Sun Mingxing personally carried the dishes to the door of the private room, and happened to meet Su Liancheng coming out, and the two men met at the door.
Su Liancheng was a little surprised when he saw this: "Uncle Nine, why did you deliver it in person? If it's an important dish, you can just call me and I'll deliver it."
Sun Mingxing said seriously: "No, I must bring this dish in myself."
Su Liancheng understood instantly that the dish in Uncle Nine's hand should be the Su's dish that his uncle had ordered before.
Sun Mingxing straightened his chest, then knocked on the door gently. After the person inside responded that he could come in, he pushed the door and entered the private room with the dishes.
When everyone in the private room saw that Sun Mingxing actually came to serve the dishes himself, Feng Yifan, Su Ruoxi and the children stood up naturally.
Sun Mingxing quickly said to Feng Yifan and Su Ruoxi, "Sit down, you and the children, sit down. You are the guests today, and I am the chef. How can I let you stand up when I serve you the food?"
Feng Yifan said a little embarrassedly: "Uncle Nine, we are really embarrassed that you are here to serve the dishes yourself."
Sun Mingxing smiled and said, "Why should I be embarrassed? You are the diners, and I am the chef. Shouldn't I serve the dishes? Could it be that my master, your master-grandfather, would not serve the dishes? So you all sit down, and I will serve the dishes."
Feng Yifan and Su Ruoxi led the children to sit down and asked Sun Mingxing to put down the dishes.
After putting it down, Sun Mingxing opened the lid.
In an instant, the rich aroma of meat rose up, and the smell of meat on the shop even made several children who had already eaten a lot feel hungry again.
Sun Mingxing said seriously: "Please enjoy this dish, 'Flower Square Button Pastry'."
Hearing the name, Zhuang Daozhong's eyes lit up as he looked at the dishes on the table.
The four diners who were specially invited felt very unfamiliar with this dish.
The two scholars who studied the Dream of the Red Chamber had never heard of such a dish.
Chairman Cai thought for a moment and then recalled, "Ah, I see. It's the original dish created by Mr. Su that once amazed everyone at the state banquet, right?"
Chairman Zhuo didn't quite understand, so he looked at Chairman Cai and asked, "Has this dish ever been served at a state banquet?"
Chairman Cai nodded and said, "Yes, the method used in the state banquet is more refined. The method is similar to King Kong Huo Fang, but it is cooked with a whole piece of pork belly. And only one piece is used for the whole thing. The outer shell is pork belly, and the crispy meat underneath is also fried pork belly. They are all from the same piece of pork belly."
President Zhuo was a little surprised: "This dish is quite interesting."
Zhuang Daozhong smiled and said, "This one made by Mingxing is a big fire square, and the one served at the state banquet is a small fire square."
President Cai was also a little confused this time: "Little Fire Fang? What does that look like?"
Zhuang Daozhong explained: "The small fire square is only one-fourth of this piece. It is served as a strong dish with other dishes. Sometimes it is replaced by braised lion head."
After hearing Zhuang Daozhong's explanation, the people present immediately understood.
Sun Mingxing was a little surprised when he heard what his uncle said.
You have to know that it takes a lot of effort to cook such a large piece of pork belly. If you only use a quarter of the size of pork belly that can just fit into a small bowl, it will be even more labor-intensive.
Zhuang Daozhong turned to Sun Mingxing and said, "When your master made this dish, he needed one at the last minute, so he figured out how to make it this way. The pork belly is cut into small square pieces about the length of a finger, then hollowed out and deep-fried crispy pork is stuffed into the pieces."
Sun Mingxing was also amazed after hearing this: "Master was really amazing back then."
President Cai said: "Of course, Mr. Su was a true master back then. I still vaguely remember the scene when he presided over the state banquets in the following years. There were so many innovative dishes that have been handed down to us today, all of which were handed down by the old man at that time."
Zhuang Daozhong then said, "Moreover, Senior Brother Su at that time was a very open-minded person. He never thought of keeping his skills to himself. Instead, he taught all his cooking skills for free to anyone who wanted to learn from him."
Among the people present, there were Su Jinrong and Sun Mingxing, two disciples of Su Quansheng.
Both Zhuang Daozhong and President Cai had received instruction from Su Quansheng.
Zhuang Daozhong still can't forget that he was able to grow from a small cook to the master he is today, and that was all thanks to Su Quansheng's help.
After everyone reminisced for a while, Feng Ruoruo couldn't help but ask her mother softly, "When can we eat?"
