The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 335 Surprise or not?
Before starting to thicken the sauce, Qin Huai first had to confirm whether the sauce was what he saw and what he imagined.

From an academic perspective, thickening is the process of taking advantage of the fact that starch, when it gels in contact with water, has the characteristics of absorbing water, adhering to it, and being smooth and clean. When the dish is about to be prepared, starch water is poured into the pot to thicken the soup and increase the ingredients' ability to absorb the soup, thereby making the dish look better and taste better.

In addition, there are many types of starches for thickening, the more common ones are mung bean starch, wheat starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, and corn starch. Different starches have different properties and are suitable for different dishes.

Of course, corn starch and potato starch are the most commonly used, and basically most dishes are thickened with potato starch.

Krabby mayo is clearly not the majority.

It needs to be thickened with mung bean starch.

Mung bean starch has good transparency and is more stable than other starches in all aspects. However, it has poor water absorption. If the chef is not skilled enough, it can easily cause the dish to clump after thickening, which places high demands on the chef.

Cao Guixiang certainly didn't specifically tell Qin Huai which starch to use for thickening, but the recipe given by Tan Weian clearly stated that the crab sauce should be thickened with mung bean starch. Now Tan Weian's great grandfather is most likely the maker of the double crab buns. Since he left this recipe, he must have his intention.

Qin Huai has a wealth of theoretical knowledge about thickening, which Huang Shengli had mentioned in passing when he was giving him a theoretical lesson. Considering that Qin Huai is a pure plain-case chef and rarely uses thickening when making dim sum, Huang Shengli did not explain it in depth but only mentioned it in passing.

After all, before meeting Cao Guixiang, Qin Huai had never imagined that thickening could be so difficult, and that the level of thickening was so important to the dish.

Thickening is essentially a very common cooking technique. Just like Go, it is easy to learn once you understand the rules, but if you want to go deeper, the tricks involved are quite complex.

Let’s put it this way, everyone knows how good Zhao Rong’s cooking skills are. It’s at the level of a normal family, but it’s far better than the 10 yuan stir-fried dishes at the Qin’s breakfast shop next door.

Zhao Rong knows how to thicken the sauce.

But if you ask Zhao Rong if she knows how to flip the pot, she will confirm what flipping the pot means. Is it considered flipping the pot like in TV dramas, or is it considered flipping the pot by just randomly stirring the food with a spatula?

After asking, Zhao Rong may tell you with certainty that she can flip the spoon. Isn't it just waving the spatula? It's simple, and she can ensure that the food doesn't fly out.

At this time, the person who asked the question will also react and realize that Zhao Rong will not flip the spoon.

From this we can see that it is not unreasonable that Qin Huai always thought that thickening was not difficult and easy to learn, because it looks very simple.

Just pour the starch water into the pot and stir it, you can do it with your hands.

But how to hook it properly is difficult.

Qin Huai first asked Zang Liang whether he understood it correctly, and then gestured in the air. Zang Liang felt that there was nothing wrong with Qin Huai's movements. He was sure that Qin Huai had really seen the Master Cao he mentioned thicken the sauce, and should have learned it quite well. So he pointed out a few points that Qin Huai should pay attention to when thickening the sauce.

It explains clearly what the crab roe sauce should look like when the first layer of starch water is added, what is the difference between thin thickening and ordinary thickening, and when to add the second layer of starch water.

Zang Liang’s expression is quite good. He will definitely be a good master in the future.

Qin Huai nodded to show that he understood.

"Thickening is actually not difficult. Even if there is no one to teach you, ordinary people can succeed in thickening by following the online teaching videos and practicing a few times at home. But that is just success."

"Different dishes have different requirements. Stir-frying, stewing, and braising have different requirements for thickening. Thickening is just pouring starch water into the pot, but what kind of starch water, how to pour it, what movements to use, and where to pour it are actually all skills."

"To put it bluntly, practice makes perfect. Once you get the hang of it, you'll know how to thicken it. You all said that the crab sauce I used for thickening was not right. Maybe I just haven't found the hang of it yet. Let me practice a few more times and I should be able to get the hang of it."

"Oh, what exactly is this feeling? Even when thickening the sauce I have to find the feeling. How come there are so many feelings to find? How come you all know what the feeling is, but I don't know what the feeling is?" As Zang Liang spoke, he changed from an expressionist with rich theoretical knowledge to a feelingist without even realizing it.

Qin Huai, the stylish guy, was comforting her: "It's normal that you didn't feel the rhythm for your first try today. You can get the rhythm by making crab sauce for a few more days like Zheng Siyuan did. Zheng Siyuan can actually make double crab buns. Next time you have a chance, ask him to make double crab buns for you to try. It may not be successful, but eating it should help you get the rhythm."

While Qin Huai was still comforting himself, Zheng Siyuan had already started making crab roe sauce.

The steps are exactly the same, which shows their proficiency.

Soon, it was time to thicken the sauce.

