There are many shops full of style in the high-rise buildings and splendid street markets in Yuzhong. They have good food, good sounds, good looks, fun... The industry is different, the original intention is always; time flows by, the ingenuity is transported alone, and the "craftsman" incense is circulated.
Since 2018, the Yuzhong District Federation of Industry and Commerce has launched the "Mother City Ingenuity" project, excavating more than 50 craftsmen and continuously promoting the entrepreneurial spirit and craftsman culture. From now on, the Yuzhong District Federation of Industry and Commerce and the Yuzhong District Rong Media Center jointly launched the "Tandian Ingenuity", through the reporter's on-site visit to punch the clock, take you to appreciate a different "big city small shop", feel the ingenuity of the craftsmen in the mother city of Chongqing.
A fire that has not been extinguished for 90 years
It's still warm
01
In the catering market of Chongqing Fengyunhui, "Old Sichuan" exists like "relict and independent". It doesn't have many stores, but its reputation is great. Old people often chant "light shadow beef" and chew on the memories of their youth.
From the roadside stalls in 1931, to the shops of the Peidu period, to the several changes after the founding of New China. In the past 90 years, the property rights of "Old Sichuan" have changed several times, the stove has never "closed the fire", and the cooking smoke rises every day...
In mid-August, the rain was over. A group of reporters from the Yuzhong Rong Media Center came to the "Old Sichuan" restaurant of the Liberation Monument, which had recently reopened at the old site, to search for the aroma of food that had floated for 90 years.
01 Fire and Inheritance
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Zigong during the Republic of China period flourished and flourished because of salt. Digging salt wells requires animal power, and there are many cattle in Zigong. The women in the Sichuan-Chongqing area are particularly capable and virtuous. In 1931, Zhong Yifeng, a textile worker, was skillful and made local materials, and a table of beef dishes was well-known, from Zigong to Chongqing.
In the blink of an eye, the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was upgraded to the capital. The front is tight, the rear is "tight", and the Chongqing catering market is unprecedentedly prosperous. Although it is only a roadside stall, Zhong Yifeng's beef is still popular in the mountain town - dengying beef, refined beef, smoked beef, "three meats" are particularly famous. In 1938, after being given a name by a reporter from Xinmin Evening News, it was listed as "Old Sichuan".
At the same time, Chongqing also had a famous shop specializing in beef, named "Yuexiang Village", whose goulash beef soup, sand ginseng oxtail soup and goji berry beef whip soup, collectively known as "three soups", were well-known in mountain towns. After the founding of New China, the two old stores were merged, and the "three soups" + "three meats" achieved a strong combination.
At that time in Chongqing, most of the famous restaurants were gathered around the Liberation Monument. In April 1960, two marshals, Zhu De and Chen Yi, went to Chongqing to attend the National Technological Innovation Site Meeting and tasted the delicacies in the store. Two sichuan veterans gave a high evaluation of the dishes. In the book "Red Rock", which has influenced generations, there is also a plot depicting "old Sichuan" beef.
After the reform and opening up, "Old Sichuan" continued to develop in the market economy, and the dishes have won the honors of Chinese Famous Snacks, Chinese Food Festival Golden Tripod Award, Sichuan Famous Snacks, etc., and the restaurant has also been awarded the title of "Chinese Time-honored Brand" by the Ministry of Commerce.
02 Fire and taste
In the "old Sichuan" of 90 years, many things are changing, and some are sticking to it, and dengying beef is one of them.
"Fa Zong ancient rules, adhere to the craft, never waver!" Mao Xinyu, general manager of the Jiefangbei store of the "Old Sichuan" restaurant, told reporters about the corporate philosophy. He introduced that 90 years ago, when Zhong Yifeng and his wife made dengying beef, they strictly observed 16 processes, the most important of which were charcoal fire roasting, steaming basket steaming, and hand-torn.
With the passage of time, can steaming ovens replace traditional craftsmanship? Mao Xinyu resolutely said no. Why? "If the oven temperature does not reach the temperature of the outer flame of the open flame, it will make the beef softer, which will affect the taste." But Yuzhong District can not be baked openly, so Mao Xinyu steamed and baked from outside the district and transported back to the store, without compromising on the taste. In Chongqing dialect, it is necessary to "turn the slag" into eating.
The same persistence abounds in "old Sichuan". Oxtail soup in many restaurants is cooked in a pressure cooker. Here, on the other hand, it insists on simmering and changing every day. Every day at 3:00 a.m., the oxtail goes down to the saucepan, boiling for seven or eight hours, and the meat is fragrant and delicious.
What is surprising is that the "slow work out of the fine work" has not increased the price - 38 yuan a piece of lantern shadow beef, 78 yuan a small part of oxtail soup, and the per capita consumption is less than 100 yuan, making "Old Sichuan" a restaurant that the masses can afford.
03 Fire and ingenuity
The only constant in the world is change itself. Liu Xiaodong, who has been a chef for half a lifetime, knows this well, and the head chef of "Old Sichuan" and also the "mother city craftsman" has his own understanding of dish innovation.
"When we say unchanged, we mean that the craftsmanship and spirit are unchanged, not in the absolute sense." Liu Xiaodong said that over the past few years, the "old Sichuan" has also been constantly innovating and adapting to the changes of the times.
In the past, there were few ingredients, and the masters racked their brains to try to find the perfect match. Now the ingredients and condiments are greatly enriched, and what Liu Xiaodong has to do is to take into account both "shouzheng" and "innovation".
Tomato oxtail soup is a well-sold dish in "Old Sichuan", and it does not belong to the "three meats and three soups". Liu Xiaodong said that in the past, everyone preferred goji berry oxtail soup, and now some young people love to eat tomato flavor, the taste can change, but the patience of boiling can not change.
Over the years, Liu Xiaodong's team has continuously developed dishes, such as crispy sand meat and spicy duck blood, which have been widely praised by customers. In addition to the dishes, "Old Sichuan" not only retains cultural elements in the decoration and design of the storefront, but also tries its best to embrace modern society.
In the new era, located in the open and magnificent Liberation Monument, "Old Sichuan" will continue to adhere to "shouzheng" and "innovation", and constantly wipe the 90-year-old signboard.