Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 339 - 340: Group Dinner

These people include military brothers, armed police, reservists, and firefighters, totaling around 2000 people. A regular shelter might not even be able to accommodate so many people.

However, Wang Fan’s kitchen team has grown into a small team of 20 due to the addition of chefs from various units, and their work efficiency has skyrocketed.

After a busy week, they finally had a moment to catch their breath, and with the prospect of a feast shortly, these soldiers couldn’t help but chat happily. Chen Baoguo’s team became the focus of everyone’s curiosity.

"Old Chen, is this Brother Wang’s cooking really as good as you say? You still have time to change your tune, but soon we’ll see whether it’s true or not, hahaha."

The captain of another large fire brigade, Wang Jun, said, "Bragged for half a day, saying it’s a delicacy, but when the monsters come, they’d have to eat three bowls before leaving. Admit you were boasting now, and we’ll let it slide. But if you refuse to change your tune when the food’s served, you’ll have no chance to take it back."

They rarely got together, so they started making jokes.

Chen Baoguo remained unfazed: "Rest assured, your climbing skills are as good as Brother Wang’s cooking."

"Oh yeah? Quite bold, huh? My climbing skills hold the No.1 record in Guangfu. If his cooking is truly that amazing, then we’re in for a treat."

Chen Baoguo patted his chest: "Rest assured, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the food."

Chen Baoguo was absolutely confident in Wang Fan’s cooking; he had tasted Wang’s cooking in the Guangfu unit, and it was definitely streets ahead of most.

In any military force, admiration for the strong is ingrained. In disaster relief or combat, Wang Fan may not be the best, but when it comes to cooking, he’s undeniably top-notch.

Although this was a gathering, there wasn’t much time, unlike at home. Time was tight for Wang Fan.

However, making efficient use of time is Wang Fan’s specialty, and he quickly decided what to cook tonight.

A few younger ones had already gathered around, eagerly asking Wang Fan, "Brother Wang, what’s for dinner tonight? We’ve been gnawing on steamed bread for a week. Can we get some meat?"

Wang Fan looked at them, all in their twenties, with faces still showing some childishness but bruised and scabbed, a testament to the tough flood relief task.

The young man asking was tall and sturdy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, his way of speaking carrying a strong regional accent, which Wang Fan was very familiar with.

"You from Lu Dong, brother?"

Fang Bin was surprised: "How did you know I’m from Lu Dong, Brother Wang? My Mandarin sounds pretty standard."

Wang Fan laughed: "I spent almost a month in Lu Dong before. I know your way of speaking very well. Coincidentally, tonight I’m making a Lu Cuisine dish. Do you want to guess what it is? If you guess right, I’ll add an egg for you."

"Is there such a good deal?"

Fang Bin became excited: "There are quite a few Lu dishes, but to cater to so many, the dish must be stewed..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Nine-turn large intestine is impossible, and there should be eggs in the dish..."

Fang Bin’s eyes lit up: "Brother Wang, are you going to make braised pork, perhaps?"

As soon as he spoke these words, a flood of saliva seemed to invade his mouth—this was a flavor etched deep in his memory.

Funnily enough, he was from Jinan, and this dish was known as the king of Jinan’s meat dishes, found everywhere from high-end restaurants to street-side stalls and homes, cooked every few days.

As a northerner, he had some difficulty adjusting to the Southern diet, and after a week of steamed buns, he had been waiting for this taste.

Wang Fan laughed: "Wow, you actually guessed it right. I’m indeed planning to make braised pork tonight."

"No way? Are you really going to make braised pork, Brother Wang?!"

Fang Bin’s eyes widened, his thick eyebrows raising along with it, fully demonstrating what ’thick eyebrows and big eyes’ meant.

This was equivalent to fulfilling a year-long dream instantly, and the joy was immeasurable.

Wang Fan confirmed again: "That’s right, braised pork it is. You’ve been eating barely anything greasy for over a week; tonight, we’ll make it up to you!"

The pork belly had already been blanched and cut into 1-centimeter thick slices. Instead of boiling, he planned to deep-fry them.

He noticed the red bloodshot eyes of these soldiers, who not only needed this slightly lavish dinner but also a good rest. He would cut corners where possible.

Other teams had brought their cooking utensils, and seven large pots were arrayed before Wang Fan. Handling multiple cooking stations wasn’t difficult for him; it was just a matter of timing.

He poured a lot of oil into the large pot in front of him and tested its heat with his hand hovering above—it was at 70% heat.

Wang Fan grabbed the bowl of pork belly and poured it directly into the oil.

The fine bubbles immediately made a "sizzling" sound, and small oil droplets occasionally splattered out of the pot.

While high-temperature frying is the main culprit for making people gain weight, the unique aroma it imparts to the meat is irresistible.

The rich pork fragrance soon spread, making these soldiers, who hadn’t had a proper meal in a week, involuntarily swallow. The smell made them almost want to dive into the pot and take a bite.

Under the oil’s heat, the surface of the pork belly slices quickly turned a light golden color. He scooped them out with a slotted spoon and placed them in a bowl, then waited for the oil to heat up again to fry the next batch.

Cheng Dong and the others weren’t idle either. Some were boiling eggs, some washing green chili peppers, and others washing vegetables.

Quickly, bowls of fried pork belly piled up on the table, and after the pork belly, bowls of washed and dried green chili peppers were placed before Wang Fan. Under the heat, green chilies soon turned into tiger-skin chili peppers.

After frying the chili peppers, shelled, white, tender, and bouncy boiled eggs were brought over, and Wang Fan fried them into tiger-skin eggs too.

Bowls and bowls of ingredients were laid out in abundance, offering a comforting sight.

Far off, Chen Baoguo and others, while resting, kept glancing over at Wang Fan’s spot, hoping that the feast would quickly be ready to soothe their weary bodies.

Wang Fan used a large iron ladle to scoop several spoonfuls of oil from the fried pan into another pot, then added the pre-prepared spices. As their aroma began to emerge, he poured in several large bottles of soy sauce.