Chapter 16 Candied Ginkgo Nuts
Chapter 016 Candied Ginkgo Nuts
Cooking is sometimes all about the mood.
When you suddenly feel like cooking, you often get unexpected results.
For someone who enjoys cooking, there's nothing more delightful than suddenly feeling the urge to cook a dish.
Zhenxiuyuan has a small kitchen.
The tools she was most familiar with were in the small kitchen. From the moment the idea of making candied ginkgo nuts came to mind, to the moment they hit it off, she tidied up the small kitchen while He Lin went to the main kitchen to get the ingredients. The whole process was completed in one go.
You can't help but eat it even if you want to!
A dish that can be made on a whim must be paired with a partner who can eat whenever they want and also take care of all the ingredients.
"Everything's ready!"
He Lin is really fast, Wang Sumo thought to himself. No wonder he's the kind of person who'll climb to the top of the mountain for breakfast at the drop of a hat!
The small kitchen isn't big, but it's enough for two people.
He Lin was a little excited. This was the first time he had watched Wang Sumo cook so closely, and there was no one crowding around, so he could smell more of the aroma!
Although he used to be a glutton, he was never as eager as he was to go to the main kitchen to watch the chefs cook!
Moreover, there was a little reluctance, especially when that bag of white sugar (it was recorded as white granulated sugar at the time, not white sugar) was placed in front of Wang Sumo. He still felt a pang of heartache, thinking, "All my savings!"
God knows how expensive white sugar is!
You might not even be able to buy it!
He had helped Chef Chen so much before that Chef Chen had the kitchen give him some of the food this time!
He Lin watched longingly as Wang Sumo reached out and took it, then gently bit his lower lip and swallowed.
That was his monthly savings that he had been saving for a long time!
"Save it, use it sparingly..." He Lin couldn't help but remind him.
Although I don't think it would be of any use...
"Can you crack an egg?" Wang Sumo asked.
"Yes!" He Lin replied.
Wang Sumo handed the eggs to him.
He took it and then handled it with practiced ease.
"Not bad~" Wang Sumo looked at him with newfound respect.
He Lin felt a great sense of accomplishment and became even more enthusiastic. "Sometimes I go to the kitchen to help Chef Chen. I'm most familiar with things like beating eggs! I can also chop vegetables and make cuts, but Chef Chen says my chopping isn't very neat..."
He Lin seemed to have started talking nonstop.
Wang Sumo smiled.
The person cooking must be happy, so that the food can contain something that makes people happy, and the person eating the food can feel joy and satisfaction through the food.
Just like He Lin is now.
"All done!" He Lin excitedly reported as the egg mixture was beaten. Wang Sumo scooped about the same amount of mung bean starch as the eggs from the bowl of soaked mung bean starch and put it into the bowl of egg mixture in He Lin's hand.
She had already started making it while He Lin was looking for white sugar, and now it's just the right time.
"Continue stirring until well mixed," Wang Sumo instructed.
"Oh." He hadn't stirred the mung bean starch into the egg mixture yet.
"Wait, add a little bit of raw flour, it will be even crispier." Wang Sumo pinched a small handful with his hand.
He Lin took the bait and said, "Since it's all mixed up anyway, I'll mix it the same way."
Beside him, Wang Sumo's stove was already heated. He scooped a spoonful of rapeseed oil into the hot pan, gently swirled it to evenly coat most of the pan with the hot oil, ensuring that the egg mixture wouldn't stick when it was added later.
Once the wok is thoroughly greased, pour out the oil.
Then simply wipe the pot clean.
"Is the egg mixture ready?" Wang Sumo asked.
"All done." He Lin was quick on his end too; as soon as Wang Sumo called out, he handed it over.
Wang Sumo took it, quickly mixed it with her hands and knew it was about right. Then she slowly poured the egg mixture, which contained flour and mung bean starch, into the pan and spread it evenly into a thin egg crepe.
Because the egg skin is so thin, it burns very easily, so you must control the heat.
Since the heat of the stove cannot be adjusted so flexibly, the person in charge of cooking must be able to skillfully lift the wok to the appropriate position according to the heat level to reduce the impact of the heat.
