Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

In the kitchen of Doremi Kindergarten.

"Wow~"

The sound of water gurgling was heard as Aunt Li was busy pouring some dried mushrooms into a large basin of clean water. After washing them initially with the clean water, she switched to warm water, allowing the mushrooms to slowly expand in the warm embrace.

At this time, Huang Jun came over and specifically reminded: "Aunt Li, add more water to soak the mushrooms, at least to this level."

As he spoke, he pointed to a suitable water level mark.

Aunt Li frowned slightly, a trace of doubt flashed across her face, and then she asked curiously: "Chef Huang, why do you need to add so much water?"

Huang Jun smiled and patiently explained: "This is because when we make the braised chicken later, we will use the water used to soak the mushrooms as the base for the stew. This way, the chicken can fully absorb the essence of the mushrooms, the taste will be more delicious, and the soup will be richer."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Aunt Li's eyes lit up and she suddenly realized.

Huang Jun continued to give detailed instructions: "After the mushrooms are soaked, don't forget to keep the soaking water. Rinse the mushrooms with clean water again, and then put them into the basin. Sprinkle some flour or starch on the mushrooms, rub them gently several times, and finally rinse them with clean water. This way, the dust on the surface of the mushrooms can be thoroughly washed away."

"Okay, Chef Huang, I've taken your words to heart. I promise I'll make sure everything is done for you, so don't worry." Aunt Li promised with a smile.

"Okay! Of course I'm confident that you can do the job!"

Huang Jun smiled and turned to Aunt Lin beside him: "Aunt Lin, please soak these fungus in cold water."

When making the dish of braised chicken, shiitake mushrooms and black fungus are the indispensable soul ingredients.

Without them, the taste and flavor of the braised chicken will be greatly compromised, losing its unique mellowness and deliciousness.

"Okay, Chef Huang, I got it!"

Aunt Lin nodded solemnly.

Huang Jun had just finished explaining everything and was about to step into the operation room when a burst of urgent shouting filled the air: "Chef Huang, here I come!
Immediately afterwards, Aunt Lin's polite greeting, "Anchor Lu is here," and Lu Pengfei's response, "Yes, I'm here. Aunt Lin, you're busy," echoed in the kitchen.

Hearing the voice, Huang Jun turned around naturally and met Lu Pengfei who was hurrying over.

Lu Pengfei was seen carrying a camera on his shoulder and approaching him hurriedly, but Jiang Shuihan, who was usually by his side, was nowhere to be seen.

Huang Jun was slightly stunned by this sudden change, and asked casually: "Huh? Where's anchor Jiang? Why don't you see her with you? Did you encounter any problems on the way?"

Lu Pengfei stopped and a helpless smile flashed across his face: "She won't come today."

"Oh? Why is that? Are you feeling unwell?" Huang Jun frowned slightly, his concern evident in his words.

Lu Pengfei shook his head and explained, "She's not feeling unwell. She's been eating a lot lately, and coupled with a lack of exercise, she's gained a lot of weight. So, she decided to start losing weight from today. In order to avoid being unable to resist the temptation of delicious food, she plans not to come here until her weight returns to her ideal state. During this time, I will be fully responsible for filming and editing."

At this point, Lu Pengfei confidently added: "Chef Huang, don't worry, my shooting skills have improved a lot now, and I can handle it on my own. I promise to complete today's shooting task successfully and will not delay our important event."

In fact, deep down in his heart, he always felt that losing weight was a bit of a waste of time, and believed that sometimes, immersing oneself in the pure joy brought by delicious food was far more important than those cold weight numbers.

Instead of spending time losing weight, you might as well eat more and enjoy the food!

But loving beauty is a girl’s nature!
Even though I cannot fully understand it, I still respect it!
After all, everyone has the right to pursue and enjoy the beauty of life in their own way, and others have no right to interfere or judge!
But...it's good this way, he can still have the chance to taste one more delicious meal!

He said with a smile: "By the way, Chef Huang, don't worry, I will help Shui Han with her lunch and make sure it won't be wasted..."