Su Ruoxi whispered softly to her daughter, "Don't worry, let's wait a little longer."
Zhuang Daozhong also caught the mother and daughter whispering to each other.
The old man smiled and said, "Well, the kids must be eager to try it. Let's try it and see how this Mingxing replica of the flower square buckle cake tastes."
President Zhuo asked curiously, "Why is this dish called Huafangkousu?"
Su Jinrong smiled and said, "Hahaha, actually this is the name given by our fellow apprentices. Normally, this dish should be called 'Five Flower Fire Square Stuffed Crispy Pork'."
President Zhuo suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."
Sun Mingxing also recalled the scene when his fellow apprentices named it: "At that time, when we were chatting privately, we felt that calling it that was too straightforward, so we gave it this name. Sometimes when we were cooking in the kitchen, we would say: Give me a portion of Kou Su."
Su Jinrong laughed along with him: "Yes, yes, a portion of puff pastry."
This shout had a flavor of a waiter's shouting, and everyone who heard it found it very interesting, especially the children who stared at Su Jinrong with wide eyes.
Finally everyone started to taste the dish.
After stewing and steaming, the pork belly has become very soft and glutinous, and it cracks with a light touch of chopsticks.
Then, with one chopstick push, the fried crispy meat underneath is like the skeleton inside the square piece of pork belly, supporting the pork belly perfectly and just enough for the chopsticks to pick it up.
Feng Yifan stood up and used the serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of food for everyone.
A piece of meat has basically been divided into two parts.
Feng Ruoruo looked at the meat in the bowl and couldn't help but pull her father and said, "Dad, this is so fatty. You eat the fat and give the lean meat to Ruoruo, okay?"
Su Jinrong smiled and said, "Don't be afraid of this. Try it and it will melt in your mouth immediately."
Feng Ruoruo asked doubtfully, "Will it melt in your mouth? Is it like eating ice cream?"
Su Jinrong nodded: "Yes, just like ice cream, it will melt in your mouth immediately. If you don't believe me, take a bite and try it."
Seeing that her grandfather was so sure, Feng Ruoruo finally scooped up some with a small spoon to taste it.
The meat melted in the girl's mouth before she even started chewing.
Feng Ruoruo's eyes widened, her little face full of disbelief, as if she had never eaten such meat before. It disappeared right after it entered her mouth, flowing into her throat like water.
After smacking her lips carefully, Feng Ruoruo asked in surprise, "Grandpa, it really melted. It disappeared in an instant."
Hearing his granddaughter's words, Su Jinrong laughed: "Hahaha, isn't it? Ruoruo didn't feel like she had eaten even a little bit of fat, did she? Isn't it delicious?"
Feng Ruoruo slowly ate the remaining meat in her mouth and said with a smile: "Mm, it's delicious."
The others had also eaten by now, and everyone discovered how delicious the meat was.
The feeling of melting in the mouth and the remaining crispy meat that has been cooked through will make it more fragrant as you chew it slowly in your mouth. It is really a wonderful dish to eat.
After eating it, Zhuang Daozhong couldn't help but sigh: "I never thought that I would eat this dish again after so many years."
Four professional diners really praised the food.
"Delicious, really delicious."
“This is the unique flavor of our Chinese cuisine.”
“Although it is greasy, the feeling of melting in your mouth is really unforgettable after eating it.”
"Especially the crispy meat that is cooked thoroughly and well-flavored. It is so delicious when you chew it together."
Sun Mingxing was very happy to receive unanimous praise from everyone. There was a glow in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was very happy to receive such praise.
However, Sun Mingxing still restrained himself, trying not to get too excited, and instead looked at Su Jinrong and Feng Yifan.
After all, these two are the two generations of chefs at Su Ji today.
The dish he made was the specialty of Su Ji’s most famous chef, so naturally he hoped to get some evaluation from two generations of chefs.
After Su Jinrong and Feng Yifan looked at each other, he spoke first.
"Brother, I didn't expect you could make this dish."
When Sun Mingxing heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then he sighed and said, "We were the ones who let our master down back then. After I left Su Ji, I realized how bad I was. I didn't even have a true apprenticeship, let alone become a master like our master."
Su Jinrong said, "No, Senior Brother, the fact that you can make this dish shows that you haven't forgotten what my father taught you."
Sun Mingxing was a little excited and said seriously: "I dare not forget it, and I can't forget it."
