Jiang Feng took it easy for a couple of days. He strolled around scenic spots, admiring the landscapes, and wandered through Taikoo Li to check out the trendy crowds. Unfortunately, it was late autumn, so the streets weren’t filled with sights of long legs. He bought so clothes at the mall and so pet toys. Money wasn’t an issue; if he wanted sothing, he bought it. Once he settled back at ho, Jiang Feng began to select ingredients.
The ingredients for the next week’s food stall were simple: spicy crayfish. Such ingredients were common, and finding a crayfish supplier wasn’t hard. But as a head chef, Jiang Feng had a discerning palate and insisted on choosing a superior one. For spicy crayfish, he preferred those with green shells, thin skin, and plentiful at, avoiding the overly red ones, which he found less tasty. After selecting a good crayfish source, Jiang Feng purchased seasonings like rapeseed oil, doubanjiang, hot pot base, various chili peppers, green onions, ginger, and garlic.
「Everything was ready.」
On the day he was to set up his stall, Jiang Feng wasn’t in a rush. He planned to open after four in the afternoon. Spicy crayfish are more suited for late-night snacks, so people tend to eat more in the evening. Of course, being on a food street, there were still quite a few diners at midday.
「And so, the days of running the food stall began again.」
Two aunties ca over right after lunch. Jiang Feng had bought five large basins of crayfish, and the aunties’ task was to wash them. Using a toothbrush, they ticulously scrubbed each crayfish clean. The aunties were quite diligent. They didn’t mind the work, as there wasn’t much else to do, and Jiang Feng paid them well.
After the crayfish were cleaned, Jiang Feng sprinkled them with salt and poured white wine over them, marinating them for at least half an hour. They needed to be well-marinated to fully absorb the flavors.
In the anti, so regulars saw the shop door open and ca in to check.
"Boss, are you open?" soone called out.
Jiang Feng, busy preparing the crayfish, responded, "Not yet. The sign says we start at four in the afternoon."
"You’re not selling bobo chicken anymore?" the custor asked.
"That’s right. This week we’re selling spicy crayfish," Jiang Feng replied amiably.
The eatery wasn’t large, so one could see the entire interior at a glance. The aunties were washing crayfish, and those yet to be cleaned were still lively, wriggling and jumping. Seeing this, the custor couldn’t help but swallow hard.
"Alright, I’ll co back this afternoon then."
"Sure, you’re welco."
The custor left reluctantly.
When the crayfish were nearly done marinating, Jiang Feng prepared to cook the first batch. He heated fresh rapeseed oil in the wok; Jiang Feng always used it for its superior taste and texture. He took cooking very seriously. In Chengdu, mastering the flavor profile of "spicy" was key to good cooking. There were many kinds of spiciness, and achieving a delicious heat required a blend of various chili peppers, complented by Sichuan peppercorns.
Once the oil was hot, it was ti to fry the crayfish. The marinated and cleaned crayfish hit the wok with an imdiate SIZZLE; in no ti, the green-shelled crayfish turned bright red as they cooked. Jiang Feng fried them in batches, setting them aside.
Next ca creating the sauce. Making crayfish flavorful was no easy feat; it truly tested a chef’s culinary skills. With so oil still in the wok, he added green onions, ginger, and garlic, stir-frying them briefly before turning the heat to low. Then, he added the hot pot base and red oil doubanjiang, slowly cooking them until they lted. By this ti, the fragrance was already spreading. Even without any main ingredients, the simple aroma of sautéed green onions, ginger, and garlic was enough to whet anyone’s appetite.
In the small eatery next door, many people were enjoying pork brain and cold noodles. Suddenly, an intensely tantalizing fragrance drifted through the air. This aroma was powerfully invasive, as if intending to burrow directly into one’s stomach.
"Do you sll that? It’s so fragrant!"
"Which restaurant is that coming from?"
"It seems like it’s from that small eatery, the one that isn’t open yet!"
"Sous Chef Jiang’s Spicy Crayfish, business hours: 16:00—21:00. That must be it!"
"It’s him? I had his bobo chicken last week; it was delicious!"
The custors discussed among themselves.
Jiang Feng was unaware of the commotion outside, solely focused on preparing the seasoning for the crayfish. With the doubanjiang and hot pot base completely lted in the wok, Jiang Feng poured in a pre-soaked mixture of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. He then added a bottle of beer and brought it to a rolling boil on high heat. Once the beer had reduced, he added a spoonful of chicken bouillon, a spoonful of sugar, a dash of oyster sauce, a little soy sauce, and a spoonful of five-spice powder. The wok was now full of this aromatic sauce, which he stirred, releasing an even more enticing aroma. This concoction would make anything cooked in it delicious.
A few more custors, drawn by the fragrance, peered into the shop. They saw the two aunties sitting on small stools, diligently washing crayfish one by one. Jiang Feng was at the stove, simring a large pot of what looked like an incredibly fragrant broth. The mouthwatering scent emanated from that very pot.
"It slls amazing!" the custors exclaid, looking curiously at the pot, anticipating the delicious food to co.
