I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 656 - 303: A Different Fried Noodles, A Different Delicious! New Main Dish Can Trigger Tasks? [Subscribe Please]

Chapter 656: Chapter 303: A Different Fried Noodles, A Different Delicious! New Main Dish Can Trigger Tasks? [Subscribe Please]

"Stir-fried raw noodles? Like stir-frying pork ribs directly from raw?"

Zhuang Yizhou, being from Sunnan, found the term ’stir-fried raw noodles’ somewhat unfamiliar.

Zhu Yong, who was from Hubei, was also surprised. He knew how to stir-fry noodles, but stir-frying raw noodles? Could those even be edible? 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Nearby, Ma Zhiqiang, who had just snuck a few bites of the stir-fried pancake, actually knew about stir-fried raw noodles. His spirits lifted when he heard they were making this dish, and he exclaimed, "Chef, please make some extra! In all these years hustling in Beijing, I haven’t tasted the stir-fried raw noodles from back home."

Wei Qian hadn’t eaten his fill of the stir-fried pancake either. He nodded and said, "Don’t worry. This time I’ll use a bigger pot and make more, so Zhu Yong and Master Zhuang can have a taste too. This dish, aside from being labor-intensive, is every bit as good as the stir-fried pancake."

Zhu Yong and Zhuang Yizhou originally weren’t interested in stir-fried raw noodles, thinking the flavor wouldn’t be that great. But hearing that the taste rivaled the delicious stir-fried pancake they had just eaten, they immediately became eager.

As long as it’s delicious, nothing else matters.

"Master Zhuang, you chop the meat. I’ll go ask Old Ji for some noodles. The finer, the better, right, Wei Qian?"

"It’s not necessarily about being the finest. They should be thin, but a bit wider than fine noodles—something like ’chive-leaf’ noodles. Thinner noodles cook faster, while wider ones have a better chew."

If it were just for the chefs to eat, they would naturally make it however it tasted best. But since this was compensation to the Lady Boss for the stir-fried pancake, the more the noodles resembled pancake shreds, the better.

After Zhu Yong left for the noodle section, Zhuang Yizhou picked up a piece of pork belly and, following Wei Qian’s instructions, began slicing it thinly. Meanwhile, Wei Qian was choosing the side dishes.

"Usually, stir-fried raw noodles are paired with celery and soybean sprouts... but the Lady Boss doesn’t seem to like soybean sprouts, so I’d better use something else."

Wei Qian selected a few tender stalks of celery and grabbed half an onion. With that, the side dishes were all set. Adding onion enhances the sweetness of the noodles, making them taste even more savory.

Back at the stove, the meat was already sliced. Zhu Yong returned with two to two-and-a-half kilograms of noodles just as Ji Minghui wiped his hands and walked over, asking, "Haven’t you all eaten dinner already? Why the sudden interest in noodles?"

"Wei Qian said noodles could be stir-fried raw. We didn’t believe him, so he volunteered to cook a pot for everyone to try something new, and we just helped with the prep."

"Exactly, we couldn’t stop him. He even claimed one bite of these stir-fried raw noodles would get you hooked."

The group tactfully avoided mentioning that they had finished Lin Xu’s leftover stir-fried pancake strips, instead chatting about the stir-fried raw noodles.

Well, they couldn’t let him know about the pancake situation. After all, they hadn’t called him when they were eating it, and now making him help with the stir-fried noodles felt a bit out of line.

Wei Qian sliced the onion and cut the celery into thin strips before chopping them into inch-long pieces. After that, he prepared some scallion, ginger, and garlic. With that, the ingredients for the stir-fried raw noodles were ready.

Outside at a booth, Lin Xu had unknowingly eaten most of a small basin of stir-fried pancake strips, and only half of the garlic cloves in his bowl remained. This type of flour-based dish paired with garlic was simply irresistible.

He stood up and returned to the kitchen, intending to get himself a bowl of egg soup; eating only the pancake strips was a bit dry, and he needed a drink to wash them down.

Just as he entered, he saw Wei Qian placing a wok on the stove. Zhu Yong and the others were gathered around, watching with keen interest.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lin Xu took a sip of his egg soup and curiously walked over.

Ji Minghui said, "Wei Qian is making stir-fried raw noodles. We’re here to learn from his experience."

Stir-fried raw noodles?

Why did he suddenly think to make that?

Lin Xu glanced at the basin where the pancake strips for Shen Baobao had been, only to find that the leftovers were gone. He instantly understood their motive for making stir-fried raw noodles.

So, they ate all the stir-fried pancake, and this is their way of making amends, huh?

Making stir-fried raw noodles isn’t a bad idea, though. Shen Baobao probably hasn’t tried it. He never expected Wei Qian to know how to make this old-fashioned type of stir-fried noodles; it’s such a rarity these days.

Nowadays, most stir-fried noodles are made using machine-processed cooked noodles, which are stir-fried for just a minute or two with vegetables before they’re ready to serve—simple, fast, and the noodles are easy to store.

But actually, before these machine-processed noodles, there was a type of stir-fried raw noodles popular in several provinces in North China. This method of making stir-fried noodles was relatively complicated and involved, requiring the meat and vegetables to be stir-fried into a flavorful gravy first. Then, the raw noodles are spread out in the wok and pan-fried. When both sides of the noodles turned golden brown, the gravy and vegetables were poured in, and the mixture was simmered on low heat for a few minutes. Once the noodles had absorbed the gravy, they were ready to be plated and served.

This kind of stir-fried noodles tasted fantastic, far superior to other dishes like braised noodles or noodles served with a thick sauce, but it was very labor-intensive for the chefs, which is why it has all but disappeared today.

In fact, it’s not exactly extinct, as there are still quite a few chefs who know how to make it; it’s just that hardly anyone is willing to make this dish anymore. It’s not only laborious but also time-consuming. Customers, who often order stir-fried noodles because they’re in a hurry, get impatient. If it takes over ten minutes to arrive at the table, who’s going to wait that long?

Of course, the most critical issue is that after all that effort, if the price is too low, it doesn’t even cover the chef’s labor costs. But if it’s priced too high, customers won’t order it. So, they simply switched to using pre-cooked noodles bought from noodle shops, stir-frying them for just over a minute—quick, easy, with guaranteed profit, and customers don’t have to wait long. Everything is perfectly balanced.

Lin Xu was no stranger to stir-fried noodles; it was one of his mom, Chen Meijuan’s, specialties. In the past, when he came home from school and there wasn’t enough time to cook a full lunch, she would chop some diced meat or fry a few eggs, then pan-fry the raw noodles before pouring in the sauce ingredients.