dognovel Chapter 69 Grandma's Smoked Beef
Chapter 69 Grandma's Smoked Beef
Stepping out of the gates of New Oriental Culinary School.
As the evening breeze gently blew through Tongchuan, Xu Liang calmed his feelings about his past life.
However, there's a saying that goes...
What should I call myself? I'm reborn, and everything is new.
After a brief moment of reflection, Xu Liang felt his heart had been opened.
Tongchuan city is not large, but its urban landscape in the 1990s was unique. Bicycles lined the streets, vendors shouted their wares, and old buildings were arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner.
Xu Liang did not linger in the city.
The purpose of this return to Tongchuan is twofold: firstly, to search for the unique small potatoes found deep in the mountains, and secondly, to develop exclusive signature dishes to fully establish the reputation of Xiaoliangzi Restaurant.
Secondly, it is about returning home.
On every sleepless night, he missed his hometown terribly.
The dilapidated old house was built by the hardworking grandmothers who had toiled their whole lives.
In his previous life, which was filled with hardship and wandering, family was an unattainable longing for Xu Liang.
His maternal grandmother was one of the few gentle havens in his childhood.
In his previous life, he wandered the world for many years and rarely had time to return home. It wasn't until his career started to take off that he returned.
The old man in this old house is already very old, and there is very little left for him to keep company.
But now, he will never repeat the same mistake.
Having found out the bus stop, Xu Liang hurried over and boarded an old-fashioned bus bound for a remote mountain town.
In the 1990s, rural buses had green, corrugated iron bodies with peeling paint and scratched windows, most of which could not be closed completely.
The seats inside the vehicle were hard, long wooden benches, the edges of which were covered with scratches from the passengers at the time.
The carriage was packed to the brim.
They were mostly villagers carrying bamboo baskets to the market, villagers carrying woven bags to work outside the village, and women visiting relatives with their children.
Soon after, the vehicle started moving, bumping and swaying all the way out of the city.
We drove along the winding mountain road, heading deep into the mountains.
In this life, Xu Liang didn't know if he was at risk of motion sickness. He only knew that before he was reborn, when he hadn't left the mountains, he had vomited for most of the day just from short-distance car rides.
However, Xu Liang felt that everything should be fine, as his habits and adaptability from his previous life might have been transferred to him.
Along the way, Xu Liang looked out the window at the scenery.
In April, the mountains are lush with vegetation, flowers bloom everywhere, and mountain streams murmur.
The journey took nearly two or three hours, traversing mountains and valleys.
It was past 3 p.m. when the minibus slowly pulled up at a makeshift station in the mountain town.
The moment I stepped off the bus, a mountain breeze greeted me.
He was far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and the quiet and gentle mountain town was peaceful.
The only sounds in this area are the faint chirping of birds from the distant mountains and forests.
The town is small, with one main street running through it.
On both sides are low brick and tile bungalows, with a few small shops, agricultural supply stores, and barbershops scattered around, which make up all the shops in the town.
The streets were sparsely populated, and the villagers walked leisurely, their lives slow and peaceful.
From the township to my grandmother's old house in the mountain village, there is still a two-kilometer mountain road that cannot be reached by car and can only be traveled on foot.
Xu Liang knew the way well and walked slowly along the mountain path covered with small stones and grass.
He had walked this mountain path for over a decade since childhood, and it was deeply etched into his memory. Even after many years, he still knew it by heart.
Wild grasses grew luxuriantly on both sides of the path, and in the fields beside the road, villagers were bending over to tend to their spring crops.
A yellow ox is tethered to the edge of the field, grazing on the grass with its head down. Life is peaceful and serene.
We walked slowly, passing through bamboo forests, crossing small stone bridges, and winding around terraced fields.
About twenty minutes later, an old farmhouse nestled among green hills and bamboo forests finally came into view.
Earthen walls and green tiles, wooden doors and bamboo fences, the courtyard walls are covered with lush green vines, and several old bamboos stand tall and graceful, swaying in the wind.
The courtyard was a flat, smooth yellow mud floor, worn down by years of footsteps, with dried firewood piled up in the corner.
This is his home from childhood to adulthood, the warmest place in his memory.
From afar, Xu Liang could see a hunched and aged figure standing at the entrance of the courtyard.
The old man was wearing a faded dark blue cloth robe, his hair was mostly white, his face was covered with wrinkles from years of hard work, his back was slightly hunched, his hands were behind his back, he stood on tiptoe, and his eyes were fixed on the end of the mountain road, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Xu Liang realized it was his maternal grandmother.