Hearing this, Su Jinrong nodded: "Thank you, Senior Brother."
Sun Mingxing said quickly: "No, I should thank you, Jinrong, for forgiving me and letting Yifan and Liancheng call me back to take over Fujing Building. I really want to thank you. You don't know how much I want to return to Huaicheng, to come back here."
At this moment, everyone in the room could vaguely feel Sun Mingxing's mood.
Zhuang Daozhong and Su Jinrong, in particular, understood Sun Mingxing's feelings even better.
The age when Sun Mingxing came to Su Ji to become an apprentice was the same as the age when Feng Yifan came to Su Ji. It can be said that he was enlightened in culinary skills and later grew up from the basics at Su Ji, so he has deep feelings for Su Ji.
But he made such a mistake and chose to leave Su Ji, wanting to make a career out of his youth.
As a result, Sun Mingxing went around in circles but was unable to truly realize his previous ambitions.
He didn't even have the courage to return to Huaicheng.
Now, Sun Mingxing has received an invitation and can finally return to Huaicheng with dignity, to the city where he once learned cooking, and to continue being a chef, something he has done all his life.
For Sun Mingxing, this is truly a recognition of him.
Su Jinrong said seriously: "Ninth Senior Brother, let's not talk about the past anymore. We should look forward. I believe that under your leadership, Fujinglou can shoulder the heavy responsibility of Huaicheng's catering industry."
When Sun Mingxing heard this, he quickly said, "No, no, the leader of Huaicheng catering must be Su Ji."
Su Jinrong waved his hand: "No, it has to be Fujing Building."
Sun Mingxing is a little confused
Su Jinrong continued, "Fujinglou has a geographical advantage and can become a signature restaurant for Huaicheng cuisine, so you must make Fujinglou a success, so that others will know about Fujinglou, Huaicheng cuisine, and know that our Huaicheng cuisine culture is a legacy."
Sun Mingxing thought for a moment and asked, "Then, Su Ji?"
Feng Yifan said on behalf of his father-in-law: "Uncle Nine, don't worry. Su Ji will have its own way. Originally, Su Ji's dishes were not just Huaiyang cuisine. In the future, Su Ji will restore the taste of the old Su Ji."
Zhuang Daozhong was a little excited when he heard this and said, "Su Zaoyan, are you and your son-in-law ready?"
Su Jinrong smiled and said, "Uncle Master, Yifan has indeed developed Su Zao Tang."
Zhuang Daozhong was stunned at first, then he stood up excitedly, reached out to hold Feng Yifan's hand, and asked very earnestly: "Really? Yifan? Have you made the Su Zao soup?"
The other people present didn't quite understand what "Su Zao Tang" was? Why did it make Zhuang Daozhong so excited
Feng Yifan helped his uncle sit down, and then said, "Yes, I have researched it, but for now, I only have the summer formula. I need to research the ratios for the other three seasons later."
Zhuang Daozhong was very excited: "Okay, okay, okay."
Everyone looked at Zhuang Daozhong sitting there and cheered excitedly, but no one knew what was going on.
Finally, President Cai asked, "Mr. Zhuang, what is this Su Zao Tang?"
Zhuang Daozhong explained to the group, "Suzhou soup is the key to Suji Suzhou Banquet. To put it simply, it is stewed soup. However, the proportions of this soup will be different in all seasons, and the taste of the dishes will also be different."
Everyone was surprised when they heard this, even Sun Mingxing was surprised because he had never heard of it before.
Zhuang Daozhong added: "Senior Brother Su had tried to develop it before, but ultimately failed. I didn't expect Yifan to be able to restore it."
Feng Yifan quickly said, "Actually, I'm lucky, and there's only summer soup available for the time being."
Sun Mingxing asked: "Why have I never heard Master mention this before?"
Su Jinrong replied, "That's because my father didn't figure out the final ratio, so he never told us. It was only when I was sorting out my father's belongings after he passed away that I found a torn recipe book that recorded this Su-style soup."
At this point, Su Jinrong also felt regretful: "It's a pity that there are only names on it."
Zhuang Daozhong also said: "I once had the opportunity to take a look at that recipe book. It was already in tatters. It only had the names of the dishes, but no instructions or ingredients for the dishes."
Hearing this, everyone in the room expressed regret.
Feng Yifan said: "But my father and I will work hard to try to restore some of the dishes and try our best to present those lost dishes in our current way."
Zhuang Daozhong nodded and said, "Okay, that's good. Jinrong, you did the right thing."