Huang Jun: "..."

You are really a good partner of Jiang Shuihan!

He even thought about her meal.

"Row!"

He patted Lu Pengfei on the shoulder earnestly and said, "But remember not to overextend yourself!"

Lu Pengfei scratched his head and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Chef Huang, I know what I am doing. If I can't finish it, I will take it away!"

Huang Jun: "..."

as long as you are happy!
"Okay, then go disinfect and get ready, we'll start filming in a minute!"

As he said that, he walked into the operation room and started preparing today's lunch - braised chicken with rice.

"Chop chop chop~"

Qian Guoxiang was holding a sharp kitchen knife and skillfully chopping the chicken legs into even-sized pieces.

These chicken nuggets are the protagonists of today's braised chicken and rice feast.

The reason for choosing chicken legs instead of a whole chicken is, on the one hand, because the meat of chicken legs is tender and chewy, with a good taste and fragrant flavor; on the other hand, the chicken meat for braised chicken should not be blanched. If a whole chicken is used, it is easy to produce a meaty smell.

Moreover, the chicken pieces should not be chopped too small, otherwise they will easily fall apart during the stewing process.

"Chef Huang, I have almost finished cutting the chicken, take a look..."

Qian Guoxiang looked up at Huang Jun who came in, and explained the work progress with a smile.

Huang Jun carefully checked it and nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, the size is just right. Next, soak it in clean water. It will not only remove the blood, but also make the chicken more tender and delicious."

"Chef Huang, don't worry. I will do it even if you don't tell me. I am very familiar with the steps of making braised chicken!" Qian Guoxiang smiled happily, full of confidence.

At this time.

Aunt Li's cheerful voice penetrated every corner of the kitchen: "Chef Huang, Aunt Lin and I have washed the mushrooms and other side dishes for you and put them on the workbench."

"Okay, just leave it there! Thank you for your hard work, both of you!"

Chef Huang responded and immediately took down his god-level kitchen knife from the shelf.

The knife rises and falls...

The shiitake mushrooms were cut into thick slices of even thickness and stacked neatly together.

To add visual appeal and a hint of spiciness to the dish, he cut the green and red bell peppers into cubes and the chopped celery into small pieces.

Considering that children may not be able to tolerate spicy food, only a small amount of Erjingtiao is used to enhance the flavor.

As for the indispensable dried chili segments, he wisely omitted them, so that the dish could satisfy the tastes of adults without being too stimulating to the taste buds of children.

"Chef Huang, don't you put potato cubes in this braised chicken?"

Lu Pengfei looked at the ingredients prepared by Huang Jun, but there was no trace of potatoes, so he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Huang Jun was focused on the task at hand and answered without even looking up: "There are no potatoes in the authentic braised chicken!"

"what?"

Lu Pengfei asked in confusion: "Why do the braised chicken and rice sold in restaurants outside have potatoes added to them?"

Qian Guoxiang at the side said with a smile: "Do you even need to ask? Of course it's out of cost considerations. Authentic braised chicken emphasizes the purity of ingredients. Apart from the basic ingredients such as green and red bell peppers, chili peppers, mushrooms, fungus and chicken thighs, potatoes, onions or other vegetables are not added."

"Depend on!"

Lu Pengfei almost broke down, his mouth opened wide, and he felt mixed emotions: "It turns out that the 'authentic' braised chicken with rice I've eaten for so many years is not authentic..."

Seeing this, Qian Guoxiang raised his lips with a "you know" smile: "It's normal for businesses to pursue profits. Under the heavy pressure of food delivery platforms, coupled with fierce competition from peers and rising rents, their lives are indeed not easy. In order to cope with these challenges, some businesses will be clever and choose to add ingredients such as green vegetables, onions or potatoes to the dishes to increase the weight and make the dishes look more hearty and not so "shabby"..."

Lu Pengfei: "..." Oh my god...

Why should he know the truth?
How can he ever eat the braised chicken in other restaurants again?

For a moment, he didn't know whether he should thank Qian Guoxiang or feel sorry for himself...