After many years, when I saw my grandmother again, she looked exactly the same as I remembered, with kind eyes and brows.
But time waits for no one, and the white hair at his temples has become thicker, making him look much older.
Throughout his countless days and nights wandering in foreign lands in his past life, he recalled this scene countless times.
In the picture, the grandmother is standing at the door, waiting for him to come home.
Seeing this with my own eyes, a warm sensation instantly swept over my entire body, soothing all the turmoil and vicissitudes in my heart.
"Grandma."
Xu Liang quickened his pace, his voice gentle.
Upon hearing the familiar voice, the old man's cloudy eyes instantly lit up.
His previously slightly anxious face suddenly relaxed, and his wrinkled face instantly filled with a kind smile.
"My dear grandson! You're finally back!"
Grandma hurried forward, her steps a little unsteady, her gaze fixed intently on Xu Liang.
He looked her up and down carefully, his eyes full of affection.
"You must be exhausted from the long journey. Look at you, traveling such a long way back without even sending a message beforehand so Grandma could have picked you up in town."
The old man reached out and gently patted Liang's shoulder.
"No need, Grandma, I know the way well."
Looking at the kind old man in front of him, Xu Liang felt incredibly soft-hearted and chuckled softly.
"I'm not tired, not at all."
"Quickly, come inside, come inside and rest."
Grandma held his wrist; her palm was rough and warm, bearing the thick calluses left from years of hard work.
As she led Xu Liang into the courtyard, she kept murmuring to herself, her voice slow and gentle, a kind of care unique to elders.
"I heard you've made something of yourself now, opening a restaurant that's doing very well. Grandma worries about you every day, afraid you're suffering out there. Now that you're finally home, you should definitely take a good rest."
Pushing open the old wooden gate, the door creaked slightly.
In the center of the courtyard stands an old, solid wood square table, with several long benches neatly arranged.
Dried bacon, sausages, and dried chili peppers hang from the eaves, strings of bright red chili peppers dangling down, creating a lively, smoky atmosphere alongside the dark brown cured meats.
The wood-burning stove in the corner was clean and tidy, with earthenware pots, iron pots, and bamboo steamers neatly arranged beside it—all old items that Grandma had used for decades.
Clean coarse cloth clothes were drying on bamboo poles on one side of the courtyard.
A breeze blew, and the clothes swayed gently.
Stepping into this old house, one feels only the most secure return home.
Xu Liang put down the canvas bag on his shoulder and sat down on the bench.
His gaze swept over everything in the courtyard, exactly as he remembered it.
From childhood to adulthood, it has never changed.
Grandma turned around and quickly went into the kitchen, poured a bowl of warm tea, and brought it to Xu Liang.
"Hurry up and drink some mountain tea to relieve your fatigue. These tea leaves were picked from the tea trees on the mountain behind our house."
"This is something we cooked ourselves; it's light and refreshing."
Xu Liang took the large, rough porcelain bowl and drank the warm tea.
With its slightly bitter yet sweet aftertaste, the pure aroma of wild mountain tea spreads across the tongue, dispelling all the fatigue of the journey.
"The taste hasn't changed; Grandma's tea is still the best."
Upon hearing this, Grandma smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling, and the wrinkles on her face softened considerably.
If you love to eat or drink, Grandma will often save it for you.
Knowing you were coming back, I tidied up the house early this morning and even went to the back hill to pick fresh vegetables, just waiting for my eldest grandson to come home.
As she spoke, Grandma's eyes flickered, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she turned to look in the direction of the stove.
At this moment, Xu Liang looked around but did not see his grandfather.
So Xu Liang asked his grandmother.
"Grandma, where are Grandpa?"
"He went out early this morning. Your maternal grandfather is a man who likes to visit people and has fun."
"Perfect timing. I have nothing to do today, and Grandma just finished marinating the beef. She's about to make your favorite dish from when you were little, 'Lantern Shadow Beef'."
"Smoked Beef?"
Xu Liang's eyes flickered slightly, and countless childhood memories instantly flooded his mind.
Tongchuan Lantern Shadow Beef is a time-honored specialty craft passed down through generations in eastern Sichuan, and it is also the most representative local delicacy of Tongchuan.
Unlike the spicy braised beef or sauce beef available on the market.
The essence of the best Lantern Shadow Beef lies in its thinness.
The flesh is as thin as a cicada's wing and as translucent as paper.
The light shines through the slices of meat, creating a clear outline of light and shadow, much like the shadows in a shadow puppet show, hence the name "Shadow Puppet Beef".
This craft is an old skill that my grandmother has upheld her whole life.
