Chapter 493 Money Tree
As we all know, northerners love to eat noodles, while southerners love to eat rice.
If this principle is further extended, it means that northerners are good at making noodles and southerners are good at making rice.
The capital city belongs to the north, so of course the people have a special liking for pasta.
If you talk about the famous noodles in Beijing, people in Beijing will basically mention "Fengzeyuan Restaurant".
This time-honored brand was founded by the "legendary shopkeeper" Luan Xuetang.
Although from before liberation to after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it has always been a popular place for celebrities, dignitaries, and high-ranking officials to have banquets.
But this high-end restaurant, in addition to the well-known signature dishes of "roasted sea cucumber with green onions", "jelly in clear soup", "casserole shark's fin", and "braised mullet eggs", also has other There are some unique skills that are more down-to-earth and benefit the people.
Those are eight kinds of noodles that have been improved from Shandong.
Grilled steamed buns, silver rolls, Shandong steamed buns, dumplings, bean paste buns, happy character cakes, salted flower rolls, and small steamed buns.
These classic pastries of "Fengzeyuan" have long been nicknamed "Eight Great Pieces" by the people in the capital.
The meaning is obvious. It undoubtedly means that their exquisiteness and deliciousness are comparable to the delicate ones in the pastry shop - "Beijing Eight Pieces".
The most rare thing is that even in special times, the chefs of "Fengzeyuan" are forced to cook "public meals".
The pastry here has not lost its inheritance. At least the "roasted steamed buns" and "silver rolls" are still being made and sold.
So after so many years, the window of the "Fengzeyuan" takeout department has been a bustling scene with people queuing up almost every day, and the place won't leave until it's sold out.
If we want to use the words of Bai Qiye in the TV series "Mansion Gate" to describe it, it would be "The steamed buns must be from Fengzeyuan."
This shows that the people in the capital have a negative attitude toward Fengzeyuan What a recognition.
It’s delicious, but not many people really know why Fengzeyuan’s pasta is so delicious.
Most people think that the white rice noodles in other restaurants are good at craftsmanship and must have unique production methods and unique skills that are not passed on to others.
Only can you make this ordinary pasta outstanding and extraordinary.
Ning Weimin thought so too.
Especially when he knew very well that the steamed buns in Fengzeyuan after the 30s were far less delicious than they are today.
I feel deeply that the chefs at Fengzeyuan are no longer as good as each other.
I cherish the time now more and more, and take advantage of the convenience of Shan'er Hutong being close to Fengze Garden to enjoy it as much as possible.
I often go there to buy pasta.
Until this secret, like a layer of window paper, was easily revealed by "Zhang Dashao".
Ning Weimin realized that he had thought wrong again.
The key reason why Fengzeyuan’s noodles are so delicious is actually the “old noodles” from Xinfenglou, which have been passed down for more than a hundred years.
The so-called "old noodles" are also called "fat noodles".
In some places, it is called "mian yinzi" or "yeast".
This is a dough made through certain processes and methods, and is a product formed after fermentation.
Scientifically speaking, it is the natural yeast used for baking dough, or the beneficial bacteria culture medium.
Although this thing looks ordinary, it is just a honeycomb-shaped sourdough, which usually just lies quietly in the dough bag.
But its interior is extraordinary, full of infinite vitality and magical power.
The pastry made with this stuff will have a pure grain aroma.
No matter the strength or elasticity, it cannot be compared with pasta made with yeast powder or self-rising flour.
As for how to get the "old noodles" from Fengzeyuan, the whole process was quite effortless for Ning Weimin.
He just made an appointment with Qiao Wanlin to go on a trip together and asked for a piece directly.
Before going, Ning Weimin thought it might not be easy.
I am afraid that if I don’t have a good relationship with the chef, I will have to rely on Qiao Wanlin’s official position to exert some pressure.
Unexpectedly, when I took a look around, I found that the head chef on duty was a very talkative and nice guy.
As a result, the head chef has no control over the kitchen, and the situation in the kitchen is extremely lax.
Everyone does their daily work based on consciousness and only cares about their own business.
Not only are we joking and chatting casually at work, there are even chefs smoking cigarettes at work.
No one took the head chef and Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin who came to "inspect the work" seriously.
Normally, Qiao Wanlin would probably have a droopy face, thinking that the head chef was so useless.
Why do you let the people below make such a fuss? They don't even make a show of dealing with the inspection.
But because this day had a special purpose, this unbearable situation turned out to be a good thing.
