indianbanksassociation Chapter 79 Braised Beef Brisket with Potatoes
Chapter 79 Braised Beef Brisket with Potatoes
"Dad, what is the chef's way of cooking?"
Mengmeng tilted her head in confusion, her little hands still tugging at the long ears of the pink rabbit onesie, her big eyes filled with curiosity about the new word.
The word "method" was appearing in her little head for the first time.
Xingruo and Su Chen didn't understand either.
Su Chen, in particular, despite being accustomed to all sorts of ingenious PPTs and business strategies, had no idea how the chef's method would solve their predicament.
He subconsciously leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Chen Feng.
Chen Feng did not answer immediately, but reached for his apron.
He pulled a blue ballpoint pen from his apron pocket, then casually grabbed a blank A4 sheet of paper from the cashier and laid it flat on the wooden table.
He lowered his wrist, and the tip of his pen wrote five large characters that seemed to penetrate the paper, each horizontal stroke carrying a resolute and murderous intent:
— Braised beef brisket with potatoes.
"Stewed beef brisket with potatoes?"
Su Chen stared at the five words, his brows furrowing slightly; he still didn't quite understand.
In his view, this is nothing more than a home-style dish, and even in many big restaurants, it wouldn't be considered a "signature dish".
"Brother Chen, I've eaten this dish quite a bit, but it takes much longer to serve than shredded pork with garlic sauce."
"Beef brisket is hard to chew, and potatoes are easy to crumble. Wouldn't that make things even more complicated during peak hours?" Su Chen pointed to those words and voiced his question.
Chen Feng didn't rush to defend himself; instead, he began to sketch out the preparation process of the dish on paper.
He worked quickly, and soon the process for making braised beef brisket with potatoes was complete:
Braised Beef Brisket with Potatoes
Preliminary preparation: Cut the beef brisket into 3 cm square pieces and soak in cold water for 1 hour to remove blood.
Preliminary processing: Blanch in cold water, add ginger slices and cooking wine, and skim off the foam.
Sauté to brown: Heat oil in a pan and sauté the beef brisket until the surface is slightly browned. Add spices and sauté to release a complex aroma.
Simmer over low heat for 50 minutes: Pour in enough boiling water and simmer for 50 minutes.
Final step: Add potato chunks and continue simmering for 15 minutes, then reduce the sauce over high heat.
As Chen Feng wrote, he drew two heavy circles on the "50 minutes" and "15 minutes" with the tip of his pen, so hard that he almost punctured the paper.
"Look here." Chen Feng pointed to the paper, looked at Su Chen, and said calmly, "Yesterday we made shredded pork with garlic sauce, a kind of 'stir-fry' dish that requires 'high heat and rapid cooking'."
From putting it in the pan to taking it out, it only takes three to five minutes.
He stood up and imitated the action of flipping a wok.
"But as the head chef, I can't leave the stove for a moment; I have to keep an eye on the shredded pork with garlic sauce."
Once I'm stuck in front of the pot, all the pressure—preparing food in the kitchen, serving food in the front, taking cash, wiping tables—will fall on you few.
Especially Su Chen, you have to deal with every single order that comes in a flash.
Even if a customer wants to fill up their bowl of rice, I can't help them.
When the pace is completely dictated by the customers, you'll inevitably become overwhelmed, because all the requests will erupt at once.
Su Chen nodded; he could imagine the anxiety of being urged on by countless mouths.
I felt the despair of imagining myself running out of the fire but still feeling like I couldn't keep up, and cold sweat seemed to be breaking out on my back.
He wiped his forehead and said in a low voice, "That's right, it felt like the website's backend was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of traffic, and my server simply couldn't handle it."
"But braised beef brisket with potatoes is different."
Chen Feng drew a rectangle on the paper, representing the huge cast iron stew pot. "For this dish, we can use 'time to save space'."
Once the beef brisket is in the pot and enters the 50-minute slow simmering period, a qualitative change occurs—it no longer needs me, the chef, to watch over it.
Once the heat is right, all we need to do is wait.
Xingruo stared at the "50 minutes" mark, her eyes, which had been somewhat sleepy, now wide open.
She pursed her lips and asked tentatively, "Master, do you mean that you can free your hands for these 50 minutes?"
Like...like sweeping the floor while boiling water?
"That's right!"
Chen Feng nodded in satisfaction, twirling the pen in a neat circle between his fingers. "In those 50 minutes, the beef brisket can 'stew itself' in the pot."
I don't need to toss the wok, I don't need to face the raging fire, and I don't even need to keep watching it.
During this time, Xingruo and I can work together to process the potatoes we need later, or prepare the next batch of beef brisket. Even—”
He looked at Su Chen, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"If a lot of people suddenly come in and I can't keep up, I can immediately take off my apron and rush to the front to help you serve the dishes, or even help you comfort the guests."
We're no longer just a chef leading a few handymen; now, I, as a "laborer," have also been freed up.
Su Chen's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had opened the door to a new world.
