It turned out that Liu Yunxi had already opened the bag containing the pork knuckle, but inside he saw a giant ham, white, dark red, and light green in three colors, crisscrossed and plump...
Top quality? Fan Shaobai frowned and said, "Master Li, is there anything special about this ham?"
Li Qi nodded and said: "The method of curing ham is actually very simple, but the simpler it is, the harder it is to make it perfect. First, you have to apply salt on the ham and rub it with both hands. The strength must be accurate and the amount of salt must be certain.
It has to be moderate, it all depends on the accumulation of experience, even I can't be perfect. And this kind of giant ham usually takes a long time to cure, three years is the best. Look at this ham
The appearance has gradually turned green, it should be three years old, and it is so perfectly preserved. It is definitely the best among hams. Even if it is eaten raw, this kind of ham will be wonderful."
Fan Shaobai looked slightly worried and said, "It seems like this woman really has some tricks up her sleeves?"
Li Qi chuckled: "Don't worry too much about this. The ham is good, but if you want to win against Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Song, this alone is not enough. It depends on how she bakes it."
Fan Shaobai nodded slightly and looked nervous.
"Haha, I'm glad I came here, otherwise I would have missed this delicious dish." A laugh suddenly sounded from the side.
Li Qi felt happy, turned around and said in surprise: "Brother Zuo, you are here too."
The person who came was none other than Zuo Boqing, the manager of the imperial kitchen.
"Who will win the title of the best chef in Tokyo? How could such a big event be without me, Zuo?"
Zuo Boqing came over, bowed to everyone one by one, then sat next to Li Qi and asked Liu Yunxi, "Who is this woman?"
Li Qi smiled and said: "What's the matter? Brother Zuo is probably attracted to this person---."
Zuo Boqing pretended to be angry and said, "What nonsense are you talking about again?"
Li Qi said hey: "Brother Zuo, you are thinking wrong. I wonder if you have fallen in love with someone else's **--oh no, where's the ham?"
Zuo Boqing was angry and amused when he heard this, and it was clear that you were the one who set it up, and said: "That's true. To be honest, this ham is really rare to see!"
Li Qi whispered: "Brother Zuo, don't say this, don't you see Mr. Fan is so anxious that he is breaking out in a cold sweat?"
Fan Shaobai heard this clearly and said angrily: "General Manager Zuo, don't listen to his nonsense. What's wrong with me?"
Zuo Boqing smiled and shook his head. Li Qi suddenly said seriously: "Brother Zuo, you have to save me this time."
Zuo Boqing said in surprise: "Save you?"
Li Qi lamented and said desolately: "Oh, the passing years have been unlucky. To be honest, I was pressed down by a big elbow just now, and my small waist was almost broken. I can't recover even if I don't have a month."
, why don't you get some abalone or something to replenish my health."
It turned out that they were here to cheat abalones again. Uncle Zuo said calmly: "I can't help you with this. You are no longer the deputy general manager. How can I dare to give you abalones? In fact, I didn't give them to you before."
, you took it all yourself.”
When Li Qi's plan failed, he tried another one and said: "Brother Zuo, you are too ungrateful. I'll forget it, but there is a pregnant woman at home. You can get some for me and I will take it to you."
My wife is replenishing her body, which is what you, the big brother, should do."
Zuo Boqing nodded and said, "I've heard about this. She must be the red lady."
"Yes, yes."
"Congratulations, congratulations, I should give this."
"Based on our relationship, this is necessary!" Li Qi laughed.
Zuo Boqing nodded and said cheerfully: "Okay. I'll go to the market later and buy some abalone to send over."
"What? The market?" Li Qi was stunned for a moment and thought to himself, that's not how the plot goes. He hurriedly said: "Brother Zuo, I can go to the market too. The problem is that the two-headed abalone is a tribute and can be bought at the market.
Less than."
Zuo Boqing said: "But I can't break the rules. You also know what your situation is now. If those people take this as an excuse to get angry with me, then I will be finished."
