Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

In the kitchen of Doraemi Kindergarten.

Huang Jun had no idea that the three little guys had spread the news of his opening a food company in the class, and he was even less aware of the delicate feelings in Yang Yuxi's heart that she wanted to confess to him...

At this moment, he is fully devoted to preparing lunch for the children.

The kindergarten has put a lot of effort into getting the children to eat more whole grains.

This is not.

Today's lunch is a carefully designed multi-grain steamed bun with nutritious side dishes.

At this moment, various kinds of flour are neatly arranged on the workbench, like paints on a palette, the golden color of corn flour, the light brown of bean flour, the white color of white flour, the dark gray of old flour... each one exudes a unique aroma.

"Chef Huang, I remember that traditional Wowotou doesn't seem to have white flour in it, right?"

Meng Hongze, who was standing by, was not very proficient in making pasta, but his curiosity made him look particularly focused, with a desire for knowledge flashing in his eyes.

"You're right, traditional wowotou does not contain white flour."

Huang Jun smiled and nodded. He reached out and took a large stainless steel basin from the shelf, and explained in detail: "But this time we added some white flour, mainly to improve the taste of the Wowotou. As you know, children have delicate throats. If we use all grains, they may find it dry and difficult to swallow. Adding some white flour can make the Wowotou softer and more delicious, and children will like it more."

After hearing this, Meng Hongze's eyes flashed with a look of sudden enlightenment, and he nodded repeatedly in praise: "So that's how it is, Chef Huang, you are really thoughtful and meticulous, even thinking of these details."

Huang Jun smiled and waved his hands, responding modestly: "No, no, it's all for the children. As long as they can eat happily and healthily, I will be satisfied."

Meng Hongze nodded in agreement, his eyes full of respect, and then asked: "I noticed that your ratio seems to be a little special today, right?"

Huang Jun nodded slightly and replied: "Well, I will use some old dough to make it today."

Meng Hongze thought for a moment and then said, "Oh, I see. Chef Huang, you want to use this old dough to replace yeast, right?"

Huang Jun smiled and nodded: "Yes! The fermentation power of old dough is much stronger than that of yeast. However, the old dough we will use later will be very small, so just a little will be enough. If the amount is large, it is generally necessary to add some alkaline water to neutralize the acid and alkali. But today it is just used as an auxiliary leavening agent, so we only need to put a little bit, and there is no need to add alkali at all."

After hearing this, Meng Hongze showed a thoughtful expression on his face: "I understand, this old dough is very acidic. If you use a lot of it, you do need to use alkaline water to neutralize it. But if it is just used as an auxiliary and the amount is small, it does not need to be neutralized, and there is no need to add yeast. Chef Huang, you are really experienced!"

Huang Jun smiled and shook his head, saying modestly: "Thank you for the compliment. This is all accumulated over many years. As long as you are willing to spend time and effort to do it, you can do it too."

As he spoke, he first slowly poured the cornmeal into a large bowl, then added an appropriate amount of bean flour, and explained as he added, "The ratio of cornmeal to bean flour is one part bean flour to two parts cornmeal. The purpose of adding bean flour is to blend the taste of the cornmeal, because cornmeal itself has a unique taste of coarse grains, and after adding bean flour, the taste will be much lighter."

After that, he grabbed some more white flour into the basin and continued, "Just add a little bit of white flour, it can be used as a dough later. If you feel that the dough is too wet and too soft, you can add a little more white flour. In addition, generally speaking, we will put 50 grams of old flour for one pound of grains."

"Chef Huang, if there is no old dough and only yeast is used, how should the ratio be adjusted?" Meng Hongze asked curiously.

Huang Jun patiently replied: "If you only use yeast, then for one kilogram of grains, about two grams of yeast is enough."

"Oh, so that's how it is. I see!" Meng Hongze nodded in sudden realization.

Huang Jun smiled slightly and then started to mix the noodles.

He picked up the kettle filled with warm water and slowly poured the water into the basin of dough, intending to fully dissolve the dough first.

He carefully kneaded the old dough with his hands until it was completely dissolved and blended with the warm water.

"Chef Huang, should the dough be made a little thinner or drier?" Meng Hongze continued to ask with an eager-to-learn attitude.

“Don’t make it too thin!”

