Food Wars!: I Became a Fantasy Ingredient Supplier

First: Use plenty of oil.

This way, it will taste smoother and more delicious, and every bite of tofu will be coated with a rich, oily flavor.

Second: Use minced beef.

After being stir-fried, the minced beef releases a unique meaty aroma, adding a rich flavor to Mapo Tofu.

Third: Use Pixian Doubanjiang (fermented broad bean paste), and the Doubanjiang must be chopped finely.

Pixian chili bean paste is one of the essential seasonings for Mapo Tofu. Chopping it finely helps to better release its aroma and spiciness.

Fourth: Use a low flame.

Allow the broth to gradually seep into the tofu before removing it from the heat.

This allows the tofu to fully absorb the flavor of the broth, making it even more delicious.

Fifth: Sprinkle a layer of Sichuan peppercorn powder when taking the dish off the heat.

The numbing sensation of ground Sichuan peppercorns gives Mapo Tofu a unique taste experience that leaves a lasting impression.

Sixth: Eat it as soon as it's served.

Mapo tofu tastes best when it's fresh out of the pot, piping hot and fragrant.

At this moment, on Ye Chen's cooking counter, there was a piece of tofu with marbling similar to that of marbled beef, high in oil content and tender and delicious! This tofu was snow-white, delicate and fresh, with a light fragrance, and extremely resilient.

"Huh?" Saiba Joichiro stared at the tofu on the cutting board in front of him, his eyes flickering. "What kind of tofu is this? I've never seen it before."

But then he thought about it and muttered to himself, "The quality of tofu can indeed affect the level of Mapo Tofu to some extent. However, it won't work if we rely too much on and focus too much on the quality of the tofu, and ultimately ignore other factors."

……

Followed by.

Right under the watchful eyes of Saiba Joichiro.

Ye Chen, however, began to rinse the kitchen knife in his hand with water.

"Oh?"

Upon seeing this, Saiba Joichiro was somewhat surprised: "I didn't expect him to know to rinse the kitchen knife with water!"

In cooking.

Rinsing the kitchen knife with water can prevent tofu from sticking to it.

It can make the process of cutting tofu smoother.

Then, Ye Chen calmed down and began to cut the tofu on the cutting board.

Frost-covered tofu is difficult to cut. Firstly, this type of tofu is more fragile, and if you apply too much force, it will fall into pieces.

Secondly, tofu tends to stick to the knife, affecting both efficiency and appearance when cutting. Therefore, wetting the knife slightly allows for easier cutting of the tofu into desired shapes without the tofu sticking.

Ye Chen held the knife in his right hand, his thumb naturally bent, and gently placed his left hand on the tofu, his fingers bent, with the first joint of his middle finger at the front.

action.

Skilled and fluent.

It was as if a beautiful art performance was taking place.

……

The tofu was cut very quickly!

Each piece of tofu is uniform in size and shape, as if it were carved from a mold.

"He's actually using wrist strength to cut, instead of relying on arm strength." Watching Ye Chen cut the tofu, Saiba Joichiro couldn't help but exclaim, "This makes the knife-wielding motion more nimble, decisive, fast, and even!"

"And upon closer inspection, the cut tofu pieces are almost identical in size."

"This man is indeed extraordinary!"

A dish.

Almost all processes have varying degrees of importance.

Some processes are very important, while others can be done casually.

such as:

Mapo tofu.

For this dish, cutting tofu is a trivial matter.

If the tofu isn't cut properly, it might affect the texture and make the shape less appealing, but overall, the taste of the dish remains unchanged.

however.

It's just a small thing like cutting tofu.

Ye Chen's ability to make it so exquisite and neat is enough to show his seriousness and focus on cooking.

Soon after cutting the tofu, Ye Chen put it into simmering hot water, added salt, and poached it over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Then he took it out and drained the water.

Whoosh whoosh~

The kitchen knife in his hand moved swiftly.

In no time, the beef turned into fine, even pieces.

Wash the garlic sprouts and cut them into 1cm long sections. Set them aside. Finally, finely chop the Pixian chili bean paste and fermented black beans together.

Place the fermented soybean paste and fermented black beans on the cutting board.

Chop them little by little with a kitchen knife until they become a smooth sauce.

Put the Sichuan peppercorns in a pot and dry-roast them over medium heat until fragrant, then let them cool. Next, use a rolling pin to grind them into peppercorn powder. The "thump thump thump" of the rolling pin seems to be the prelude to this delicious Mapo Tofu.

"I see."

"Is it made with ground Sichuan peppercorns?"

Watching Ye Chen's actions, Saiba Ichiro couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Perhaps between the two words 'numbing and spicy,' he focuses more on the feeling of spiciness?"

More numbing and spicy flavors are definitely not better!

After all, a balanced seasoning is the unshakeable truth of Sichuan cuisine.

Moreover, everyone has a different definition of "fragrant". If you examine a dish of Mapo Tofu on a global scale, the conclusions you reach will certainly be very different.

Therefore, from this moment on, Saiba Joichiro was somewhat looking forward to Ye Chen's Mapo Tofu.

He quickly sat up straight, his eyes fixed on Ye Chen's every move, as if trying to discern the unique qualities of this Mapo Tofu from his actions.

……

In fact.

The ingredients for Mapo Tofu may seem simple, but they actually contain hidden secrets.

Besides the main ingredients, tofu and beef, the seemingly insignificant thickening sauce is the key to making the two ingredients blend perfectly and become inseparable.

Among the many starch options...

Pea starch, with its white color, fine texture, and minimal impurities, stands out as the top choice for making thickening sauces.

When it meets tofu, it's like a meticulously choreographed dance, tightly wrapping the tofu and preventing it from "spitting out water" during cooking, thus maintaining its tender and smooth texture and laying an excellent foundation for the dish's texture.

Authentic Mapo Tofu requires careful attention to the number and timing of thickening the sauce, necessitating three meticulous thickening processes.

First time thickening with cornstarch.

It's like a paintbrush lightly touching the canvas.

This outlines the initial shape of the tofu and broth.

At this point, the tofu will release a little water, and the broth has not yet reached a rich and mellow state, but this is precisely the prelude to the wonderful things to come.

Then, the second thickening process takes place, like a painter adding further color to a canvas. The tofu releases water again, but in the process it becomes even more tender and smooth, as if it has been given new life. At the same time, it can better absorb the flavor of the seasonings and become even more flavorful.

The third thickening is the climax of this culinary feast.

Adding green garlic shoots and minced beef is like adding vibrant colors and fresh elements to a dish.

Broth.

The sauce thickened quickly thanks to the cornstarch slurry.

The aroma, like a flame ignited, instantly spread throughout the kitchen, tantalizing people's olfactory senses.

……

As for.

The consistency of the sauce,

"Second-rate jujube" is the perfect choice.

The term "second-thickness starch" refers to a thicker consistency compared to "thickness starch".

When this thickened sauce blends with the ingredients, it's like a romantic encounter, where they permeate and complement each other, ultimately presenting an enticing "glossy and glossy" appearance.

Each piece of tofu is coated with a glistening, translucent sauce, shimmering enticingly under the light, making one feel intoxicated even before tasting it.

Of course.