Xu Qinyu was also standing in the crowd watching. Lianhua, Yang Zhizhi and Xu Yunlan were also looking at the chefs excitedly. It was the first time they had seen this kind of competition, so they were naturally a little excited. Yang Zhizhi was whispering to Xu Yunlan and Lianhua, discussing whose cooking skills looked the most skilled in the first round. After a while, seeing that everyone's cooking methods were the same, they began to discuss which day would be the next before Xu Qinyu's turn.
Xu Qinyu was also watching how the contestants in the first round made the braised pork.
The stove is made of a stove and a big pot. Firewood can be put into the stove and the temperature can be controlled.
Most cooking methods involve cutting the pork belly into pieces and blanching it in water. Set the blanched pork belly aside and then clean the iron pan. Add oil and sugar to the stove and stir-fry the sugar color. Stir-frying the sugar color is critical. If the sugar color is not fried well, the taste will easily become bitter. After the sugar color is fried, pour in the pork belly and stir-fry. Then add the onion, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, add salt and soy sauce and continue to stir-fry. When it is almost done, add water, cover with a lid, and simmer.
Xu Qinyu noticed that many of them were just giving the sugar haphazardly, not paying much attention to the proportions, and even failing to control the heat when frying the sugar color. Other times, the heat was similar, not being particularly particular, and the whole process was done over medium heat.
Many other people could only smell the aroma of meat, but Xu Qinyu could smell the fishy smell of meat.
She did not comment on these cooking skills, as the cooking skills of that era were still in their infancy.
Her knowledge of cooking is the result of thousands of years of discarding the dross and retaining the essence.
Apart from anything else, the braised pork tasted very delicious. After a while, the rich aroma of meat wafted through the air.
Xu Yunlan and Yang Zhizhi often eat meals cooked by Xu Qinyu. There is also braised pork on Xu Qinyu's menu, but not many people order it because braised pork is a dish available in every restaurant and restaurant. In addition, braised pork is a bit greasy, so most girls don't like to eat it. Yang Zhizhi will not eat braised pork because she wants to lose weight.
Although they had never eaten the braised pork made by Xu Qinyu, they had eaten many other dishes made by Xu Qinyu, so they felt something was wrong when they smelled the aroma of the braised pork.
Yang Zhizhi couldn't help but say, "Why do I feel that this doesn't taste very good? It even has a bit of a porky smell."
Xu Yunlan said, "Indeed, that's because we often eat food made by Qinyu, so our taste has become more refined, and our sense of smell has also improved, so we can naturally smell the difference."
Lotus stood by and didn't swallow much.
She often eats braised pork, which is not made by her master, but by other chefs in Xu's. The cooking standards are also based on the standards for serving guests in the restaurant. However, since it is not made by the head chef and the master, the taste is definitely not as good, but it is much more fragrant than what she smells now.
In addition to guarding the restaurant and patrolling every day, Lianhua also has other jobs. Other jobs in the restaurant also require a lot of physical work. The food provided by the master is very good, and they often eat braised pork. When she was a black-armored guard, she didn't eat meat every day.
Xu Qinyu just kept watching.
In fact, there are still many seasonings. In addition to these common and commonly used ones, there are also some strange spices, Huadiao wine, various bean pastes, moldy tofu, etc. Some chefs will also add Huadiao wine and moldy tofu. The overall methods are still similar.
Half an hour later, the braised pork of the first round contestants were all taken out of the pot. In order to make it more flavorful and tender, their braised pork was cut into smaller pieces and then served on twenty small plates, with three or four small pieces on each small plate.
The ten contestants made braised pork of different colors. Some were dark red, some were too red, some were not dark red enough, some were white, and one contestant was even too nervous and used too high a heat when frying the sugar color, causing some of the pork to burn. The braised pork turned out to be black and bitter. This contestant's face turned pale, with beads of sweat on his forehead. His face and lips were white, and he knew in his heart that he would not pass this time.
No matter what kind of competition or exam it is, your attitude is actually very important.