Huang Jun replied: "Because we are making steamed bread, which is hollow inside. If the dough is too soft, it will not stand up when steamed and will collapse easily, and there will be no hollow in the middle. You see, the old dough has completely melted now, so we can add a little white flour and some water."

As he spoke, he skillfully grabbed a handful of flour and sprinkled it into the basin, and then poured in an appropriate amount of warm water.

"Oh, so the white flour needs to be added slowly..." Meng Hongze suddenly realized.

"Yes Yes!"

Huang Jun nodded repeatedly in confirmation, and then continued: "I mentioned before that white flour is mainly used as an auxiliary material among these coarse grains."

Meng Hongze nodded upon hearing this, and then raised his doubts: "However, Chef Huang, why does the kindergarten emphasize that children eat more whole grains? Is it really that important?"

“It’s actually really important!”

Huang Jun continued to knead the dough skillfully while patiently explaining: "Whole grains are rich in B vitamins, especially whole grains like cornmeal and bean flour, which also have very high dietary fiber content. Therefore, eating more whole grains has a significant therapeutic effect on preventing mouth sores, constipation and other problems for children."

After hearing this, Meng Hongze showed admiration on his face: "Chef Huang, you are simply a living encyclopedia of health and nutrition! You know all this knowledge so well."

Others also nodded in agreement and admiration.

Huang Jun smiled modestly: "In fact, it was only after I became the kindergarten chef that I started to study these related books in depth. If you read more of them in your daily life, you will also gain a lot."

Conversation room.

He had already kneaded the dough into large, smooth balls and set them aside to let them rise and puff up a bit.

five minutes later…

Huang Jun and several assistants including Qian Guoxiang worked closely together to carefully place the perfectly proofed dough on the spacious chopping board. Then, they patiently rolled the dough into long, thin and even strips one by one.

Then, they deftly divided the long dough into small pieces of even size with their hands.

Huang Jun skillfully picked up a small piece of dough and gently kneaded it in his palm to make its surface smoother and more delicate.

"Before making steamed bread, we need to dip our hands in a little water, which can effectively prevent the dough from sticking to our hands."

Huang Jun demonstrated while speaking, dipped some water, and continued: "When making wowotou, pay special attention to keeping the thickness of the edges of the wowotou consistent, so as to avoid collapse during the steaming process..."

Before he finished speaking, he had already started to demonstrate.

The index finger of his right hand slowly rotated on the dough, skillfully making a hollow shape, while the index finger and thumb of his left hand cooperated tacitly to shape an exquisite pointed shape for the steamed bun.

After a while...

A multi-grain steamed bun with exquisite appearance and uniform thickness was born in his hands.

He placed it on the steamer.

At the same time, after carefully observing Huang Jun's operation, assistants such as Qian Guoxiang also began to make their own steamed buns.

Although their speed is not as fast as Huang Jun, the steamed corn bread they make is also quite beautiful in appearance.

Soon...the steamer was filled with their carefully made multi-grain steamed buns.

Then they covered the lid and let the steamed buns rise for a while.

"Chef Huang, how long does it take for this dough to rise?" Meng Hongze asked curiously.

Huang Jun responded with a smile: "If you use yeast, the proofing time will be slightly longer, about five minutes. But if you use old dough, because it has a strong fermentation ability, it only takes about two minutes, and it will just relax a little. After the dough has proofed, you can start steaming it, and it will only take about thirteen minutes. I'll leave this to you..."

Meng Hongze nodded in agreement: "Okay, I understand! Chef Huang, don't worry, I will definitely get things done properly."

"very good!"

Huang Jun nodded with satisfaction, then turned around and started preparing the fillings for the steamed corn bread.

He calmly picked up a large pot, placed it steadily on the stove, and deftly turned on the fire.

He picked up a bucket of cooking oil and slowly poured it into the pot.

As the stove fire continues to heat, the oil temperature gradually rises, and the oil splashes happily in the pot, creating layers of delicate ripples, just like ripples on the water.

Seeing that the fire was right, Huang Jun threw the chopped green onion and ginger that he had previously chopped into the pot.

In an instant...

A faint aroma of green onion and ginger filled the air.

He picked up the spatula skillfully and gently stir-fried the chopped green onion and ginger in the pot, allowing them to release their fragrance in the embrace of the hot oil.

When the aroma of green onion and ginger becomes stronger and fills the entire kitchen...

He added the diced pork belly into the pot at the right moment and stir-fried it with skillful technique.

