Cooking System: Street Food Rules

The secret to pork knuckle rice lies within that pot of fragrant braising liquid.

Jiang Feng had a system recipe and was also skilled at making braised meat, so preparing pork knuckle rice came naturally to him.

Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei began to get ready in the shop.

Various spices were toasted until fragrant, placed in a bag, and a pot of rich stock was simmered, into which the pork knuckles were added to cook.

Once the skin and fat of the knuckles had rendered into the stock, they were almost ready to eat.

The stock had been simmering since the day before, and after a flurry of activity, it was finally ready.

Given the fierce competition, Jiang Feng lifted the lid of the simmering stock pot. Instantly, the rich aroma of the marinade drifted outside.

This was also one of Jiang Feng's overt strategies.

Several nearby shops also sold pork knuckle rice.

It was mealtime, and people were flocking out in search of food. Some of them wandered into Jiang Feng's small shop.

A man wearing glasses was lured in by the aroma.

This pork knuckle rice seemed different from the others.

It just smelled exceptionally fragrant.

That aroma seemed to penetrate right into one's stomach, making it feel as if something was clawing at the insides.

The scent of the marinade was perfectly authentic.

The soft, tender pork knuckles stewed in the pot, bobbing up and down with the rising bubbles—a sight that greatly whetted the appetite.

"Boss, I'll have a serving of pork knuckle rice," the man wearing glasses said, placing his order.

"Okay, coming right up!"

Seeing he had a customer, Jiang Feng started to get busy.

He had only uttered that one sentence, but the man immediately recognized him.

"Holy shit! Are you Boss Jiang? Holy shit! It really is you!"

Two consecutive exclamations of "holy shit" conveyed the man's utmost respect for Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng was also stunned.

Wait, are you some kind of super detective, pal? I only said three words, and you recognized me?

"Hello."

Whenever discovered, Jiang Feng always came clean and admitted it readily.

He hadn't expected it to be so absurdly quick to be found out. It was hard not to find it amusing.

"It really is you! Hold on, I'm going to call my work unit."

The man said little else and immediately took out his phone to call for backup.

"Hey? I'm on the street, eating pork knuckle rice. You know Boss Jiang? He's the one who opened this pork knuckle rice place. Why would I lie to you? Would I lie to you if I were crazy? Seriously, hurry over! I'm sending you the location. It's Boss Jiang!"

After the man made the call, it wasn't long before four young men rushed into the shop.

Upon seeing Jiang Feng, they were instantly both shocked and overjoyed, and they quickly started calling other people.

Just like that, as soon as he started his stall, the news spread. From then on, whenever Jiang Feng set up his stall, it was almost always like this.

He was just too popular.

Jiang Feng, unhurried, began to prepare the pork knuckle rice for the customers.

He placed rice in a bowl, then ladled out a pork knuckle from the pot, cut it into strips, laid it over the rice, and added a couple of pieces of green vegetables.

Finally, he generously ladled the soul gravy over it all—

and a bowl of pork knuckle rice was complete.

Due to the large crowd, Jiang Feng worked with increased urgency to prepare the food.

He had initially worried that the fierce competition would make it difficult to complete the task of selling 100 servings.

But he hadn't expected the very first customer to recognize him.

Jiang Feng was oblivious to his own immense popularity. He thought people would trickle in slowly.

Unexpectedly, in just half an hour, the area outside was packed with all sorts of vehicles.

Many people had driven over just to see Jiang Feng.

Word had spread incredibly fast.

It couldn't be helped; in a first-tier city, too many people were online.

Almost any hint of news would bring people flocking.

Although there were many entrepreneurs here, there were also many young people who loved to join in on any excitement.

Jiang Feng himself was a natural crowd-puller, and a significant proportion of his fans were young people.

Many weren't there just for the food; some simply wanted to see him.

Of course, enjoying a steaming bowl of pork knuckle rice would be the best outcome.

On top of the rice, the knuckle and trotters were still glistening with the rich sauce.

The bowl was packed with meat—truly a generous portion.

Moreover, it looked appetizing: the sliced knuckle glistened with oil, its color a vibrant, rosy red, appearing so tender one could almost imagine how it would melt in the mouth.

A customer picked up a piece of knuckle, skin and meat together, and popped it into his mouth.

In an instant, an involuntary moan of pleasure escaped him. "MMM."

The flavor of the knuckle was incredible.

It was coated in sauce, and its rich taste immediately enveloped his palate.

The knuckle was soft and glutinous, practically melting with each chew. With gentle bites, he could also detect a hint of sweetness within it.

He didn't know how to describe that bite of knuckle. It was so fragrant it was utterly captivating. It was unbelievably delicious. Truly worthy of a dish from the Contemporary Culinary God!

Every bite of the knuckle was so smooth and satisfying; as he ate, he felt he could have devoured his own tongue just to prolong the taste.

The customer was ecstatic and, like a whirlwind, devoured the entire serving of pork knuckle rice.

