Chapter 302 Birthday Banquet
The sisters-in-law were surprised again after hearing what Chef Huang said, and they looked at Zhao Xiaojing differently.
Zhao Xiaojing was surprised and had no idea what was going on. She looked at the time and took several pressure cookers that were pressing chickens off the stove, put them aside to wait for the steam to escape, then took a new pressure cooker and put the first batch of pork elbows in.
The pork elbow was fried in advance along with the crispy pork yesterday, and soaked in the sauce for twenty minutes in the morning. Now you just need to add some star anise for seasoning, add some sugar color water to color it, and press it for fifty minutes. When the meal is about to start, you can cook it over high heat to reduce the sauce, put it on a plate and serve.
Around ten o'clock, guests began to come in and out of the yard. The host of the banquet, the old lady of the Wei family, was also wearing a red Chinese cotton jacket and was supported by her two grandchildren to sit in the main hall.
Although the old lady was already ninety years old and walked with a shaky step, she looked quite energetic and had a very easy-going temper. When she entered the yard, she came over to greet and chat with the cooks. When she saw Zhao Xiaojing, she curiously asked if she was Chef Xie's new apprentice.
"Grandma, this is the chef from Jiangcheng whom we specially invited. He is going to give you a surprise, and you discovered it in advance!" The grandson who had met Zhao Xiaojing yesterday said hurriedly, winking at the people busy in the kitchen.
"Yes, old lady, this is not our apprentice, he can be our master!" Chef Huang received his grandson's look and agreed very enthusiastically.
"Good, good, good, you are all filial!" The old lady was surprised and happy when she heard it. She kept clapping her grandson's hands, and her eyes were narrowed into slits with smiles.
The birthday party officially began with the arrival of the old lady. Soon, the sound of firecrackers was heard outside the yard. After a while, the host's serious and excited voice, which livened up the atmosphere, was heard. There were also many children, and their screams and cheers were intermittent.
The six cold dishes had already been prepared and presented on the platter, forming a long line on a wide rack on one side. Chef Huang's eight-treasure rice had also been put into the steamer, with two layers of steamers and four layers placed on the side. The time it took to steam the rice would vary depending on the start time of the three rounds of meals.
Zhao Xiaojing poured the chickens from several pressure cookers into a large pot, added the chopped mushrooms, and added seasonings. When the soup in the pot boiled, she scooped a small piece of chicken into a small bowl next to it to taste.
In order to prevent poor performance due to unfamiliarity with the environment, Zhao Xiaojing, the temporary chef here, entered the virtual space to practice for more than 200 hours last night. It can be said that she has mastered the heat and seasoning quite accurately, but to be on the safe side, it is safest to taste it herself.
The saltiness and texture of the meat were just right, Zhao Xiaojing was very satisfied, and she covered the pot and continued to stew it until it was tasty.
The noise outside continued. After singing several popular songs that Zhao Xiaojing often heard when she was a child, they started singing operas. As soon as the opera started, the old lady in the main room could not sit still anymore and ran out with her crutches. A group of Wei family relatives hurriedly followed her and supported her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
In the middle, the eldest daughter-in-law came out and squatted down to peel a large basket of water chestnuts. Zhao Xiaojing became even more curious. Sometimes glutinous rice, sometimes water chestnuts. Could it be that the relative was making sweets?
At eleven o'clock, the first round of the buffet began, and the fifteen tables outside were packed. Six cold dishes were served first, and three apprentices carried large trays back and forth, while Zhao Xiaojing and Master Huang worked furiously on the hot dishes, while the remaining three sisters-in-law quickly plated the hot dishes.
Zhao Xiaojing's four hot pots were ready. After the three apprentices served the cold dishes, the three sisters-in-law had assembled fifteen family portraits, and then took the pots to start putting beef in. After the apprentices finished serving the beef hot pot, the remaining pork ribs hot pot and chicken hot pot were also ready.
Master Huang took down the two layers of steamers in front of him and opened them. Together with the three sisters-in-law, he carefully used tongs to pick up the bowl. After peeling off the plastic wrap on it, he held the plate in his left hand and held the bowl in his right hand with a rag. He quickly buckled it down and then lifted the bowl in his right hand. The preserved pork with preserved vegetables was beautifully served on a plate.
The four of them moved very quickly. It took less than thirty seconds from opening the steamer to finishing the fifteen bowls. The bowls were still scalding hot when the two apprentices served them.
Preserved preserved vegetables and pork with kneaded pork are a classic dish served at banquets. While not complex to prepare, the process is exceptionally time-consuming. The pork takes at least thirty minutes to cook. After cooking, small holes are pierced through the skin, which is then painted and glazed. The pork is then air-dried for a while before being deep-fried. Then, it's rinsed with cold water, skinned, and sliced and marinated. After marinating, the pork slices are arranged evenly in the kneaded bowl. Preserved preserved vegetables are stir-fried in between, and once completely dried, broth is added to reduce the sauce. Finally, the pork strips, still slightly damp, are covered with the remaining meat and steamed for three hours. The entire process takes at least four hours.
It was too late to make this dish on the same day, so Zhao Xiaojing made it in advance yesterday, put it in a bowl and steamed it for two and a half hours. Today, it only takes out and steams it for half an hour, and the taste will be better.
"Chef Huang, can I lend you two trays?" the eldest daughter-in-law hurried out of the kitchen, borrowed a serving tray, and then went back in. Zhao Xiaojing and Chef Huang knew that their relative's Min cuisine was ready, and they immediately craned their necks to take a look. Soon, the eldest and second daughters-in-law returned with trays. The first tray contained brown, lumpy things that looked like rice cakes, while the second tray was filled with red and white balls of vegetables coated in a beautiful sauce.
"What kind of dish is that?" Seeing the finished product, not only Zhao Xiaojing was curious, but the sister-in-law behind her also asked curiously.
"I don't know about the first one, but the second one is lychee meat, right?" Master Huang looked at it uncertainly for several times.
In the kitchen opposite, two people went back and forth three times before serving the two dishes. After that, the relatives followed and entered the main hall where the host family was sitting. As soon as they entered, there was another round of lively shouting in the main hall.
Zhao Xiaojing was worried. Was Chef Min's cooking only lasting one round? Would she miss out on the dishes she'd been waiting for because she had to cook them too?
Zhao Xiaojing lowered her head helplessly and shook the big pot. The fifteen fish in the pot had already absorbed their juices. She called out to the sisters-in-law to come over and take the pot. Zhao Xiaojing also took the chopped green onion and red pepper shreds, and the sisters-in-law immediately started a new round of plating.
The first batch of pork elbows in the pressure cooker here has also arrived. Zhao Xiaojing opened it easily with a slight twist of the lid. After checking the color, which was not bad, she continued to pour the juice into a new pot.
It was time to cook the eight-treasure rice in the bottom two layers of Chef Huang's four-layer steamer. He and his apprentice moved all four layers of the steamer down, and then put the top two layers back into the steamer. The sisters-in-law on the side immediately took over the boiling hot steamers and started to cover the bowls with the eight-treasure rice.
After the pork elbow had absorbed the juice, Zhao Xiaojing went to another stove and started to make the last two stir-fries that her apprentice had just cleaned in a large pot.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
