nyslfriends Chapter 165 is definitely not simple.
Chapter 165 is definitely not simple.
Deep in the old street, the doors of "Old Liu's Noodle Shop" are wide open, and white steam mixed with a strong aroma of soy sauce and garlic spreads outwards in what almost becomes a huge wave.
"Pat-pat, pat-pat."
Zhou Benchang stepped onto the clean and tidy ground and crossed the threshold, before he could even put on the aloof airs of a grandmaster.
A pungent aroma of braised pork, a blend of slightly intoxicating Shaoxing wine, slowly simmering rock sugar, and the sizzling fragrance of garlic, suddenly and unreasonably entered his nostrils.
Zhou Benchang's body suddenly stopped, and his temples twitched uncontrollably twice.
This tastes off...
As a master chef, his discerning tongue and nose, sharp to the core, instinctively sensed something ominous the moment they encountered that rough, meaty aroma.
This is definitely not the kind of cooking technique that an old man on the street without even a chef's license could master!
It clearly carries an extremely terrifying and precise logic of flavor control!
"Hey? Look at this guy! Who is he?!"
"Holy crap!! Isn't that Master Zhou, the number one head chef from the 'Extreme Flavor Space' next door?! What's he doing here at Lao Liu's place?!"
The moment Zhou Benchang entered, he instantly became the most conspicuous presence in this small shop.
Dozens of diners, who were slicing noodles on thirty old wooden benches, looked up in astonishment, and a murmur of conversation immediately broke out like a flood.
"Master Zhou doesn't drink his own 9.9 yuan state banquet chicken soup, but comes here to compete with us for a 30 yuan braised pork noodle soup?!"
"Hey, look at his face, it's as black as the bottom of a pot. He must have been thoroughly wrecked by Brother Chen's cooking next door, and now he's here to cause trouble!"
Hearing these undisguised jokes, Zhou Benchang's face turned red and then green with anger.
But at this moment, he was drawn in by the aroma of garlic and meat filling the room, and his old legs seemed to be bewitched. He didn't care about anything else and plopped down at an empty square table in the far corner.
"Boss... give me a bowl of braised pork noodles. Extra pork!!"
Zhou Benchang lowered his rough voice and awkwardly scratched at the table with one hand.
"Alright!! Sorry to keep you waiting!!"
Old Liu didn't even notice who the newcomer was, because he was so busy he was practically on fire.
He deftly used a large iron strainer to scoop out a large handful of alkaline water, then with a large iron ladle in his other hand, he precisely scooped a large ladleful of neatly arranged pork belly, coated with a rich red oil and sugar color like amber, along with thick garlic sauce, and landed in front of Zhou Benchang with a "clang".
Zhou Benchang stared intently at the large, rough porcelain bowl in front of him.
The pork belly, with its alternating layers of fat and lean meat, had an extremely tender, gelatinous texture from being simmered over a low flame. The purple garlic had long since melted into soft, mushy garlic meat, mixed with an amber-colored gravy.
This rough plating was something Zhou Benchang usually looked down on, but the intensely rich and savory flavor that shot straight up to his head with the steam made his right hand tremble uncontrollably.
"I'll have to try it! Even offal can taste better than my Matsutake Mushroom and Jade Liquid Chicken!"
Zhou Benchang gritted his teeth, raised his bamboo chopsticks, and precisely picked up a piece of braised pork, then reluctantly put it inside.
In that instant, Zhou Benchang's obese body stiffened abruptly, his large, cloudy eyes staring intently, the bamboo chopsticks in his hand frozen in mid-air.
The skin is chewy and soft, the meat is tender and juicy, and the flavor is rich and satisfying!
The fattest layer of pork belly, when gently touched on the tongue, was surprisingly free of any artificial flavoring; its rich, viscous texture melted in his mouth like tofu. Following this was the delicate aroma of Shaoxing wine, mingled with the intensely flavorful, savory aftertaste of the purple garlic, burning hot down his throat and into his stomach.
This is not simple... This is definitely not simple!!
This is far beyond the skill of an ordinary old man in a back alley; that cook named Chen Feng is definitely not simple. Even with such rough, common ingredients, he can still build a culinary mountain on the stove!
"Slurp...slurp!!"
Zhou Benchang originally wanted to make a few comments in his mind, but his tongue was completely activated by the "liveliness and warmth of human life," and at this moment, he no longer listened to his brain!
This is the master calligrapher who was admired by thousands of people in the Central and Southern regions for most of his life.
In that instant, all pride and dignity were completely lost.
With his buttocks sticking out, he flicked his right hand, leaving a visible afterimage, and stuffed mouthfuls of alkaline noodles soaked in red oil sauce into his mouth.
The tender pork belly and fragrant minced garlic were so delicious that the veins on his forehead were throbbing wildly, and he was drenched in sweat after eating a bowl of noodles.
"My goodness...you must look at Master Zhou!!"
"Hahaha!! This chopsticks are being swung around more frantically than my sow who hasn't eaten for three days!! Who was next door saying this is called 'low-quality counterfeit'?!"
The surrounding dozens of individual diners burst into laughter, filling the somewhat old-fashioned shop with a crisp, cheerful atmosphere.
Five minutes later.
"Clang!!"
Zhou Benchang slammed the large, rough porcelain bowl, which was even bigger than his old face, heavily onto the table.
He wiped his greasy mouth hard with his shirt sleeve, his plump face flushed, and while panting heavily, he stiffened his neck and gave a cold snort with a somewhat hesitant and extremely stubborn look in his eyes:
"Hmph... It's just so-so!! Too much garlic, and the reduction of the Shaoxing wine was a bit rough. It's simply not up to standard!! Compared to the proper, authentic recipes I make inside the Forbidden City... it's far inferior!!"
The middle-aged chef flicked his sleeves, shouting arrogantly and utterly humiliated, while making a move to stand up and flee this place that had made him lose face.
However, the moment he stood up, dozens of clear eyes around him all fell on the center of the large bowl of noodles in front of him.
Inside that old, somewhat blackened bowl...
At this moment, not only the soup and chili oil, but even the smallest bits of meat and a single grain of rice were brutally licked clean by this master of the red walls, leaving not a single hair behind, so shiny that it looked exactly like a brand new bowl just taken out of the dishwasher.
"Hahaha!! Master Zhou, your stubborn mouth, paired with your rice bowl that's cleaner than if it were washed, truly is the biggest spectacle in the entire South City's self-media world!!"
Amidst the boisterous laughter of the diners throughout the room.
Zhou Benchang's old face turned from a deep purplish-red to a liver color.
He clutched his swollen, round belly, turned his head in utter disarray, and vanished completely from the old street alleyway like a gust of cold wind.