Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

After Huang Jun successfully finished cooking all the previous dishes, he devoted himself to the careful preparation of the final dish - boiled cabbage.

The production process of this dish seems simple and clear on the surface, but it is actually quite difficult to meet the dual high standards of taste enjoyment and visual art at the same time.

The preparation of boiled cabbage is not only a test of the chef's profound attainments in making broth and seasoning, but also an extremely high requirement for his carving skills, which is almost harsh.

If the flower carving is not delicate and elegant enough, the artistic expression of the entire dish will be greatly reduced.

after all.

Boiled cabbage is not an ordinary dish, it is more like a fine work of art.

When people taste this dish, they are more appreciating its aesthetic value.

When the exquisitely crafted flowers bloom leisurely on the crystal clear soup, it seems to have a magical power that can instantly soothe and relax people's hearts.

With such an experience as a foundation, when you taste other dishes later, the unique feeling is different and hard to describe.

But even if we emphasize its artistic value, the beauty of the boiled cabbage soup base is still difficult to match by other dishes.

This dish is undoubtedly the pinnacle of Sichuan cuisine mastery, and it is also a brilliant symbol of the return of culinary art to its essence.

The soup, which looks as clear as water, is paired with plain cabbage, but in fact it contains the chef's endless pursuit of gourmet craftsmanship...

In the operation room, there was already a pot of crystal clear soup. It was the result of his careful preparation yesterday and the clever use of chicken breast to filter it. The soup was clear and the taste was just right.

Therefore!

He seemed extremely relaxed when he started preparing this dish.

Just trim the cabbage and slowly pour the warm chicken soup on it, and you're done.

The whole process is extremely simple and you don’t even need to add any seasoning.

the reason is.

This broth is made from the essence of two chickens, two ducks, two pork elbows and a Jinhua ham.

The salt in Jinhua ham adds enough salty flavor to the broth.

The addition of a whole duck gives the soup base an enticing aroma; the addition of a whole chicken enhances the deliciousness of the soup; and the inclusion of pork elbows makes the broth more fragrant and rich.

These ingredients, together with the salty and fresh flavor of Jinhua ham, create a nearly perfect soup base.

Now, with the clear soup and cabbage in hand, the cooking process of this dish is even more convenient than that of a simple cold dish.

"Hello everyone, next we are going to present the last delicacy - boiled cabbage..."

After Lu Pengfei adjusted the shooting angle of the camera, Huang Jun picked up the prepared cabbages, placed them in front of the chopping board, faced the camera, and gave a brief introduction.

Liu Shiwei, who was originally feeling a little regretful for not being able to taste the nine-turn large intestine and other seafood delicacies cooked by Huang Jun, was about to turn around quietly and leave this sad place that was full of temptation but also made him feel a little lost. However, when he heard Huang Jun's words, he stopped involuntarily, and a hint of surprise surged in his heart.

Huh?
Is today a feast day for delicious food?
Why do I keep encountering famous dishes?
First it was the signature dish of Shandong cuisine, Nine-Turn Large Intestine, and now it is the classic of Sichuan cuisine, Boiled Cabbage.

Tsk, I really made the right decision tonight, I’m in for a treat!
His mood suddenly improved, and he was completely unable to walk. He stood aside and began to watch attentively.

what?
Even if I'm waiting here, I can't eat it right away?

It's ok!
I don’t ask to taste it first, but I ask to smell its wonderful aroma first!

Huang Jun was busy peeling off the slightly rough outer leaves of the cabbage.

Seeing this, Liu Suyu, who was standing by, also stepped forward to help, following suit and peeling off the old leaves. At the same time, he asked curiously, "Chef Huang, is it okay for me to do this?"

"Let me see..."

As Huang Jun spoke, he leaned forward to carefully observe Liu Suyu's techniques.

You know what, Liu Suyu did a pretty good job!

Although it's still a little unfamiliar, it's already quite similar.

However, he still pointed out the improvements with a smile: "Well, it's done well, but it can be improved a little more."

As he said this, he peeled off a few more leaves himself and demonstrated, "It's done like this. It removes the old leaves while retaining the freshness of the cabbage."

"So that's how it is. I understand. Thank you Chef Huang for your guidance!" Liu Suyu's lips curled up.

After all the cabbages are processed...

Huang Jun picked up the kitchen knife and skillfully cut the roots of the cabbages flat one by one.

After completing this step, he turned his wrist and the kitchen knife drew a graceful arc in the air. The cabbage was broken in the middle of the waist, into two with a smooth cross section.

Afterwards, he took out the lower half of the cabbages and put them one by one into boiling water sprinkled with an appropriate amount of salt for blanching.

The purpose of this step is to make the cabbage softer and prepare it for the subsequent trimming work.

The blanching time should not be too long. When the outer leaves of the cabbage gradually become translucent, he quickly takes them out of the boiling water and quickly puts them into cold water for cooling.