At that mont, Jiang Feng subrged the freshly fried crayfish into the simring sauce, covered the pot, and cooked them for 15 minutes. The cooking ti shouldn’t be too long. Afterward, he turned the heat to low, letting the crayfish soak in the sauce, ensuring they remained subrged for at least another 30 minutes. This way, the crayfish would beco thoroughly infused with flavor.
The crayfish simred in the pot. With a lull in the work, Jiang Feng picked up a nearby cucumber, washed it, and contentedly crunched on it. Being a chef was like that—snatching monts of leisure amidst the bustle. Most chefs would be too embarrassed to slack off, fearing others might see, but Jiang Feng was the boss, so he could do so with perfect justification.
The custors gathered at the entrance, and one of them asked with a smile, "Boss, when will the crayfish be ready? Can we get them any earlier? I’m dying to eat them now!"
Hearing this, Jiang Feng, still munching on his cucumber, replied, "You can’t eat them yet; they haven’t absorbed enough flavor. You’ll have to wait at least another hour. We’re still opening at 4 p.m."
Upon hearing this, the custors felt a mix of eager anticipation and slight disappointnt. Delicious food was right before their eyes, yet they couldn’t have it. There’s nothing quite as painful in this world, one might think.
"Alright, we’ll co back this afternoon," they said.
"Sure," Jiang Feng acknowledged.
In just that short while, Jiang Feng had already encountered several groups of people asking about the opening ti. This suggested that the crayfish business was bound to be brisk.
Jiang Feng was ticulous with every step of making the crayfish. The quality and proportions of the seasonings, the control of the heat, and the cooking tis were all carefully managed. He might have appeared nonchalant, but he was, in fact, as careful as if treading on thin ice. His culinary skills were superb, and with the system’s recipe, everything ca together perfectly.
The bright red crayfish steeped and simred in the aromatic sauce. Various delicious aromas perated the flesh, spreading through every fiber. The crayfish quickly beca deeply flavorful. The deliciousness of spicy crayfish depended on two things: first, the aroma of the sauce, and second, how well the flavor penetrated the at. Only crayfish that had fully absorbed the sauce could be considered a top-tier delicacy.
A little after three in the afternoon, the neighboring pork brain shopowner, no longer busy, ca over to greet him.
"Boss Jiang, preparing to open again?" he asked with a friendly smile. "The street has been less crowded these past two days you’ve been gone." The pork brain shopowner was an amiable and polite man.
Jiang Feng replied, "Mhm, I’m starting with crayfish today. I’ll sell them for a week."
The pork brain shopowner, observing the bustling scene inside, remarked admiringly, "It slls amazing! I’ll definitely order so once you open."
"Sure, you’re most welco," Jiang Feng said.
Jiang Feng took out several large basins and began transferring the cooked crayfish into them to continue soaking in the sauce. The crayfish needed to soak for a while longer to beco even more flavorful. Temperature control during soaking was also crucial. If the crayfish cooled down and were then reheated, so of the sauce’s essence would be lost, and the taste would deteriorate. They were best eaten freshly made, after a proper soaking period—that’s when the flavor was at its peak and most aromatic.
The rich, savory scent drifted out of the shop. This unique aroma, even when mingled with the slls from other small eateries, remained unmistakably distinct.
「Around three-forty in the afternoon, custors started to arrive.」
They had found out earlier that Jiang Feng was opening that day and had been eagerly waiting to eat. With the crayfish nearly ready, Jiang Feng moved to the counter to take orders. As he ca out, a pretty young woman suddenly waved and greeted him, her voice carrying a cute and charming local accent, "Boss, I’m here again!"
This was the sa pretty young woman who had visited a few days prior. Jiang Feng rembered her: attractive, with a good figure and an interesting accent. More importantly, she was refreshingly straightforward, praising him openly from the mont she arrived last ti.
Jiang Feng smiled back. "Welco."
The pretty young woman had co with her best friend.
Once the crayfish sale began, custors eagerly started placing their orders, and Jiang Feng found himself busy. Crayfish were a relatively expensive snack due to their high cost. Jiang Feng’s pricing wasn’t exorbitant; he aid for a slightly smaller profit margin.
The portions were divided into:
dium: 68 yuan
Large: 88 yuan
Extra-large: 128 yuan
Three basins were displayed on a table to show the respective portion sizes.
Just then, a sowhat chubby, middle-aged man wearing glasses approached. He pointed at the basin representing the large portion and said, "Boss, I want one of these dium ones."
Hearing this, Jiang Feng gestured to the basins and explained, "Sorry, sir. This one is the large portion, and *this* one is dium." He then pointed to each in turn, clarifying, "dium, large, and extra-large."
The middle-aged man paused, then insisted, "Never mind how you’ve arranged them. I want *this* middle one, the dium portion."
Hearing the man’s insistence, Jiang Feng nodded agreeably. "Alright, sir. Just a mont. That one is 88 yuan."
"No problem," the man replied.
Sotis, taking a step back opens up a wider view, Jiang Feng thought. There’s no need to be so rigid. Being flexible often leads to a happier outco for everyone. Besides, he didn’t want to find out what sort of scene the bespectacled man might cause otherwise.
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