Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

Huang Jun looked at the expressions of Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing, and immediately understood.

His cooking skills have initially won their recognition, but from their micro-expressions, it can be seen that they are not completely convinced of his craftsmanship.

even so!

So what?

He does not rely on their approval to define his own worth.

Huang Jun ignored their doubts and put on a clean white chef's uniform. He said to Chef Wu, "Chef Wu, let's get started..."

"Okay, Chef Huang!"

Chef Wu answered with a smile, and then asked respectfully: "So, which dish should we start with?"

Huang Jun responded without hesitation: "Let's start with the steamed crab meat and pork belly!"

This braised crab meat and lion head is a famous Huaiyang dish, also known as sunflower chopped meat.

Not only has it conquered the hearts of countless diners with its wonderful taste, but it has also fully demonstrated the exquisite knife skills of Huaiyang cuisine.

Its round and full appearance is similar to the Four-Happiness Meatballs in Shandong cuisine, but in terms of size, the Lion's Head is more spectacular and can be compared with two Four-Happiness Meatballs.

In terms of production technology, there is an essential difference between the two: Four-happiness meatballs are made by chopping the meat filling, while Lion's head requires fine cutting one by one. This meticulous processing of ingredients makes Lion's head superior in terms of craftsmanship.

therefore.

From a technical perspective, it is not difficult to tell the difference between these two dishes.

Of course, this does not mean that the Four-Happiness Meatballs lacks deliciousness. On the contrary, in terms of how well it goes with rice, the Four-Happiness Meatballs are even better.

But if judged from the perspective of cooking skills and artistry, the braised crab meat and lion head undoubtedly has the upper hand.

It is not only a delicacy that satisfies your appetite, but also a work of art that deserves careful savoury. While enjoying the food, one can also feel the ingenuity of the chef.

Huang Jun placed the washed pork belly on the chopping board.

When cooking the dish of Lion's Head, although pork belly is common, the most ideal ingredient is actually three-layer pork ribs with five belly.

This is because there is a key step in making lion's head, which is to finely cut the fat and lean meat into meat pieces the size of pomegranate seeds, and then carefully mix the fillings according to traditional proportions.

Only in this way can an authentic and genuine lion head be made.

Although pork belly is composed of both fat and lean meat, the fat and lean parts are intertwined, so the fat and lean meat need to be completely separated before cooking.

This step not only tests the chef's patience, but also challenges his knife skills.

This is not a problem for Huang Jun!

I saw him peeling the pork skin off the pork belly easily with a move of the knife, and then placing the processed pork belly in the center of the chopping board.

In the process of separating the fat and the lean, he had a focused eye and steady technique, carefully cutting off the fat layer close to the skin one by one, and then accurately removing the first layer of lean meat.

There was no drag at all during the whole process.

finally.

He separated each layer of fat and lean meat thoroughly and neatly. There was no trace of lean meat in the fat, and the surface of the lean meat was as smooth as new, without any trace of fat.

The precise control of ingredients and the mastery of knife skills left Chef Wu, Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing present dumbfounded and shocked.

“That’s amazing…”

Chef Wu watched silently from the side, and an indescribable feeling of admiration rose in his heart.

To be honest, although he has made some achievements in cooking, he pales in comparison with Huang Jun and feels inferior.

Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing also couldn't hide their amazement. They looked at each other and saw the same shock in each other's eyes.

The exquisiteness of the knife skills was beyond imagination. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that such superb skills could be created by a young man.

Recalling the scenes when they were processing food ingredients, they often needed to cut and remove them repeatedly to achieve satisfactory results, but Huang Jun could get it right with one cut, accurately and without error. This gap made them sigh inwardly and feel ashamed of themselves.

However, good knife skills do not completely represent good cooking skills.

We need to wait and see!

Huang Jun had no time to care about the thoughts of the people around him at the moment. He was busy preparing to cut the meat filling.

He first cut the sliced ​​lean meat into slices about four centimeters long. Each slice was neat and even, as if measured with a ruler.

He then stacked these slices of meat layer by layer to form a compact and orderly stack of "meat bricks".

As the kitchen knife danced briskly in his hand, the pile of "meat bricks" instantly turned into countless tiny strips of meat, each of which was approximately four millimeters square and uniform in size.

