Bridgehead Pork Ribs1
On Monday morning, Sun Miao was pulled into the system space as usual to receive the system’s teachings. This time, it really wasn’t long, only requiring 15 days. It was probably because she had eaten some exceptionally terrible salt and pepper pork ribs yesterday that the system was teaching her about—fried pork ribs.
However, it wasn’t teaching her a formal dish, but rather that very common street-side snack, Bridgehead Pork Ribs.
To be honest, Sun Miao had eaten it before when she was working.
When it got to be around 3:30 in the afternoon, it was inevitable that one would get a bit hungry. At this time, if someone in the office ordered an afternoon tea with a particularly fragrant smell, like a Bombarded Big Chicken Cutlet2, then a whole group of people around them would suffer. In order to save money, Sun Miao would most of the time not follow the trend and buy one.
But people are people, and it’s inevitable to have the thought of “I’ll buy some afternoon tea to treat myself.” This feeling was especially strong when she had just gotten her salary.
No matter how much she wanted to save money, Sun Miao was no exception. So, on a few occasions, she would also open a food delivery app and select some afternoon tea to eat. The Bombarded Big Chicken Cutlet was a bit too expensive; a small portion cost fifteen, which Sun Miao was still reluctant to buy.
But some shops that specialized in selling Bridgehead Pork Ribs were very cheap. A spicy-flavored portion of Bridgehead Pork Ribs, plus three Sweet Potato Balls3, came out to only 11.5 after discounts. For Sun Miao, this was a huge temptation.
When she couldn’t resist, Sun Miao would place an order.
By the time the Bridgehead Pork Ribs was delivered from the shop to the company, it had cooled down a bit, but not completely. Coupled with the rich, spicy powder coating it, it made Sun Miao eat without making a sound4.
What a pity that the Bridgehead Pork Ribs shop later raised its prices. Not only that, but the portion size also got smaller. What Sun Miao found most unacceptable was that they went from giving lots of ribs with crispy cartilage to ribs that were only bone.
That sense of disparity was really killer. Sun Miao really loved the feeling of chewing on crispy cartilage; that crunch crunch sound was not just ordinarily delicious.
What the system was teaching her now was how to make Bridgehead Pork Ribs, the kind with crispy cartilage.
The part with more cartilage, which is the spareribs section, was actually sold at a pretty high price. The nearby farmer’s market was currently selling it for 15 yuan5 per jin6, which was already considered relatively cheap.
Sun Miao estimated the price, and when she learned that the system’s pricing would be 25 per serving, she wasn’t too surprised. Because compared to the frozen pork ribs used by most shops, Sun Miao would definitely be using fresh ones. Adding her own skill, 25 for a 150-gram serving of Bridgehead Pork Ribs was actually not expensive.
Speaking of Bridgehead Pork Ribs, mentioning this name now would probably make many people’s minds immediately equate it with that chain store, the snack shop that specializes in selling deep-fried pork ribs, chicken clavicles, and meat strips. But in reality, Bridgehead Pork Ribs existed before their chain store.
Bridgehead Pork Ribs first originated in Qinhuangdao7, Ji sheng8, and its earliest origins can be traced back to the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. It is said to have been discovered by the King of Zhongshan, Xu Da9. This Xu Da was the biological father of the famous Empress Xu, wife of Zhu Di10.
When Xu Da discovered this snack, it was being sold under a wooden shed at the head of a bridge in Qinhuangdao. Therefore, it came to be called “Bridgehead Pork Ribs.” If it weren’t for this bridge, it might have been called “Under-the-Shed Pork Ribs” for all we know.
The most original Bridgehead Pork Ribs required the use of various herbs, just like the Hulatang11 she made before. It was said to be marinated with nearly 20 types of herbs. But in modern times, after the “Bridgehead Pork Ribs” brand was registered, it became a very standardized snack.
What Sun Miao wanted to do was, of course, not to follow the brand’s path, but she wouldn’t completely restore the ancient recipe either. That process was too troublesome, and the taste of many ancient medicinal herbs in deep-fried pork ribs would be difficult for modern people to accept.
So what the system taught Sun Miao was actually a modern, improved version of Bridgehead Pork Ribs, doing the same thing as the brand.
First was washing. The spareribs were chopped into small pieces, washed clean, and then the marination began. At first, she used common household seasonings like salt, pepper, sugar, etc., but later, two less common seasonings were added.
They were: Umami Treasure12 and Pork Rib Flavor King13.
The former provided umami flavor, replacing MSG and chicken bouillon, while the latter made the meat more flavorful and also more tender and smooth. These were generally not found in ordinary supermarkets and could only be bought at large-scale farmer’s markets. But the system, of course, would not let Sun Miao buy them; it wanted Sun Miao to make them herself.
When she was making Hulatang before, Sun Miao had already memorized all kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs, so making these two seasonings herself was not a difficult task. Aside from taking a bit of effort, it wasn’t hard to make them.
Only with these two seasonings could the flavor of the Bridgehead Pork Ribs be taken a step further.
After mixing the seasonings, the pork ribs had to be stirred evenly to ensure the marinade tightly coated the meat, otherwise, it wouldn’t be flavorful. After stirring evenly, it was sealed with plastic wrap, and the rest was just waiting. Sun Miao didn’t have to worry about this step, because when it was time to cook, they would have already been marinated and stuffed into cold storage long ago.
While waiting for the marination, Sun Miao couldn’t be idle either. She had to prepare the outer layer of starch for coating the pork ribs. She put flour in the bottom of a bowl and, while pouring in water, mixed it with her hand. In the end, the flour in the bowl had to become something akin to a non-Newtonian fluid to be considered a success.
