The carrot lunch that Feng Yifan made for Ning Cheng was relatively simple, just stewing meat with diced carrots.
However, the method is somewhat special. First, cut the pork into small cubes and then blanch it in a pot. Onion, ginger and rice wine are added to the pot during blanching. When the water in the pot starts to boil, use a colander to clean out the blood stains and impurities.
After blanching, rinse the meat in cold water and set aside.
Then Feng Yifan added lard and chopped onions into the pot to sauté. Then he added carrot cubes and stir-fried them until the onions and carrot cubes were fully fried and a caramelized layer formed at the bottom of the pot. Finally, he added the meat cubes and stir-fried them.
At this moment, Ning Cheng, who was standing aside, had forgotten about cutting vegetables and stretched his neck to stare attentively.
The flavors of onions, carrots and meat in the pot mixed together to create a very rich aroma that makes one salivate just by smelling it.
After the meat pieces changed color again, Feng Yifan poured soy sauce into the pot, added some rock sugar, and a few spoonfuls of Su Zao soup.
After the Su Zao soup was put into the pot, a very rich aroma immediately rose up.
Feng Ruoruo sniffed the fragrance and couldn't help clapping her hands and cheering: "Dad, it smells so good, so good."
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "If Ruoruo thinks it's delicious, when daddy is done, I'll ask Brother Ning Cheng to leave a small bowl for you so that Ruoruo can also taste it, okay?"
Feng Ruoruo agreed immediately: "Okay, okay."
The little girl turned around and asked Ning Cheng: "Brother, can you give Ruoruo a bowl?"
Ning Cheng was a little surprised. This dish was obviously made by the girl's father, so why did she need to ask him for a bowl
But after a moment of hesitation, Ning Cheng nodded and agreed: "Yes, sure."
Feng Ruoruo smiled and said, "Thank you, brother."
Ning Cheng said somewhat embarrassedly: "You're welcome."
As the stewing time goes by, even if the lid of the pot is not opened, a very rich aroma will still rise in the kitchen.
Ning Cheng felt that this aroma was something he had never smelled before. It was completely different from the aroma of stewed meat in his home. It was richer than the aroma of stewed meat in his home, and it also contained a very special aroma that would arouse people's instinctive appetite.
Seeing Ning Cheng standing there motionless, Feng Yifan said, "Okay, continue practicing. This pot of stew will take some time to cook. Just cut one more carrot and it will be almost done."
Ning Cheng, who was still in a daze, immersed in the aroma of stewed meat, was awakened by Feng Yifan's words. He quickly agreed and lowered his head to continue practicing his knife skills.
Although he lowered his head to continue, Ning Cheng was still thinking about the meat in the pot.
Especially as the rich meaty aroma continues to emanate from the edge of the pot lid, the entire kitchen is filled with the aroma of meat.
The aroma of the meat becomes more intense and prominent against the backdrop of the spices in the Su-zao soup. At the same time, the aroma of carrots and onions also permeates, making one salivate.
When Ning Cheng was cutting vegetables, he couldn't help but become distracted.
When Ning Cheng was distracted, he felt someone pulling the corner of his clothes a few times, which made him come back to his senses and look down. He saw that it was Feng Ruoruo who was pulling the corner of his clothes.
Ning Cheng asked curiously, "Ruoruo, what's wrong with you?"
Feng Ruoruo said seriously, "Big brother, you have to be more serious. Look, you have cut it wrong. If you are not serious, you will keep making mistakes. How can you learn from my dad in the future?"
After being reminded by the little girl, Ning Cheng suddenly realized the mistake he had made.
If he couldn't resist the aroma of delicious food, then if he went to the restaurant kitchen in the future, wouldn't he be completely unable to work every day? The aromas of various dishes in the kitchen were intertwined, and it was simply a room filled with fragrance. If he couldn't control himself, he would be immersed in the fragrance all day long.
Ning Cheng figured this out and said to Feng Ruoruo: "Well, thank you for your reminder, sister. I will definitely take it seriously."
Next, Ning Cheng took a deep breath, ignored the aroma of the stewed meat, and began to cut vegetables seriously.
Feng Yifan saw everything, but he didn't speak to remind Ning Cheng. Seeing his daughter reminding Ning Cheng, he didn't stop her, but looked at his father-in-law.
The father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other and smiled, which was considered as acknowledging Feng Ruoruo's reminder to Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng became very serious in the following practice, using a straight knife to trim, slice, cut into strips and dice the carrots.