This not only cleverly preserves the crisp taste of the cabbage and doubles its flavor, but also effectively prevents the cabbage leaves from being over-softened due to residual heat, ensuring the perfect texture of the final product.

When the cabbage cooled to a suitable temperature, Huang Jun took it out of the cold water and placed it on the chopping board. At the same time, he said to Liu Suyu beside him, "Manager Liu, please hand me the scissors."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to signal.

"Hey, okay!"

Liu Suyu responded, and at the same time, following the direction of his finger, he immediately saw the kitchen scissors, and hurriedly picked them up and handed them to Huang Jun: "Chef Huang, is this the one?"

"Yes, thank you!"

Huang Jun took the scissors and began to trim the cabbage leaves.

To be precise, it is to trim the main part of the cabbage stalk, because most of the cabbage leaves have been removed in advance.

The remaining cabbage stalks only had a few tiny leaves remaining on the edges.

He folded down the outermost leaf of cabbage and trimmed it into the shape of a lotus petal.

The so-called lotus petals are made by cutting off the two sides of the cabbage stalk to form a beautiful pointed corner at the top.

During the pruning process, he paid special attention to maintaining the natural beauty of the petals, avoiding cutting them too straight, and at the right angle at the tip so that the petals would not appear too slender and lose their charm.

He prefers to cut slightly curved lines to make each petal look more natural and vivid!

Rich in layers!
Under his skillful hands, each cabbage leaf gradually became exquisite, starting from the outer layer and gradually moving inwards, each leaf was trimmed to perfection.

As the petals transition to the inner layer, the length of each petal gradually shortens, and the outermost petals can perfectly wrap the inner petals, forming a layered visual effect.

This design is to present a vivid picture of blooming lotus when the clear soup is poured on at the end.

In order to increase the visual effect, he cleverly placed a wolfberry when trimming the innermost pistil, which is the core of the cabbage.

Thus…

The clear soup and the light yellow cabbage petals will complement each other, and the fiery red wolfberries dotted in the middle will be like the finishing touch, instantly enhancing the visual effect of the entire dish by several degrees.

After finishing carefully carving all the cabbages, he placed them one by one in elegant, slightly pale white porcelain pots.

Then he poured the clear chicken soup that he had carefully prepared yesterday into each kettle and placed them on the stove one by one to heat them slowly.

"Here's a little trick." Huang Jun explained while facing the camera while operating: "The chicken soup in the pot does not need to be boiled, because once it boils, the clear soup will become turbid. So, just heat the chicken soup to about 80 or 90 degrees, which is enough to keep the soup pure. After all, the cabbage is already boiled, and with this warm clear soup, the cabbages carefully trimmed into the shape of lotus flowers will unfold gracefully, just like real lotus flowers blooming on the water. Excessive heating will destroy its original deliciousness and taste..."

After hearing what Huang Jun said, Qian Guoxiang couldn't help but nodded in agreement. In his heart, he was silently praising Huang Jun's cooking skills, but at the same time he felt a little worried about his own cooking skills.

It seems that tonight, his proud specialties are destined to serve as a foil to Huang Jun's works...

However, he changed his mind and thought that it might be an honor to be a foil for a master chef like Huang Jun.

After all, being able to compete with masters is itself an opportunity to learn and grow.

He adjusted his mindset and prepared to devote himself to his final cooking with greater enthusiasm to make tonight's dinner even more exciting...

And in the dining area of ​​the cafeteria.

Teachers and leaders arrived one after another, and for a while, there was the sound of talking and laughing.

But the crowd did not indulge in idle chat, but instead got to work putting the long table together and placing the dishes and chopsticks.

Witness this scene.

Huang Jun turned his head and his eyes fell on Aunt Li and Aunt Lin who were not far away. He smiled and said, "Aunt Li, Aunt Lin, I'll be ready soon. Why don't you take the prepared dishes out first..."

"Okay, Chef Huang, we'll go right away."

Aunt Li and Aunt Lin answered almost in unison. Before they finished speaking, they turned around impatiently and got busy, swiftly serving plates of steaming hot dishes.

At this time, Liu Shiwei couldn't hold back his enthusiasm and quickly volunteered: "Brother Huang, count me in, I'll also lend a hand and help carry the dishes!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene seemed to be paused and everyone was stunned.

Oh hey...

Did you hear me wrong?

Mr. Liu, who is usually decisive and has the final say, is actually willing to humble himself and personally participate in such trivial matters today?

It seems that the dishes made by Chef Huang are still the most attractive...

Even Mr. Liu was attracted by the aroma and couldn't wait to get on the table and taste it!

Huang Jun was naturally delighted by this sudden "free labor". Adhering to the principle of "if you don't use it, it's a waste", he smiled and nodded and agreed: "Okay, Brother Liu, thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard, it's not hard. I'm idle anyway, so doing some work is a good way to stretch my muscles."