In the first round, there is only one contestant who can get 60 points or above from all the judges.
Sixty points is just the passing score.
The contestant who made the braised pork taste bitter and black was even scolded by many judges, and was so scolded that he could hardly lift his head.
Each round lasts half an hour, or one hour. For the chef, this time is absolutely sufficient. However, there are nearly a thousand contestants in the initial round. There can only be ten contestants in one hour, so the competition is still a bit slow. Today, due to the draw and other reasons, the competition did not start until almost noon, so there were only about seven or eight rounds on the first day.
Kong Kun took the turn in the fifth round.
When he cooked the braised pork, he first used Huadiao wine and scallion and ginger water to remove the fishy smell from the pork. He also paid attention to the proportion and heat when frying the sugar color, and the overall process was impeccable.
Xu Qinyu watched very carefully. As expected of the chef of Zuixianlou, he was very focused when cooking and did not get distracted. His control over the heat was also good. Xu Qinyu gave him a score of 90 in her heart.
For Xu Qinyu, 90 points is considered a relatively high score.
Chef Wang and Dong Qian have been learning cooking for a long time and have been with her for almost a year, so the scores she gave them were similar.
Sure enough, when the twenty old gentlemen gave Kong Kun scores, all of them scored above 95 points, and one even gave him a score of 100.
By the time the first day of competition was over, it was already very late and the city gates had not yet been closed.
Because of the cooking competition in the city these days, the prefect deliberately delayed the closing time of the city gate by one hour. In addition, the guards in the city were also tightened.
It would be quite fast to go back by carriage, so Lianhua drove the carriage to take Xu Qinyu out of the city and back to the restaurant.
Yang Zhizhi and Xu Yunlan came with their mother and sisters-in-law, and followed Lianhua's carriage back to the restaurant.
Xu Qinyu had breakfast early in the morning and went into the city to draw lots. She was now starving.
After returning to the restaurant, the evening meal was almost over, but the chefs left some food for Xu Qinyu and Lianhua. After dinner, everyone went back to rest. Xu Qinyu also returned to the house. Wen was worried and felt relieved to see her come back.
Wen chatted with Yu Niang for a few minutes and then asked her to wash up and go to bed.
It would be a few days before Xu Qinyu's turn came. It would be okay if she didn't go during these few days, but Xu Qinyu still wanted to go and take a look.
The next morning, everyone had breakfast early because the competition was going to start at noon.
The city gates also opened at the beginning of the morning hour.
Xu Qinyu got up before dawn and went to the restaurant to cook something. Today she also specially made a lot of brown sugar steamed cakes.
Today she had to eat breakfast earlier, and also wait until dark before eating dinner, so she would be hungry for six or seven hours in between. So she learned from her experience today and brought some food to the scene to continue watching the competition.
Brown sugar steamed cake is made of brown sugar, red dates and flour, and the method is also very simple.
However, the brown sugar steamed cake made by Xu Qinyu also contains chopped red dates and some raisins, as well as eggs and milk, which makes it taste even sweeter and more fragrant.
Dissolve the brown sugar in warm water, then add flour and stir, then beat in the eggs and stir, and finally pour in an appropriate amount of milk. The batter is delicate and the viscosity is just right.
Pour the fine batter into a container and add chopped red dates and raisins. Xu Qinyu also likes to eat red dates and raisins, so she gives more red dates and raisins.
The batter with just the right consistency needs to be fermented for half an hour. Xu Qinyu uses the temperature on the stove in the back kitchen to ferment it, which makes it ferment faster.
The fermented batter can be steamed directly in a pot for 15 minutes.
The steamed brown sugar steamed cake is fluffy and soft, with a dense, firm and delicate texture, a rich aroma of brown sugar and a hint of milk, and is sweet and delicious.
When you take a bite, you can find a lot of red dates and raisins, which makes the taste richer.
Xu Qinyu couldn't help but ate two pieces first. Seeing Lianhua looking at her eagerly, she handed two pieces to her. Lianhua took it and took a big bite, then nodded vigorously, "Master, it's delicious." It was as delicious as the custard buns made by the master before. She especially liked the sweet and milky taste.
