Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

Chapter 359: How ideal is how perfect is reality!

Let’s go back in time a little.

In the kitchen of Doraemi Kindergarten, the bustle of lunch had just died down, and the air was still filled with the lingering aroma of food.

After finishing the cleanup work, Aunt Li and Aunt Lin began a new round of preparations - processing the freshly washed lotus roots.

Their technique is skillful and steady. They slide the scraper lightly across the lotus root, and pieces of lotus root skin fall off, revealing the jade-white lotus root flesh inside.

The peeled lotus root meat is neatly placed in a large stainless steel basin on the side, ready for later use.

Liu Suyu and other park leaders also stayed in the kitchen to help out and scrape the lotus root skin.

Although their movements were not as skillful as Aunt Li and the others, fortunately everyone worked very hard.

The reason for being so active is that they are full of desire and anticipation for this delicious dish of osmanthus glutinous rice and lotus root. They hope to taste it at the first time and get more.

"Click——"

With this crisp sound, the kitchen knife in Qian Guoxiang's hand fell quickly and accurately, cutting off one end of the lotus root that Aunt Li and the others had peeled. The cut lotus stem was intact and about 2.5 cm long.

He carefully put aside the small part that was cut off and preserved it because it would play an important role later.

Once the lotus root is filled with glutinous rice, the intact lotus stem will serve as a natural "lid" to seal the mouth so that the glutinous rice will not overflow during the steaming process.

Huang Jun was busy on the other side. He reached out and gently grabbed a handful of glutinous rice that had been soaked for a long time.

Observe carefully…

The glutinous rice has fully absorbed water, becoming round and plump, and each grain looks crystal clear.

So...

He picked up the large stainless steel basin containing soaked glutinous rice, placed it on the sink, and carefully poured out the excess water.

The water was rushing and the glutinous rice was rolling gently in the basin, making a rustling sound.

Just now.

Liu Suyu noticed Huang Jun's actions, she immediately put down the work in her hands, stepped forward, and enthusiastically lent a hand, "Chef Huang, let me help you!"

"Thank you!"

Huang Jun turned his head, his lips slightly raised, revealing a warm smile.

As the saying goes, "When men and women work together, work becomes less tiring."

Together, they transferred the soaked glutinous rice into another container, preparing for the next step of filling.

Huang Jun picked up a piece of cut lotus root with the cut side facing upwards, grabbed a handful of soaked glutinous rice, and began to pour the glutinous rice into the holes of the lotus root in small amounts over and over again. Every time he poured some in, he gently shook the lotus root so that the glutinous rice could evenly fill every corner.

During the process of stuffing the glutinous rice, Huang Jun would occasionally press it lightly with a chopstick to check whether the glutinous rice had been stuffed properly.

have to be aware of is.

During this step, it is crucial to control the force and be sure not to use too much force.

Because glutinous rice will expand a little during the cooking process, there is no need to fill the pot too full when stuffing it with glutinous rice.

He left some space just right, which can effectively ensure the integrity of the lotus root and prevent the lotus root from breaking due to expansion of the glutinous rice after cooking.

After the glutinous rice is poured in, Huang Jun puts the lotus root head that was cut off earlier back on the lotus root in its original shape, making the joints fit tightly.

Then, he took out a few toothpicks and skillfully and methodically inserted each toothpick into the "lid" of the lotus root to seal it.

When sealing with toothpicks, you can put in a few more toothpicks. This will not only make the seal tighter, but also ensure that the glutinous rice will not leak out during the subsequent cooking process, thus maintaining the integrity and beauty of the lotus root.

With the insertion of the last toothpick, the stuffing of a lotus root is completed.

"Chef Huang, can I have a try?"

Liu Suyu, who witnessed the whole process, had an eager light in his eyes. He thought the process of stuffing glutinous rice was quite simple, so he volunteered to step forward.

Huang Jun turned around and saw Liu Suyu's enthusiastic expression, and nodded with a smile: "Of course, Manager Liu, you can try it!
He moved aside so that Liu Suyu had room to stand, and handed her a piece of white lotus root.

Liu Suyu took the lotus root and, imitating Huang Jun's behavior, grabbed a handful of glutinous rice and prepared to stuff it into the hole of the lotus root.

pity…

The more ideals there are, the more skinny the reality is!

The glutinous rice in her hand, like naughty raindrops, escaped from her control and scattered outside, but only a few of them actually entered the holes of the lotus roots.

This is embarrassing!

A trace of embarrassment flashed across her pretty face, but she was not discouraged.

He adjusted his strategy and began to patiently stuff the glutinous rice into the holes of the lotus roots one by one, shaking the lotus roots from time to time, trying to fill the glutinous rice more evenly.

Huang Jun couldn't help laughing when he saw this scene, and said jokingly: "Manager Liu, with your hand speed, you won't be able to finish it even if you work until the evening..."

Liu Suyu: "..."

Chef Huang, Chef Huang, life is already so difficult, can you please not say some things explicitly?
She rolled her eyes at Huang Jun coquettishly.

"Come, I'll teach you!"

As he spoke, he reached out and held her hand and began to teach her step by step.

From the amount of glutinous rice to be grabbed to how to use the cleverness of the wrist to pour the glutinous rice into the holes of the lotus root, every detail is explained in detail.