Said, I knew you would say that. Li Qi curled his lips inadvertently. Zuo Boqing came up with this reason. He really had no choice. He asked in a low voice: "Is the emperor okay now?"
Zuo Boqing said in a lower voice: "Can the Emperor be okay with this situation now?"
"I'm asking about the emperor's appetite?"
"Uh...that's not bad."
If you have a good appetite, it proves that everything is fine! Li Qi secretly laughed, said no more, and turned his gaze to the venue. Since Zhang Chun'er and Mrs. Song were both sitting in the wooden shed, they couldn't see clearly. Only Liu Yunxi was in the open air.
Made under special circumstances, she poured the three hairy crabs, mushrooms and other ingredients into the jar, ground them into powder with a stone slab, and then put the ham on the grill.
She flipped the grill and spread the spices on it.
Although this action seemed ordinary and could not be seen as lively by a layman, an expert could still see some clues. Li Qi and Zuo Boqing nodded at the same time.
However, both of them can easily accomplish this level of barbecue.
After a while, Liu Yunxi suddenly took out three large needles, and saw the needles flashing. Her technique was very fast, and in a moment, she inserted all three large needles into the ham, all at once.
"Oh, give Ham acupuncture?" Gao Yanei said in surprise.
"This idiot is really hopeless." Li Qi muttered, and then said: "It seems that this woman really has some tricks up her sleeve."
Zuo Boqing nodded and praised: "What a quick technique."
Fan Shaobai couldn't understand this half-hearted way, so he asked: "What do you two mean by this?"
Li Qi said seriously: "This trick is called three-needle flavor identification. It is specially used on ham, but it was originally used during curing. Because this kind of ham is marinated for a long time, and you can't tell the ham.
It is difficult to judge whether the curing is complete based on the quality of the meat inside, so I use three large needles to pierce the three designated parts of the ham, then remove the needles and smell. If there is a fragrance, it indicates that the curing is successful.
, and it’s not a bad idea for her to use this trick when baking. Usually experienced chefs will judge whether the baking is good or not based on their own experience, but there will always be errors. It’s the same reason, because you can’t judge.
How is the condition of the meat inside? Using three needles to identify the taste can be more accurate."
Zuo Boqing said: "Brother Li is right, but this trick is rarely known. I didn't expect this woman to have such skills at such a young age. It's really surprising!"
The more Fan Shaobai heard, the more his thick eyebrows moved closer to the middle. Suddenly there was such a master. He really didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.
Sure enough, after a while, the woman put on a pair of gloves and quickly took out three large needles from the ham. After smelling it, she seemed to think it was not enough, so she started to apply spices again, and the process started again.
Of course, those laymen couldn't understand it. Some thought it was quite powerful, but others felt that this woman was trying to please others.
But after arriving at the back, a strong smell of meat filled the air, and no one would think that this woman was trying to please others.
Before you know it, the limited time has arrived.
The three cooks also finished their own dishes.
The first person to come up was Fan Lou's Sister-in-law Song. She and her assistant came up with two big bowls in their hands. One bowl was fish head soup. The soup was sauce-colored and was made from the head of the fat-headed fish. There was also
There are some shredded ginger, beans, cucumbers, etc.
The other bowl looked much simpler, with a stack of thick pancakes piled in the middle and more than ten pieces of red fish on the side. It was impossible to tell what kind of fish it was with just your eyes.
There is nothing attractive about the dishes, which is in line with Mrs. Song's simple style. But the combination of pancakes, fish soup, and fish meat is attractive enough.
Li Qi and others have already begun to move their index fingers, eager to have a taste.
Mrs. Song smiled slightly and said, "This is the roasted eel bun I made."
Li Qi exclaimed: "It turns out to be an eel, no wonder, no wonder."
Zuo Boqing asked: "Then what's the particular way to eat this dish?" Since Mrs. Song didn't put them on a plate, there must be something particular about how to eat them. It's impossible for you to taste them all the same.
, that’s three courses.
