"Why call something made with broth chicken essence?"
Chicken bouillon is not made from stock; Xiao Yunying said that to make it easier for Chen Yuancheng to understand.
"I don't know, that's what the person who taught me calls it, so I just call it that too."
Xiao Yunying decided to fabricate a magical old man out of thin air, saying that she met him in the mountains. If anyone asked her about it in the future, she could say that the old man taught her, which would save her a lot of trouble.
The hermits and masters encountered deep in the mountains, whose names, appearances, origins, and destinations are unknown, are nowhere to be found even if one is determined to find them.
"Did someone else teach you?"
The two entered the main kitchen. Xiao Yunying put down her basket and took out a bag of rock sugar, placing it on the long table where the food was being prepared.
"Yes, otherwise how do you think I know these things? But you have to keep it a secret for me. He doesn't allow me to tell anyone about his existence. I only told you. Even my parents don't know."
Is there really such an old man?
It didn't matter. He had no intention of finding out the secret she was trying to hide. Since she had told him, he would believe her.
"Also, I only told my parents about investing in Huiweilou with the recipes, I didn't tell them about the sugar and wine workshop. If you see them in the future, don't let it slip to me."
Ling Qi asked curiously, "Why didn't Miss Xiao tell her family?"
Xiao Yunying leaned against the long table: "I said I would keep the old man's secret and not let anyone know about his existence. My parents don't know that I know these things. If they find out and ask me questions, I won't be able to explain myself."
Chen Yuancheng said, "I've remembered, I won't tell."
Early in the morning, no one came to the restaurant for breakfast. Xiao Yunying observed the chef's work and found that most of them were preparing soups that needed to be simmered for a long time.
"Can I teach them how to cook now? I won't have time once the guests start coming."
“Okay, Lingqi, go and call all the chefs over so they can learn to cook from Yunying.”
Ling Qi responded and told all the chefs to stop what they were doing and come over.
Xiao Yunying chatted with them for a few minutes, asking their names and the dishes they were good at, so that they could get to know each other a little.
She first taught them about the seasonings she brought, especially chicken bouillon, and gave them a detailed explanation.
Xiao Yunying opened the jar and showed everyone the pale yellow granules inside:
"This seasoning was developed by myself. You can think of it as a powder made from the leftovers after simmering broth with other ingredients. It is used to enhance the flavor of dishes."
It can be added to stir-fries, stews, and soups to enhance their flavor, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
For soups made with stock, there is no need to use chicken bouillon, because stock itself is already fresh, fragrant and clear. Adding chicken bouillon is redundant and will mask the natural freshness and aroma of the ingredients.
Chicken bouillon has a more complex and harmonious flavor, and it contains salt, so you should add less salt to your dishes when using chicken bouillon for seasoning.
Its solubility is relatively poor. If you're using it in cold dishes, you need to dissolve it in water or vinegar beforehand. It's best not to sprinkle it directly onto the dish and mix it in, to avoid any undissolved particles being ingested by guests.
No one had ever seen this seasoning called chicken essence before. Xiao Yunying gave a demonstration on the spot, making two stir-fried potato shreds, one with chicken essence and one without.
"Try it yourselves."
She took two small bowls, picked up a piece of food from each of the two plates, and gave it to Chen Yuancheng and Ling Qi.
"Try it, see if it's different."
Chen Yuancheng tasted the two kinds of shredded potatoes: "The taste is indeed different."
Ling Qi wasn't full from the egg pancake, and now it was time to get down to business. He didn't say he wanted to eat, but quickly shoveled all the shredded potatoes into his mouth.
After swallowing, I savored the taste and thought, "Why don't I taste anything different?"
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "You ate all of this together, so of course you can't tell the difference. I know you're hungry. Wait a moment, and I'll make you something to eat."
"No need, Miss Xiao. I've had an egg pancake and I'm not very hungry. I'll save my appetite for lunch and eat your cooking. You can teach the chefs how to cook first."
Xiao Yunying slapped her forehead: "Look at my memory! Where's the food box I brought? It contains the water chestnut cake I made."
Ling Qi went out and brought back a food box. Xiao Yunying took out a plate from it: "It's made with water chestnut flour that you gave me. You two eat this. I'll make you something delicious for lunch."
She turned around and asked the chefs for their feedback after tasting the dish. The shredded potatoes made with chicken bouillon had already been eaten, and the chefs were asking each other questions about the chicken bouillon.
Xiao Yunying patiently answered all the questions. One of the chefs said, "Isn't this the same as the umami powder that our boss brought? But this chicken essence has a more pronounced umami flavor."
Xiao Yunying remembered that when she was cooking in the small kitchen, she had seen two kinds of unfamiliar powders in the bottles and jars of seasonings. They had a faint fishy smell.
"What is 'fresh powder'? Can I have it here and take a look?"
The chef took two jars from the nearest stove. Xiao Yunying opened them and smelled them; they were indeed the two types.
"What kind of powder is this?"
She could guess that it was some kind of sea creature ground into powder, but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was.
The chef pointed to two jars and explained, "This is dried scallop powder, and this is sand powder."
She recognized dried scallops, but what was sand powder?
"Which character is it? What was it before it was ground into powder? Can I see it?"
The chef, whether he couldn't say or he himself wasn't sure, looked at Chen Yuancheng behind her.
Chen Yuancheng walked over to Xiao Yunying and explained, "What they don't know is that everything I brought over had already been ground into powder."
This is a small thing that grows by the sea. Because it grows on the sand and its name contains the word "sand," I simply call it sand powder.
Don't worry, it's edible. It's even more delicious when fresh, and it's very popular in coastal areas. People there also dry it and grind it into powder, which adds a lot of flavor to stir-fries.
Chen Yuancheng didn't explicitly say what the sand powder was made from, but Xiao Yunying understood. He learned it from the residents by the sea, and it was his secret recipe. To keep it a secret, he hadn't told anyone what the raw materials were.
Knowing that it's edible is enough. As for what it is, it's not appropriate to ask in front of so many people. We'll ask in private.
"You can decide for yourselves whether to use granulated salt or chicken bouillon. I've eaten at Huiweilou, and the effect of granulated salt in cooking is not much worse than that of chicken bouillon. Both are fine."
Personally, I feel that scallop powder is fine, but dried scallop powder has a slightly fishy smell. It can be used when cooking fish, shrimp, and crab, but it's best to avoid it in regular stir-fries, especially vegetarian dishes, as people with sensitive palates may detect the fishy taste.
Xiao Yunying led the chefs to the stove, divided them according to their specialties, and taught them several dishes.
Because Xiao Yunying had to explain each step of the cooking process and answer the chef's questions, she had to pause for a while after each step. By the time she finished cooking, it was already close to noon.
This allowed the chefs to taste the dishes and get a sense of their quality.
They have limited time to prepare lunch for the guests, so they'll let them try cooking themselves when they have more free time in the afternoon.
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