Chapter 261 Su Zao Meat
Yue Ning took the plate and picked up a handful of shredded pork with green peppers with chopsticks.
The shredded meat, which is not coated with starch, is tender and smooth, the seasoning sauce is rich, the green peppers are crisp, tender and sweet, and the perfect cooking time makes the two tastes complement each other.
Stir-fried double crisps may seem simple, but it is a dish that incompetent cooks dare not try easily. And this green pepper and pork shreds may seem simple, but it is not difficult. This homely dish is made into a different flavor by this chef.
"sharp!"
The leaders of the Shanghai Second Commercial Bureau showed a gratified smile on their faces.
The dishes from other stoves were also finished. The squirrel mandarin fish was fried to a golden crisp, and drizzled with a sweet and sour sauce; in the fresh and fragrant Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, various ingredients were stewed in a clay pot until they were soft and tasty, and the aroma was overflowing.
However, none of these aromas could compare to the Suzhou-style pork dish that had just come out of the pot. The moment the pot was opened, the aroma was like a wild horse running wild in the kitchen. The people who were originally discussing other dishes stopped talking abruptly, and their noses twitched at the same time, and their eyes were all cast towards the casserole that was emitting curls of hot steam.
In the hot air, the rich aroma of meat mixed with the aroma of various spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cloves, etc., spread out in distinct layers. The aroma has the richness and density of the meat fat after boiling, the clear and sweet aftertaste of Chinese medicinal materials, and a hint of the mellow aroma of rice wine, as if the warmth and abundance of the entire autumn and winter are concentrated in it. The richness of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and the sour and sweetness of squirrel mandarin fish have become a foil in front of this overbearing aroma.
Slices of fat and lean pork belly are neatly arranged in the red sauce. After a long period of simmering, the skin of the meat has a crystal-like luster and trembles, as if it will melt with a slight touch.
Dong Yinkui introduced: "This is Chef Zhou from Yufenglou. This Suzhou-style pork is one of Yufenglou's signature dishes."
The fat chef who was wiping the sweat from his forehead grinned, his face full of pride: "This stew was passed down from my master. I've been keeping it here for more than 20 years. I add soup and ingredients every day, and it becomes more and more fragrant." As he spoke, he picked up a piece of Suzhou meat with chopsticks and put the trembling pork belly into the bowl. He then handed the bowl to Yue Ning.
Yue Ning took the small bowl. Chef Zhou bent down and took out a few sesame cakes from the small stove. He said, "Su Zao meat should be served with sesame cakes."
Yue Ning picked up the sesame bun, broke it open from the top, stuffed a piece of Suzhou meat into it, scooped a small amount of soup with a small spoon and poured it into the bun.
Ye Yunxian followed suit.
The crispy crust of the sesame seed cake shattered, and the layers of cake inside had absorbed the gravy, becoming moist and dense, while the softer pork belly, warm and soft, slid into the mouth. The rich aroma of the stew and the mellow aroma of rice wine rushed in, and the spicy aroma of star anise and cinnamon made the rich aroma of the meat even more mellow.
Ye Yunxian chewed the delicious food in her mouth carefully, poured the soup on the remaining half of the pancake, and watched the wheat-yellow color of the pancake gradually soaked through with dark brown.
Chef Zhou smiled so hard that his eyes narrowed into slits. He wiped his fat palms on his apron, and his face became more proud: "This is the recipe that Emperor Qianlong brought to the Forbidden City when he went to the south of the Yangtze River. It has been passed down for hundreds of years."
The leader was delighted to see Yue Ning enjoying his meal.
Yue Ning took the last bite of the pancake and swallowed it: "Master Zhou, your Suzhou-style pork is really delicious. But I have to tell you that your Suzhou-style pork is modified from the recipe of the imperial kitchen."
"This is an old recipe." Chef Zhou was unconvinced and said with a trembling fat face.
Yue Ning smiled and said, "Let me try the other dishes first, then I'll discuss this with you."
"I'll wait." Chef Zhou said in a bad tone.
While Chef Dong was waiting for Yue Ning to taste other dishes, he whispered to Chef Zhou, "Old Zhou, you are so stubborn, please control your temper."
"This dish is my chef's signature dish, the most authentic Suzhou-style pork. She's just a little girl..." Chef Zhou thought he was muttering, but his voice was actually quite loud.
Yue Ning was waiting for the chef to cut the fried pork chops with egg sauce into strips. When he heard this, he continued to pick up the pork chops with egg sauce.
Yue Ning put the golden and crispy egg sauce pork chop into her mouth. The fluffy egg paste made a crisp sound between her teeth, wrapped around the tender and juicy pork chop. The spicy soy sauce in Shanghai is Worcestershire sauce. The egg sauce pork chop with the spicy soy sauce is particularly refreshing. She chewed it carefully, and saw Chef Zhou muttering angrily at the side, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
After swallowing the pork chop, Yue Ning wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, turned around and walked to Chef Zhou, and said sincerely: "Chef Zhou, I have absolutely no intention of questioning the taste of this dish. It's just that you said it was a court dish during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. I have to tell you that although it originated from the palace, it has now become a folk dish. You cook first, and I will explain it to you later."