This time, the carrot cubes he cut were very close to what Feng Yifan required.
Ning Cheng practiced for almost another hour. As the time was getting closer to noon, Feng Yifan finally opened the lid of the pot of stewed meat.
The moment the lid of the pot was opened, the rich aroma seemed to explode instantly, rushing out of the iron pot and hitting the nose of everyone in the kitchen.
Feng Ruoruo quickly ran to her father's side, looked at the stew in the pot and exclaimed: "Oh, it smells so good, so good."
This time, although Ning Cheng also smelled the rich fragrance, he did not distract himself.
Feng Yifan served the stewed meat, left a small bowl for his daughter, and brought the rest to Ning Cheng.
"I made this for you at noon today. It's carrot stew with meat. You should practice it here in the morning and take it home. You can have lunch with your grandparents and brother at noon. When you come over in the afternoon, remember to bring this big bowl back."
Ning Cheng stopped, put down the knife in his hand, and respectfully took the stew.
The stew in the big bowl was very fragrant, and the diced carrots and diced meat mixed together looked extremely tempting.
Ning Cheng swallowed a few times and said to Feng Yifan seriously, "Thank you, Uncle Yifan."
Feng Yifan took a look at the carrot cubes he had cut and said calmly, "You're welcome. These are the ones you cut yesterday. Tomorrow I will use the ones you cut today to make dishes. Anyway, you will eat them. I hope you can cut them well and cook for yourself one day."
After hearing these words, Ning Cheng immediately smiled and felt that there seemed to be hope of becoming his disciple.
Seeing the smile on Ning Cheng's face, Feng Yifan warned him, "Don't be too happy too soon. You haven't really passed the test yet. Remember our agreement. You must cut the carrots to my satisfaction before I leave."
Ning Cheng held the big bowl and nodded: "Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely meet your requirements."
Feng Yifan waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's go back first."
After watching Ning Cheng leave, Feng Yifan turned around and continued to busy himself in the kitchen, starting to prepare lunch for the whole family.
Su Jinrong said at this time: "It seems that you will accept this apprentice?"
Feng Yifan raised his head and looked at his father-in-law and said, "Dad, what do you think?"
Su Jinrong sat in a wheelchair and said calmly, "Now the kid looks pretty good. After you said that, he dyed his hair and cut it short. Although the tattoo hasn't been cleaned up yet, I believe he will get it done. And he has been practicing very hard these two days."
Feng Ruoruo was originally guarding the small bowl of stewed meat that her father left for her. When she heard what her father and grandfather said, the little girl turned around and came over.
"Dad, Ruoruo thinks that big brother Ning Cheng is the same as Uncle Xiaolin. Dad can teach him."
Feng Yifan looked down at his daughter and asked, "Oh? Didn't Ruoruo tell her before that daddy shouldn't be partial? Why does Ruoruo feel so bad about big brother Ning Cheng and Uncle Xiaolin now? Why does she want daddy to teach her?"
Feng Ruoruo thought for a moment and said, "Because he is just like Uncle Xiaolin. Uncle Xiaolin also practiced cutting vegetables this way, and then big brother also practiced this way, so he will definitely be able to practice well like Uncle Xiaolin, and after practicing well, he can help Dad."
Su Jinrong laughed after hearing what his granddaughter said: "It seems that our Ruoruo also knows that Dad is working hard and wants Dad to find a few more helpers, right?"
Feng Ruoruo turned her head and nodded to her grandfather: "Yes, yes, before Daddy came back, Grandpa was alone and had a hard time. Now Daddy is back, but Grandpa is sick, so Daddy is alone again. Ruoruo hopes that Daddy can be more than alone."
Feng Yifan smiled and said to his daughter: "Dad is not alone, doesn't he still have Ruoruo and mom to help me?"
Feng Ruoruo looked back at her father again, and then hugged his neck: "Dad, Ruoruo will definitely help you, and so will mom, and grandpa, grandpa and grandma, but Ruoruo hopes that Uncle Xiaolin, and Brother Ning Cheng, and many other people will help Dad."
Feng Yifan was a little surprised. He felt that his daughter seemed to know that after her grandfather's restaurant was renovated in the future, the restaurant would need a lot of people to help.
He hugged his daughter and said, "Okay, then Dad will find more people to help Dad."
Feng Ruoruo immediately agreed happily: "Okay, Dad, you should find more people to help you."
Then the little girl emphasized: "But you have to be like Uncle Xiaolin, you can't let bad people help Dad, Dad, you have to remember this."