Zang Liang helped Qin Huai prepare the starch water and handed it to Qin Huai. He stood at a distance from the cooking table but could clearly see the crab roe sauce in the pot, and taught and explained while watching.

"Look, the crab sauce in the pot has begun to bubble and boil. Now is not the right time. About ten seconds later, that is the best time to thicken the sauce. Don't be nervous the first time you thicken it. Don't pour all the starch water in just to be quick. You must pour the starch water in a pouring motion and get the feeling of pouring."

As soon as Zang Liang finished speaking, Qin Huai moved.

In fact, Qin Huai didn't know when was the best time, but Zang Liang also said that it was a feeling. The timing of thickening depends on the chef's feeling. If you think it is the best time, then it is the best time.

Just when Zang Liang said the last few words, Qin Huai could no longer hear Zang Liang's voice in his ears.

He stared into the pot, watching the glossy crab sauce gradually boiling due to the high temperature, and when a small bubble popped and burst, the feeling came.

I feel like telling Qin Huai, now is the time, hurry up, pour your starch water on me.

Every time Cao Guixiang needed to thicken the food, Qin Huai would watch her add starch water.

Qin Huai knew what Zang Liang meant by "rin".

Fast, flashy and elegant.

Cao Guixiang thickens the dish this way every time. Her movements are large and look exaggerated, but her overall state is very nonchalant, as if the old lady just picked up a bowl of starch water, swirled her hand around it, and then poured the starch water down the bowl into the pot. In the blink of an eye, she has thickened the dish in the pot with a beautiful starch.

It really was just a blink of an eye.

Qin Huai imitated Cao Guixiang and moved the starch water around the pot, and the starch water poured down and onto the crab roe sauce.

It happened almost in an instant.

From the time he felt it, took action, to the time he poured the starch water, Qin Huai originally thought that he would hesitate, struggle, test, make mistakes, and then fail.

In the end, none of that happened. The moment he felt it, the rest came together in one go. He didn't even have time to think about whether his movements were exaggerated or not, or whether he had imitated the character well. Anyway, he felt it was pretty good. That was the feeling.

Watching the starch water being poured into the pot, Qin Huai always felt that something was missing. Puzzled, he turned his head to look at Zang Liang, who was dumbfounded and making a silent "F*ck" sound with his mouth.

"Is it thickening? Why do I feel like... am I..."

Qin Huai's voice awakened Zang Liang who was in a daze.

"Fuck!"

"Stir it, stir it after thickening it!" Zang Liang's scream almost cut through the kitchen, "Fuck, why haven't you stirred it yet?"

"Take the spatula and stir, stir!"

Qin Huai hurriedly took the spatula and stirred it randomly, showing his sorry experience of thickening the sauce for the first time and only remembering the first step but forgetting the second step.

Although the only drawback was that it was a step slow in mixing, it was not a big problem. It was just a small failure and was edible. I left this crab roe sauce to Ouyang and let him mix it with noodles or rice.

Qin Huai felt that he had given a good demonstration.

Although there was a small overturn, it was not a big problem. The most important thing was that Qin Huai could see from the expressions of Zang Liang, Tan Weian and Zheng Siyuan that his actions just now should be exaggerated enough.

Qinhuai turned off the fire and the crab roe sauce was ready.

Zheng Siyuan didn't even rush to continue processing the pot of crab roe sauce. Instead, he looked at Qin Huai with a very incredible look, and his tone was full of "I know this may be more reasonable to you, but this is too unreasonable."

"Have you found the feeling of thickening the sauce?"

Qin Huai nodded uncertainly: "I think I have found a feeling for it. How was the thickening I did just now? Is the action as I told you, big and exaggerated, but not really exaggerated."

Qin Huai repeated the action of pouring starch water. "Anyway, it's roughly like this, it's in this state. I can't explain the specific content. If I can't explain it, I'll ask Master Cao tomorrow."

Zheng Siyuan was still staring at Qin Huai: "How did you find that feeling?"

"What's the feeling?" Qin Huai didn't quite understand what Zheng Siyuan meant.

"When you were thickening the sauce just now," Zheng Siyuan paused, as if looking for an adjective, "you were very decisive and calm."

"You were listening to Zang Liang one second, but you ignored him the next." "I can see that your hands moved before your brain. Although this is your first time thickening the sauce, your movements are not very skilled and seem unfamiliar. If you insist on saying there is a problem, there must be one, but your timing is very good, and your pouring movements are very beautiful."

"Your sauce is really poured down."

Zheng Siyuan pursed his lips, as if thinking of an adjective: "Like the kind of shower pouring down like a waterfall."

"No, it's not a waterfall, but it's a very smooth, nice-to-touch shower."

"How did you know to thicken the sauce at that moment? Zang Liang didn't even remind you."

"I think the timing he thinks is probably one to two seconds later than the time you choose."

Qin Huai didn't know how to answer for a moment. When he was making up a lie, he could make it up beautifully and it came out fluently. But when he was telling the truth, he needed to test his ability to express himself. For Qin Huai, telling the truth was harder than telling a lie.

"I just... felt it."

