Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

Shortly after noon time...

Huang Jun took a short rest and then started to prepare dinner for the evening.

Originally!
This dinner was specially prepared for the fifteen families who received "family meal coupons".

But unexpectedly, the teachers and leaders in the kindergarten also wanted to have this meal, and they all went to find Liang Yinqiu, wanting her to talk to Huang Jun to see if they could make more, so that they could stay and have dinner with the fifteen families and taste Huang Jun's cooking skills.

This additional request...

Liang Yinqiu should have refused some of them, but she was greedy too.

finally!
Unable to resist the temptation, she had to humble herself and go to the kitchen in person to ask Huang Jun for help with an embarrassed look on her face.

Huang Jun thought that since the owner of the garden came to him in person to ask for help, he should give her face and agree to it.

Then he thought that since he had already prepared meals for so many people, preparing meals for a few dozen more would be just a piece of cake. What's more, this way, their family of three could stay and eat together, so he wouldn't have to be busy preparing another dinner after returning home.

Thinking of this, he readily agreed to Liang Yinqiu's proposal.

In order to reduce Huang Jun's burden and make the dinner more complete, Liang Yinqiu arranged for the teachers and school leaders who were free in the afternoon to come to the kitchen to assist him.

Now, Huang Jun is preparing to cook Dongpo pork. The name of this dish alone is enough to arouse people's appetite and make people salivate.

Liu Suyu observed the meat and ingredients on the table and asked Huang Jun curiously, "Chef Huang, why didn't you prepare spices like peppercorns, aniseed, bay leaves, and cinnamon?"

Huang Jun smiled and responded: "The authentic way to cook Dongpo pork does not use those spices. In fact, this is true not only for Dongpo pork, but also for braised pork. What we pursue is to use the simplest seasonings to maximize the deliciousness of the meat itself..."

"Yes, this is the subtlety of cooking!" Qian Guoxiang nodded in agreement as he scraped the skin off the soaked pork belly.

After hearing this, Liu Suyu showed a thoughtful look on her face and said, "No wonder when I watched TV cooking shows, those chefs didn't use spices when making braised pork. It turns out there is a lot of knowledge behind this."

"Oh, by the way, Chef Huang, what are the specific differences between Dongpo pork and braised pork? I can never tell them apart, and always feel that they are quite similar." Chu Qiwen expressed her doubts to Huang Jun.

Huang Jun explained: "In fact, it is very easy to distinguish between them."

"First of all, in terms of size, Dongpo pork is larger, at least the same size as mahjong pieces, usually a square with a side length of four or five centimeters; while braised pork is relatively smaller, the largest of which is no more than the size of a mahjong piece."

"In addition, the traditional method of cooking Dongpo pork does not add water or salt, and mainly relies on three condiments: light soy sauce, rice wine and dark soy sauce."

"Light soy sauce is used to enhance the flavor, dark soy sauce is used for coloring, and rice wine can remove the fishy smell and add fragrance, while also making the meat soft and smooth."

"By contrast, braised pork is usually cooked with sugar colouring to give it colour, water is added to simmer the meat and a moderate amount of salt is added."

"The most significant difference is the cooking steps. Dongpo pork does not need to be stir-fried, but can be directly put into the pot and cooked. In some regions, steaming is also added. However, braised pork needs to be stir-fried before further cooking."

Chu Qiwen nodded as if something had suddenly dawned on her.

It is true that listening to Chef Huang’s words is better than reading ten years of books…

Huang Jun took the pork belly that Qian Guoxiang had carefully removed the hair and washed, and placed it skin side down on the chopping board.

He picked up the god-level kitchen knife and began to carefully carve the lean meat so that each slice of meat would be of uniform thickness, so that the final dish would appear more delicate and beautiful.

"Shhhhh..."

With a crisp and rhythmic sound, silver light jumped between the blade and the piece of meat. After a while, square pieces of meat with a side length of exactly four centimeters were neatly arranged, as pleasing to the eye as works of art.

After the meat is cut...

Huang Jun turned around and took out a large iron pot and placed it steadily on the fire.

He poured half a pot of clear cold water into the pot, then sprinkled in scallion segments and ginger slices, poured in an appropriate amount of cooking wine, and put the chopped meat pieces into the pot one by one.

"boom!"

The fire was blazing, the flames quickly licking the bottom of the pot.

When the water is completely boiled, Huang Jun holds a long-handled spoon and scrapes off the impurities and foam floating on the surface. Only after the soup is clear and the meat is clean, he picks up the colander and scoops up the pieces of meat one by one.

During this period.

The fire must not be turned off, and the broth in the pot must continue to boil. Only in this way can the precipitated impurities be effectively prevented from returning to the surface of the meat, thus retaining its pure taste and excellent quality.