Once the egg crepe has almost settled and set, place it in the pan. Be careful as it will be hot. Fold the egg crepe tightly in half with your hands so that it won't easily come undone.
Using your hands helps keep the egg skin intact. Once it's mostly stable, use a large spoon to press the egg skin down more firmly, ensuring it won't fall apart even after being cut into thin strips.
Once this step is complete, remove the folded and pressed egg crepe from the pan and place it on a cutting board.
Next, it's time to change its appearance.
"Can you cut it into strips?" Wang Sumo asked.
“…Yes.” He Lin thought for a moment, but then hesitated. “But I’ve never cut it before, what if I cut it into pieces?”
"Humor" doesn't mean "a novice," but rather someone who knows where to apply the knife skills and force.
"Then cut it into pieces, just make sure they're all the same size, don't break them apart, be careful." Wang Sumo demonstrated two dishes. Although He Lin was a little worried, he was fearless, so he just cut them, since Wang Sumo wasn't afraid anyway.
While He Lin was cutting the meat into pieces, Wang Sumo started heating the oil in the wok again.
As He Lin cut, he craned his neck to watch.
"Watch out, you might cut yourself!"
He Lin quickly pulled his neck back, thinking to himself, "Wang Sumo's head seems to have eyes!"
He Lin couldn't help but ask, "Do you want it deep-fried too?"
"Of course, otherwise how can they be crispy?" Wang Sumo kept an eye on the oil temperature. The oil temperature cannot be too high when frying, otherwise the ginkgo nuts will set in shape and will not be crispy or puffy.
"Is it ready?" Wang Sumo's oil was almost heated.
"All done." He Lin had just finished cutting.
"Put it back into the bowl of egg mixture and let it coat the surface with another layer of egg mixture." After Wang Sumo finished speaking, He Lin also finished.
Place the egg crepe pieces coated with egg wash into a warm oil pan and fry over low heat. The egg crepe pieces will gradually expand and grow, especially in height, until they puff up and become thick, tofu-like blocks.
"Wow~" He Lin didn't expect that the flat slices he had just cut could expand like this, and the original shape could not be seen at all.
"It doesn't seem to be expanding anymore," He Lin observed carefully.
"Then turn up the heat and let it crisp up and brown." After Wang Sumo finished speaking, he put the iron pot back on the stove. Soon, the high heat heated the oil, and the tofu-shaped ginkgo nuts in the pot gradually turned from beige to golden yellow.
Wang Sumo used a slotted spoon to scoop up a few of them, and the aroma of caramelized meat immediately rose to the surface.
I gently poked the top with my fingertip, and the outside was indeed crispy.
He Lin nodded in agreement, as if he had actually understood a little bit; at least, he could keep up.
"Take it out." Wang Sumo ordered. He Lin thought of Master Chen and his sous chef in the main kitchen. Master Chen used to order the sous chef around like this. He Lin suddenly realized his importance in this dish.
He Lin scooped the ginkgo nuts out of the pot. He chuckled; what had just been a flat, thin sheet of egg skin had turned into such a huge pot of ginkgo nuts!
Wang Sumo reheated another pot and started boiling sugar.
Before He Lin could react, a large spoonful of water was poured in, followed by another large spoonful of white sugar, which was then added to the pot and boiled together with the water. He Lin's eyes widened in disbelief, as if the words "What a waste!" were practically written all over his forehead.
His bag of white sugar was almost empty, with only a tiny bit left.
The rest turned into a puddle of thin water in the pot.
He Lin was filled with melancholy.
But Wang Sumo was much calmer.
The large spoon stirred rapidly, gradually simmering the thin liquid in the pot into a thick syrup. The light-colored syrup then slowly turned into a golden-yellow syrup, finally bubbling up with even bubbles. The sweet aroma seeped into every part of the body, so intoxicating that it reached the very tip of the nose.
This is pure bliss for anyone who loves eating candy!
He Lin suddenly felt less distressed about the bag of white sugar.
"Get a plate," Wang Sumo instructed. He Lin, already on the same page, prepared the plate the moment Wang Sumo spoke.