Say it!

The shopkeepers outside are very tricky. He, Lu Pengfei, wants to go back to kindergarten, and it’s Doraemi Kindergarten…

It's a pity that Director Liang doesn't accept babies over 300 months old...

Qian Guoxiang didn't notice Lu Pengfei's embarrassed expression at all, and continued, "But our Dolami Kindergarten has always adhered to the original intention of running a school with conscience. We will never be careless about the children's meals. The ingredients must be carefully selected to ensure that they are fresh and healthy, and the portions are absolutely sufficient so that the children can eat well and have enough. All of this is just for the children to thrive and have a healthy and happy childhood."

Lu Pengfei nodded in agreement.

indeed.

Looking across the city, when it comes to kindergarten food, if Doraemi Kindergarten is ranked second, no one dares to claim to be first!
Here, Qian Guoxiang took out the soaked chicken nuggets and gently placed them on the workbench: "Chef Huang, the chicken nuggets are soaked."

"Ok!"

Huang Jun responded briefly, then shouted to the stunned Lv Pengfei: "Anchor Lv, start filming!"

"Oh~"

Lu Pengfei came to his senses and quickly aimed the camera at Huang Jun.

"Hello, parents! Welcome to our cooking class. Today, I will lead you to learn how to make a classic delicacy - braised chicken with rice."

Huang Jun briefly introduced the name of the dish to the camera and then began his cooking demonstration: "Now we are going to start frying sugar color. Three kinds of sugar are usually used to fry sugar color: rock sugar, white sugar, and soft white sugar."

"The colors of the three kinds of sugars are different. Soft sugar and granulated sugar produce the brightest colors, while rock sugar produces the most elegant colors. For braised chicken, you don't need an overly rosy color. Rock sugar is just the right color."

As he spoke, Huang Jun poured some oil into the pot. After the oil was heated, he turned the heat to low and grabbed a few handfuls of crystal clear rock sugar and sprinkled them into the pot.

"Making sugar color is a slow and careful job, so don't rush it!"

Huang Jun held a spoon and stirred the rock sugar in the pot, and did not forget to say to the camera: "We have to let the hot oil and rock sugar slowly blend into that golden and attractive syrup, so that the meat can be evenly colored when cooking, and it will look good and taste good."

"The heat is the key to stir-frying sugar color. If it is too high, the sugar will be burnt, and if it is too low, the color will not be enough. So, you have to use medium or low heat and stir-fry slowly."

"When the syrup turns into a jujube red color that makes you drool and bubbles appear, the sugar color is cooked properly."

There are two ways to use the fried sugar color. The first one is simple and direct, which is to fry it with meat. It is especially suitable for meat with a lot of oil and water, such as pork belly. The taste is amazing! But chicken nuggets are different. They have less oil and water. It is easy to burn if fried like this, and the chicken nuggets will turn black and bitter. So, we have to use the second method. "

"First, fry the sugar color, then add some boiling water, and then pour out the sugar color water for later use. Next, fry the chicken nuggets in another pot. When the chicken nuggets are almost done, pour the sugar color water back in and cook them together. The chicken nuggets made in this way are so delicious that they can make your eyebrows fall off, and the color is also bright red and attractive, which makes people's appetite increase greatly just by looking at it!"

As he spoke, Huang Jun saw that the sugar color in the pot had turned into a reddish-red color with small bubbles coming out. He quickly poured in some boiling water, and reminded them as he poured: "Be careful at this step. Don't use cold water. Once the water is cold, the hot oil and sugar will splash everywhere, which can easily burn you. It's okay to use boiling water. The syrup will blend with the boiling water immediately, and the color will be better!"

Seeing that the syrup and boiling water in the pot blended perfectly, he poured the sugar color into another container and set it aside for later use.

Turn around and relight the stove and pour in a proper amount of oil.

The oil rippled as the temperature rose, and he threw all the spices he had prepared in advance into the pot.

The spices gradually release their charming aroma in the hot oil.