After all the pieces of meat were picked up, he moved the big iron pot off the stove and replaced it with a simple and elegant large clay pot, officially starting the process of making Dongpo pork.

He spread the chopped scallions Qian Guoxiang had cut in layers at the bottom of the casserole. The two layers were green and neat, like emerald jade. He then placed the ginger slices in an orderly manner on top of the scallion layers.

When putting the meat into the casserole, he pays special attention to placing it skin side down, so that the skin can be directly heated, thus keeping the meat firm and avoiding the risk of it becoming loose due to overheating.

"Chef Huang, why don't you tie up the Dongpo pork with a rope? The Dongpo pork I saw in the restaurant was always tied up."

Liu Suyu noticed that Huang Jun did not use a rope to secure the meat, so she asked curiously.

Huang Jun smiled and explained: "Using rope to tie the meat is usually because the quality of the pork belly is not good, or the heat is not properly controlled during the slow cooking process, causing the meat to fall apart easily. Tying with rope can prevent this. However, this actually reflects the lack of confidence in the control of the heat and the concern about the quality of the ingredients."

"Yes, Chef Huang is right. Using ropes to tie people up is actually a manifestation of a lack of confidence in the control of the fire."

After hearing this, Qian Guoxiang nodded in agreement and added, "Manager Liu, let me tell you, with Chef Huang's cooking skills, there is no need for this extra step."

"That's right!"

Liu Suyu understood and nodded in agreement.

After Huang Jun neatly placed all the meat pieces skin side down into the pot, he began the seasoning process.

He first slowly poured a proper amount of light soy sauce into the casserole to enhance the flavor of the meat, but the amount should be moderate. Too little will make the meat taste bland and taste greasy.

He added more dark soy sauce than usual in order to give the meat a layer of attractive red makeup, making the color of the meat more bright and attractive.

Of course, if you prefer natural color, you can also put red yeast rice into a special marinade bag and put them in the pot together. In this way, the Dongpo pork will appear different kind of rosy. But in comparison, the color given by dark soy sauce is deeper, which makes people's appetite increase at first sight.

However, if only red yeast rice is used, the color of the meat may be too bright, giving the impression that artificial coloring has been added.

After adding dark soy sauce, Huang Jun put a handful of rock sugar into the pot. The amount of rock sugar used is quite large. Apart from Wuxi cuisine, I am afraid that only Zhejiang cuisine would use sugar so boldly.

Although this way of adding sugar may surprise people from other places, it is just a common practice in the Jiangnan region and is not worth making a fuss about.

He then slowly poured the rice wine into the casserole until the wine was level with the meat, then he stopped his actions with satisfaction.

Then he put the lid on the casserole and turned on the fire on the stove.

At first, he used a high fire to make the casserole boil quickly. Amid the hot steam, the aroma of meat and wine intertwined.

When the soup in the casserole began to bubble, he turned down the heat to keep the casserole in a delicate state of balance - neither completely still nor surging, but the kind of state that was "about to boil but not yet boiled".

Such heat control is the secret to making soft, glutinous and delicious Dongpo pork.
While waiting, Huang Jun was not idle. He took out the prawns that Qian Guoxiang had prepared and prepared to make salt and pepper prawns.

Compared with the complicated Dongpo pork, the preparation process of this dish is simpler.

The first step is marinating. Huang Jun pours the prawns into the prepared basin, then pours in an appropriate amount of cooking wine and sprinkles in finely chopped green onion and ginger.

He mixes it evenly with his hands so that each prawn is evenly coated with the marinade, and then sets it aside to allow the marinade to fully penetrate, aiming to remove the fishy smell of the prawns and enhance their flavor, making the shrimp meat more delicious.

While the prawns were being marinated, Huang Jun began to prepare pepper and salt.

The pepper salt he chose was not a simple mixture of peppercorns and salt, but pepper was added to increase the flavor layer.

There are two ways to make pepper and salt. The first one is very simple. Just mix the Sichuan peppercorns, pepper and salt together and fry them until they are cooked. Then sprinkle them on the prawns after they are cooked.

However, the disadvantage of this method is that the taste of pepper and salt may only remain on the surface of the shrimp, and the flavor inside the shrimp meat will not be so strong.

The second method is a little more complicated, but tastes better. You have to mix Sichuan pepper powder, pepper and salt together, then stir-fry it with the prawns.

In this way, the aroma of pepper and salt can slowly seep into the shrimp meat. When the pepper and salt flavor is strong, the prawns are just cooked through and taste fragrant and tasty.

However, this method requires good control of the heat, otherwise the shrimp may be overcooked, or the pepper and salt may be burnt and the shrimp may not be cooked.