After finishing cutting the meat strips, Huang Jun did not stop, but arranged the meat strips more carefully, and waved the kitchen knife again to cut them into four millimeter square pieces of meat.

After this series of delicate operations, the preliminary preparation of the lean meat filling is successfully completed.

In comparison, the processing of fat is slightly simpler because it does not contain complex fascia and has a relatively soft structure.

But fatty meat also has its own unique challenge - it is too greasy.

During the cutting process, the grease on the fat will inevitably get on your hands, making it easy for you to slip when holding the knife, resulting in uneven size of the cut meat particles and even the risk of cutting your hands.

But for Huang Jun, these are not problems.

With his skillful techniques, he easily cut the fat into slices of even thickness, and then further cut them into strips and cubes.

The size of these diced fat is exactly the same as the lean meat particles, just like the size of pomegranate seeds.

After all the diced fat was neatly placed in the bowl, Huang Jun began to work on the next step - preparing the meat filling.

He put them all into a large bowl in a ratio of 30% lean meat and 70% fat meat. This ratio makes the lion's head taste fragrant and not greasy.

Then, he poured some scallion and ginger water that Chef Wu had prepared earlier into the basin.

This scallion and ginger water is a good thing for removing fishy smell and enhancing freshness. It can take away the strange smell in the meat and make the meat more fragrant.

Moreover, the onion and ginger water can make the meat filling more tender and taste better.

In addition to the onion and ginger water, he also sprinkled some salt into the basin, poured some Huadiao wine, and some white pepper powder.

Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing watched quietly from the side, and when they saw that Huang Jun did not add any extra seasoning, they knew what was going on.

It seems...

Chef Huang is really good at making this dish, and he knows that the charm of this dish does not lie in the accumulation of seasonings, but in how to skillfully let the deliciousness of the ingredients jump out on the tip of the tongue, achieving a state of returning to nature.

But as the saying goes, "the simplest way is the best", the simpler the use of seasonings, the more stringent the requirements on the freshness of the ingredients, the cooking temperature and the chef's skills.

Every detail must be refined and no carelessness is allowed, because any flaw will be revealed in the final product...

Saying.

Can this young chef Huang really handle it?
Huang Jun held the edge of the basin firmly with his left hand, and stirred the meat particles in one direction in the basin with his right hand until they gradually stuck together and showed full elasticity.

In this dish, all auxiliary adhesives such as starch are discarded, which means that the meat particles have to be allowed to gel naturally and condense into a tight meat ball like a lion's head, which is undoubtedly a great test of skills.

Therefore, simple stirring is not enough.

You have to use the "bundling" technique.

The so-called "tying" does not mean to tie with ropes, but to gently roll the mixed meat into balls and then toss them back and forth between hands.

During this process, the tiny gaps between the meat particles are squeezed out one by one, and at the same time the gelatin inside the meat is fully released, making the meat particles more closely combined together, and finally turning into a round, smooth, and integrated meat ball.

However, before "tying" it, Huang Jun also added some crab powder and shrimp roe.

This way, the lion head is not only delicious, but also more fresh.

After he mixed the crab roe and shrimp roe with the minced meat, he divided the minced meat into equal portions.

Then, he began to "tie" the lion's head.
He used his palm to pick up the portioned meat filling from the basin. The piece of meat filling was slightly larger than an adult's fist. In the world of lion head meat filling, such a size is definitely outstanding, but it also tests the chef's skills.

As the size of the lion's head increases, the difficulty of making meatballs will also increase accordingly. Not only is it difficult to "tie" it up, but overly large meat fillings can easily "defect" due to their own weight, causing the meat filling on the surface to fall apart.

Huang Jun first kneads the meat filling into a round ball, then squeezes it moderately to expel the air inside the meatball and make it compact.

This step requires careful control. If you use too much force, the meatballs may become loose and your efforts will be wasted.

After extrusion...

He held the meatball steadily with his left hand, and gently placed his right hand close to his left hand, and with an almost imperceptible movement, he slowly guided the meatball to slide from his left hand to his right hand.

After several such rolling passes, he gradually increased the distance between his hands, and the meatball drew a graceful arc in the air, jumping from the palm of one hand to the palm of the other hand.

This is a delicate job that requires patience and physical strength.