Under the influence of the oil temperature, the diced pork belly gradually turns brown, and the fat slowly seeps out. The tempting aroma of meat and the aroma of green onion and ginger are intertwined, making people's appetite grow.

He patiently continued to stir-fry the diced pork belly until they became crispy and delicious, with the aroma of meat filling the air, complementing the aroma of scallions and ginger, adding a bit of tempting flavor.

Then, he slowly poured an appropriate amount of soy sauce and cooking wine into the pot and continued to stir-fry skillfully, ensuring that the seasonings could evenly penetrate into every piece of food, adding a unique and tempting flavor to the filling.

When the ingredients and seasonings in the pot are fully blended and the aroma is overflowing...

He also took the opportunity to add the carefully chopped carrots, chopped black fungus, diced king oyster mushrooms and chopped green peppers into this delicious "melting pot".

The stir-frying action still does not stop. The various ingredients in the pot blend and penetrate each other under the action of heat, as if a wonderful taste symphony is being performed, making people look forward to the final product.

"Look at the ingredients in this pot, so colorful, so beautiful! If the children see it, they will definitely be attracted!" Aunt Li gazed at the gorgeous and colorful changes of the ingredients in the pot, while being intoxicated by the increasingly charming and appetizing aroma, and exclaimed sincerely.

After hearing this, Aunt Lin raised her lips unconsciously and agreed, "Yes, Chef Huang's cooking skills are well-known. Which child wouldn't love it?"

"Yeah!"

Aunt Li nodded repeatedly, her eyes gleaming with approval. "As long as Chef Huang prepares the food, the children will definitely enjoy it! Even the picky eaters are no exception."

"Yes, I really envy the children nowadays. Even if they eat steamed bread, they can have such rich and exquisite side dishes."

Ye Guilan's face was filled with emotion, and her tone was full of nostalgia for the past years: "Thinking back to when we were young, the wowotou we could eat were often dry and hard. How could we dare to expect to have such a combination."

"That's true... At that time, even filling our stomachs was a luxury. It was already great to have steamed bread to eat."

Several other kitchen staff of similar age also nodded in agreement. Their eyes revealed memories of the past, and they couldn't help but start talking about their past experiences.

Huang Jun couldn't help but feel a little sad when he heard their conversation, but his hands did not stop moving. He still skillfully sprinkled the right amount of salt into the pot and carefully seasoned it.

Afterwards, he lightly stir-fried it evenly and added some water starch to thicken it. This series of smooth operations made the filling gradually thicker, the taste more mellow, and the mouthfeel more delicate and rich.

After all the ingredients were fried, he skillfully placed the fillings into a stainless steel plate one by one.

At the same time, the steaming steamed buns in the steamer have already emitted an enticing aroma.

"Chef Huang, thirteen minutes have passed. The steamed corn bread should be ready, right?" Meng Hongze asked expectantly.

"Well, let me see..."

Huang Jun smiled and nodded, then slowly walked to the steamer and carefully lifted the lid.

In an instant.

A thick and steaming white mist accompanied by the unique aroma of Wowotou wafts towards me...

Huang Jun's face was filled with fragrance.

The steamed corn bread in the steamer looks as exquisite as a work of art.

Their surface is smooth and delicate, their texture is soft and moderate, and they exude an attractive golden luster. They look like small and exquisite gold ingots, which are very beautiful.

“Wow…it smells so good…”

Aunt Li was deeply attracted by the aroma and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"It's not only fragrant, but also really beautiful! I occasionally make steamed bread at home, but it has never been so fragrant and soft!"

Ye Guilan sighed sincerely, saying that at this moment she deeply realized the truth of "there is no harm without comparison".

They looked at these tempting steamed buns with their hearts filled with desire, and they couldn't wait to taste one.

But it's a pity...

Just then, the childcare teachers from each class came in one after another.

They were also attracted by the aroma, their stomachs rumbled unconsciously and their faces were full of anticipation.

"Chef Huang, is lunch ready?"

"Just right! I'll get it out to you right away!"

Huang Jun responded with a smile, and then signaled Aunt Li and others to carefully remove the prepared steamed corn bread from the steamer and neatly stack them on the stainless steel plate next to it.

Aunt Li and her colleagues acted quickly. Before long, plates of hot, fragrant steamed bread and side dishes were put on the dining car and transported to each class... (End of this chapter)