As an experienced chef with four months of cooking experience, Huang Jun naturally chose the second method without hesitation!
He took a clean, empty bowl and placed it on the table. The golden color instantly spread in the bowl. Then, he added some pepper and some fine salt, letting the three elements interweave together.

"Chef Huang, how do you determine the ratio of pepper and salt?"

Chu Qiwen, who loves this dish, asked curiously.

Huang Jun smiled and gave her some advice: "Generally speaking, I will control the ratio of Sichuan pepper powder, pepper powder and fine salt to about 3:3:4, but this ratio is just a reference. What is really important is that we have to adjust it according to each person's taste. For example, if you like to eat something a little bit spicy, then you can put more Sichuan pepper powder; if your taste is salty, then add more salt; and if you like the strong barbecue flavor, the proportion of black pepper powder can be appropriately increased..."

"So," he continued as he stirred the seasoning in the bowl, "there is no fixed rule for the mix of pepper and salt. It is mainly fine-tuned according to personal taste. Today, in order to cater to the tastes of parents and children, I mixed it according to a milder ratio..."

Conversation room.

The prawns are almost marinated.

Huang Jun picked them out of the marinade, carefully removed the shredded green onion and ginger attached to them, and then evenly sprinkled a thin layer of starch on the surface of the prawns.

He mixed it with his hands.

The main purpose of adding starch is to lock in the moisture in the shrimp meat, so that it remains fresh and juicy after cooking; it is also to give the shrimp shell a crispy texture, so that when people taste it, they can feel the delicacy of the shrimp meat and experience the pleasure of the shrimp shell gently breaking between their lips and teeth.

He picked up the wok and placed it on the stove and poured some peanut oil into the wok.

As the flame jumps, the oil temperature gradually rises to the optimal state...

Huang Jun gently put the marinated prawns into the hot pot one by one.

During the frying process, he constantly tapped and pressed the prawns with the spatula in his hand. This series of actions not only allowed the hot oil to delicately penetrate into every corner of the shrimp shell, giving the outer layer an unparalleled crispness, but also skillfully squeezed out the essence of the shrimp brain and shrimp paste, making each shrimp more attractive and rosy in color, and the taste more rich and full.

As time slowly passes, the prawns in the pot are gradually covered with a golden coat, the color is attractive, and they make a mouth-watering crispy sound when turned over.

now.

He picked up the bowl full of pepper and salt and sprinkled it into the pot. The pepper and salt covered the prawns like fine snow, instantly enhancing the aroma of the whole dish.

Then, he turned his wrist, flipped the pot lightly, and made several smooth flipping movements, which not only ensured that the pepper and salt adhered evenly to each prawn, but also cleverly lowered the temperature in the pot, preventing the pepper and salt from burning due to overheating, thus retaining its purest aroma.

When the air was filled with the rich aroma of prickly ash and pepper, Huang Jun decisively turned off the fire, scooped out the carefully cooked prawns one by one with a spoon, and served them on a plate...

at the same time.

Parents coming from all directions gradually gathered in front of the kindergarten gate. They had only one purpose - to welcome their children who were about to finish school.

only…

When the parents stepped into this area, they were immediately attracted by the tempting aroma wafting quietly from the garden. They couldn't help but sniff the air. Just the smell made them so greedy that their stomachs couldn't help but growl. At the same time, they realized that this was Chef Huang preparing dinner for those parents who had "family meal coupons"!

It's a pity that they can only smell it but can't eat it...

What a sad and painful thing this is!
"Excuse me, everyone, please make way..."

Li Xiuxian, who had just arrived, asked for help from the parents who were blocking the guard room.

This time, she did not choose to travel with Liu Qiangtao, but came hand in hand with her mother-in-law.

Actually, Liu Qiangtao was also willing to come, but the majesty of his "Queen Mother" mother was too overwhelming to resist, so he had no choice but to give in and hand over this rare opportunity, while he silently tasted cold rice at home.

"Thank you!"

Li Xiuxian smiled and thanked the parents who made way for her, then led her mother-in-law to the guard room.

She greeted Uncle Li inside warmly: "Uncle, hello! I am a parent who has made a dinner reservation tonight. I have already made an appointment with Teacher Yang of the fourth grade class. This is my 'family meal voucher', thank you for your help."

Uncle Li responded kindly: "Oh, I remember that. You can go directly to the class after registering here. Other parents who have made appointments, please come and register as well."

As soon as he said this, other families holding "family meal coupons" also came over and registered with him.

Then they walked into the school gate one after another and headed for their respective classrooms, leaving behind a group of parents who did not have "family meal coupons" and were madly envious and jealous... (End of this chapter)