"Do you understand that feeling?"

"When I looked at the crab sauce in the pot, I felt like it was going to thicken right at that second."

"I don't really have any idea of ​​how to thicken the sauce. I might have just subconsciously followed Master Cao's example. After all, I've watched Master Cao thicken the sauce many times. She basically does this when she's cooking a big dish."

"You just said that the starch water poured down like a waterfall... Isn't that normal? Master Cao always thickens it like this. I thought you guys thickened it differently. I think I only added a little bit, and Master Cao's thickening is much more beautiful than mine."

Zheng Siyuan: …

Zang Liang: ...

Tan Wei’an: …

"How about I try again?" Qin Huai asked tentatively.

Zheng Siyuan thought about it, nodded, and continued to process the unfinished crab roe sauce.

stir fry.

Theoretically, the thickening of stir-fried crab sauce is different from that of stewed crab sauce. Zang Liang, as the one who knows the most about thickening, should tell Qin Huai, but at this moment, Zang Liang suddenly didn't want to talk.

He really wanted to call his master and ask his respected master and uncle. He knew that seasoning required finding the feel, but was thickening also necessary?

Master, if you get the hang of thickening, can you make such a beautiful thickening? Can you pour the thickening sauce down like a waterfall?

Master, why didn't you tell me this important technique before? You should have told me earlier. You should have told me to find the feeling of thickening and the feeling of heat at the same time.

Wow, how can someone get this feeling when thickening the sauce for the first time? Even though he had a lot of problems with the thickening and it was even a bit unsightly when he was stirring it, it felt really good.

WTF. WTF. WTF. WTF.

Qin Huai started his second thickening process.

He found that the feeling this time was not as good as the last time.

When he stared at the crab sauce, he didn't have the same impulse as when he thickened it for the first time: Now, pour it on!

But his timing was OK, normal, not too bad.

The most important thing is that this time the starch water also poured down.

Zang Liang, who was watching the Qinhuai starching process on the side, had already started thickening the sauce with the bowl in his hand. He turned his wrist left and right, and his face was filled with big question marks, wondering how such a beautiful starch was made.

How do you make such big movements, yet appear so cool and accomplish them in just a snap?

Isn’t it said that thickening is easy to get started but difficult to advance?

How come I have advanced before I even finished entering Qinhuai Gate?

The crab roe sauce is out of the pot.

The four of them tasted it in silence.

To say how good Qinhuai starch is, it’s not that great. There are many problems with the details. It can only be said that it is very beautiful.

But at the same time there is no problem.

Zang Liang, who didn't understand why the three people said that his crab roe sauce tasted wrong, suddenly understood after tasting the crab roe sauce.

His tongue told him that this portion of crab roe sauce did seem to be more suitable for bun filling than the previous one.

Zang Liang felt that he had a lot to say, a lot of shit he wanted to tell his friends, but at this moment all his words turned into silence, and in the end he could only squeeze out one sentence.

“How do you find the feeling?”

Zheng Siyuan has actually just asked this question.

But Zang Liang wanted to ask again.

He has eyes, brains and experience. As a professional chef, Zang Liang knew that Qin Huai must not have lied to him. It must have been his first time thickening the sauce because he even forgot to stir it after adding the starch water.

Qin Huai grasped the opportunity very well the first time, and it could even be said that it was a stroke of luck, but the second time was very conventional.

This shows that Qin Huai has really found the feeling. If he feels that it is right, everything is right. If he doesn't feel that it is right, then it is not there.

But how is this done?
"It's really hard for me to explain." Qin Huai said, "I can only repeat to you what I said to Zheng Siyuan before."

“I’ve been making snacks this way since I was a kid.”

“Many times it’s not that I can do it, but I think it should be done this way, and then I do it, and the final product is also very good.”

"It was the same with thickening just now. I felt that it was time to learn how to thicken the sauce like Master Cao. I didn't learn it exactly like Master Cao, but I did it subconsciously."

“That’s what I mean by feeling.”

Zang Liang didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.

Zang Liang looked at Tan Weian, who had been silent from beginning to end, patted his good friend, and asked in a low voice: "Has Qin Huai always been like this? Why are you so calm?"

"Do you know how awesome his thickening action was just now? The sauce looked so beautiful when it dripped down. Damn, if I could make a thickening like this, my master would wake up laughing in his dreams at night."

Tan Weian pulled the corner of his mouth: "Haha."

"What's your reaction?"

"It's an incomprehensible reaction." Tan Weian said calmly, "With my thickening skills, to be honest, I don't really understand it."

"And to be honest, I have never understood the feelings you just described."

"My junior high school English teacher told me to choose based on my feelings when I encountered questions I didn't know how to answer. I never got the answer right, so I didn't know what feelings were."

"Ever since Zheng Siyuan told me that Qin Huai made apple noodles to such a high standard the first time he made them, I feel like nothing can shock me anymore."

"Those of you who can find the feeling, go find the feeling, and then tell me what it is when you find it."

"Tired and devastated."

(End of this chapter)