"Okay!" Yu Jianping shouted, his eyes filled with brilliance. He looked at the niece-like girl in front of him with joy, feeling relieved from the years of accumulation in his heart.
Looking at the incompetent senior brother next to my niece, he probably thought the tea was really good and wanted to secretly hide the tea can.
He snorted, and Father Yu immediately stopped what he was doing and looked away as if he had done nothing.
"Jianguo, go buy the materials for me right away!" Yu Jianping's eyes widened, and Yu's father immediately stood up and ran out without looking back.
The name of this dish, lotus seed paste, sounds like a dessert, but in fact it is an out-and-out meat dish.
The history of Chaozhou can be traced back thousands of years, especially during the Tang Dynasty, when it established its own state capital and administered eleven counties.
Yu Jian pricked up her ears and listened to Yu Jianping spreading knowledge to her, and compared her mind to the era she once lived in. As expected, she was still too narrow-minded. It turned out that there were countless anecdotes about the Tang Dynasty.
Chang'an City seems big, but in fact it is just a small corner.
"What happened next? Why did it become a meat dish?" Yu Jian was curious.
At this time, he looked like a teenager seeking knowledge. Yu Jianping became more and more satisfied with this niece, and said: "Han Yu went to Chaozhou. This adult is a staunch carnivore and delicious, but it was popular in the Tang Dynasty at that time." It tastes sweet, and after a while, it turns into a sweet meat dish."
He also talked about the main ingredients of this dish.
Yu Jian was a little speechless. She simulated the taste in her mind and gave up helplessly. She really couldn't imagine what the dishes made with these ingredients would taste like.
On the other side, Dad Yu arrived at the vegetable market with great pain. It was almost past the grocery shopping point, and there were only a few vendors in the market.
Yu Jianping has high requirements for ingredients. If he doesn't sell them, once he does, they will definitely be high-quality.
After finally buying the materials, I walked back non-stop. Along the way, what was wrong with my father, and how could he be reduced to running errands?
In the summer, the lotus flowers first turn red, and the lotus seeds are plump and large. After being steamed in the pot, they emit bursts of fragrance. Yu Jianguo poured the steamed lotus seeds on the chopping board and waited for Yu Jianping's next move.
Lotus paste must be made by hand. Use a knife to crush the ripe lotus seeds into a paste bit by bit. You have to work quickly during this process. Once the lotus seeds are cold, it will not be easy to press them by hand.
Stir-frying lotus paste is a skill. Yu Jianping heated up the pot early, added the lotus paste first, stir-fried evenly, then added sugar and oil, then stir-fried over low heat for 20 minutes. During this time, he had to keep stirring to turn the lotus paste over. Otherwise, it will be fried accidentally.
When the lotus paste was fried until it was shiny and without any particles, Yu Jianping took the pot and spread it evenly on the plate.
Yu Jianping wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned: "This is the base material, and what comes next is the highlight."
Yu Jian rubbed her nose. The sweet smell of lotus paste kept flowing into her nasal cavity, and she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
Picking up the pork belly on the table, Yu Jianping looked over and over again, with some dissatisfaction on his face: "Yu Jianguo, the meat you bought is too fat!"
Dad Yu retorted: "We still need local pork belly. Are we in our hometown? This is the fattest and thinnest piece, so you can be satisfied!"
Yu Jian made a note in his notebook: he wanted to use Chaozhou local pork belly.
Yu Jianping did not argue with him, but washed the meat several times, cut it into large pieces, put hot water into the pot, added onions, ginger, cooking wine, and blanch the blood.
When the meat is slightly hard, take it out, take out a long bamboo skewer from the cabinet, prick holes into the thick meat skin, and then apply soy sauce.
"This is the first time for marinating." Yu Jianping kept moving his hands and explained to Yu Jian.
Yu Jian watched eagerly, feeling that this dish was not simple at all, and the steps were too complicated.
When the meat turns red, Yu Jianping pours a full bucket of oil into the pot. When the oil bubbles, he deep-fries the pork belly. Instantly, the whole house is filled with the rich aroma of meat.
Take the fried pork belly out of the pan, let it cool at room temperature, cut it into three centimeter thick slices, put it in a casserole, pour a large amount of sugar, add a small spoonful of water, and cook slowly.
Yu Jian stared in disbelief. This method of cooking simply subverted her imagination. Even Tang Dynasty, who had a strong craving for sweets, would not do this.
Yu Jianping gently flipped the meat slices in the sugar water with chopsticks. After about ten minutes, he turned off the heat. Then he took out the meat slices and put them in a steamer to steam.
Yu Jian stretched her neck and took a look. The meat slices in the casserole were soaked in sugar juice, and the surface was shiny. It was unclear whether it was oily or sugar-colored.
Finally, Yu Jianping put the meat pieces on the lotus paste, poured a layer of sugar juice evenly on it, and brought it to Yu Jian.
Yu Jian held the chopsticks, not knowing how to start. Father Yu, who was standing next to him, couldn't help it. He stretched out his right hand and filled the chopsticks with slices of meat and lotus paste from top to bottom. Yu Jian heard his mouth
There was a crisp clicking sound coming from inside...
Before moving her chopsticks, Yu Jian took one last closer look at this ordinary-looking dish. The skin of the meat was burnt brown, the lean meat was ruddy in color, and the sugar juice on the surface was delicious.
Yu Jian also followed Yu's father's example and took a large piece of meat. The skin was crispy and the meat melted in the mouth. There was also lotus paste, which was soft, waxy and sweet.
Surprisingly, the marinated meat slices combined with the saltiness of soy sauce and the sweetness of lotus seed paste are the perfect combination of salty and sweet.
Yu Jian couldn't put it down because of the salty and sweet taste, and took several pieces in succession.
As a chef, what he likes to see most is the recognition of his dishes by diners. He happily watched the two of them eating and asked: "Jian, have you seen what uncle made just now? Can you try it?"
Yu Jian felt a little uneasy. It was the first time she had seen such a dish, so she was inevitably a little unsure. But Yu Jianping's eyes were full of encouragement. She pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will try it!"
In the kitchen, the little girl was carefully stirring the pork belly in the pot, with concentration and enthusiasm. Yu Jian felt that there was a small fire in her heart, and it was getting stronger and stronger with the sound of frying in the pot.
Outside the kitchen, two middle-aged men sat side by side, silently.
Suddenly, Yu Jianping chuckled, but his eyes were a little distant. He pushed Yu Jianguo next to him: "Ajian looks like when we were little?"
After saying this, Dad Yu also laughed, seeming to recall the past time, and sighed: "When we were learning cooking from dad, we were much younger than A-Jian. I remember that I couldn't even hold a pot at that time.
If you move, my father will let me take the blame...and you, won't you almost cut off your fingers?"
Yu Jianping stretched out his left hand and gently touched a long dark brown scar on his index finger.
"Jianguo, do you have any plans to reopen the Yu family's restaurant?"