Yue Ning turned around and said, "Please get me some paper and pen."
The staff went to get paper and pen, Yue Ning continued to taste the food, and Chef Zhou began to prepare his one fish, two dishes.
I saw him cut a sea bass in half, removed the main bone in the middle, cut one side of the sea bass into diamond-shaped slices, and sliced the other side diagonally, slicing the fish meat into thin slices while leaving the skin attached.
Yue Ning took the paper and pen and said to Chef Dong, "Uncle Dong, I'll go write the recipe. When the dishes are ready, please send them over to me. I can't miss any of them."
Hearing her words, Chef Zhou put down his knife and looked at her. Yue Ning said, "Just focus on cooking. Don't be distracted. This is a tryout."
Yue Ning sat down at the judges' table and wrote down the recipe. Dong Yinkui knew that Su Zao meat was complicated to make, but he had never seen her write it so carefully. After writing two pages, a new dish was served. Yue Ning took a sip of boiled water, tasted it, and continued writing.
She wrote four pages before putting down her pen. When Chef Zhou saw her stop writing, he looked up at her again.
Yue Ning smiled and said, "Master chef, please cook the fish first. I would feel bad if it affects your performance!"
Chef Zhou wrapped the sliced half of the fish with shrimp paste and put it into the steamer to steam; he cut the other half of the fish into diamond-shaped slices and fried it in a pan.
Put the blanched Chinese cabbage in the middle of the porcelain plate, separate it into steamed and fried parts, and drizzle the fried part with ketchup. This dish of one fish, two dishes is ready.
Yue Ning was still tasting his fish in two ways, but Chef Zhou's mind was fully focused on what she had written. This old chef was really impatient.
"The ketchup half draws on the seasoning of the Yellow River carp in Shandong cuisine and the squirrel mandarin fish in Suzhou cuisine, and it has a sweet and sour taste. The steamed one is like our Cantonese cuisine's Baihua Niang..." Yue Ning was still discussing with several judges.
At this moment, most of the three groups of contestants from Beijing and Shanghai have finished, leaving only Lu Yude still cooking, and Jinhua's rice bowl has not yet been served.
Chef Dong knew that both restaurants would serve big dishes and it would take some time, so he asked Yue Ning to talk about Suzhou-style meat.
"Suzhou-style pork is the specialty of chef Zhang Guandong, who was brought back from the south of the Yangtze River by Emperor Qianlong. Chef Zhang entered the palace and cooked for the emperor. Emperor Qianlong also loved this dish. Medicine and food have the same origin, so Chef Zhang and the imperial doctors divided it into three recipes according to the four seasons. In spring and summer, it focuses on removing dampness, in autumn, it focuses on reducing dryness, and in winter, it focuses on nourishing the body. So, the dish of Suzhou-style pork is cooked with twenty-eight spices and Chinese medicinal materials, but it is divided into three different recipes." Yue Ning showed them the three recipes and held another recipe in his hand.
"Ha! You can't even taste the fragrance of this ingredient. Anyone still wants to eat it?" Chef Zhou put down the recipe and laughed.
Yue Ning handed him the prescription in his hand: "Is this prescription similar to the one you are using now?"
Chef Zhou lowered his head, squinted his eyes and looked carefully, and asked in surprise: "Where did you get this recipe?"
"Based on the winter recipe, the amount of star anise, cloves, angelica dahurica, cardamom and other spices has tripled to make a pot of stew like the one you have now. Is it delicious? It's delicious. But is it the same as the original Suzhou-style meat? It's different. The Suzhou-style meat in the palace recipe emphasizes the balance of the five flavors, and the spices cannot cover the taste of the meat. The twenty-eight ingredients have fragrance, but the spices are not prominent." Yue Ning walked to his side and pointed at the recipe in his hand, "Why is the spice heavier in the recipe in your hand than the previous three recipes? That has to start from the time when Suzhou-style meat was spread from the palace to the people. When the recipe for Suzhou-style meat reached the people, pork belly was expensive, so it was replaced with pig offal. Pig offal has a strong taste, and it should cover the taste, right? In addition, most of the common people are laborers and have a strong taste, so the amount of spices and seasonings used was increased, and it became this recipe. That's why I asked you at the beginning if you were making stewed meat."
Chef Zhou's hand holding the recipe trembled slightly, and the fat on his face swayed slightly. The arrogance just now had long disappeared, replaced by a face full of shock and confusion: "But, but my master taught me this recipe, and everyone has said it's authentic for so many years..."