Hearing his daughter instructing him like a little adult, Feng Yifan immediately laughed happily.
"Okay, Dad will listen to Ruoruo and will definitely not ask bad people for help."
Not long after, Feng Jiandong and Lu Cuiling also came home. Soon after Lu Cuiling came back, she exclaimed loudly: "Hey, I said I would come back early to wash your clothes. Ruoxi, why did you wash your clothes?"
Su Ruoxi used the back of her hand to gently touch the hair on her forehead and responded with a smile: "It's okay, Mom. I didn't have anything to do at home, so I just washed it all off."
Feng Ruoruo heard her grandmother's voice and quickly ran out of the kitchen and ran to her grandmother and mother in the backyard.
"Grandma, you're back. Ruoruo wants to tell you that today, Ruoruo's mom has been washing clothes. Ruoruo, Dad, and Grandpa are cooking in the kitchen. Ruoruo is also helping Dad supervise the big brother in cutting vegetables. The big brother is a little clumsy, just like Uncle Xiaolin..."
When the little granddaughter came, she started talking a lot, which made Lu Cuiling very happy.
"Oh, our Ruoruo is really like a little teacher. She helps daddy supervise others to do their work. She is really amazing."
Su Ruoxi said to her daughter seriously: "Ruoruo, you can't just say that others are stupid, understand?"
Seeing that her daughter-in-law was a little serious, Lu Cuiling laughed and said, "It's okay, she's just a child."
Su Ruoxi said seriously, "Mom, children shouldn't talk about others like this. Ruoruo, do you remember this? Don't call others stupid in the future, or I will be angry."
Feng Ruoruo instinctively hid behind her grandmother, but when she heard her mother's words, she still poked her little head out.
Seeing her mother's serious face, the little girl finally agreed: "Okay, Ruoruo won't tell you anymore."
Lu Cuiling pulled her granddaughter out from behind her and said with a smile, "Okay, Mom said this for Ruoruo's own good. If Ruoruo keeps calling others stupid, people will think she's impolite and they won't like her anymore, right?"
Feng Ruoruo nodded and said, "Yes, Ruoruo knows."
Su Ruoxi continued, "Ruoruo can't just say that people are stupid. You can say that Brother Ning Cheng is like Uncle Xiaolin, and they both learn slowly. Do you understand?"
Feng Ruoruo also wrote it down carefully: "Ruoruo knows, it's just that big brother learns slower."
Then, the little chatterbox continued to talk to grandma about his older brother's studies.
At this time, Feng Jiandong was in the kitchen.
"Yifan, if you really want to take Ning Cheng as your apprentice, you must get your father-in-law's consent. You can't make the decision on your own. After all, most of your cooking skills are inherited from your father-in-law's family, especially the seasonings of some special dishes, which are all secret recipes."
When Su Jinrong heard what his father-in-law said, he naturally understood his father-in-law's concerns.
He smiled and waved his hand: "Father-in-law, you don't have to worry so much. I believe Yifan will know his limits. Besides, after going through so many things, I don't think I need to stick to the tradition all the time. Su Ji's dishes can be passed on so that more people can learn them."
Feng Jiandong was a little puzzled when he heard this: "If this is the case, won't it cause someone to compete with Su Ji?"
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Dad, only with competition can there be progress. Besides, if someone else can cook Su Ji dishes better than me, then I, as the successor, would be a failure."
Su Jinrong also said: "Yes, if another restaurant can make Su Ji dishes better than Su Ji itself, it means that Su Ji is out of date and should be eliminated at that time. Otherwise, it will tarnish the old plaque of our ancestors. Only with competition can we make better progress."
Feng Jiandong felt that what his father-in-law and son said was correct, but he was a little surprised that his father-in-law could actually figure this out.
Su Jinrong seemed to have guessed what Feng Jiandong was thinking. He smiled and said, "If I still can't figure out these principles after going through so many things, then I have really lived in vain."
Feng Yifan said to his father seriously, "Even if the same ingredients and cooking methods are used, different chefs will produce different dishes. It is not easy to completely replicate the dishes of top chefs. I am confident about this."
Feng Jiandong nodded at first, but then he smiled and said, "Okay, so you're bragging now, saying you're a top chef?"
Su Jinrong said: "Yifan is now considered to be the top one."
Feng Jiandong looked at his son with a smile on his face and added seriously: "Don't be proud, keep working hard."
Feng Yifan said to his father and father-in-law: "Definitely."