1995: From a small restaurant to a culinary genius

Chapter 27 Tomato and Pepper Beef Stir-fry Noodles

After learning how to make Yibin fried noodles, Xu Liang also tasted them.

The evaluation given was quite good.

Just last night, Xu Liang lay in bed, still reminiscing about that taste in his dreams.

Absolutely brilliant.

The only word to describe it is "perfect".

However, after spending a night preparing, Xu Liang returned to his small restaurant and opened for business as usual the next day.

He tried making a stir-fried noodle dish for breakfast.

Not like the Yibin Fried Noodle King.

After all, he wasn't simply copying things verbatim; he still needed to use his brain to think things through, perhaps turning other people's ideas into inspiration for his own innovation.

This is a good phenomenon.

But even that wasn't enough; Xu Liang was still ambitious.

Try to watch it once and make it taste better than others, or even surpass them.

He opened the small restaurant door early in the morning; the door had been locked the day before he left home.

Back in 1995, there were quite a few thieves. But it was alright, his little restaurant had just opened, and although he could make some money, it was still too slow compared to those in the city.

He just dealt with a gang crime case last time; he brought it on himself.

They even managed to get that whole group of people arrested.

He took out the key to the small restaurant, inserted it into the keyhole, and then twisted it, opening the door.

Xu Liang went inside, and everything was exactly as it was, with nothing missing.

He tried to comfort himself.

Then he put down the bread he had brought from home. Instead of eating his own homemade food for breakfast, he took a fresh loaf of bread from the refrigerator in his kitchen.

The bread was bought by his mother, Zhao Hongzhi, for Xu Tian to go to school. Ever since Zhao Hongzhi gave Xu Tian money for breakfast, the bread has been of no use.

Then Xu Liang was given the food.

At first, Xu Liang was increasingly happy eating the toast. The bread had a nice milky smell, and most importantly, it tasted delicious.

But when I arrived at Xiaoliangzi Restaurant and stepped inside, I found that I had already eaten almost all of the bread.

At that moment, Xu Liang was so engrossed in the ambiance of the small restaurant that he forgot to look at what was in his mouth.

Just as he took the last bite of toast, he realized something was wrong with the taste.

The feeling was like having mold in his mouth. Only then did Xu Liang realize that he had bitten into a rotten, moldy area.

Moreover, he didn't even notice it until he accidentally bit his tongue, and at the same time, he had a strange taste in his mouth.

Suddenly, a bleeding wound appeared on the edge of his tongue.

His own body was playing tricks on him, and the toast in his hand was also making a joke.

He instinctively spat out the vomit, hooking his fingers into his esophagus and scraping the inner wall to force it out.

But after trying it a few times, I found that it had no effect at all.

It seems Xu Liang had a terrible day early in the morning.

Xu Liang was a little scared when he saw that he couldn't vomit, but after a while, he calmed down.

After all, this was just an accident, and I haven't felt any discomfort yet.

If anyone's to blame, it's the refrigerator at home, which has even higher humidity than the damp, humid air during the humid season in southern China.

This caused the food to spoil and then become moldy; fortunately, this wasn't all of it.

If it were all of them, wouldn't Xu Liang have already exploded?

They were going hungry, so they could only see if there was anything left over from the morning, or pick up what others had left to eat.

The first thing to do when opening a small restaurant is to be diligent and thrifty.

He ignored everything about eating moldy bread and mindlessly rushed into the kitchen.

Xu Liang pondered, "Isn't there no food in the refrigerator of my small restaurant?"

Just as he was about to give up on this morning.

An electric tricycle drove past in front of his small restaurant.

They kept honking the horn.

drip~

Hearing this, Xu Liang went out to see what was happening. It turned out that a wholesaler from the vegetable base had come to deliver goods, so Xu Liang went out to greet him.

He was a deliveryman wearing a blue shirt and a motorcycle helmet.

Xu Liang happened to be busy, so he quickly came over to help.

I lent a hand to the delivery driver.

The deliveryman said, "Thank you. This small batch of goods is all for you. The base said that the delivery volume should be based on the size of the restaurant."

Xu Liang responded warmly and politely, "It's alright, these goods are all mine, so it's my job to move them!"

Then he smiled at the deliveryman.

After about ten minutes, with the combined efforts of the two, the small batch of goods had been moved into his small restaurant.

After Xu Liang saw the deliveryman off, another person riding a modified 28-inch bicycle came from that direction, heading towards his small restaurant.

That old-fashioned bicycle wasn't the ordinary kind; it was modified, with two baskets on either side of the rear seat.

It's obviously a cargo container.

However, the distance was still a bit far, and Xu Liang could neither see nor make out who the person was.

Maybe it'll be that meat wholesaler who comes.

Only when he got closer could Xu Liang determine whether it was true or not.

A moment later, the man shouted, "Young man, I'm one of the delivery riders from the meat wholesaler yesterday. I've come here specifically to deliver your goods."

"Okay!"

Shortly after he shouted that, the rider's old-fashioned bicycle stopped next to his small restaurant.

At this moment, Xu Liang had a question: before his rebirth, he would order whatever he wanted to buy by a deliveryman. He never expected to be able to enjoy this kind of service after his rebirth.