Liu Shiwei laughed heartily as he spoke, picked up two plates of fragrant nine-turn large intestines, and followed closely behind, together with Aunt Li and Aunt Lin, out of the operating room.

"Mr. Liu, please don't be tempted by the Nine-turn Large Intestine and eat it in advance~"

Lu Pengfei reminded with a hint of joking.

Liu Shiwei: "..."

Hi!
This kid really can't help but pick up any pot!
Although deep down he did have an urge to try something new in advance, he still had to consider his image and face in public.

"Hey! Am I that kind of person?"

Liu Shiwei feigned displeasure and retorted, shaking his head vigorously, trying to uproot the immoral thought from his mind and get rid of it completely.

"Mr. Liu, you are definitely not that kind of person. I am just being cautious. I am not afraid of..."

Lu Pengfei wanted to continue, "I'm afraid that you won't be able to control yourself, so I'm kindly reminding you," but when he saw Jiang Shuihan desperately winking at him, he immediately realized that his words did seem a bit low in EQ, so he swallowed back the words.

Naturally, Liu Shiwei did not take this to heart. He quickly brought the Nine-Turn Large Intestine to the dining area of ​​the cafeteria and placed it on the table.

When other teachers and garden leaders saw it, they were all amazed by its outstanding appearance and exclaimed in praise one after another.

"Wow, is this the legendary nine-turn large intestine? This appearance is so dazzling that it's blinding my eyes!"

"Yeah, I never thought that the Nine-Turn Large Intestine could be made to look like a winter plum painting. I've never seen anything like this before!"

“This is not just a dish, it’s an innovation and tribute to traditional cuisine, right?”

"Sure enough, it is such a wise move to let Chef Huang prepare the New Year's Eve dinner..."

“I can’t wait to try it, it looks like it will taste amazing!”

"..."

The discussions around were full of recognition of Huang Jun's cooking skills and anticipation for the food they were about to taste.

Liu Shiwei smiled and said, "Wait, there are more delicious dishes!"

Having said that, he turned back to the operation room to serve the dishes.

After a while...

The table was already filled with a variety of dishes.

In the center of the table, an empty seat was deliberately reserved for Huang Jun’s finale dish - boiled cabbage.

Liang Yinqiu, who had just arrived, naturally had a lot to say in her heart, and she also wanted to express her gratitude to all the people present in the park, but in this situation, with the table full of delicious food, she suppressed her thoughts for the moment and instead warmly invited everyone to take their seats.

After everyone was seated, Huang Jun came over pushing a cart with a soup bowl of cabbage and a kettle.

Liu Shiwei and Aunt Li hurried forward to help, placing the soup bowls one by one in the center of the tables. At the same time, Liu Shiwei turned to Wen Xueqian and said, "Don't just stand there, pick up your phone and take a picture. Brother Huang's boiled cabbage will be on display soon."

At this time, the soup bowl was still empty, with only a cabbage root lying there quietly like a bud about to bloom.

As everyone unlocked their phones and prepared to capture this rare moment, Huang Jun slowly approached with a kettle in hand.

He lightly aimed the spout of the kettle at the top of the cabbage root, and clear chicken soup like a spring gurgled out of the kettle, and Lin Run was on the cabbage root.

Under the steaming heat and the nourishment of the soup, the petals of the cabbage roots unfold one by one, like a water lily quietly blooming, transforming from an ordinary cabbage root into a graceful lotus flower.

The bright red wolfberries dotted in between are the icing on the cake, adding a touch of elegance and liveliness to the dish.

The soup in the soup bowl is clear and transparent, without any turbidity or greasiness.

As the cabbage blooms, a fresh and fragrant aroma wafts out, intoxicating.

Huang Jun stopped pouring the broth when it was half full. At this moment, the lotus flowers appeared and disappeared against the backdrop of the broth, forming a breathtakingly beautiful picture that was so beautiful that it made people intoxicated.

"Wow, the legendary boiled cabbage! It's so famous, and I'm lucky enough to see it with my own eyes today. It's so beautiful..."

Everyone was so excited that their hands were shaking like sieves while taking the video.

Liang Yinqiu sincerely exclaimed: "It's amazing! Our Chef Huang's cooking skills are top-notch!"

The three little kids Qingqing, Weiwei and Liu Ruihan who were sitting side by side were also amazed. Their mouths and eyes couldn't help but open wide. At the same time, they admired their Baba (dry Baba) very much and thought he was so cool and handsome!

Like a magician!

Liu Shiwei and his wife also praised it repeatedly: "Yes, yes, it's really amazing."

Although this dish was not unfamiliar to their family, they could not help but feel an indescribable sense of joy when they saw Huang Jun slowly using clear broth to water the bud-like cabbage until it fully bloomed.

Huang Jun, surrounded by praises, smiled and put the kettle aside, then sat down next to Qingqing and happily enjoyed the first New Year's Eve dinner of the year with everyone... (End of this chapter)