The first day of street vending was a success.
Jiang Feng packed up his things, cleaned the area thoroughly, secured the tables and chairs on the food truck, and then drove away in his "mobile food truck."
The surrounding vendors watched with envious expressions. Young people nowadays really do things decisively and efficiently, they thought. To pack up so quickly! Their business is really good. Could it be that selling rice combo sets is more popular? That shouldn't be the case! In the past, some people sold rice combo sets, but not many bought them. Should we switch to selling rice combo sets too and give it a try?
It was only about five-thirty in the afternoon, still early. Jiang Feng didn't want to be too busy; he planned to leave some time for himself. In his previous life, he had studied hard from a young age, gotten into a prestigious school, and after graduation, worked himself to exhaustion every day at a big tech company. In this life, with the God of Cookery System by his side, Jiang Feng only wanted to do things he enjoyed.
His home was in an old neighborhood in the suburbs, consisting of six-story buildings that didn't even have elevators. Because it was in the suburbs, there was less traffic and fewer people. Jiang Feng had a run-down storefront outside the neighborhood, which housed a stove and kitchen. The place used to be a restaurant, but it had shut down due to a lack of customers.
Jiang Feng parked the mobile food truck in the shop's yard and tidied up a bit. Once he completed the first task, he planned to buy a better house, preferably one with a small yard.
Since there was still time today, Jiang Feng decided to go to the pet market to look for a cat or dog. He liked both cats and dogs, and it would be good to have one. Especially since he was bound to the God of Cookery System, he wouldn't lack ingredients, which would make feeding a cat or dog convenient.
Jiang Feng started to clean the food truck thoroughly; he was quite responsible and not an unscrupulous, dishonest merchant.
After everything was handled, Jiang Feng went back inside his house. He planned to play on his phone, stroll around later that afternoon, check out some cats and dogs, and order some ingredients.
That afternoon, he had sold over 200 rice combo sets, averaging a profit of 7 yuan per set, totaling around 1,400 yuan in profit. That was normal, he mused. Firstly, the profit margins on the rice combo sets were relatively high. Secondly, he had chosen a good location. Thirdly, there were many customers, and the number was increasing. A good stall could bring in a substantial income. In the following few days, he wouldn't need to worry about attracting customers.
Upon returning home, he first decided to try the newly acquired Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet recipe. He would taste it himself and have it for dinner. He prepared pork tenderloin, eggs, starch, flour, as well as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, and tomato sauce. Then he set to work.
The first step to making Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet was to marinate the meat. He sliced the pork tenderloin into long strips, roughly the thickness of a finger. Then, he added cooking wine, light soy sauce, and oyster sauce, coated the strips in beaten egg, and mixed them thoroughly by hand. He let them marinate for over 20 minutes.
While the pork was marinating, Jiang Feng began to prepare the sauce. He mixed three spoonfuls of ketchup, one spoonful of white vinegar, one spoonful of sugar, one spoonful of starch, and half a bowl of water until smooth, then set it aside.
Once the pork fillet and sauce were ready, he poured oil into a wok, heated it, and waited for the oil temperature to rise. The ideal temperature for frying the fillet was around 160 degrees Celsius. To test it, he simply stuck a pair of chopsticks into the oil. When small bubbles appeared around them, it indicated the oil was ready for frying.
The marinated pork fillet strips were coated in flour, looking plump and white, and then placed into the wok. He fried them over medium heat until the surface turned slightly yellow. After the first fry, he scooped them out. Then, he increased the heat, raising the oil temperature to 200 degrees Celsius, and immediately put the pork back in to fry a second time.
A unique marinating formula, a unique frying technique. A quick 40 seconds in the hot oil, and the pork fillet was fried to perfection.
Next, he heated another wok, added a little oil, poured in the prepared tomato sauce mixture, and cooked it until bubbles formed. Then, he tossed the fried fillets into the sauce, stirring to coat each strip of pork thoroughly.
Each strip of pork fillet turned an appealing orange-yellow, gleaming with a crystal-clear layer of oil, each piece translucent, golden, and crispy. It looked deliciously sweet and tantalizing.
Jiang Feng poured the stir-fried pork fillet onto a plate, finally sprinkling a bit of black sesame seeds and chopped green onion as garnish. The orange-yellow, glistening pork fillet, paired with green onions and black sesame seeds, was simply a work of art. It smelled incredible, enough to make one's mouth water!
No wonder the patrons in the afternoon were so enthusiastic. The dishes he made were truly master-level and could easily sell for two to three hundred yuan in a high-end restaurant. Now, a portion made into a rice combo set sold for just ten to twenty yuan, which was definitely excellent value for money.
He didn't plan on selling it too expensively. He would set up shop for 7 days first, complete the system task, and then claim the 5 million yuan reward.
Many sweet and sour pork fillets people made turned out sticky, and the sauce often didn't feel right. His fried pork fillet, however, not only had a bright color and shone with oil but also looked clear and clean overall.
Jiang Feng scooped himself a bowl of rice. He ate the Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet with a side of pickled vegetables, feeling extremely satisfied.
After eating his fill, Jiang Feng went to the butchery to personally select some top-quality pork tenderloin. Seeing the large quantity he was buying, the butcher was surprised and asked, "Are you preparing for a banquet? Ordering so much? If you need it, I can deliver it to you next time, and I'll ensure it's all top-quality goods."
Hearing this, Jiang Feng replied, "If I have time, I'll pick it myself. If not, I'll give you a call, and you can deliver it. Just don't try to rip me off because I'm a regular; I'm in this for the long haul."
Hearing Jiang Feng say this, the butcher immediately laughed and said eagerly, "How could I do that? I'm not that kind of person. You get what you pay for. If you want the good stuff, I'll definitely prepare only the best for you."
Jiang Feng visited several vegetable markets and butcher shops, checking the goods and comparing prices. He was a meticulous person. After comparison, this butcher's goods were indeed the best, and the man seemed relatively more honest.
"Okay, I'll order this much," Jiang Feng said, placing his order. "If I need more, I'll contact you."
"No problem, stay in touch."
「That night,」
Jiang Feng went to bed early.
「The next morning,」
Jiang Feng tidied up a bit. Around 11 o'clock, he drove his "mobile food truck," heading toward a corner of the park. The food truck was a "cartoon bus" fitted with kitchenware, spice containers, a stove, and a simple refrigerator. Setting up shop was exceptionally convenient.
As Jiang Feng neared his spot, he was surprised to find many people already gathered in the open space. Wondering why there were so many people today, he heard someone shout, "He's here! He's here! Here he comes!"
"Finally!"
"Boss, hurry up and start cooking, we're all waiting for you!"
"Been waiting right after getting off work."
Hearing the crowd's shouts, Jiang Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought running a small stall was a freelance job; he hadn't expected so many people to be rushing him to work!
As the truck came to a stop, Jiang Feng said to everyone, "Please wait a moment. I'll set up the stall first and get the tables and chairs ready."
Hearing Jiang Feng's words, one person immediately said, "Boss, you just focus on cooking! I'll handle the tables and chairs. I'll have a Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork rice combo set first!"
After he finished, someone next to him chimed in, "I'll take a two-meat rice combo set: chicken leg and Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork! I'll help out too."
Several people were in a hurry, so they took the initiative to help set up the tables and chairs.
Seeing this, Jiang Feng immediately turned on the natural gas, ignited the stove, and got ready to start cooking. It seemed today was destined to be another busy afternoon.