The tension inside the venue was tense, and even the audience in front of the screen outside the venue had their hearts in their throats.
When the south and the north meet, at this fulcrum, unprecedented legendary fireworks suddenly erupt.
As hot steam billowed out from the edge, the pot lid trembled slightly as it could not withstand the heavy pressure inside.
Zhang Hua looked at the time, raised his eyebrows, and said in a dramatic tone: "Open the lid!"
As the elevator slowly lifted up, the giant cake finally unveiled its final veil. The aroma of meat fat, enriched by rapeseed oil, quietly exuded a distant and charming smell.
In the smoke of fireworks, the dough changes color from bottom to top. The surface is beige with black and white sesame seeds, and the edges transition to burnt brown.
The most important thing is that after being roasted by the hot fire, the pancake has now more than doubled in size compared to what it was initially seen. Even a few grown men would not be able to wrap their arms around it.
Liu Chenggao narrowed his eyes: "Is this the legendary giant cake?"
"Shaobing was first born in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the recipe is recorded in "Qi Ming Yaoshu". Due to the blessings of politics, economy and culture, the Shaobing of the Tang Dynasty once reached the world's leading level. According to unofficial records, Wu Zetian
On the day he ascended the throne, he ordered people to make a big sesame seed cake that could be eaten by ten thousand people, in order to achieve universal celebration." Guan Shanyue stood aside and said, "However, there is not a single word in the history books, and it is probably just a legend fabricated by later generations.
That’s all.”
During the period of Wu Zhou's life, because the empress was still alive, there were many capable people and strangers, and there were many strange and magical stories, which were always enriched by later generations.
Liu Chenggao couldn't help laughing and shook his head: "This Zhang Hua must be reading some strange ancient book again."
There was only one person who, besides being shocked on the surface, was also deeply shocked in his heart.
Although it is a bit exaggerated to say that the cakes required tens of thousands of people, giant cakes did appear in Chang'an City on the day Emperor Wu ascended the throne. These cakes were all produced by the royal family and took more than a month to complete.
This story was told to her by Yu Jian's master, who mentioned it with admiration and nostalgia for Emperor Wu on his face.
Others thought it was a legend, but only Yu Jian knew that this was what really happened.
However, the sesame cakes at that time were not so complicated, and they were not filled with various fillings like they are today.
However, Yu Jian had a changed view of the northern masters. Faced with such a fierce offensive from the southern masters, he was able to take a sideways approach and came up with this idea...
It’s really tricky too——
Master Zhang Hua is now instructing his apprentices to extinguish the charcoal stove. Under the residual heat of baking, the aroma of the flatbread is getting stronger and stronger.
Then, he found a pair of large scissors from nowhere and cut a piece directly to the edge. Just when everyone thought he was going to put it on a plate and send it to the judges, he threw it directly into his mouth.
.
He closed his eyes and tasted it carefully. He clapped his hands and shouted, "Hey? It's really made for us. Come on, come on, come and have a taste. Is it the flavor we studied?"
"
Regardless of the judges who were shocked by him and the audience who had been waiting for a long time, he greeted a few master chefs and started eating.
"The part I'm eating seems to be filled with pork. The pork skin is seared by the heat, the lean meat is chewy, and the flavor of the spices is well blended." The master chef of Jinpai pointed to a small area at hand.
"What I have here is ghee. The lard tastes very strong. When you bite it, it will be extremely crispy." Master Wang lifted the edge of the pancake with only one bite left to show them. The inside was full of oil and circled around, with a little bit of it.
Emerald green onions.
"I'm here……"
"I'm here……"
Not only the masters, but also the apprentices rolled up their sleeves and went into battle. This operation once again confused everyone. Is there any secret to this stuffing?
Zhang Hua tasted it bit by bit, walked around and returned to the original place, and finally showed a satisfied smile.
"Come, divide the big cake!" At the command, the disciples howled loudly, and all kinds of knives went into battle...
The carnival time has officially begun!
The whole piglet is divided into several parts, including the leg meat, pork belly, and even the internal organs that ordinary people don't like. After the skillful hands of the master chefs, the taste is adjusted from dark to light, from heavy to light.
.
When stuffing the pancakes into the pancakes and baking them, there is a lot of emphasis. The meats that are easy to cook and rich in fat should be placed on the edge to match the crispy pancake skin, which will add a flavor; the meat that is not easy to cook should be placed in the center.
, after being roasted over a high fire, the oil and water in the meat fat overflows, the crust is slightly soft, and after being soaked in fat, it has a different taste.
What has been condensed over the years is not only the master chef's unique control over the heat, but also a deeper understanding of the flavor of the ingredients.
Yu Jian has never tasted such sesame seed cakes.
To be honest, from ancient times to the present, she has eaten countless sesame seed cakes with and without fillings. Some of them can be called the best in the world, but at this moment, in front of this giant pancake, they all pale into insignificance.
It turns out that fillings can be ever-changing.
The same piece of cake has completely different flavors in different regions.
Even Liu Chenggao's face became solemn, he called Zhang Hua to him and asked, "How did you think of it?"
Zhang Hua respected this senior very much. The Beijing pastry master he studied under was also a fellow disciple of Liu Chenggao, and he even had to address him respectfully: "Uncle, the book I got from Pan Yuan said this.
A unique cake..."
It's a bit hard to say. The endless layers of fresh ideas from the masters of the Southern School really caught him off guard. This big pie was originally just a desperate move by doctors who treated a dead horse as a living horse.
Who would have thought, hey, they actually made it.
It’s not in vain that I was still here in the middle of the night yesterday, working hard to knead the dough, mix the fillings, etc. At that time, everyone didn’t look as calm as they do now, but they were all anxious and uneasy!
"You, you!" Liu Chenggao looked at him lowering his head but looking slightly proud, "Whenever you put these little clevernesses into studying Bai An, you would have surpassed your master long ago!"
"Hehehe..." Zhang Hua laughed.
Liu Chenggao's eyes widened: "You're still laughing! Now you know that there are people outside the world, right? Learn more from the masters of the Southern Department. They are not only skilled in craftsmanship, but also very agile in mind."
No wonder people say that the people of Jiangnan are good at business. Just because of their ideas in the competition, they deserve to make a lot of money in the teahouses and restaurants where they work.
Zhang Hua promised: "I know, I will definitely go and learn from them after the competition is over. Uncle Master, what do you think of my pancake? Let's talk about it first, we need an objective and fair evaluation!"
Liu Chenggao rolled his eyes at him, and the old man's eyes were piercing: "Don't worry, I won't favor you. If you don't do well, I will be the first to kill you out of justice! But today's pancake, I think, is better than Nanxi.
So much higher..."
Zhang Hua didn't hear a word of what was said next.
At this moment, he was filled with joy and happiness. Uncle Master praised him! This is the first time in so many years that he has been praised by Master Liu!!