Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

When Huang Jun announced that he could start making the delicacy "yong tofu"...

The four applicants, Zheng Yaohua, Zhao Weiguang, Yu Daqing and Meng Hongzhe, took their positions quickly and orderly and stood steadily beside their respective stoves, like soldiers about to go into battle, ready to show off their cooking skills with all their strength.

At this moment, Meng Hongze took the lead and began to screen the indispensable ingredients for making this dish.

He looked at the tofu neatly arranged in the sink, and couldn't help but feel a little picky.

to be frank!
Although the tofus were of acceptable quality and average, in the eyes of a chef like him who had extremely high requirements for ingredients, they did not meet the highest standards.

While they’re fresh enough for culinary purposes, they’re barely passable in terms of texture and taste.

The deliciousness of a dish is closely linked to the quality of its ingredients, like the relationship between fish and water.

If the quality of the ingredients themselves is mediocre, no matter how superb the cooking skills are, it will be difficult to cover up their inherent flaws, and the taste and flavor of the final product will inevitably be greatly compromised.

But given the reality, he could do nothing about it.

The cooking environment here is a world apart from the exquisite and professional kitchen in his own restaurant.

In kindergartens, they need to cook big pot meals for children, which requires both nutritional balance and cost control. Naturally, they cannot choose top-quality ingredients as freely as restaurants.

Even if they have the vision of selecting the best ingredients, the reality and channel limitations make it impossible for them to realize it.

therefore!

Meng Hongze had no choice but to accept the current situation and decided to make full use of the existing ordinary ingredients and do his best to cook a delicious stuffed tofu.

However, there was a moment...

Meng Hongze's heart was quietly shrouded by a layer of faint doubt.

Say it!

Are all the praises on the Internet about Huang Jun’s cooking skills really unique, or are they just over-hyped bubbles?

This doubt was not groundless, but was based on the actual situation he saw before his eyes.

The ingredients in front of him were so ordinary that he could hardly imagine that they could be transformed into mouth-watering and lingering delicacies under Huang Jun's skillful hands...

Recalling that I had watched those heart-touching videos on the Internet, I had a deep admiration for Huang Jun's cooking skills and was eager to learn from him and explore the secrets of cooking together, so I embarked on the road of applying for the job without hesitation...

Uh…

No way?
No way?
Am I really the "big villain" who was trapped by "momentary impulse"?
Thinking of this, Meng Hongze couldn't help but pat his head in annoyance.

but…

The cooking skills demonstrated by Huang Jun in the video, whether it is the precision of knife skills or the skillful cooking techniques, are impeccable. Especially his superb knife skills, which are even more amazing.

At this moment, Meng Hongze's heart was full of contradictions and struggles, and he was unable to make a decision for a while.

That's it!

They come, the security!
It is better to focus on the dish in front of you first, and use your cooking skills to the fullest to stand out.

After you are successfully employed, you can personally taste the delicious food prepared by Huang Jun, and all your doubts will naturally be answered.

If Huang Jun's cooking skills really don't live up to his reputation, then at most he can just walk away and go back to his own restaurant to continue being a chef...

It's nothing more than a waste of some time and energy. Just treat it as a rare learning opportunity and life experience.

If Huang Jun's cooking skills are really as good as their reputation, then he would be willing to stay and learn from him with an open mind.

No matter what the result is, he will not lose.

He took out a piece of fresh pork with fat and lean parts, washed it carefully and placed it on the chopping board.

Wielding the kitchen knife skillfully, he cuts the meat into fine pieces, then chop it repeatedly until it is thoroughly minced, until every grain of minced meat is even and fine, then pour it into a large bowl and set it aside.

He then chopped the onion into finely chopped green onion and minced ginger, and put them into the bowl containing the minced meat.

Add dried shrimps to the bowl, pour in appropriate amounts of cooking wine and soy sauce, sprinkle in appropriate amounts of salt, and stir gently with chopsticks until all the ingredients are perfectly blended together to form a fragrant and colorful filling.

It is worth mentioning that…

The ingredients of this filling can be adjusted freely according to personal taste. For example, adding fish or dried squid can add a different flavor to the dish.

However, due to the limitation of current materials, he can only mix it according to the existing ingredients.
After preparing the meat filling, he swiftly picked up a piece of tofu and skillfully cut it into large pieces about ten centimeters square.

Then cut cleanly along the diagonal of each large square, and each large square will be instantly cut evenly into eight small triangular pieces.

In fact, this way of cutting is not necessary, it is also possible to cut it into small cubes, but his restaurant has always been accustomed to cutting it this way, so he continued this tradition.