But what can be done...the "student's" thoughts seemed to drift far away, and he was absent-minded.

After all, the sudden hand-in-hand teaching caught Liu Suyu off guard and she was still in a daze. When she realized that Huang Jun was holding her hand, she felt an inexplicable warmth coming from the back of her hand. Her pretty face couldn't help but blush, and her heartbeat also quietly accelerated...

Huang Jun saw that she seemed to be distracted, so he asked softly: "Manager Liu, do you understand what I just explained?"

"what?"

Liu Suyu came back to his senses and realized that he had been distracted just now. He replied awkwardly: "Chef Huang, could you please repeat it for me again? I didn't hear it clearly just now."

Huang Jun: "..."

"All right!"

Huang Jun had to start again from the glutinous rice filling techniques so that Liu Suyu could understand.

This time, Liu Suyu listened attentively, and her eyes followed Huang Jun's every move closely, for fear of missing any details.

Under Huang Jun's patient guidance, Liu Suyu gradually mastered the skills and his techniques became more and more skillful and natural.

When the glutinous rice was successfully stuffed into the holes of the lotus roots, she felt a sense of accomplishment and was filled with gratitude for Huang Jun's careful teaching.

"It's true that listening to your words is worth ten years of study! Chef Huang, you really should open a cooking class. I will definitely learn a lot from you."

Huang Jun smiled and said: "Forget about opening a cooking class. I still enjoy cooking freely in the kitchen more."

Later, Qian Guoxiang also joined in and used the same method to stuff all the lotus roots with glutinous rice, sealed the mouth, and set it aside for later use.

After all the lotus roots were processed, Aunt Li and Aunt Lin put them in a basin and added appropriate amount of water to wash them.

After cleaning, set aside.

Huang Jun then took out two soup bags, put red yeast rice and osmanthus flowers into the bags respectively, and carefully tied the bags tightly to prevent the ingredients from leaking out.

If you don’t have a soup bag at home, you can use a small gauze as a substitute. The purpose of doing this is to make the final soup more refreshing.

Next.

Huang Jun took out a large stainless steel barrel that had been cleaned in advance, added appropriate amounts of clean water into it, and then added appropriate amounts of rock sugar according to taste, as well as a small bottle of maltose to add a sweet flavor to the dishes.

When the water in the pot boils...

Huang Jun then put the red yeast rice and osmanthus soup bag that he had prepared in advance into the pot.

Red yeast rice is added to give the dish an attractive color, while osmanthus is added to add a unique aroma to the dish.

As this dish contains a lot of sugar, in order to prevent it from sticking to the pot during the cooking process, Huang Jun puts a bamboo mat at the bottom of the bucket to prevent the rock sugar in the pot from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Then, he put the lotus roots stuffed with glutinous rice into the soup one by one and started cooking them for a long time.

This dish requires enough patience and time to cook slowly, so there must be enough water in the pot to ensure that the lotus root can fully absorb the essence of the soup.

When the soup in the pot boils again, Huang Jun covers the pot, turns to medium-low heat, and lets the lotus root slowly simmer in the soup.

This level of heat can ensure that the lotus root is soft and glutinous, while preventing the soup from evaporating too quickly, ensuring that the dish has a rich yet delicate flavor.

"You must be tired, Chef Huang. Come drink some water and take a rest!"

suddenly.

A cup was handed to Huang Jun. He turned his head and saw that it was Liu Suyu who handed it to him.

"Thank you, Manager Liu!" Huang Jun smiled and took the cup: "You're right, I'm a little thirsty."

As he said this, he began to drink in big gulps.

Take one bite...

The cool water flowed down the throat, and a cool feeling went from top to bottom, instantly taking away the heat and fatigue from the body.

"You've worked so hard to make so many sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice and lotus roots at once. Next time, don't be too compliant with your parents' wishes. Look, you've got sweat on your forehead."

As Liu Suyu spoke, she picked up a tissue and tried to wipe the sweat off Huang Jun's forehead.

But then I thought about it.

But he felt that this action was a little too intimate, so he paused and handed the tissue to Huang Jun.

Huang Jun took the tissue and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked at Liu Suyu gratefully and said, "Thank you for your concern, Director Liu. However, occasionally, within our ability, we still have to meet the parents' small wishes. This will also show that our kindergarten cares about the parents."

Liu Suyu was originally concerned about Huang Jun's health and worried that he was overworked.

Since Huang Jun had already stated his position, she didn't say anything more. She just smiled and nodded to show her understanding and support.

over time…

A faint aroma of osmanthus and the sweetness of lotus root gradually filled the kitchen. The fragrance was so mouth-watering that it seemed as if even the air had become sweet.

Huang Jun opened the lid of the pot from time to time and stirred it gently with a spoon so that the lotus root could be heated evenly and the glutinous rice could be fully cooked.

"Chef Huang, is it time to eat now?" Chu Qiwen smelled the fragrance, came over, and stared into the pot.

Huang Jun raised his head, looked at Chu Qiwen's expectant eyes, and said with a smile: "Not yet, Qiwen. This dish needs to be simmered for a while longer so that the lotus root and glutinous rice can be more flavorful."

Chu Qiwen was a little disappointed, but soon regained her smile: "Okay, then I'll wait a little longer."

After all, delicious food requires waiting!

(End of this chapter)