Bamboo shoots, Youdao, are "the most fresh and beautiful, a top vegetable food".
Commonly, they are divided into two types: spring bamboo shoots and winter bamboo shoots:
Every spring rain brings new bamboo shoots out of the mud. After peeling away the bamboo shells, the spring bamboo shoots are as tender as white jade and have a crisp texture;
In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the winter bamboo shoots hidden deep in the soil appear more plump in appearance and have a delicate and tender taste.
Spring bamboo shoots and winter bamboo shoots are like the jasper of a small family and the young woman in a boudoir, each of the diners has their favorites.
In addition to these two, there are also bamboo shoots in season during the hot summer.
Sweet dragon bamboo shoots produced in the Yunling area are one of the bamboo shoots that are on the market in July and August.
Facing Xia Miao's questioning gaze, Luo He explained:
“Bamboo shoots have a bitter taste, so the chef needs to add an extra step to “remove the bitterness”.
However, the sweet dragon bamboo shoots do not need to be bitter, and they do not even need seasonings. You can enjoy the freshness and sweetness by stir-frying them.
What I asked my pet beast to pick in the mountains are sweet dragon bamboo shoots."
Sweet dragon bamboo?
Xia Miao didn't know much about this thing, but that didn't stop her from impressing the young man with her cooking.
"I can see that you really want to win over my sister."
Xia Miao's eyes flashed, and she chuckled: "Then sister has to show some real skills."
Seeing her take out a jar of honey, Luo He was a little surprised: "Killer honey?"
"Correct answer, but unfortunately there is no reward."
Xia Miao brushed the honey on the surface of the beef on the chopping board.
Honey can tenderize the meat, thereby reducing the stewing time.
Immediately, she put on transparent gloves and kneaded the beef. This process is called "rolling and kneading", and the purpose is to shorten the marinating period and improve the tenderness of the finished dish.
After completing this step, Xia Miao took off her gloves, washed her hands, and held a sharp white Western-style chef's knife with a glimmer in her eyes.
A cold light appeared.
So quickly that she could barely see it, she cut the chunks of beef on the cutting board into small steaks.
This is a sign that your knife skills have reached a state of perfection and you can process ingredients quickly, accurately and steadily.
Luo He couldn't help but praise: "What a superb knife craftsmanship."
Xia Miao ignored it, lit the stove fire, held a pan in hand, and fried the beef on all sides on the high temperature pan until it changes color.
The beef is sizzling and smoking in the oil pan, showing a burnt brown color, and an attractive aroma floats in the air.
Xia Miao sniffed the aroma, raised the corners of her mouth involuntarily, and explained: "When the temperature of the oil pan reaches between 140 and 160 degrees, the beef will undergo a 'Maillard reaction', which enhances the flavor and aroma."
Luo He nodded like a watching helper: "Similarly, there is caramelization reaction, which can be used in the field of desserts. It is a browning phenomenon like the Maillard reaction."
"Not bad, I have some foundation." Xia Miao said with a smile, "Help me get the dinner plate."
Chef Luo hadn't done anything to anyone for a long time, and now he was watching Xia Miao's French cooking. He was very interested and handed over the dinner plate.
Xia Miao took out the fried steak and poured vinegar into the brown layer remaining on the bottom of the pot. The rich aroma of the caramel spread out instantly.
"Save the bottom of these pots and pour them in when the meat is stewed." Xia Miao smelled the fragrance and sighed: "These are the essence."
There is a feeling coming from the pet space.
The 'Pufferfish' car released by Xiaojiu has turned on the AI assistance function and is heading down the mountain to apply for assistance.
Luo He's heart moved, he looked at Xia Miao and said, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Well... then help me chop the onions, carrots and celery into small pieces for frying later," Xia Miao said.
Onions, carrots and celery are stir-fried in oil and stewed in water. It is very common in Western food preparations. It can remove the fishy smell, improve the fragrance and enhance the taste.
Luo He did as he was told, taking the square-headed kitchen knife he had handy, and processed the ingredients neatly, causing Xia Miao to look back frequently.
"His knife skills are pretty good," Xia Miao said in her heart, thinking, "There are only a few breeders in the Hunters' Association. If he can join in, I will be able to help him a lot, which will be pretty good."
The chopped onions, carrot slices, and celery segments in the pot are shiny, and gradually become fragrant as they are fried.
Xia Miao chopped up these vegetables and put them into the stew pot together with the beef. Pour in the brown liquid and red wine at the bottom of the pot.
"Next, it's time to add the spices."
Xia Miao took out a bag of spices. She couldn't see the raw materials inside, but it exuded a fragrant aroma.
