Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 616 - 578: Hungry Ghost Reincarnation-Level Mapo Tofu (Revised)

Mapo Tofu, this dish has spread far beyond Huaxia to almost every corner of the world, but truly capturing its essence and flavor is a rare feat.

Even in Sichuan Province, the birthplace of the dish, only a few restaurants can offer an authentic taste.

Ordinary little eateries or some takeouts can barely infuse the tofu with flavor.

And now with all these instant meals everywhere, even a simple Mapo Tofu is hard to come by!

Wang Fan has already started his preparations.

The tofu is homemade, as white and tender as mutton fat jade, flawless. When placed on the cutting board, its surface even forms ripples.

Wang Fan has changed into a pure white chef’s uniform. His broad shoulders make any outfit look good, but that’s not the point. The point is the snowy white color.

The kitchen is a place where clothes easily get dirty; in many places, the kitchen itself is particularly dirty.

Such bright white clothes would soon turn beige, or even ginger yellow, dark yellow, and black.

Wang Fan wears this outfit simply to show his diners just how clean his creations are.

The saying "Unclean food won’t make you sick" is purely a resignation to reality; given a choice, who would opt for something unclean?

Looking at this pristinely white chef’s uniform, the dozens outside the van felt very comfortable.

Even dirtier than their wallets, could his creation really be dirty?

Wang Fan rolled up his sleeves, pressing one hand on the tofu and holding a knife with the other. As his hand moved, the tofu transformed into thick slices.

Without flipping the tofu, he slid the knife sideways and directly sliced the tofu into long strips.

Gathering the tofu strips together, another cut turned them into pieces as large as dice.

As the window of the RV opened, outside diners could see all of Wang Fan’s operations, and his small display of knife skills left everyone exhilarated.

"Damn, impressive! So damn neat!"

This inner thought may be crude, but it has accurately conveyed the emotions and thoughts.

People didn’t just fixate on Wang Fan chopping tofu; their gaze occasionally drifted to his hands.

Understandably, though his hands are slender and fair, as men, they won’t pay attention to the skin of his hands or ask what cosmetic products he usually uses for care; what they truly focus on is his fingernails.

What’s the biggest fear when dining out?

The greatest fear is the fingers serving the dish end up in the dish you just ordered, and the absolute horror is when those fingers pull out, the long nails revealing pitch-black dirt.

This is as disgusting as it gets!

Wang Fan’s nails are trimmed neatly and short, clean without any dirt, satisfying the diners immensely and elevating their anticipation repeatedly.

After slicing the tofu, he began preparing other ingredients needed.

Sichuan pepper was not used directly but lightly roasted on low heat and ground; this pepper’s aroma amplifies several levels compared to using it directly.

Once the pepper was ready, diced beef tenderloin as small as soybeans went into the pot with no added seasonings, fried until the bright red beef turned slightly black, just on the verge of burning, yet this edge kept the beef topping’s texture crispy, not burnt.

He placed a large pot on the stove and poured water into it, adding a bit of salt and soy sauce to enhance flavor and reduce odor.

The sliced tofu was gently placed into the pot, and because they were added close to the water surface, no splashes occurred.

Once all the tofu was in, Wang Fan gently stirred in the pot with a spoon.

The cold water gradually heated, and the calm pot began to ripple, followed by small bubbles, the "gurgling" sounds intensifying the hunger of those outside who’ve starved all day.

"Tofu simmered thrice, worth trading for meat."

Though tofu is common and inexpensive, its exquisite texture should not be underestimated. It’s almost unbeatable in flavor among ingredients, and almost every household eats it every several days; it truly is a food that can awaken one’s appetite.

Once the tofu is blanched, Wang Fan began stir-frying Mapo Tofu.

At this moment, only the ingredients and the iron pot in front of him occupied his mind, every detail of Mapo Tofu appearing vividly in his thoughts.

The "numbing" sensation comes from high-grade Hanyuan pepper, defining its characteristic.

The "spicy" flavor originates from authentic Er Jingtiao, defining its distinctive personality.

"Crispy" represents its essence, the tofu’s "rightness" showcases its posture.

"Hot" embodies its vigor, "fresh" encapsulates its allure.

"Tender" signifies its gentleness, and "aromatic" is its soul.

The eight key principles appeared clearly, and Wang Fan followed his understanding to proceed with the process.

He fried the chili oil, adding minced garlic, chili powder, and fermented black beans into the pot, the rich aroma of spices immediately stirred, constantly tantalizing everyone’s taste buds. Some masters’ modified Mapo Tofu recipes may also include ginger powder, but Wang Fan didn’t; ginger’s pungency disrupts the balance of existing ingredients and masks some inherent sweetness of the tofu.

"Sizzle..."

With a loud bang, boiling water was poured by Wang Fan into the pot; traditionally, the water for Mapo Tofu shouldn’t exceed half the tofu’s height, but the water in Wang Fan’s pot clearly covered the tofu entirely.