Beef balls are one of the traditional snacks of the Han nationality in the Chaoshan area of Guangdong, and belong to the Cantonese cuisine. Walking to the streets of the Chaoshan area, there are countless shops dealing in beef balls, and the patterns are endless. Whether it is a street barbecue stall, or a hot pot restaurant with an atmospheric storefront, a small restaurant on both sides of the street, or even a place hidden in a small alley, you can see the figure of beef balls. This cuisine, which has been passed down for more than 100 years, has gradually evolved into the symbol of the region. Countless beef hot pots are lined up, each with its own unique tree, forming a multi-powerful situation.

Every household has its own unique secret recipe, and if you want to talk about who is the first Chaoshan beef ball, you can't tell the difference between you and me. For example, Fu Hecheng is known for its tender and delicious taste, and its stores have even expanded to Xiamen, Shenzhen and other places, while Hai Ji, which focuses on local culture, occupies a large share of the market with crispy and delicious beef balls.

Among the countless gourmets, there is a time-honored Chaoshan brand that has been in town for many years, with its tender and sweet taste, crispy and hearty taste, full and rich filling, and full elasticity of the muscles, which is the leader of beef cuisine, thank you!

Following in the footsteps of Su Congshuang, the simple and atmospheric signboard came into view, and the five big characters of Xie Ji Beef City were impressive.

A city word is enough to see the scale of this shop, and what shocked Sikong Yao even more was that there were vehicles going around inside and out, next door to Xie Ji Beef City, there was a parking lot. The family's business was hot enough that they needed to open a parking lot to meet the needs of their customers. In this era when the price of land is so high, Xie Ji Beef City can still come up with such a handiwork, which is not just described by four words: wealth. This customer-oriented philosophy must be the reason for the success of Xie Kee Beef City.

Looking at the whole of Guangdong, there are few catering companies that can come up with this kind of big money, even if it is Minghe Restaurant, it is because of the grade, and the parking lot is standard for them. However, Xie Ji is just a hot pot restaurant, but he can do it like this. It's really impressive. Even among his peers, there are few people who do not admire Xie Ji.

Look at the scale of this Xie Ji, in terms of a hot pot restaurant. It's a bit excessive. The three-story building, each with an area of nearly 600 square meters, is simply terrifying, among the endless stream of diners. There are hundreds of employees shuttling back and forth, otherwise it would not be possible to meet the needs of customers. Three floors. The maximum capacity can reach 2,000 diners, which is comparable to some restaurants, or even surpassed!

If you just look at the loading rate of guests, Xie Kee is bursting almost every day. Even the guests who made reservations were lined up for a week, and they were really welcome.

Su Congshuang introduced: "This is our most famous beef hot pot restaurant in Shantou. Let's go inside. ”

Sikong Yao smiled: "Okay, I can't wait." Hey. ”

Yifan also sighed: "With such a large scale, it looks really good."

Bai Xia seemed to be more well-informed, and said: "It is really amazing to have the honor to taste the flavor of Chaoshan beef balls at the international food exchange meeting, but I am far from imagining that in Shantou, the influence of this kind of food is so huge."

Sikong Yao glanced at Bai Xia and said, "You know everything!"

Bai Xia couldn't cry or laugh, and said helplessly: "Who did I recruit to provoke someone......"

Shui Ying pretended to be helpless and shook her head, patted Bai Xia's shoulder, and said, "Little Brother Bai, seeing that the corners of your eyes are raised, it is the fate of a peach blossom, I am afraid that your life will be troubled, and your feelings will be unsmooth, so you can do it yourself." …

Bai Xia glanced at Shui Ying and scolded, "Get out!"

Yifan cleared his throat and coughed: "Ahem, anyway, let's go in first, don't affect the guests behind."

In the few minutes that a few people stopped, there was already a long queue behind them, not to mention twenty or thirty people, this business was simply outrageous. However, although Yifan seems to be focusing on the guests behind, in fact, his lips are unbearable.

The group looked for a table to surround it, and the waiter had quickly brought up a pot of soup base, and there was no need to ask, those who came here were naturally running for the name of beef hot pot, so the waiters were very careful, and the work efficiency also followed.

Sikong Yao couldn't wait to say: "Congshuang, you are the host, so I'll leave it to you to arrange."

Su Congshuang nodded, and then said to the waiter: "Please have three catties of beef plus one catty of fat beef, one beef shutter and one tripe, and finally a plate of kuay teow."

Finish the order very quickly, these are almost all the standard for Chaoshan people to eat beef hot pot, Su Congshuang is also handy, although he is not a very assertive person, but he also learned from the elders to order and said.