Luo He couldn't smell the ratio of spices for a while, and couldn't help but asked: "What specific spices are they?"
"This is the secret weapon."
Xia Miao said: "I call it, 'Xia Miao's vanilla bunch'."
Herb bundles are a combination of herbs used for stewing in French cooking. They are often tied into a bunch or placed in a small net bag and taken out after the stewing is completed.
There are hundreds of herb combinations, and Xia Miao's understanding of spices is hidden in her use of herb bundles.
Even Luo He couldn't completely judge the ratio of vanilla in the vanilla bundle, so he mused:
"I can only smell thyme, rosemary and bay leaf... You should have added another spice."
Xia Miao glanced at Luo He in surprise, admiring the young man even more, pretending to be coquettish, and said: "I won't tell you for now.
Immediately, Xia Miao poured canned tomatoes into the pot to increase the viscosity of the soup and simmered.
"As it simmers, the flavor of the herb bundles will become more and more pronounced, enough to attract moonlight beauties in bloom."
Xia Miao looked at Luo He and said with a smile: "If your pet beast doesn't come back, my sister will take the beauty under the moon and leave you far away."
"Don't be in a hurry." Luo He said calmly: "The dishes I want to make are relatively simple and can be finished in half an hour. I mainly pay attention to the use of oil and bamboo shoots."
"What kind of dish is it?" Xia Miao asked.
"Braised bamboo shoots in oil." Luo He said.
Braised bamboo shoots in oil, a famous Jiangnan dish, is characterized by freshness, sweetness, fragrance and tenderness.
The ingredients include rock sugar, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. It needs to be simmered in a lot of oil. It is a typical rich red sauce flavor.
Of course Xia Miao had heard of this famous Jiangnan dish. She tilted her head and said, "It sounds very ordinary."
"Based on the original flavor, I have slightly improved it."
Luo He smiled slightly and said, "You'll know later."
For braised bamboo shoots, crisp and tender spring bamboo shoots are mainly selected. The bamboo shoots are mainly moso bamboo shoots or thunder bamboo shoots. These two types of bamboo shoots are only available in March and April.
Luo He responded to the time and place and switched to the sweet dragon bamboo shoots, a specialty of Yunling in summer, instead of other bamboo shoots.
Sweet dragon bamboo shoots, as the name suggests, have a fresh and sweet taste, and their sweetness is the best among bamboo shoots.
The famous dish "Braised bamboo shoots in oil" focuses on the use of sugar, and the sweetness of the sweet dragon bamboo shoots complements it perfectly.
In addition, the oil used by Luo He is "golden arowana oil" freshly collected from the mutated arowana that day.
"Yuyu is still very powerful."
Luo He thought: "At least it can guarantee that I will never lose to other chefs when it comes to using oil!"
While thinking about it, Xia Miao opened the lid of the pot and took a look at the stewed beef, and a rich aroma suddenly wafted up.
The red wine in the pot is dark red in color, the beef is simmering slowly in the thick soup, and the spices in the small net bag exude a strong aroma, like a witch's sachet.
Looking at this tempting pot of beef stew, Luo He felt an inexplicable hunger in his heart and pursed his lips.
"Didn't you just say that you didn't smell the last spice?"
Xia Miao smiled: "It's actually 'Salvia', also known as medicinal sage. It has a strong aroma and has medicinal value for improving appetite."
There are more than 1,500 natural spices in the world, most of which can be used as medicine.
The 'Spice Witch''s mastery of pharmacology is the main reason why she is feared in the sixth round.
In the night, the fragrance of the vanilla bundles was like a soft nocturne. Xia Miao whispered with great interest:
"From what you just said, my sister is actually quite interested in you..."
Compared with the temptation just now, Xia Miao took the initiative to extend an olive branch and said with a smile:
"As long as you are obedient, my sister will make soup for you every day after joining the hunter association. How about it?"
Before Luo He could answer, a call came from the night.
Turning around and looking back.
"Hey!" Xiaojiu walked over slowly with an arm full of fresh bamboo shoots, staggering on both feet, looking funny and cute.
Luo He took a look and saw that it was indeed a sweet dragon bamboo shoot, and his eyes lit up:
"Well done, Xiaojiu!"
Luo He stood in front of the stove, washed his hands, calmed his mind, and his eyes gradually became focused.
Xia Miao was slightly startled, feeling that he suddenly seemed to have changed.
While the food was simmering, Xia Miao smiled half-heartedly, folding her arms and watching his performance.
Luo He's eyes narrowed and he said:
"Xiaojiu, prepare to light a fire!"
…
I wrote these two chapters very slowly... mainly because I don't know how to cook, so I looked up a lot of cooking information and videos QWQ