It had to be able to form a ball when grabbed by hand, but break apart with a little force. This was a qualified batter.
Three hours passed. The marinated pork ribs were poured directly into the starch slurry and mixed evenly to coat. At this point, the preliminary preparation work was considered done.
Then, she heated oil in a wok. When the oil was heated to 180 degrees, Sun Miao directly used her hand to take the pork ribs and place them into the hot oil piece by piece. Unlike Shen Yiqiu’s 60% hot14 oil that would explode, the oil under Sun Miao’s hand was exceptionally obedient.
The moment the pork ribs went in, the oil bubbled up, completely enveloping them, and then carried them down to sink into the wok. The “zzzzla zzzzla” sound was continuous, a sound that was wonderful and moving, like a lively symphony.
Because the pork ribs were raw and had to be fried until cooked through, they needed to be fried for a while longer. Sun Miao used a large iron ladle and a strainer to go in, and she had to keep turning them, otherwise the ribs would stick together. Only when they were thoroughly cooked did she scoop them out.
The pork ribs landed on the strainer, making a crisp rustling sound. Just by listening to this sound, you knew that this portion of pork ribs would absolutely not be bad.
From the strainer, they were placed directly onto the tray next to it. The pork ribs fell one by one, looking pretty and lively. Each one was golden yellow, a sight that would make one’s mouth water for three chi15. Add to that the unique aroma of deep-fried pork ribs, and don’t even get me started—Sun Miao herself couldn’t help but want to eat some.
Afterward, she added Sun Miao’s secret seasonings, which came in two flavors: cumin and spicy. Sun Miao, of course, preferred the spicy one a bit more, while Su Ruixi would definitely prefer the cumin.
After successfully learning and exiting the system space, Sun Miao had a vague realization: the time for the system’s departure was getting closer and closer. This was because the system’s teaching time for her was shortening, and she had already achieved a thorough grasp of most things. As long as it was a technique for making snacks, the myriad changes did not depart from the original principle16. Once she mastered the control of heat and seasoning, no snack could escape Sun Miao’s Five Finger Mountain17.
The system itself was the “Random Stall System.” Now that its host was on the verge of great accomplishment, how could the system stay in the same place? After pondering for a while, Sun Miao suggested to the system, “System, let me know before you leave. I’ll hold a farewell party for you.”
【Host, the system has no physical body. Even if you hold a farewell party, it cannot eat any food.】
“It’s okay, you can eat electronic pickled vegetables18.”
The system didn’t understand what Sun Miao meant, but it cherished her sentiment: 【Alright.】
Sun Miao climbed out of bed. Su Ruixi next to her had already left for work. Sun Miao checked the time and estimated that Su Ruixi was already at the company, so she sent a message: Susu-jie, I’ll bring you afternoon tea later.
Su Ruixi didn’t reply right away, she was probably busy. Sun Miao didn’t mind. She just got up and first ate the breakfast the auntie19 had made. After eating, she went to the wet market to buy the necessary ingredients, especially the raw materials for the Umami Treasure and Pork Rib Flavor King.
These things weren’t easy to find, but fortunately, this was an international metropolis, and the farmer’s markets here were quite large. So, after spending a little time, Sun Miao managed to get everything together.
Actually, the stall-setting time for this round was quite friendly, from 2 PM to 2 AM, which was generally afternoon tea and late-night snack time. However, Sun Miao had too many regular customers. Even if the working people and student groups couldn’t come at this time, Sun Miao felt that just relying on rich and idle regulars like the Hip-hop Yabi Duo20 would be enough to sell out all the snacks she had prepared.
This time, Sun Miao directly bought over thirty jin of spareribs. Selling each portion at 150 grams, she could sell over 100 portions, which was her usual sales volume. Although the customers’ portions were all 150 grams, Su Ruixi’s would definitely be more. Sun Miao directly prepared 300 grams for her, and also prepared ten extra portions for Su Ruixi to give to her colleagues at the company.
Sun Miao knew Su Ruixi was the boss, but she always felt that her Susu-jie’s personality wasn’t good at winning people over. As Susu-jie’s girlfriend, she couldn’t think of any other way, so she could only try to please her colleagues through this method, hoping they would be more accommodating of her Susu-jie.
In addition, she also made ten portions of a beverage. It wasn’t anything difficult, just Watermelon Bobo21. She hadn’t lost her skill from making watermelon slushies before. Adding some homemade bobo balls, Sun Miao felt this afternoon tea could capture people’s hearts.
Besides, Watermelon Bobo was great for cutting through the grease; it would go perfectly with the pork ribs.
After she finished making the Bridgehead Pork Ribs, she first posted about it on her WeChat Moments and in her two group chats before heading out with the packed afternoon tea, riding her little electric donkey22. Because she often delivered food to Su Ruixi, Sun Miao had a full set of equipment. Even the Watermelon Bobo drinks each had their own compartment, stacked neatly on the footboard in front of the scooter.
Even so, every time she went over a bump, Sun Miao couldn’t help but worry—will the drinks get jolted out?
After finally arriving downstairs at Su Ruixi’s company, Sun Miao, just like last time, first went to the receptionist in the first-floor lobby to get a card, and then took the elevator upstairs. She didn’t disturb anyone this time. Although Su Ruixi had already notified her that Sun Miao was coming, she didn’t know the specific time, so the assistant wasn’t waiting for her at the door like before.
Fortunately, the company receptionist still had an impression of Sun Miao and immediately smiled at her. “Miss Sun, is that right? Please wait a moment, I’ll inform CEO Su and the assistant right away.”
The author has something to say:
Su Ruixi: ? You brought some for other people???
Assistant: ……Just die from your pettiness.
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