Even the custard buns were only available to Lotus during the first half month when the restaurant was relatively quiet.
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "When we get to the city later, tell me if you're hungry. Take these brown sugar steamed cakes with you. We'll be staying here for a long time today, so we'll eat these if you're hungry."
Lotus was stunned, then she couldn't help grinning, which meant that she could eat such delicious pastries to her heart's content today.
Xu Qinyu even specially left a few pieces for Huo Jiang. She always asked Huo Jiang to help her, so whenever she had time, she would leave a portion of the snacks and pastries she made for Huo Jiang.
The prepared brown sugar steamed cake is directly wrapped in oil paper and placed in the carriage.
Xu Qinyu even brought a water bottle with her and planned to go to the city with Lianhua.
Yang Zhizhi and Xu Yunlan are also going to the city today, but their mothers are not going. They both plan to go and see Xu Qinyu on the day of her competition.
Young girls are different. No matter who is competing, they all want to join in the fun. So today, Lianhua drove the carriage, and Yang Zhizhi, Xu Yunlan and Xu Qinyu sat in the carriage together. The three girls talked and laughed as they arrived in the city.
By the time she got there, it was already bright outside. Since she wasn't competing today, it wouldn't matter if she came later. The eighth round of competition had already begun.
Seven rounds of contestants were completed yesterday.
Xu Qinyu also brought a few small stools and asked Lianhua to lead the three of them to the front and sit on the stools to watch.
Many people in the front row brought small stools, so her behavior was not out of place.
Lotus was holding a big bag in her arms, which contained brown sugar steamed cake.
The people around were a little puzzled. They thought that besides the smell of braised pork today, they could also smell another very sweet smell from time to time, which included the fragrance of brown sugar and red dates. However, there were not many people eating nearby, so they just thought it was their own illusion.
After watching for two hours, it was already the end of noon. Everyone had breakfast early today, so now was a good time to have lunch.
Xu Qinyu asked Lianhua to open the bundle and share the brown sugar steamed cakes with everyone.
She cut the steamed cake into relatively large pieces. As a girl, she can feel full after eating two or three pieces.
Yang Zhizhi and Xu Yunlan particularly liked the taste of brown sugar steamed cake, which was soft and sweet, with the flavor of brown sugar and a strong milky aroma. Both of them couldn't resist and ate one more piece. In total, they ate four pieces each and felt very full.
Xu Qinyu ate three pieces, and there were about ten pieces left, which she gave to Lianhua.
Lotus has a big appetite, so ten yuan is just enough for her.
Once the brown sugar steamed cake is taken out of the package, the sweet smell becomes stronger.
Brown sugar steamed cake is most fragrant when it is just out of the pot and hot. This is also the characteristic of sweet pastries. The fragrance is strongest when hot. When it cools down, the fragrance will be greatly reduced. Only when you are close to it can you smell the sweet taste.
So after the brown sugar steamed cake is taken out, even though the people around can smell the sweet aroma more strongly, people who are farther away still cannot smell it.
When they started eating, the people around them realized that they were holding fluffy steamed cakes, which looked a bit like brown sugar steamed cakes, but were dotted with a lot of red dates and other particles that looked like dried fruits.
There are no raisins here yet, and these raisins were dried by Xu Qinyu herself.
The grapes from her acres of land were not used to make wine, but were dried into raisins. Raisins are usually used in pastries in restaurants and hotels.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "What are you eating, little lady?"
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "It's steamed cake made with brown sugar."
There are also steamed cakes here, osmanthus steamed cakes with the flavor of brown sugar and ordinary sugar, but they don’t smell as good and sweet as the steamed cakes that the young ladies in front of me are eating. There is also the sweet aroma of milk and red dates.
The brown sugar steamed cakes they eat on a daily basis only have a hint of brown sugar flavor.
Even ordinary brown sugar steamed cakes, half the size of a fist, cost two cents.