He needs to toss the meatballs repeatedly so that the meat grains can gel and stick together firmly during the squeezing process.

This process takes a long time, at least half an hour.

In the past, there was a fixed number of times each lion head had to be “tied”, but now most chefs add some starch to save trouble, so that the meat filling can be firmly glued together without the effort of “tying” it.

But the taste of the lion head with added starch is a bit worse.

therefore.

In some high-end restaurants that pursue quality, the use of additives such as starch is strictly prohibited.

Only when the gelatin of the meat is fully beaten out, the meat filling will taste more delicious, leaving people with an endless aftertaste, even to the point of "not knowing the taste of meat for three months".

Huang Jun is well aware of this, so he naturally resolutely rejects the shortcut of adding starch.

With his careful production, the originally slightly loose meatballs gradually became fuller and rounder with a firmer texture over time.

This firmness does not mean that the meatballs are as elastic as Chaoshan beef balls, but that the gaps inside the meat filling are carefully squeezed, making the entire meatball structure more compact, the volume slightly smaller, and appear more refined.

After finishing the meatballs, Huang Jun placed them neatly on a plate for later use. He then turned his gaze to Chef Wu and asked gently, "Chef Wu, is the casserole ready?"

The key to this dish lies in the stewing utensil. The casserole, with its unique material and heat preservation properties, can maximize the freshness and flavor of the ingredients.

If you use an iron pan, due to less seasoning, the finished dish may be contaminated with the unique iron smell of the iron pan, thus affecting the final taste and flavor.

"When it's ready, I'll get it for you!"

Chef Wu immediately understood what he meant and quickly took out a clean clay pot and handed it respectfully to Huang Jun.

Huang Jun took the casserole and put it on the stove.

He washed his hands, picked up a piece of pork rind that had been cooked and properly handled, and placed it, skin side up, on the bottom of the casserole.

This is not only to prevent the lion's head from being damaged by close contact with the bottom of the pot, but also to utilize the gelatin in the skin to add a touch of viscosity and mellowness to the soup, while locking the shape of the lion's head, making it more complete, attractive, and not loose.

The choice of cooked pork skin is to avoid the fishy smell of raw skin and ensure that the pure flavor of the lion's head is not disturbed in the slightest.

He placed the plump meatballs gently on the skin, arranging them in an orderly manner.

Then slowly pour in the warm pork bone broth that Chef Wu had prepared in advance. The golden liquid flowed delicately along the edge of the casserole until it completely submerged the lion's head.

When the broth was added to 80% full, Huang Jun gently turned on the stove switch, and instantly, a blue flame jumped up.

of course.

This is not over yet, you still have to add ingredients to the pot.

Huang Jun picked up the washed cabbage leaves and removed the hard stalks, leaving only the soft and tender leaves.

He spread the leaves one by one, slowly covering the broth until the entire casserole was covered with green, then he stopped.

The step of laying the cabbage leaves is crucial, because cabbage leaves have excellent adsorption properties. They can absorb the blood and foam released during the cooking process of the lion's head, and at the same time absorb excess oil, making the soup in the pot more refreshing.

Not only that, the cabbage can add a fresh flavor to the soup, and most importantly, it can effectively prevent the soup in the pot from boiling violently.

Since the lion's head is tightly bound together by the gelatin of the meat, once the soup boils too violently, it may cause the lion's head to fall apart.

The laying of cabbage leaves is like a protective net, which minimizes the possibility of the soup boiling. Even if boiling occurs occasionally, the cabbage leaves can effectively slow down its amplitude, protect the lion's head from damage, and ensure its shape is intact.

As the casserole began to boil, Huang Jun lowered the heat to a low heat, keeping the soup in the casserole just about to boil, so that every bit of deliciousness could slowly seep into the meatballs.

Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing watched Huang Jun make the braised crab meat lion head from time to time. His smooth technique and strict control of each step made the two of them understand clearly that they were really inferior to Huang Jun this time. Compared with Huang Jun, they were just like primary school students watching college students doing homework.

therefore.

The contempt in their eyes quietly faded away, replaced by a trace of sincere respect and admiration.

"Look at how they make the lion head. Every step is so authentic and meticulous!"

"Yes, it's amazing, definitely a master. It seems we underestimated him before." (End of this chapter)