Huang Jun, who was standing aside, cast a scrutinizing glance at Meng Hongze from time to time, observing his every move.

Meng Hongze's smooth knife skills undoubtedly revealed his profound experience in the kitchen since childhood. His solid basic skills made him a perfect match for the other three applicants, and it was difficult to tell who was better!

Huang Jun saw this and his satisfaction was beyond words, but at the same time he couldn't help feeling a little curious.

Curious about Meng Hongze’s identity!
That's right!

The arrogance displayed by Meng Hongze is very obvious, but this arrogance is not arrogance or blind self-satisfaction, but a manifestation of calm and self-confidence.

Among many chefs, his temperament is particularly unique, as if his family background has brought him a unique connotation and background...

Meng Hongze, who had no idea what Huang Jun was thinking, was concentrating on the operation at hand.

He gently pinched a small piece of tofu on the base of his thumb, then picked up the chopsticks and carefully cut a small hole on the edge of the tofu. Then he picked up some meat filling with the chopsticks and slowly filled it into the hole.

When filling the tofu with meat, he was very careful about the strength of his hands, for fear that he would accidentally break the tofu, thus destroying its integrity and appearance.

When he felt the meat filling was almost full, he stopped, put it on the chopping board for later use, and then moved on to the next piece.

In this way, he mechanically repeated this series of steps...

Huang Jun stood aside and continued to observe the operating methods of each applicant.

The other three applicants each held a small spoon in one hand and gently picked up a piece of neatly cut tofu with the other hand. They flexibly used their fingers to draw a smooth arc on the surface of the tofu, accurately dug out a groove of appropriate depth, and then filled it with meat filling.

Although these operating techniques are skilled, they can only be considered mediocre.

next second...

When he turned his gaze to Meng Hongze again and witnessed his operation, he couldn't help but nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes.

to be frank.

This traditional method of stuffing tofu is much more difficult than simply digging a hole and stuffing meat in it. It requires some real skills!

There is another advantage to using this method.

That means there is no need to find another way to deal with the scooped tofu, thus cleverly avoiding unnecessary waste.

Just based on this.

Meng Hongze has already stood out among the other three applicants and is slightly better!
The balance in Huang Jun's heart tilted towards Meng Hongze again... at this time.

Meng Hongze had completed the process of stuffing tofu and turned to pouring a proper amount of oil into the pan, preparing to start frying the tofu.

He put the stuffed tofu pieces into the pot, making sure the meat side was facing down.

For a while…

There was a continuous sizzling sound coming from the pot.

He fried the tofu slowly over low heat, shaking the pan gently to ensure that the tofu was heated evenly.

Frying and frying...

The skin of the tofu gradually turned golden and attractive, and a fragrance quietly filled the air.

When each piece of tofu was fried until golden and crispy, with an attractive luster on the edges, Meng Hongze gently picked them up with chopsticks and placed them one by one on the plate, arranging them neatly, waiting for the next delicious transformation.

He added an appropriate amount of oil to the pot again, and when the oil was hot, he scooped in a little chili sauce.

As soon as the hot sauce meets the hot oil, it seems to be awakened and gradually releases its bright red oil, like a touch of crimson in the morning light. Gradually, the entire pot is covered with a layer of bright red oil, which is both eye-catching and tempting.

He added an appropriate amount of hot water into the pot, and then gently slid the plate of fried stuffed tofu into the pot.

In order to enhance the overall sweetness, he added chicken essence and a little white sugar, then drizzled on an appropriate amount of light soy sauce and sprinkled in a little bit of thirteen spices.

Cover the pot and let the contents simmer slowly in the heat.

About five minutes later...

The tofu absorbed the soup and became plump, which looked delicious.

See this!

Meng Hongze immediately lifted the lid of the pot.

At that moment, a rich fragrance suddenly hit him, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath and indulge in it.

However, there is still something missing!

He deftly sprinkled the chopped chili peppers into the pot, and then added an appropriate amount of water starch to thicken it. The soup gradually became thick and lustrous, as alluring as amber.

When he saw that the sauce was almost dried, he picked up the spatula, scooped out the stuffed tofu, carefully placed it on a plate, and sprinkled some green onions on it as garnish.

So far!

A delicious stuffed tofu is ready.

"Chef Huang, Director Liang, and all the leaders, my Yong Tau Foo is ready!"

Meng Hongze announced with a smile on his face, his face full of confidence and expectation, and greeted enthusiastically: "Please enjoy it!"

The voice just fell.