From childhood to adulthood, whenever he came home for vacation or during festivals, his grandmother would always make a plate of "lantern shadow beef" by hand.
Spicy and flavorful, crispy and refreshing.
This is the most precious and unforgettable taste of his childhood.
During his years of wandering and hardship in his previous life, he had eaten exquisite and expensive beef stew in restaurants and hotels.
At the same time, they also sampled packaged snacks produced on the assembly line.
The flavors are diverse and the varieties are numerous.
No matter how many versions he tried, Xu Liang always felt that the taste could never compare to the aroma of his grandmother's homemade version.
Commercially produced "lantern shadow beef" on the market often simplifies the process to save time and effort in mass production. It is heavily spicy and numbing, relying on seasonings to achieve the desired taste, and lacks the authenticity of traditional handmade craftsmanship.
My grandmother's craftsmanship is unique; she adheres to traditional procedures that have been followed for decades.
The resulting "Lantern Shadow Beef" is thin, translucent, crispy, and fragrant, with a moderate level of spiciness and a lingering aftertaste—an irreplaceable delicacy.
"Yes, it's the one you've loved to eat since you were little."
Grandma smiled and nodded, then turned and walked towards the wood-fired stove, skillfully lifting the bamboo winnowing basket beside it.
In the winnowing basket, pieces of processed beef hind leg meat were laid out flat.
The meat was reddish in color, with clear texture, and firm and fresh.
In the remote mountain villages of the 1990s, there was no meat supplied in bulk by livestock farms, so families wanted to eat meat.
Most of the beef is purchased from free-range yellow cattle raised by local acquaintances. The meat is firm, tender, and evenly marbled with fat, making it the most authentic local yellow beef.
Making "Lantern Shadow Beef" requires extremely strict selection of ingredients.
It is essential to use beef shank from the hind leg of a yellow cow.
This part of the meat has the least amount of connective tissue, firm fibers, excellent elasticity, and a good balance of fat and lean.
However, as the only ingredient used to make Lantern Shadow Beef, the taste will be greatly compromised if the selection of ingredients is even slightly off.
My maternal grandmother made shredded beef with sesame seeds all her life.
They have long since ingrained the intricacies of material selection, processing, and production into their very being.
She stood in front of the stove, rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms covered in wrinkles and calluses.
Upon seeing this, Xu Liang immediately got up and stepped forward.
"Grandma, let me help you. I've been running this small restaurant for so long, my cooking skills are no worse than yours, I can lend a hand with this."
He has been deeply involved in Sichuan cuisine preparation for many years and is proficient in various Sichuan snacks and braised dishes. He knows the preparation process of Lantern Shadow Beef by heart. In terms of culinary skills, he has long surpassed ordinary people.
Seeing the elderly woman struggling with her age, he felt a pang of pity and only wanted to share some of her burdens.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Grandma gently waved her hand and stubbornly pushed him away.
"No, no need."
Grandma was stubborn, carefully sorting the beef in the winnowing basket while smiling as she spoke.
"Grandma has been doing this craft her whole life, she's very skilled at it, she doesn't need your help."
"You little rascal, you're here to rest and enjoy life, not to work. You've been cooking at your restaurant every day, that's tiring enough. Come back to Grandma's and relax."
"Moreover, this 'lantern shadow beef' is all about traditional techniques and methods."
"This is a process that has been passed down from generation to generation. We cannot be lazy or simplify it in the slightest."
When outsiders interfere, their techniques and strength differ, resulting in a less-than-perfect flavor and a change in the cooking process.
My maternal grandmother was simple and stubborn her whole life, upholding the bottom line and integrity of the older generation of craftsmen.
In her eyes, traditional craftsmanship cannot be taken lightly. Every step and every bit of force is a rule passed down from our ancestors. We must do it ourselves and work hard to make it worthy of the craft.
Looking at the old man's stubborn yet earnest expression, Xu Liang understood and smiled helplessly, no longer trying to compete for it.
He knew his grandmother's personality too well.
He spent his entire life in the mountain village, working diligently and treating people with gentleness and kindness, but he was particularly devoted to his family's culinary skills.
Extremely meticulous, almost rigid.
For decades, they have adhered to the most traditional production techniques.
This is also the most precious spirit of the older generation of rural craftsmen.
Simple and pure, staying true to oneself, and revering the everyday.
Since Grandma insisted on making it herself, Xu Liang stopped bothering her and stood quietly to the side.
His gaze was gentle as he watched the old man's busy figure, carefully observing the old-fashioned handicraft process that was on the verge of being lost.
Grandma reached out and added a few more thin pieces of firewood, and the flames instantly leaped up, licking the black iron pot.