It is natural that the head chef cannot control others. Even if his superiors are afraid of being blamed, he will only try his best to curry favor.
In this case, Ning Weimin used the excuse that he wanted to make some steamed buns at home. He just mentioned it, and in the end, he really got the "fat noodles".
The head chef entered Bai An's kitchen and came out within a minute. He handed Ning Weimin a large brown paper bag with a smile on his face.
Ning Weimin opened it and saw, oh! How reckless! This piece of meat weighs at least half a catty when chopped with a kitchen knife.
Not bad, the sour smell in the paper is overwhelming.
He was so happy that he offered a cigarette to the chef and lit a fire, thanking him endlessly.
In this way, Ning Weimin not only got his wish but left with his old face in his arms.
And the head chef also gave him and Qiao Wanlin a large lunch box of roasted sea cucumber with green onions. As well as a large package of fried quail legs and a large package of dry croquettes per person.
Look, after kidnapping someone else's "child", the parents are so stupid that they just give him food and drinks. What a worldly thing!
No need to ask, the first thing Ning Weimin did when he returned was to make the dough himself and steam two pots of steamed buns to try it out.
What is the effect like?
Hey, don't tell me, the dough made with such "dough fertilizer" is just different from ordinary ones.
Not only does it make the dough big, but it takes a short time, and it can also very effectively preserve the nutrition of the pasta.
So much so that the pure wheat aroma of the steamed pasta is a bit similar to the aroma of milk.
Ning Weimin then realized why many people had suspected that fresh milk or milk powder was added to "Fengzeyuan" pastries. This is the real reason.
And despite his inexperience, this was his first time steaming steamed buns.
Even if I had to ask Aunt Luo from the hospital for advice on how to add alkali, the steamed buns would still be a little yellow.
But the steamed buns, which are so alkaline, have no astringency at all, and the taste is still overpowering.
Everyone in the courtyard tasted it and received rave reviews.
Like Mi Xiaohui next door after school, she caught up with the second pot of hot steamed buns that had just been opened.
This girl actually ate one and a half of it, saying it tasted better than "Yili Bread".
She also said that she would no longer eat her own steamed buns from now on, and would only eat Ning Weimin's steamed buns.
This gave Ning Weimin a sense of accomplishment.
Even Kang Shude was surprised when he went home and ate steamed buns.
Because the old man is really knowledgeable, he can taste the flavor of Fengzeyuan as soon as he eats it.
After figuring out what happened, the old man was sincerely happy for his apprentice and couldn't help but admire him.
To say that a piece of old noodles can have such miraculous effects is as if it has a fairy spirit. Dare to love is a century-old thing.
If even a novice like Ning Weimin could make steamed buns with such a taste.
I am afraid that for any ordinary white chef, this thing is a "treasure" that can directly add skills.
It is completely foreseeable that when Ning Weimin's restaurant opens, the pastries will be good.
This is so true.
Ning Weimin thought so too.
No one knows better than him, after all the historical twists and turns of the capital moving south, the fall of Peiping, the gold yuan coupon storm, and public-private partnership.
How difficult it is for this hundred-year-old noodle fertilizer to be preserved intact, even breathing quietly and silently accumulating its own potential.
As the core competitiveness of a restaurant, something like this should be strictly guarded and kept secret at all costs.
Had it not been for a long period of various "movements" that changed customs and established new ones, history would have formed a narrow gap in which values are distorted.
How could he take advantage of such a big loophole and get it?
It is no exaggeration to say that after 30 years, even if an ordinary person uses this noodle fertilizer to open an old noodle steamed bun shop, the business will be prosperous easily.
It is not difficult to really build a chain store and make hundreds of millions from this thing.
This is like a sapling that has always been a money tree.
When it really grows, it is inexhaustible and inexhaustible.
God knows how the people of "Fengzeyuan" lost such a treasure.
Anyway, Fengzeyuan’s steamed buns will obviously not taste as good as today.
This also means that his restaurant may have the opportunity to dominate the market with its pasta in the future and win the current crown of Fengzeyuan.
Isn’t this enough for him to take seriously?
Impossible!
Come on, don't say anything. There is only one thing he has to do next.
That is to solemnly put this "old noodles" in a special celadon basin and "raise" it as if it were a sacred object, and locked it in the cupboard.
Privately, I only gave the key to Kang Shude and entrusted it to the master with great solemnity.
Before the old man’s restaurant opens, please help him take good care of the saplings of this money tree.
You must remember to continue the interview on time, and you must not let this "living baby" have any problems.
(End of this chapter)