Chef Zheng also shouted excitedly: "I've got it done here too!"

"Mine is done too!"

Yu Daqing and Zhao Weiguang also rushed to express their opinions, and then looked at Huang Jun and others expectantly: "Why don't you try what I made first?"

Huang Jun smiled and waved his hand to everyone, signaling them to be patient: "Don't be impatient, let's taste them in the order in which they were served. This is fair and allows us to appreciate the masterpieces of each chef one by one."

Upon hearing this, Liang Yinqiu nodded in agreement.

Then, they picked up their chopsticks and naturally walked towards Meng Hongze's stuffed tofu.

Liang Yinqiu elegantly picked up a piece of stuffed tofu, put it into her mouth, and chewed it carefully.

Leaders such as Liu Suyu also picked up the tofu and tasted it, with expressions of approval on their faces.

Huang Jun picked up a piece of stuffed tofu and looked over it carefully.

hmm~
Overall, the color, aroma and shape of this stuffed tofu are all very good.

Take a bite and savor it.

The taste is good, but still a little flawed.

At this time, Liang Yinqiu gave his own evaluation: "Well, Meng Hongze, your stuffed tofu is really good! The soup is thick and delicious, the tofu is tender and smooth, and the chili is just right. It tastes very delicious."

"Yes, Meng Hongze, your cooking skills are really great. You use the traditional method of making stuffed tofu, which is really good."

Huang Jun nodded in agreement, and then pointed out areas where the dish could be improved: "However, if you want to make it more perfect in the details, you can adjust the seasoning a little. For example, use less thirteen spices, about one-third, so that the taste will be purer. Also, the heat was a little high when frying the tofu, which affected its original tender and smooth taste. But having said that, the filling you prepared tastes really good!"

I'll go~
It turns out that there are people who can distinguish the flavors of various seasonings with just one bite. Is this the legendary "golden tongue"?

Meng Hongze and the other three applicants widened their eyes in surprise after hearing Huang Jun's evaluation!
Meng Hongze looked at Huang Jun in disbelief and exclaimed, "Chef Huang, is your sense of taste so sharp that you can accurately distinguish the flavors of various seasonings?"

"Ok?"

Huang Jun was slightly stunned. Looking at the surprised expressions of Meng Hongze and the others, he also realized that his taste might be a little different!
He smiled slightly and nodded: "Well, this is indeed the result of many years of culinary practice."

After hearing this, Meng Hongze couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart and felt a little frustrated.

He is about the same age as Huang Jun, and is known as the "most talented young chef" in the culinary world. However, when it comes to the accuracy of distinguishing seasonings, he... feels inferior to him!

Hey!
There is always someone better than you, and there is always someone better than you…

When he looked at Huang Jun, there was a bit more admiration in his eyes.

Huang Jun, who was completely unaware of this, had already followed Liang Yinqiu and his group to Zheng Yaohua, and tasted the stuffed tofu he had carefully prepared.

After tasting it, Liang Yinqiu praised: "Chef Zheng, your stuffed tofu tastes very special, and the tofu is cooked very well. It tastes tender and smooth. It's really good."

Huang Jun smiled implicitly and gave a more detailed evaluation: "Overall, your performance was indeed very good and the taste was also very good. However, I think the tofu was a little overcooked and tasted a little old. Next time you can pay attention to adjusting the heat, I believe it will be more perfect."

"Okay, thank you for your suggestion." Chef Zheng accepted it humbly.

Huang Jun nodded at him, then continued his tasting journey, tasting Yu Daqing and Zhao Weiguang's stuffed tofu in turn.

Finished tasting.

He gave a fair evaluation: "The taste of your Yong Tau Foo is generally good, but the tofu seems to be cooked a little too long, making it a little tough. In addition, the seasoning is a little too much, the filling is not blended evenly, and the saltiness is a little too strong. If you can control the cooking time and seasoning more carefully, I believe your Yong Tau Foo will be even better."

After hearing this, Yu Daqing and Zhao Weiguang nodded sincerely and thanked him: "Thank you Chef Huang for your valuable advice. We will definitely work harder and strive for excellence."

“You’re welcome. Let’s learn from each other and make progress together.”

Huang Jun responded with a smile, then walked aside with Liang Yinqiu and his group.

Liang Yinqiu asked for everyone's opinions: "Chef Huang, leaders, now that everyone has finished tasting, which of your Yong Tau Foo recipes do you think is more suitable to stay as an assistant chef?"

The implication is obviously to ask which person has better performance and is more suitable for this position. (End of this chapter)