Sikong Yao suddenly shouted, "Huh? From the cream, what about beef balls? What about beef balls? ”

Seeing Sikong Yao's anxious appearance, Su Congshuang snorted and laughed, and comforted: "Don't worry, I want to ask you, do you want beef balls or beef tendon balls."

"Beef balls? Beef tendon pills? Isn't it the same? Why are beef balls still so exquisite? ”

Sikong Yao, who doesn't know the rules yet, naturally has such questions.

Su Congshuang nodded and explained: "Beef balls, as a famous Chaoshan snack, have a history of nearly 100 years in Chaoshan, beef balls can be divided into two types: beef balls and beef tendon balls. I don't know which one you prefer, so I'll ask you for your opinion first. ”

Listening to Su Congshuang's vivid description, Sikong Yao was also worried, these beef balls and beef tendon balls seemed to be delicious, one was tender and crispy, and the other was full of tendons, and he didn't know how to choose for a while.

"Uh...... Beef meatballs, no. Beef tendon pills, uh, no......"

For this problem, Yifan has a good solution, saying: "Isn't it solved by one pound each?"

Shui Ying nodded in praise and said, "Yes, yes, yes, let's have a copy and have a good time."

After placing the order, it only took about five minutes to bring the first plate of raw meatballs, which has to be said to be very efficient. The reason why the work efficiency of Haiji's staff is so high is due to the fact that there are enough customers, so no matter how many ingredients are prepared, they can be sold out, so many things can be prepared in advance, and guests can give them when they want, without waiting.

Ordinary hot pot city serves beef balls that have been cooked once because they are easy to preserve, while Hai Kee serves half-cooked meatballs that are only half-cooked, and only fix the shape of the meatballs. This kind of raw meatball still retains the original taste of beef, so the taste is better and the taste is more sufficient, of course, due to the high requirements of the process, the sales volume is also difficult to control, so the price is relatively high. But for the guests of Hoi Kee, it's all worth it.

Bai Xia said again: It is said that the best beef balls can jump high when thrown on the ground. At the International Food Exchange, I was amazed to see that the seniors who made the beef balls performed on the spot.

Su Congshuang agreed, said: Yes, but it has to be a purely manual operation of the beef balls, the labor cost is higher than that of the machine, and there is no way to supply it in large quantities, since the early 80s after the emergence of the shot punching machine, the traditional production method of hand beating has become increasingly rare. The kind you see should be the style of the older generation. …

Sikong Yao asked, "Congshuang, how should I eat this beef ball?"

Su Congshuang said: "Cook it directly, add a small amount of monosodium glutamate, sesame oil, pepper and celery grains, and serve with sand tea sauce or chili sauce and hoisin sauce. Many people eat beef balls dipped in chili sauce, but it is still dipped in the local specialty sand tea sauce is the most authentic. ”

In particular, Hai Kee's sand tea sauce is rich in flavor but does not mask the taste of beef balls, delicate and soft, very tempting, and it is also a big secret weapon of Hai Kee, and the recipe is passed down from generation to generation. There have been people who have offered millions of dollars for a high price, but they can't buy it. However, even if you eat it without any condiments, you can enjoy the pure umami flavor.

Yifan sighed: Oh, you can cook it directly, how does it feel very similar to Japanese Kobe beef.

Su Congshuang said with a smile: "It is indeed the same thing, Kobe beef is the taste of the meat itself is perfect enough, and Chaoshan beef balls are added with a unique production process, so ordinary beef can also become extraordinarily delicious." When eating, use the original soup and beef balls to boil until the initial boil, and the water should not be too boiling, otherwise the beef balls will not be smooth. And this water temperature is about the same, come, I'll cook you guys! ”

Su Congshuang picked up a plate of beef balls and put them directly into the bone broth in the hot pot, as the water temperature continued to rise, the pot was also churning with a little bubbles, and then the more it was heated, and then when it was completely boiled, the fragrance had been wafting for a long time, and everyone was salivating.

Looking at the big guy's greedy appearance, Su Congshuang took out a leaky net and picked up the treasure-like beef balls in the pot. A group of hungry wolves can't wait.

The delicious taste of the beef is instantly unfolded in the mouth, but the texture of the beef is more textured, more flavorful, and the satisfaction of a bite is overflowing with a little gravy in the delicious meat, and the crispy texture makes you want to eat more. When you bite into it, you can still hear a crisp sound, which shows how crispy the beef balls are.

Sikong Yao closed his eyes and said with emotion: "This is comparable to lobster meat."

Yifan shook his head and said, "No, no, no, it's much better than lobster meat!"

Su Congshuang smiled: "Next, let's try the beef tendon pills." (To be continued)