry, and the aroma became more and more rich and tempting. Finally, he added the right amount of chili sauce and bean paste to enhance the flavor, bringing the taste of this dish to its peak. A spicy and fragrant hot pot pork dish was ready.

Xiao Ma was watching from the sidelines, dazzled and amazed. He stared at the food in the pot with wide eyes, as if he wanted to deeply engrave every step in his mind. He said to He Yuzhu excitedly: "Master, you are really amazing! This spicy hot pot looks so tempting! I can't wait to learn your cooking skills!"

Xiao Ma stared at the spicy hot pot with bright red color and fragrant aroma, which seemed to contain endless stories, and he couldn't help but feel an indescribable admiration in his heart. He knew very well that behind these mouth-watering delicacies were the experiences and skills that Master He Yuzhu had accumulated silently in the kitchen over the years. Although he was passionate about cooking, he still had a long way to go to reach the level of his master, and he needed to put in more effort and time to learn and practice. So he secretly made up his mind to ask the master for advice, learn humbly, and strive to become an outstanding chef who can stand on his own and be praised by diners as soon as possible.

He Yuzhu looked at Xiao Ma's eyes full of respect and desire, smiled, his eyes flashing with a warm and bright light, and his heart was full of satisfaction and relief. He knew that these dishes were not just simple dishes, but also his deep affection and care for the hard-working workers in the factory as a chef. Therefore, he will cook the next three dishes more carefully to ensure that everyone can taste the delicious food that satisfies them and makes them feel warm.

He took out another piece of tender and juicy pork and cut it into small pieces expertly. Each piece was evenly sized, as if it had been measured with a ruler. While busy, he taught Xiao Ma the essence and skills of cooking: "This pork stewed with tofu may seem simple, but there are many tricks involved. The key is to use high-quality tofu. The tofu should be tender but not messy, so that it can complement the deliciousness of the pork and achieve a perfect blend."

As he spoke, he put the chopped pork into cold water, blanched it gently, and then took it out for later use. His movements were gentle and skillful. At the same time, he turned around and gave clear instructions to the helpers beside him: "Xiao Li, go to the warehouse and get a piece of the most tender tofu and cut it into small pieces. Remember, you must be gentle and don't break the tofu, because it is the soul of this dish."

Xiao Li took immediate action and quickly brought the cut tofu. He Yuzhu took the tofu and nodded slightly to show his approval, his eyes revealing his respect and cherishment for the ingredients. Then, he started to heat the pan and heat the oil. When the oil temperature rose to just the right level, he added onions, ginger, garlic and other seasonings to stir-fry. The fragrance instantly filled the entire kitchen, greatly increasing people's appetite.