He slapped his thigh excitedly:
"I get it! This dish frees the 'core workforce' from high-frequency, monotonous tasks!"
Brother Chen, this isn't just cooking, it's textbook-perfect process optimization!
It doesn't make things disappear; it just distributes the workload that would have piled up at a particular moment more evenly!
"It's not over yet."
Chen Feng drew two more circles on the paper, labeling them "Pot A" and "Pot B".
"Su Chen, watch closely." Chen Feng's expression became focused.
"We'll turn on the fire in both of our big pots at the same time."
I can precisely control the quantity of each batch to around 10 servings.
While the beef brisket in pot A was simmering for 50 minutes, I took out a pot to cook pot B.
Allow a 15 to 20 minute time difference between cooking the two pots.
This creates a time difference.
Su Chen listened intently, holding his breath.
"Two large pots of braised beef brisket with potatoes are enough to serve only 20 people."
This means that before the lids of these two pots are lifted, your workload is "locked in"—you don't need to worry about who should add vinegar or who should add less scallion.
Since there are no orders at this time, you only need to serve the 20 guests who are already seated, and you can even wipe the tables and tidy up.
Chen Feng paused for a moment, then pointed to the peaks and troughs on the paper.
"It takes about 30 minutes for these 20 people to eat a meal."
During this time, we don't need to deal with the other people in line for braised beef brisket with potatoes; we only need to serve the 20 people in front of us.
Your service pace will change from "bursting every second" to "stable batch processing".
Once the first group has finished eating, our second and third batches will be ready at staggered times.
This way, you're no longer being battered by wave after wave, but rather like passing through checkpoints, with ample preparation time for each one.
Su Chen listened with rapt attention. It was the first time he had ever discovered that cooking was actually a skill that contained such profound logic of operations.
He took the pen from Chen Feng and drew a wavy line on the paper that had originally fluctuated violently but had now become gentler.
"Brother Chen, I understand. Shredded pork with garlic sauce is a continuous and uncontrollable linear output; stewed beef brisket with potatoes is a step-by-step output."
You've taken advantage of the cooking time difference to create a service "buffer zone" for our store!
This way I'll have enough time to catch my breath and wipe the table, instead of running around like a headless fly!
"Smart." Chen Feng gave Su Chen an approving look. Although it was Su Chen's first day on the job and he was still a bit clumsy, he was quick-witted.
"Moreover, the aroma of braised beef brisket with potatoes is extremely strong."
When those two large pots were bubbling and steaming in the restaurant, the rich aroma of meat and the starchy scent of potatoes were the best "soothing agent."
He pointed in the direction of the door.
"The customers in line smelled the aroma and saw the meat in the pot. They knew they would be able to eat it soon, and this psychological expectation greatly alleviated their anxiety."
As long as the aroma is there, they are willing to wait.
Xingruo, who was listening nearby, was also filled with excitement. She added in a low voice:
"Moreover, I can peel the potatoes in advance and soak them in water, so I don't have to wash each one so thoroughly like I did yesterday when washing the wood ear mushrooms."
"Master, I'm sure I can peel a whole basket of potatoes today!"
"That's the wisdom of a chef."
Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed, his body seemingly brimming with strength.
"Yesterday, when we made shredded pork with garlic sauce, we were being pushed along by life; it was an unexpected battle."
Today I'm making braised beef brisket with potatoes; it's about us pulling ourselves together through life, this is a tough battle.
Su Chen, don't worry about being rusty, because I'll always be by your side.
If things get really busy up front, I'll go serve the dishes.
Our team truly achieved "full-scale mobilization" through this dish.
Mengmeng listened from the side, feeling both impressed and confused. Although she didn't understand what "all personnel on the move" meant.
But she saw that the worries on everyone's faces had disappeared, and that Su-gege and Xingruo-jiejie's eyes were shining.
She clapped her hands happily, the noodle soup stains still on her lips:
"Dad is amazing! Dad is a superhero! So this is the magic of chefs!"
That way, Brother Su won't dump the plate on the guests' heads, and he won't cry!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
A burst of hearty laughter erupted at the dining table, dispelling the worries of everyone present.
The group's initially gloomy mood instantly brightened because of this dish that hadn't even been cooked yet.
Su Chen laughed the loudest. He looked at the A4 paper on the table, carefully folded it, and put it into his pocket.
"Brother Chen, I'll keep this copy of 'The Art of War'."
I only learned today that there is also the highest level of logic around the stove.
Chen Feng stood up with a smile, patted Su Chen on the shoulder, and then rubbed Mengmeng's head.
"Alright, now that the logic makes sense and morale is high, let's pack up and head out to get the goods."
We're buying all the beef brisket from the market today!
"Let's go!" Mengmeng raised her little pink fist and rushed towards the door.
Xingruo quickly picked up her basket and followed.
Su Chen glanced back at the kitchen one last time, took a deep breath, as if he could already smell the calming, domineering aroma of beef brisket.
The gate was open, and the morning light of the old street was gradually dispelling the fog, illuminating their path forward.