Chapter 456 Glass Prawn Balls
"It's just washing vegetables now, but soon it won't be."
"What kind of dish is it that makes you so concerned?" Zhao Xiaojing followed and watched for a long time, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Instead, she became more curious about the fat man's behavior.
"I guess it's glass prawn balls. Seeing is believing!"
"Guess? You're so excited because you're not sure yet? She's worthy of being the woman who defeated you." Wen Xinyuan was insulting the fat man, but he was also hooked by the fat man and straightened up and stretched his neck.
Seeing how serious the two were, Zhao Xiaojing couldn't help but hold her breath and watch Guan Yingxia's operation attentively. She was unconsciously drawn into it.
Although the competition lasted only 100 minutes, the delicacy, complexity and exquisiteness of Taishicai were fully displayed in Guan Yingxia's hands within these 100 minutes.
The shrimp are deveined while still fresh, then the heads, tails, and shells are removed. After shelling, Guan Yingxia meticulously slices away the red coating and fascia on the surface of the shrimp, even carefully trimming off the tiny remaining pieces of coating with small scissors until the shrimp is completely free of impurities and becomes a seamless, transparent mass.
I originally thought that this step was already very delicate and beautiful, but after that, Guan Yingxia added a little salt, added water and stirred continuously, then let it sit for a while, and then rinsed the shrimp meat under the faucet.
A normal rinse would be enough, but after Guan Yingxia rinsed it several times, she filled the basin with water again, then held down half of the faucet with one hand, manually increasing the pressure of the flowing water, and continued to rinse the basin that was already full of water, causing the water in the basin to roll and flow out continuously.
It was not until after rinsing for more than twenty minutes that Guan Yingxia checked the condition of the ingredients, turned off the water, and took out the shrimps.
After removing the shrimp from the water, Zhao Xiaojing saw the shrimp tails and realized the significance of the prolonged rinsing. The tails had become a flawless white, a stark contrast to the grayish, transparent texture just now. They looked like a beautiful piece of white jade.
Zhao Xiaojing belatedly realized the beer was involved. While studying the eight major cuisines, she'd learned that repeatedly rinsing the meat with cold water quickly removed impurities and odors, making the meat more tender and clean.
After drinking beer, Guan Yingxia used kitchen paper to dry the moisture on the shrimp tails and cut the back of the shrimp a few times with a knife.
The large prawns provided by Bai Tao are quite thick. Even after peeling the shells and removing the shrimp skins, the entire shrimp tail is still as long as the palm of your hand.
After scratching the back, a little salt, sugar and white pepper were mixed to make it taste good, and after wrapping it with a little cornstarch, a scene that was familiar to Zhao Xiaojing happened.
Guan Yingxia did not fry or boil the shrimp tails, but heated the oil and poured it over the shrimp tails at a low temperature, just like when she made the Fairy Duck. It even seemed that the oil temperature was a little lower than that of the Fairy Duck.
After repeatedly pouring water over the shrimp tails on the colander several times, the shrimp tails began to slowly curl up into balls. Guan Yingxia then soaked the shrimp balls and the colander in oil.
Under the action of low-temperature oil in the pot, the shrimp balls in the pot continue to curl up into shape, while their backs gradually open up completely like a peony flower.
After opening, the shrimp balls looked even whiter, with a bright snow-white color all over. Guan Yingxia was satisfied with this and picked up the shrimp balls and set them aside to control the oil.
After that, Guan Yingxia turned around and put some green onions, ginger and cooking wine on the side and steamed them in a pot. She turned off the heat in the middle, took out the cooled ham, cut it into very thin strips, and then used the oil from the steamed ham in the plate to make a sauce. She blanched the asparagus while cooking it over high heat.
Then take out two pure white concave flat plates, carefully scoop out the sauce with a small spoon, and spread a shallow layer on the bottom of the concave area of the two plates. Then put the shrimp balls that have been drained of oil in, one in each plate, then use tweezers to pick up the asparagus and place it next to the shrimp balls, and then use tweezers to place the very finely chopped ham strips on top of the shrimp balls.
A pleasing dish, the shrimp balls bloom like snow-white peony flowers, with red ham shreds in the middle like stamens, green leaf-like asparagus, and a flat yellow land-like sauce to complete the glass shrimp balls.
Zhao Xiaojing was still immersed in the touch until Guan Yingxia raised her hand.
Probably to leave room for error, Guan Yingxia made four of these glass prawn balls, which took a full ninety minutes to prepare. Processing the prawns alone took nearly forty minutes. The whole process was so meticulous that it was a bit boring. However, the three people in the audience didn't say a word, and there was not even any discussion or exchange of ideas about cooking.
This is probably the charm of Taishi Cai. It is so delicate and serious that it makes people forget everything and feel inexplicably moved.
The saying “one never tires of fine food, and one never tires of delicate minced meat” is the most apt description of Taishi cuisine.
On the stage, Nan Rongquan and Dang Yongge each held a pair of knives and forks, cut the shrimp balls, dipped them in the sauce, chewed them carefully, and slowly finished the whole shrimp balls and the side dishes.
For the first time, an inexplicably complex expression appeared on Mr. Nan's face. After Dang Yongge put down his knife and fork, he did not let Guan Yingxia leave the stage as usual. Instead, he smiled and chatted with Guan Yingxia for a few words like old friends. It was not until the next contestant raised his hand that the two judges signaled Guan Yingxia to return to the contestant seat.
In this group, Guan Yingxia naturally advanced smoothly.
All four teams advanced, and the rest of the competition was purely for leisure and spectatorship. With Dang Yongge's careful instructions and the good example of the previous teams, the remaining competitors also paid close attention, and there were basically no unpleasant competitions.
But since it is a blind box with limited ingredients, it is impossible for everything to be harmonious. It is just more inclined to a battle of wits and courage. Moreover, as the players watch more games, they will naturally summarize more experience, and their minds will also be improved.
By the fourth game, everyone was so focused on grabbing the food that it made the competition even more exciting.
In addition, the two judges also encountered a rare situation of disagreement in the fourth round and were unable to convince each other, and the power began to reverse. The judges canvassed votes for their favorite contestants, and the contestants in the audience voted.
The two contestants in this competition are two apprentices in what Guan Yingxia calls the "circle of famous chefs' disciples". One is said to be a returnee who studied with a famous dim sum master abroad. After returning, he studied further with a Zhejiang cuisine master, so he made a creative dish, the Napoleon Preserved Vegetable Pancake, which is a combination of preserved vegetable pancake and Napoleon pastry; and the other is a disciple of Su cuisine who has been rooted in the Jiangnan area since childhood and has been diligently learning Su cuisine from a Su cuisine chef without any carelessness. He made the traditional steamed shad.
At this moment, all the contestants in the fourth round have finished their competition, and the stage lights are also coordinated to shine on Nan Rong, who spoke first.
Nan Rongquan supports Zhejiang cuisine disciples who make creative dishes.
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