The cakes and pastries here are more expensive because they use sugar.
There were also many ordinary people who came to watch. They could not help smelling the fragrance. One old lady's grandson was a little noisy, twisting and turning in the old lady's arms, shouting, "Grandma, I want to eat, I want to eat too."
The old lady couldn't stand it any longer and couldn't help but ask, "Young lady, can you sell us a piece?"
Smelling such a sweet aroma, I really couldn't help it. And seeing that the little lady's brown sugar steamed cake was quite big, three or four times bigger than the small piece they usually bought, it was even bigger than two fists. I thought it was quite a good deal to buy a piece for five cents. It smelled so good, and it must taste delicious too. Look at the taller little lady next to her, who was eating voraciously. She bought it just to fill her grandson's stomach.
Xu Qinyu said, "Sorry, this is just enough for us to eat."
She made portions for several people. Lotus has a big appetite. She didn't prepare any food for her yesterday, and she was so hungry when she went back home that her eyes were about to turn green. That's why she thought of making some pastries to take with her today.
The old lady couldn't help but say, "You four young ladies, this steamed cake looks so big. Each of you can eat two pieces and be full. There's still a lot left, right? Young ladies, why don't you sell me one piece for five cents and give it to my little grandson? It's not that I'm greedy, but just give me one piece for the sake of the child."
The old lady was also thinking that although this piece was four times larger than what was sold outside, it was made by the young lady herself, so she could just sell it to her for five cents.
Xu Qinyu glanced at the three or four-year-old child, who was making a lot of noise and kept clamoring for food. He even tried to snatch the food from Lianhua's hand, but Lianhua dodged him.
Lotus glared at the child. She had been busy eating, but upon hearing this, she immediately said, "I have a big appetite. I can't even feel full after eating ten pieces. These are enough for us. If your grandson wants to eat, he can go buy some outside. There are many snack stalls nearby."
Steamed cake is indeed a common food, and it can be found in almost all small food stalls.
There are many food stalls behind the crowd. They all take advantage of the cooking competition to do business. They think that everyone will be here for the whole day and will be hungry even after breakfast, so they simply set up stalls nearby, and business is indeed pretty good.
The old lady muttered, "If I go out for a while, I will definitely not be able to squeeze in."
Most people want to squeeze to the front because of another reason. In this cooking competition, in addition to the judges tasting the dishes made by the contestants, some people on the scene will be selected to try the food and give them scores. However, their scores are only for reference and are not included in the total score. It is also because people are afraid that the judges may sometimes be unfair, so many people want to be selected to taste the food.
The old lady's little grandson was still making a fuss, and now he had begun to sob, "Grandma, I want to eat, I want to eat too, please give it to me quickly."
Xu Qinyu glanced at the naughty kid.
Feng Ge'er and Yan Jie'er at home are both relatively well-behaved children. Even Shao Ge'er and some children who usually come to the restaurant to eat are relatively obedient. Xu Qinyu rarely encounters naughty children, but she didn't expect to meet one today.
Most children, even if they envy other people's food, will just stare at it silently and will not cry or try to snatch it.
Xu Qinyu also hated naughty children and was relatively cold-hearted towards them. She said, "Old lady, you heard it too. My sister has a big appetite. The three of us can eat three or four pieces. The rest will be given to my sister. But if you really want to buy it, it's twenty cents a piece." If it was sold in the restaurant, it would also cost twenty cents. It not only contained brown sugar, but also eggs, milk, red dates and raisins. Raisins were a rare thing, so the price was naturally expensive.
Lianhua is older than her, and she is not a maid she bought, but just a hired guard. So when she introduces her to people, she just says that Lianhua is her sister.
When the old lady heard that he wanted twenty coins, her face changed. "Twenty coins, are you trying to steal me, young lady? This isn't something precious, it's just a brown sugar steamed cake sold outside. A piece as big as yours only costs eight coins, and it's homemade, so five coins is about right."
Xu Qinyu said, "That's twenty coins a piece."