The warm firelight shone on the old man's kind face, the flickering light and shadow creating a soothing effect.
The first step in making "lantern shadow beef" is to trim the meat and remove the tendons.
Grandma picked up a thin-bladed knife that had been sharpened to a gleaming shine; the blade was thin and sharp.
This is her old knife, which she uses specifically for processing beef. It has been polished for decades and is as shiny as new.
Her fingers pressed firmly against the beef, her eyes focused and serious, her gaze fixed on the piece of meat. With a slight exertion of force in her wrist, the blade slid slowly along the grain of the beef.
The technique is gentle yet precise, unhurried and meticulous, carefully removing the tiny tendons and excess fat from the meat.
To make thinly sliced beef as thin as a cicada's wing, the biggest taboo is excess tendons and fat.
Fascia makes meat tough and dry, while too much fat makes it greasy.
Grandma's technique was skillful and experienced, honed day after day for decades.
She had already mastered the skill.
A few moments later, the whole piece of beef was cleaned thoroughly, without a single tendon or fat.
All that remained was pure, firm, lean meat.
After processing the meat, it's time to marinate it to infuse it with flavor.
Grandma took out a large, rustic earthenware bowl and put the prepared beef into it.
Then, from the earthenware jars next to the stove, they scooped out homemade Sichuan salt and rock sugar powder, local high-proof corn liquor, and handcrafted soy sauce.
There are no complicated modern seasonings; all the ingredients are homemade natural seasonings, preserving the most authentic flavor of the ingredients.
"To make Lantern Shadow Beef, marinating the meat is the foundation."
Grandma carefully kneaded the beef while gently explaining in a slow, deliberate voice, habitually recounting the family's secrets.
"Use salt sparingly, just enough to enhance the base flavor; rock sugar neutralizes the saltiness and adds color; corn liquor removes any fishy smell, adds aroma, and also tenderizes the meat."
"Don't marinate with too much chili or Sichuan peppercorns. If you add too much flavor too early, it will lock in the natural freshness and aroma of the beef, resulting in a heavy and not refreshing taste after grilling."
The old man spoke slowly, each word a testament to decades of accumulated experience, and each sentence a gem of wisdom.
She gently kneaded and massaged the beef with her palms.
The seasonings are allowed to seep into the meat fibers, just the right amount, ensuring thorough flavor.
At the same time, it does not mask the natural freshness and aroma of the beef.
The marinating time is also very important; it should be neither too long nor too short, just half an hour.
Half an hour later, Grandma took out the marinated beef, washed and dried the iron pot, and removed the excess firewood.
Leave only a small flame to keep the bottom of the pot at a constant temperature.
The most crucial and skill-testing step in making Lantern Shadow Beef is the hand-drying process.
Modern mass production mostly uses machine drying and oven baking, which saves time and effort and is extremely efficient.
However, the machine temperature is constant and rigid, and it cannot be adjusted according to the dryness of the meat. As a result, the dried beef is stiff and lacks texture.
The older generation's traditional methods relied on slow baking over a low fire, with the craftsman's eyesight, touch, and experience controlling the temperature.
Grandma would lay the whole piece of beef flat on the clean inner wall of the iron pot and slowly roast it over a low flame, never over a high temperature.
Then, she picked up the thin bamboo spatula and gently pressed and flipped the food every few moments.
The heat must be extremely gentle, and the temperature must be just right.
If the heat is too high, the meat will burn; if the heat is too low, the meat won't dehydrate and won't achieve a crispy and translucent texture.
The slow baking process over a low flame was tedious and lengthy, lasting for more than an hour.
The old man stood in front of the stove the whole time, his eyes fixed on the beef in the pot, constantly and gently turning and pressing it with both hands to shape it.
The composure and focus accumulated over the years are all hidden in this small wood-fired stove.
Xu Liang stood quietly to the side, watching silently throughout, his heart filled with emotion.
He is improving his culinary skills, so he naturally knows how much effort this process takes.
It is a long and tedious process that requires a high degree of concentration throughout, and no mistakes can be made.
Nowadays, most chefs have abandoned this tedious old-fashioned manual process in order to save time and effort.
But Grandma guarded the craft passed down from her ancestors, and she guarded it her whole life.
More than an hour later, the fresh beef had completely lost its moisture, the meat had shrunk slightly, and the color had changed from bright red to a warm dark red.
The meat is firm and translucent, with distinct muscle texture, and as thin as paper.
With a gentle shake, it is translucent and soft, already beginning to resemble the shape of Lantern Shadow Beef.