Fan Shaobai hurriedly said: "Sister-in-law Song, this is the left manager of the imperial kitchen."
After hearing this, Mrs. Song quickly saluted.
Zuo Boqing smiled bitterly and said, "You and I are both chefs, so this ceremony is unnecessary. You'd better tell me about this dish."
"yes."
Mrs. Song nodded and said: "Actually, the way to eat this dish is very simple. First spread the fish soup on the pancakes, then add some cucumbers from the fish soup, put shredded radish on top, and finally put the eel meat on top.
Just roll up the pancake and it’s ready to eat.”
Li Qi shook his head and said with a smile: "This is really not easy. In this dish of yours, you have used all the main ingredients to the extreme, even the shredded ginger. It's amazing, amazing."
A trace of blush appeared on Mrs. Song's face, and she said shyly: "Master Li is laughing."
Li Qi smiled, stretched out his hand and said, "Brother Zuo, everyone, let's try this roasted eel bun together."
"please."
"please."
"And me, and me."
Gao Yanei and Hong Tianjiu also jumped over. Due to the limited portion and the large number of people who came, only a few "highly respected" people could eat.
Several people wrapped it up according to Sister Song's instructions. Gao Yanei rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law Song, I don't do this at home, why don't you help me wrap it?"
As expected, he was a master at picking up young women and never missed an opportunity like this. Li Qi had to admire Gao Yanei's pervasive spirit.
Sister-in-law Song is a very responsible woman, and this is what a chef should do, so she nodded. Unexpectedly, Fan Shaobai suddenly stretched out his hand to block it, gritted his teeth and said with a smile: "Ya Nei, let me help you wrap it up."
Sister-in-law is now the mainstay of their Fan House, and he will never allow Gao Yanei to get involved.
Gao Yanei was so frightened that he quickly retracted his hand and said displeasedly: "You are such a boring person. With your clumsy appearance, I might as well do it myself."
Fan Shaobai said lightly: "Then you can take care of it yourself."
Li Qi looked at Gao Yanei and kept his hands on it. After wrapping it up quickly, he didn't care about eating it at all. He opened his mouth and took one bite. The first thing he felt was naturally the hot pancakes, which were salty and salty.
It has a crispy texture with a strong northeastern flavor, but then there is an extremely delicious aroma of roasted eel meat. These two completely different flavors are intertwined, and the food is endless aftertaste. It is like eating two dishes in one dish. How can it be different?
Remarkable.
After Zuo Boqing tasted it carefully, he couldn't help but said: "The pancakes just baked are soft and crispy, and they have a unique flavor when dipped in the rich sauce soup. The eel meat inside is crispy and crispy, and the combination
The cucumber, shredded ginger and green leaves are even more delicious and impeccable. Sister Song’s cooking skills are really amazing."
Li Qi nodded and smiled: "What's even more rare is that the roasted eel in this dish has the three major characteristics of Jiangnan cuisine, which is thin, fresh and tender, while the fish soup and pancakes have a very northern flavor. This dish
The characteristics of these two flavors are fully displayed and integrated into one, making it unforgettable.”
Hong Bajin and others were also full of praise for this dish, while Gao Yanei and Hong Tianjiu were eating with their mouths full of oil and kept praising them. Needless to say, nine points were given to Mrs. Song and one point.
It was a favor given to Fan Shaobai.
Seeing that they were all full of praise, Fan Shaobai breathed a sigh of relief and gave Mrs. Song two encouraging glances.
The next person to come up was Zhang Chun'er. As for the outsider, perhaps he had been forgotten.
But what Zhang Chun'er brought up was an ice lotus seat, about one and a half feet in diameter, with eighteen beads randomly placed on it. It was a sauce color, smooth and round. Zhang Chun'er smiled and said: "This is the dish I prepared today.
Style---'Eighteen Buddha Beads'."
(ps: Dear guests, the food has been served. Don’t forget to vote for the monthly ticket when you leave. Recommended.) (To be continued.)