She also knew that the old lady would never buy it for twenty cents.
The old lady continued to grumble, "You are so greedy, little lady. You just want to sell it to me at such a high price because I am an old woman with a little grandson and it's hard for me to squeeze in. You are so mean, little lady."
Xu Qinyu was a little helpless. "Old lady, my brown sugar steamed cake contains eggs and milk, as well as red dates and raisins. You know, fresh grapes cost thirty coins a pound in the summer, and they are dried into raisins. You only get a handful of raisins per pound. I also put a lot of brown sugar in it. If I charge five coins, I can't even make back the cost."
She gave it a lot of brown sugar, and it had a rich brown sugar flavor. The brown sugar steamed cakes out there only had very little brown sugar, just a little bit of sweetness, and the taste was actually very bland.
The old lady didn't listen at all and kept yelling that Xu Qinyu was mean and sold her a brown sugar steamed cake at such a high price. Plus, her little grandson was making a lot of noise and kept yelling for food. The old lady had no choice but to pick up a small stool and lead her grandson through the crowd to buy a brown sugar steamed cake for him. At the end, she glared at Xu Qinyu angrily.
Xu Qinyu's ears finally became quiet.
She continued to eat the steamed cake, which had a strong flavor of brown sugar and milk, and a dense and sweet texture. It was really good.
She planned to add brown sugar steamed cake to Xu Ji’s breakfast in the future, but the taste could be made richer, so she would go back and try a few more times.
As they were eating, Xu Qinyu felt a timid gaze coming from the side. She turned around and found that it was a little girl of three or four years old. The little girl was a little thin, with big eyes. She was looking at them while eating, secretly swallowing her saliva. When she saw Xu Qinyu looking at her, she quickly buried her head in her mother's arms.
Her mother also noticed that her little girl was watching others eat, so she smiled apologetically at Xu Qinyu and nodded.
Xu Qinyu thought the little girl was really cute, but a little thin, which made her eyes look particularly big, and her pupils were black, making her look well-behaved and pitiful.
She couldn't bear to see the well-behaved child look so pitiful, so she handed the little girl a piece of brown sugar steamed cake and asked, "Would you like some, little girl?"
The little girl was a little surprised and her eyes widened when she saw that her sister was willing to give her a piece.
The little girl's mother also hurriedly said, "Thank you, young lady, but it's not necessary."
It was twenty cents a piece, and she was reluctant to buy it for her daughter because it was a bit expensive.
She also heard the conversation between the young lady and the old lady just now.
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "It's for the little girl. She looks a little thin."
The young woman hesitated for a moment, then signaled her daughter in her arms to take the brown sugar steamed cake, and thanked Xu Qinyu repeatedly.
The little girl also held the brown sugar steamed cake in her hands and said timidly to Xu Qinyu, "Thank you, sister."
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Eat quickly."
The little girl took a bite of the brown sugar steamed cake, then her eyes widened and she couldn't help but exclaimed, whispering to the woman, "Mom, it's delicious."
The young woman thought that because she didn't often buy delicious food for her daughter, she thought a brown sugar steamed cake was delicious. "If it's delicious, Niuniu, eat more."
The little girl thought it was so delicious and wanted to let her mother try it, so she broke the brown sugar steamed cake into two halves and gave one half to her mother.
The woman was naturally reluctant to eat it, but her daughter insisted, so she could only break off a small bite to taste it. The woman was stunned as soon as the steamed cake entered her mouth. It was really delicious, not the kind of brown sugar steamed cake she usually ate. She had not been educated and could not describe how delicious it was. She only knew that it was the most delicious food she had ever eaten in her life. Even the snacks in the best snack shop in Raozhou City were not as delicious as this steamed cake, and the taste of those snacks was even worse.
The woman looked at Xu Qinyu in shock. She remembered that Xu Qinyu seemed to have drawn lots yesterday and was also going to participate in this cooking competition. Such delicious food, this young lady was still so young, but had such skills. She would definitely win the championship in this cooking competition.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
