Zhuang Zhebin watched his uncle carefully remove the fat and impurities from the broth, almost turning it into a clear soup. But in fact, he knew very well that the flavor of the soup was still preserved.
The following process was exactly the same as what Zhuang Zhebin described, but Feng Yifan added a few more cracked and pitted hawthorns.
Zhuang Zhebin also understands that this is to enhance the flavor of the cherry flesh and at the same time further relieve the greasiness.
The stewing process in the casserole is not too fancy, and is basically the same as Zhuang Zhebin described. It is a slow stewing process over low heat, and as the aroma of the meat gradually wafts out, it really makes people feel a little greedy.
Feng Yifan was almost ready, and Lin Ruifeng had finally finished cutting the cucumbers.
Zhuang Zhebin stretched his head to take a look and was also a little surprised. He didn't expect that Lin Ruifeng could cut it so thinly and evenly.
Lin Ruifeng finished cutting the vegetables himself and was a little surprised. For the first time, he felt a little confident in his knife skills.
However, Feng Yifan smiled and said after looking at it, "It's acceptable, but have you ever thought about it? At your speed, under normal circumstances, I'm afraid the customers will wait so long for this plate of cucumbers that the day lilies will get cold."
Lin Ruifeng's original excitement disappeared, and he lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Master, I'm still too slow."
Feng Yifan patted his apprentice on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I just want to remind you not to be complacent. You still have a long way to go in improving your knife skills. It's not easy for you to cut such evenly thin slices."
Zhuang Zhebin also came over and said, "Brother Xiaolin, you are amazing. You are so patient."
Lin Ruifeng was a little embarrassed: "I just know that I can't be fast, so I can only try my best to cut each piece well.
Feng Yifan nodded and said, "That's it. Set up a plate and pour the sauce on it."
As he was talking, Feng Yifan started to put the cut cucumbers on a plate, arranged them into the shape of a dragon or snake, and then poured the sauce on them.
After pouring the sauce, Feng Yifan adjusted it with chopsticks, and finally wiped off the sauce on the edge of the plate.
Everything was ready. Feng Yifan said to his apprentice, "Take it out and serve the guests together with the plate of crystal braised pork."
Lin Ruifeng hesitated for a moment: "Master, why don't you go? I'm worried..."
Before the apprentice could finish his words, Feng Yifan interrupted him: "What are you worried about? Don't Xiaobin and I both have high hopes for you? Go ahead, this is also a test, and you have to trust my sauce."
Zhuang Zhebin also encouraged: "Yes, go ahead, it will definitely surprise the diners."
With encouragement, Lin Ruifeng finally put the two dishes on the tray and carried them together to the restaurant in front.
When Lin Ruifeng took the dishes out to serve, Feng Yifan turned to Zhuang Zhebin and said, "Your great grandfather, your grandfather, and your father are all chefs in your Zhuang family. You also learned a lot from them. I wonder how good are your stir-frying skills?"
Zhuang Zhebin looked at Feng Yifan and said, "Uncle, please stop torturing me. I'm really not good at stir-frying."
Stir-frying seems very simple, but it is actually very difficult.
It doesn't mean that if you put a little oil, put the ingredients in the pan, stir-fry them, and serve them, it can be considered stir-fry.
Qualified stir-fry, just like the previous stir-fried shrimps, requires a process of oil accumulation.
The key point of this oil-retaining process is to prevent the stir-fried ingredients from absorbing too much oil, to allow the stir-fried ingredients to stabilize their shape, and to ensure that they are fried both inside and out.
Unqualified stir-frying will often turn a dish that should be stir-fried into a soup, or even make it look like deep-fried food.
After stir-frying the dish, the requirement is that there should be enough oil on the dish, but no excess oil should overflow from the plate. The most important thing is that the dish should not taste greasy.
If it comes to some of the previous dishes, Zhuang Zhebin might dare to say a few words, or even be eager to try.
But when it came to this stir-fried dish, Zhuang Zhebin didn't dare to touch it at all.
Feng Yifan couldn't help laughing when he saw Zhuang Zhebin's expression: "Aren't you quite capable?"
Zhuang Zhebin had no choice but to admit defeat: "Uncle, I'm really not good at stir-frying. I know stir-frying looks simple, but a stir-fry can tell the difference between a top chef and an ordinary chef."
Feng Yifan nodded and said, "Okay, it seems like you have understood a little bit."
Afterwards, Feng Yifan didn't say much and put the casserole on another stove to continue simmering on low heat. He went straight to the wok and heated up the oil on high heat.
As the oil temperature rose, Feng Yifan said slowly, "For the sake of my uncle, I will teach you today."
Just at this moment, Lin Ruifeng, who was serving the dishes, came back with a hint of joy on his face, and it was obvious that he had received praise from the diners.
Feng Yifan didn't even turn around, and directly called out: "Ruifeng, come here too, take a good look and learn well."
When Lin Ruifeng heard this, he quickly put away the joy on his face, walked quickly to his master's side, and watched it with Zhuang Zhebin.
Feng Yifan took the washed river shrimps with their heads and claws cut off, held them above the oil pan and said, "Look carefully, make sure the oil temperature is high before putting them in the pan. Once the oil temperature is high enough, put them in the pan immediately, and then immediately remove the pan from the heat.
Fry them directly in the oil at high heat, but not for too long, just like you would blanch vegetables.
Look carefully, it is almost like this in the oil, you must pay attention to the color, and take it out if you see a color change. "
Feng Yifan’s explanation is very simple, and watching him operate is also very simple.
However, Lin Ruifeng and Zhuang Zhebin who were standing by could see that this was not easy. The whole process seemed to be done in one go, but it was extremely demanding on eyesight and manual skills, especially the control of time.
The oil-painting process seems to be as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, but the freehand brushwork reveals a solid foundation.
After the oil has been cured, Feng Yifan pours all the oil back into the pot, leaving almost no oil in the pot.
Next, turn on the high heat, heat the pot, pour the river shrimps directly into it, quickly start stir-frying over high heat, and then add the side dishes prepared in advance.
When the dish was almost ready to be served, Feng Yifan gently added a little water with a large iron spoon. A little more would have boiled it, and a little less would not have made it tasty.
While removing the fire from the wok and stirring the food, Lin Ruifeng quickly took the plate and handed it to the master.
Feng Yifan took the plate and put the stir-fried river shrimps into the plate very neatly.
“Serve the food.”
This time, Zhuang Zhebin grabbed the clean towel on the countertop and personally helped wipe the oil and soup off the edge of the plate. He then took the initiative to serve the stir-fried river shrimps and hurried out to serve the dish.
Lin Ruifeng was stunned for a while, and asked in surprise: "Master, why is Xiaobin so proactive?"
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Let him be. As the descendant of several generations of top chefs, it won't be bad for his future growth if we curb his arrogance today. This is also what his great grandfather meant when he let him in."
Lin Ruifeng nodded as if he understood, and then asked, "Master, is Zhuang Zhebin's family really that powerful?"
Feng Yifan nodded: "It can be regarded as the home of a well-known top chef master in Beijing."
Lin Ruifeng was immediately shocked: "So he is so amazing, no wonder Zhuang Zhebin is only 15 years old, but he seems to know a lot."
Feng Yifan smiled and patted his apprentice: "Being born in a family like that has its advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that the prestige and strength of the ancestors are very strong. It is not easy to surpass them. The pressure will be very great."