That's really good.

However, to be precise, there was no such thing as being adorned in a yellow robe in 1995. Most people were still wearing Dacron clothes. Material things were still scarce in that era, not as abundant as they are now, and there was not as much choice.

Delivery is also relatively simple; it can only be delivered to nearby locations, while it cannot be delivered to locations that are slightly farther away.

Before Xu Liang's rebirth, things were different. As long as the store where you wanted to buy something was in the same city or a neighboring city, and you also lived in this city, then the delivery person would deliver it to your door.

Xu Liang looked at it and saw that the left frame contained a large chunk of pork, while the right frame contained beef.

With the funds Xu Liang currently has, these are all he can buy.

As for mutton and other precious meats, I'll wait until I earn more money before buying them. Also, I have to pay my uncle's rent this month, so I should try to save as much as possible.

The rider handed him the two skewers of meat and then hurriedly drove off.

Xu Liang took the pork and beef, which looked quite fresh, and a bright smile of delight immediately appeared on his face.

At this point, he could begin to plan an innovation for the Yibin Fried Noodles King that he had only seen yesterday.

So he put the meat in the refrigerator, and some of the vegetables in the refrigerator, while the rest that couldn't fit were left out to be processed later after the diners had finished eating.

In the kitchen, he carefully selected ingredients, taking out fresh alkaline noodles, tender green baby bok choy, reddish tomatoes, and translucent purple onions.

There was also some fresh beef, each item carefully selected by Xu Liang.

The quality of the ingredients is the foundation for making delicious stir-fried noodles.

While chopping vegetables, Xu Liang's thoughts drifted back to the scene of tasting Yibin fried noodles yesterday.

The rich aroma and delicious taste gave him some innovative inspiration.

Next, he thought about how to incorporate the advantages of Yibin fried noodles into his own fried noodles.

It can innovate while also creating its own unique characteristics.

He racked his brains and put in a lot of effort to think about this problem.

Finally, a feasible solution was devised.

Eating a light breakfast is good for the stomach, so the fried noodles for breakfast should not be spicy. However, Sichuan people naturally love the numbing sensation, so if there is no spiciness, there must be a numbing sensation.

Therefore, just thinking about it doesn't mean anything.

So he issued a bill with a table at the beginning and a blank section at the end.

Xu Liang then flipped the blank side over and wrote down his thoughts on it.

Two tomatoes, onions, chopped baby bok choy, and local specialty mountain pepper oil.

And add shredded beef.

It has a numbing flavor, as well as a vegetable flavor.

It can be healthy and delicious, tasty and nutritious.

Before long, Xu Liang had written down all the plans.

While it can't be said to be flawless, it's certainly a good idea that Xu Liang should give it a try.

Making it would be a piece of cake.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Liang started cooking.

With everything prepared.

Fire starts, oil heats up.

Xu Liang put the shredded meat into the pot and stir-fried it.

In that instant, the aroma of meat filled the air.

Next, he added tomatoes, onions, and shredded beef, and stir-fried them evenly.

Finally, he put the cooked noodles into the pot and added various sauces and seasonings.

Then sprinkle on some Sichuan pepper oil, which brings out its unique numbing and aromatic flavor.

He started frying this new style of fried noodles. During the frying process, Xu Liang devoted himself wholeheartedly, constantly adjusting the heat and the strength of the stir-frying to allow the noodles to fully absorb the flavor of the seasonings.

In no time, a plate of delicious and visually appealing fried noodles was ready.

Xu Liang looked at the fried noodles he had made himself, his eyes filled with anticipation.

He picked up the fried noodles with his chopsticks and put them in his mouth to savor them.

The noodles are chewy and springy, the side dishes are fresh and delicious, and the seasonings are just right.

It has elements of Yibin fried noodles, but also its own unique flavor.

"Hmm, it tastes pretty good." Xu Liang nodded in satisfaction.

He knew this was just the beginning.

Xu Liang's ambitions didn't stop there; he wanted to make his fried noodles the signature dish of the street, deeply loved by the workers in the passing factories.

Just then, the first customer walked into the small restaurant.

Xu Liang greeted him with a smile, his heart filled with anticipation.

"Boss, I'd like a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork!"

"We're not having congee with preserved egg and lean pork today, but I've created a new dish: a plate of fried noodles. Would you like some?"

"If you want to eat, I'll charge you three yuan for the first time."

The diner was quite surprised to hear the price: three yuan for a plate of fried noodles.

He didn't care anymore; since it was a new dish, he naturally had to try it first.

"Boss, I can't wait any longer."

"Bring it to me quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Liang immediately brought out the bowl of fried noodles from the kitchen.

It comes in red, purple, green, and white, and its colors are very appealing.

"Okay, your fried noodles are here."

Xu Liang served the plate of fried noodles to the diners.

Without saying a word, the diners picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

After taking a bite, the diner discovered that Xu Liang's creative dish was quite delicious.

Then, the diner asked, "What's the name of this dish?"

Xu Liang thought for a while before speaking: "We just tried it and haven't named it yet. How about we call it Tomato, Sichuan Pepper, and Beef Fried Noodles?"

The diners gave Xu Liang a thumbs up.

"That's a great name for a dish!"