He poured the chicken pieces into the pan and explained while frying: "Chicken thighs are suitable for stir-frying for a little longer, so that the fat under the chicken skin can be slowly forced out, making the chicken taste smoother and less greasy."

As the chicken gradually turned yellow and the moisture evaporated quietly, Huang Jun put in the ginger slices and erjingtiao segments and continued to stir-fry so that every piece of chicken was evenly coated with the flavor of the spices.

At this point, the oil in the pan is shiny, but due to constant stir-frying, the oil temperature is not too high, just enough to bring out the aroma of the ingredients.

After the aroma was fully released, Huang Jun began to add seasoning.

Add cooking wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, stir-fry for a while, and the surface of the chicken will be evenly coated with an attractive color.

He slowly poured the sugar color he had prepared into the pot, and then added the water used to soak the mushrooms, with the amount of water just enough to cover the chicken pieces.

He covered the pot and let the chicken slowly stew in the pot, saying to the camera: "If you want to cook it quickly, you can use a pressure cooker, but the chicken will be crushed and mushy, losing the unique chewy texture of chicken. Chicken stewed slowly like this is still delicious."

Time passed quietly, and about ten minutes later...

Huang Jun lifted the lid of the pot and put the chopped mushrooms and black fungus into the pot, reminding the camera: "Remember, don't put the soaked mushrooms into the pot too early. If you put them in too early, they will be overcooked. We want the chicken to be full of the fragrance of mushrooms, and that's why we added the mushroom water earlier."

As soon as the mushrooms were put into the pot, the soup in the pot immediately seemed less.

He covered the pot again and let the delicious food continue to brew, simmering for about ten minutes.

soon.

The kitchen was filled with tempting aromas.

Huang Jun looked at the time and thought it was about time, so he opened the lid of the pot, sprinkled some salt in, and stir-fried it a few times to ensure that every ingredient was evenly flavored.

He turned up the heat and started the "juice collecting" mode.

Under the effect of heat, the chicken in the pot is gradually covered with a golden coat, the color is attractive, and it exudes an irresistible aroma, which increases people's appetite at a glance.

When the soup reached the ideal viscosity, Huang Jun poured all the chopped green and red peppers into it, stir-fried it for a few times and then turned off the heat.

At this time, the residual temperature in the pot is still hot, enough to quickly cook the green and red peppers, retaining their crispy and tender taste while adding a bit of fresh flavor.

Huang Jun served the braised chicken with satisfaction.

That moment...

The delicious taste of chicken and the rich aroma of mushrooms intertwined together made almost everyone in the kitchen temporarily forget the work at hand and indulge in this tempting taste.

Lu Pengfei could not resist the temptation and could not help but point the camera at the delicious braised chicken. At the same time, he freed up one hand, took out his mobile phone, unlocked the password, and asked Qian Guoxiang to help him shoot a short video.

After the filming was finished, he took it and added the text with a smile on his face: "Huangchu brand braised chicken, color, aroma and taste, you can smell the fragrance through the screen, just ask you, are you greedy?"

……

Originally, after weighing himself this morning, Jiang Shuihan had learned his lesson and made up his mind not to go to Dolami Kindergarten for meals this week. He even planned to eat only one meal a day in the future, vowing to say goodbye to the extra fat on his body.

However, when she saw the braised chicken video shared by Lu Pengfei on WeChat Moments, her defenses collapsed immediately and she had only one thought in her mind - to rush to Doraemi Kindergarten to feast on the food.

"No, no, Jiang Shuihan, you are losing weight now!"

The voice of reason sounded in her ears, trying to bring her back to reality.

However, the braised chicken on the screen looked so tempting and mouth-watering that she could hardly resist the temptation...

finally!
Greed overcomes reason.

She consoled herself: "I'll just go over and eat a little bit... well, just a little bit, just to taste it and satisfy my craving."

then……

She didn't even have time to change her shoes, she hurried out, took a taxi, and rushed to the Doraimi Kindergarten, totally disregarding her image, fearing that if she was late, the delicious braised chicken would be eaten up. (End of this chapter)