Yue Ning smiled: "Master Zhou, folk traditions evolve with the changes in life. Your Suzhou-style meat can become the signature dish of Yufenglou, which shows that it is indeed unique. But from the palace to the people, the ingredients have changed, the taste has changed, and the recipes must also change. Just like this stew, although it is different from the palace recipe, it carries the hard work of several generations and has been cultivated for more than 20 years. This is the best proof."
Dong Yinkui nodded: "Xiao Yue is right, Lao Zhou, as chefs, we must not only uphold traditions, but also know how to adapt. Imperial cuisine has its own exquisiteness, and folk cuisine has its own flavor, each has its own merits."
Chef Zhou was silent for a long time, and suddenly bowed deeply to Yue Ning: "Master Yue, I was confused. You are young, but you are much more knowledgeable than my old head. If you hadn't explained it today, I'm afraid I would never understand the ins and outs of this in my life. I have to try your spring recipe."
Yue Ning bent down and wrote a new recipe: "This recipe is a spring recipe with a few spices removed. You can use 30% of the old sauce. The spices in the old sauce are already enough. Add the ingredients in my recipe and stew it in another pot. We will try the taste tomorrow morning. Do you think it's feasible?"
"Okay, I'll try it." Chef Zhou said happily.
At this time, Jinhua's rice wine bowl was also served. In the bowl filled with the aroma of rice wine, pork belly, pork belly, pork liver and other ingredients were faintly visible in the amber rice wine, and the aroma of wine and meat intertwined, attracting everyone to gather around.
Yue Ning temporarily put aside the topic of Suzhou meat and picked up the chopsticks to taste it carefully. It has a rich aroma when it enters the mouth, with a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. The various ingredients are fully absorbed by the marinade, but each retains its unique taste.
She said, "This rice noodle soup tastes better than what I make."
"Xiao Yue, that's how modest you are." Dong Yinkui said with a smile.
Yue Ning smiled playfully: "I won't admit that my craftsmanship is bad. My fermented rice dregs are too ordinary, not as mellow as this one. Give me the contact information of that winery, and I will ask the food import and export company to help me buy this fermented rice dregs."
Jinhua's chef smiled and said, "Okay, I'll write you the contact information right away."
Yue Ning had just swallowed the soup when he was attracted by the peacock wings served by Lu Yude. The golden hook shark wings were stacked to form the peacock body, the colorful patterns inlaid with egg cakes and red peppers were spread out on the plate, the peacock head and neck carved out of carrots were lifelike, and the tip of the tail feathers was decorated with a few crystal clear pigeon eggs, making peacock feathers.
"What great craftsmanship!" exclaimed the leader of the Shanghai Second Commercial Bureau.
Chef Zhou also came over and pointed at the edge of the plate with his fat fingers: "Beautiful, the Lu family's dishes are well-deserved of their reputation."
Lu Yude's mouth curled up slightly. He was the youngest chef in the competition. No matter how good the stir-fried pork with green pepper was, it was just a home-cooked dish. The Suzhou-style pork, which was called a royal dish, was actually a common dish for those who pursued a strong taste. Only Lu's cuisine still maintained the standard of exquisite state banquet dishes.
Yue Ning took a spoon and scooped a spoonful of shark fin, then picked up some side dishes to taste. When the first spoonful of clear soup went into his mouth, there was a sharp fresh taste in the mellow blend of ingredients.
Before, everyone had only seen Yue Ning in videos and knew that she was known as a culinary genius, but they had never seen her in person. But just now, she made Chef Zhou, who was famous in Beijing for his Suzhou-style meat, call her "Master Yue", and everyone knew that this girl really had real skills.
Now everyone was waiting for her comments. Yue Ning put down the spoon and looked at Lu Yude: "Master Lu, the shape of this peacock's wings is really unique, but..."
She paused, "But you added MSG for seasoning. It's not that you can't add MSG to cooking, I usually use MSG too. It's just that this soup of the Lu family represents the highest level of Chinese soup, and it's not appropriate to use MSG to enhance the flavor. In addition, the location of this competition is Hong Kong City. We in Guangdong Province pay attention to the purity and naturalness of soup, and rarely use MSG. The shark fin soup of Ningyan and Baohualou was adjusted after Brother Lu came, and it is based on the soup of the Lu family. Anyone who has been to Hong Kong City has probably tasted the pigeon fin and braised shark fin of Ningyan or Baohualou. With the comparison, you can taste the subtle differences in your soup, you should pay attention to it."
Lu Yude clenched his fists, his face tense. Yue Ning turned to Dong Yinkui and said, "Uncle Dong, my opinion is for reference only. I have two teams from Baohua Building and Fuyun Building participating in the competition. It would be unfair if I participated in the judging."
Dong Yinkui didn't expect that Lu Yude would have such a problem. In order to avoid suspicion, Old Lu insisted on not coming to Shanghai for this selection. But if he decided to eliminate Yude...
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