Once the drying process is complete, the final stage of seasoning and simmering begins.
Grandma added more firewood to raise the temperature, keeping it at a gentle medium heat.
Put hand-pounded Sichuan peppercorn powder, freshly ground chili powder, and a little roasted sesame seeds into the pot.
The chilies are grown in our own garden and are dried twice and then hand-pounded.
The spiciness is absolutely authentic.
The Sichuan peppercorns are a mixture of green and red peppercorns, a specialty of the deep mountains.
It has a rich, numbing flavor and a lingering aftertaste.
The aroma of spicy food permeated the entire farmhouse courtyard.
The technique of stir-frying and seasoning is equally important; the wrist should be gentle and the mixture should be stirred quickly.
Each slice of beef is evenly coated with seasoning, but it is never burnt or hardened.
The stir-frying process, which takes only a few dozen seconds, relies entirely on decades of experience and skill.
Finally, turn off the heat and let it simmer for a while using the residual heat at the bottom of the pot to lock in all the aroma.
The moment the lid was lifted, the spicy aroma wafted out and hit us.
The beef slices on the plate are bright red and translucent, each slice as thin as paper with a clear texture, and sesame seeds are scattered throughout, creating an appealing red and white color.
Placed near a window where light shines through, the slices of meat are translucent and thin, with swaying light and shadow, truly living up to their name, resembling lamplight.
Grandma picked up a piece, gently blew on it to cool it, and held it to Xu Liang's lips, her eyes filled with tenderness and love.
"Try it, it tastes just like it did when I was a kid."
Xu Liang lowered his head slightly and took a bite.
The thin, crispy slices of meat melt in your mouth, first offering a subtle beefy aroma, followed by a warm, spicy kick.
It has a moderate level of spiciness and a rich variety of flavors.
It has a crispy and soft texture, is not dry or tough, and becomes more fragrant the more you chew it.
It's not the sophisticated, commercialized taste of a restaurant, nor the taste of a mass-produced snack, but a taste unique to the mountain village, unique to Grandma, and unique to Xu Liang's childhood.
As I swallowed a mouthful, a flood of memories surged through my mind.
When he was a child, his parents were always busy, and his maternal grandmother raised him alone most of the time.
In the impoverished life of the mountain village, there were no fancy snacks or expensive food.
A plate of homemade "lantern shadow beef" was the most precious treat his grandmother could give him.
He spent countless childhood days sitting by this stove.
I watched eagerly as my grandmother busied herself, waiting for a bite of braised beef.
"tasty."
Xu Liang swallowed the beef in his mouth, a faint warmth rising in his eyes. He looked at the old man with a full head of white hair and a gentle face, and said softly.
"Grandma's cooking is still the best; no one else can compare."
Hearing her grandson's praise, the grandmother smiled with great satisfaction, her eyes gentle and full of joy.
"If you like it, eat more. Grandma made a whole plateful today. Take it home and enjoy it slowly."
As she spoke, she carefully arranged the pieces of beef jerky neatly on clean oil paper and packed them away with great care.
The spring sunshine was just right, falling on the old stove, the gentle old man, and Xu Liang's food.
At that moment, he suddenly understood everything.
True gourmet food is never about complicated recipes, expensive ingredients, or exquisite craftsmanship.
True culinary delights are the result of a craftsman's dedication, decades of craftsmanship, a fondness hidden in the everyday cooking, and unchanging companionship year after year.
What he learned at Tongchuan Culinary School was the culinary skills to make a living and the ability to open a business.
What I learned from my grandmother, by the stove in this farmhouse, was the original intention of cooking.
It's the warmth of delicious food and the pure warmth of human kindness.
He is now deeply involved in the catering industry, aiming to create a unique restaurant brand, not through opportunistic food additives.
More than anything, it's this dedication to craftsmanship that keeps the everyday life alive.
Grandma is keeping a simple mountain village snack-making skill.
She worked diligently her whole life, honing her skills day after day for decades.
This means upholding tradition, living up to the spirit of the times, and staying true to our original aspirations.
This is the most precious core of culinary delights.
Now, Xu Liang has returned to Tongchuan to revisit his hometown and look back on his original aspirations.
This achievement far exceeded his expectations.
He not only found the unique ingredients and characteristics of Tongchuan, but also rediscovered the craftsmanship and original aspirations of restaurateurs.
In the future, he wants to incorporate this simple, down-to-earth craftsmanship into every dish at Xiaoliangzi Restaurant.
Xu Liang not only needs to replicate the flavors of the world and preserve the idyllic life of a fairyland, but also make up for all the regrets of his past life and forge his own path to a carefree life.