Wang Sumo poured out about a quarter of the syrup from the pot and let it cool on a plate, leaving the rest in the pot. Then she poured the ginkgo nuts she had just scooped out back into the pot to make the syrup. He Lin's eyes widened, and he felt that his happiness had reached its peak in the sweetness emanating from the ginkgo nuts and syrup being stir-fried together!
Wang Sumo kept turning the wok, making sure the syrup coated every part of every ginkgo nut.
And so, when these ginkgo nuts coated in syrup were poured onto a plate, and a long strand of sugar could be pulled out with just a pinch of chopsticks, He Lin was so happy he almost cried!
It's really like candied sugar!
It really can pull strings!
Just as He Lin was about to open his mouth, Wang Sumo stopped him, "It's hot!"
He Lin seemed to have no time to worry about anything else. Fortunately, Wang Sumo was quick-witted and placed a bowl of cold boiled water between him and the candied ginkgo nuts, saying leisurely, "You can dip them in and eat them."
Huh? He doesn't want it; he thinks it tastes good just like this.
But the person opposite him is Wang Sumo!
He Lin had no choice but to comply.
When the candied ginkgo nuts were placed in cold water, something amazing happened: the soft, candied strands instantly solidified, just like hot syrup suddenly placed in icy snow, becoming clear and vivid in an instant. He Lin couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"
Wang Sumo wanted to laugh.
Sometimes I really feel that He Qingque is like a big kid who doesn't have any thoughts, but has been trained by his sect to be a decent person. But in fact, when he sees something delicious, he instantly reveals his true nature as a naughty child.
"Delicious~" After taking a bite of candied fruit and ginkgo nuts, the mischievous child's true nature resurfaced, and he couldn't wait to grin from ear to ear right next to the stove.
"Can every single one be pulled into strands?" He Lin asked curiously, then tried to pick one up with chopsticks.
It really can be pulled out!
He Lin seems to have discovered something extraordinary.
But because I was so bored, I plucked almost every single one of them, and then the threads broke.
Wang Sumo: "..."
He Lin: "..."
Wang Sumo: →_→
He Lin: ←_←
Wang Sumo said earnestly, "The older generation says that the length of the silk is related to the lifespan of the person who pulls it."
He Lin was startled and quickly put it back.
But the silk threads broke, and He Lin was truly terrified.
Wang Sumo found it both amusing and exasperating, and decided to stop teasing him. Fortunately, she had a backup plan. The plate of syrup she had prepared earlier had been shaken to even out the consistency and cooled down while He Lin was busy pulling the syrup into strands.
"Pick up your chopsticks," Wang Sumo called out.
Feeling guilty, He Lin quickly did as instructed.
Wang Sumo lifted the plate, turned it upside down, and the cooled syrup began to fall like fine threads, like snow or thin lines.
Each strand, crystal clear and gleaming with a sweet golden luster, hangs from two chopsticks, solidifying into threads.
This requires precise control over the temperature at which the syrup cools and hangs on the wire.
But it must be said that when the two chopsticks were gradually covered with a waterfall of sticky sugar, like silken threads, no words could adequately describe the shock in He Lin's eyes at that moment. "My God!!!"
He Lin was as happy as a child, almost jumping around with the candy-coated waterfall made of those two chopsticks.
This is a kind of happiness that no amount of money can buy!
It feels like Chinese New Year!
Wang Sumo was also very happy.
How important is a dining partner? They can elevate the emotional experience of cooking a dish to its peak.
And so, Wang Sumo took the two candied sugar waterfalls from He Lin's hands, then gently wrapped them up, making them look like a bird's nest made of crystal-clear sugar threads, and placed them on the plate of candied ginkgo nuts that He Lin had already ruined.
He Lin laughed so hard he almost fell over, as if he had never been so happy before!
Wang Sumo looked at her hands covered in sugar strands, her eyes crinkling into two crescent moons with a smile. She was very satisfied with the process!
Just as she was laughing and joking, she turned her head slightly and caught a glimpse of a solemn and composed figure outside the kitchen. Wang Sumo suddenly stopped and slowly suppressed her smile.
He Lin also snapped out of his excitement and asked in surprise, "Old, Old Master."
[Author's Note]
Come on, let's have some fun together! Candied sweet potatoes are really fun!
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