Those around who witnessed this were instantly filled with envy.

Their mouths watered uncontrollably.

The knuckle just looked so appetizing.

The line grew longer and longer, with some people still trying to push their way in.

Jiang Feng called out to the crowd, "Everyone, please form a line, thank you! Don't push! Line up to buy, and everyone will get to eat! Customers who have finished eating, please make space for others, thank you!"

While making pork knuckle rice, Jiang Feng also had to maintain order.

It was certainly a tough task.

It was only the first day, and it was already like this; he didn't even want to imagine what the next few days would be like.

At this moment, when the Shenzhen Culture and Tourism Bureau heard that Jiang Feng had set up a stall there, they began to have ideas.

This was a great opportunity. What the Wenzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau had done previously was still fresh in their minds. And Jiang Feng's impact was significant every time. If they could leverage this, it would be an excellent chance.

However, they didn't have much of a budget for this. Or rather, after some discussion, they decided against organizing a special street vending event.

It couldn't be helped; Shenzhen was a very affluent city and didn't particularly rely on tourism to drive its economy.

Therefore, they didn't attach much importance to it.

But Jiang Feng's appearance still attracted visitors from all directions.

The street, packed densely with people, left the nearby shop owners completely stunned.

The owners of several other pork knuckle rice stalls all came out to see what the commotion was about.

The convenience store owner was even more bewildered.

Wait, what is this situation? Are all these people here for the owner of that new pork knuckle rice stall? So many people? This isn't just a pork knuckle rice seller; this is clearly the God of Wealth!

With so many people here, they would definitely all be spending money.

His store's business suddenly boomed.

Jiang Feng got busy.

While working frantically, he also had to attend to the customers.

Sun Zhuangfei watched the situation in the shop, unsure of what to do.

The shop was already packed with customers; there wasn't even room to stand.

"Please, everyone, queue up and make space for the customers who are eating," Jiang Feng called out again.

Jiang Feng sensed that his future street vending experiences might all be like this. As soon as he appeared, a massive crowd would gather. This was also a side effect of his fame. Moreover, following this trend, even more people would come starting tomorrow. He wouldn't even need to do anything; he could just stand there like a tourist attraction, and there would be an endless stream of people wanting to take photos with him.

"How did I get so popular?" Jiang Feng couldn't help but mutter.

"Boss, you need to understand your own status. You're a massive internet sensation right now. You're at the very top. Isn't it normal for so many people to come?" Sun Zhuangfei remarked from the side.

"I thought things would calm down once the hype died," Jiang Feng lamented.

"Boss, people's fondness for you isn't fleeting; it's long-lasting. Anyone who can come definitely will," Sun Zhuangfei said, seeing things clearly.

It was remarkable that Jiang Feng, who didn't even have a personal social media account, could achieve such explosive popularity.

His nationwide recognition was exceptionally high.

Jiang Feng gradually came to accept it.

He had a feeling that street vending wouldn't be so relaxing in the future. Or perhaps he wouldn't be able to continue street vending at all. After setting up his stall so many times, everyone already recognized him. Trying to go unnoticed was practically impossible. After all, he had to sell in public marketplaces; there was no escaping it.

The pork knuckle rice was still being served.

Jiang Feng remained dedicated to his food.

No matter how chaotic the crowd became, he would focus on selling his pork knuckle rice.

The scene was somewhat noisy, but many voices of praise could still be heard:

"Boss Jiang, your skills are amazing!"

"The pork knuckle rice is so delicious!"

"It has to be you!"

Hearing these compliments, Jiang Feng would offer a knowing smile.

Soon, all the pork knuckles and trotters in the pot were sold out.

Jiang Feng also told the crowd that he was closing up. But the people were clearly reluctant to leave.

"Everyone, please come back tomorrow. The pork knuckle rice is sold out! There's really no more left!" Jiang Feng shouted.

"Huh? Sold out already?"

"That was fast!"

"It's okay, I wasn't just here for the food anyway."

"Boss Jiang, can you prepare more next time?"

The people started shouting again, and the scene was incredibly lively.

Seeing he couldn't get the customers to leave, Jiang Feng had no choice but to say to Sun Zhuangfei, "I have to leave first, or we won't be able to close the shop. You'll have to manage for now. I'll hire help starting tomorrow."

Sun Zhuangfei readily agreed, "Boss, no problem, leave it to me."

Jiang Feng waved and left the small shop.

Sure enough, after he left, the crowd that had gathered to watch also gradually dispersed.

Jiang Feng anticipated that the days to come would likely be like this. Relaxed street vending was no longer possible. Unless it was in a formally managed place like a restaurant, perhaps.

Street vending won't be so carefree anymore. But that's fine too. Once this round of vending is over, I'll calm down and seriously research some new dishes, Jiang Feng thought to himself.

He was someone who preferred peace and quiet.

The experience of selling pork knuckle rice this time made him somewhat dislike his current street vending approach.

The sheer number of people had also become a burden.