In Su Ji's kitchen, Feng Yifan has a small pot. He tries again and again, adjusting the taste using the ingredients he has on hand.
At this moment, in the eyes of his father-in-law Su Jinrong, Feng Yifan, who was guarding the stove, really looked like a craftsman. He did not have any showy cooking skills, but only the ultimate pursuit of taste.
In a short period of time, Feng Yifan adjusted the taste many times and tried several blends.
But in terms of taste, I still feel that the soup is lacking something.
After tasting it, Su Jinrong actually felt that it seemed to be lacking some flaws, but Su Jinrong could not give much advice.
In many cases, taste is relatively a little bit metaphysical. Everyone's perception of taste may be slightly different, and if you really want to achieve that ultimate taste, it is not something you can do simply by adding ingredients according to the dosage.
The heat, the time to add seasonings, and certain changes that occur to the ingredients during the cooking process.
It is true that every slight change in every step may cause some unpredictable changes in the taste.
After many attempts, Feng Yifan suddenly seemed to have found the key to the problem.
He did not simply prepare the soup, but instead took a piece of tofu and also gathered some vegetables and mushrooms.
Then, he opened the knife box he brought back from abroad, picked out a sharp kitchen knife, and fine-polished the blade.
Put the tofu on the chopping board and place a basin of water next to it. First, soak the blade of the knife in the water, take out the knife, and start cutting the tofu with the water.
The knife skills for making Wensi tofu are a professional technique. You need to be quick, steady and accurate when cutting, using a flipping method. At the same time, you need to keep adding water to the blade to ensure that the tofu does not stick to the blade.
Feng Yifan hadn't shredded tofu for many years, and he had to say that he still felt a little unfamiliar with the process the moment the knife started cutting.
Especially the rhythm, Feng Yifan didn't master it at the beginning, so the tofu was not cut well at the beginning.
However, as you gradually find the rhythm, the cutting will become smoother.
Although there is no way to achieve the ultimate in knife skills, I can still cut tofu into shreds.
In the end, Feng Yifan only cut out a few tofu shreds from a not-so-big piece of tofu, and they were not as thin as cow hair.
However, Feng Yifan did not continue to pursue it. He then cut the green vegetables and mushrooms into shreds.
He turned on the fire and prepared the soup. After adding various seasonings, Feng Yifan put the shredded tofu in.
Next, use a spoon to slowly circle the surface of the soup, using the centrifugal force of the soup to smudge the tofu, green vegetable, and mushroom shreds like an ink painting, completing the dish as the spoon rotates.
I have to say, just by watching the entire production process, I'm sure everyone will be amazed.
This dish really has a high artistic component.
Of course, since it is a dish, color, shape and meaning are one aspect, but the key still lies in the aroma and taste, especially the "taste" which is the focus of a dish.
Feng Yifan scooped out the cooked Wensi tofu, divided it into two small bowls, and brought them to his father-in-law.
Su Jinrong took a look and saw that the clear soup was filled with fine shreds of tofu, green vegetables and mushrooms. What satisfied him was that his son-in-law cut the green vegetables and mushrooms into the same thickness when the tofu could not be cut that thin.
This is very important as it affects the final effect of the dish.
Feng Yifan scooped it out with a spoon, blew it gently on the side of his mouth, waited until it cooled down a little, and slowly handed it to his father-in-law: "Dad, please try it."
Su Jinrong opened his mouth and let his son-in-law feed the soup and vegetables in the spoon into his mouth.
As the soup slowly spread on the tip of the tongue, the taste of this mouthful of soup was indeed different.
The original stock seasoning is now filled with more layers; the mixed flavors of tofu, green vegetables, mushrooms and soup create a rich, complex taste in the mouth.
There is no taste stimulation, nor any strong flavor, just like a Chinese landscape painting. It is so beautiful that it makes people want to drink the second sip after the first sip.
Su Jinrong continued to open his mouth. Seeing this, Feng Yifan naturally fed him the second mouthful, and then the third mouthful, until the Wensi tofu in the small bowl was finished.
After finishing the meal, Su Jinrong smacked his lips, savoring the taste for a moment, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
"tasty."
After getting his father-in-law's approval, Feng Yifan brought over another small cup and started eating himself.
Feng Yifan ate the soup from the other small bowl himself and smiled with satisfaction. This time the taste was finally satisfactory.
When I was feeling a little proud, my father-in-law suddenly said, "You need to practice your knife skills."
After hearing what his father-in-law said, Feng Yifan put away his pride and said helplessly, "Okay, Dad, I will practice. It's been too long since I cut, so my hands are too raw."
Su Jinrong glanced at the chopping board, where most of the tofu had been chopped up.
From a square piece of tofu, Feng Yifan was only able to cut out a handful of tofu shreds, and they were not even as thin as cow hair.
Su Jinrong thought, if this happened to his father at that time, he would probably be punished by his father to practice for several hours every day, right
Su Jinrong inadvertently recalled some things in the past, the prosperity of Su Ji when his father was in his prime, a group of brothers busy in the kitchen, and his sister was the little princess in everyone's eyes.
I just don’t know since when, the slightly shy sister who always liked to sneak into the kitchen to play changed.
As he thought about it, Su Jinrong recalled some scenes from the day he had a stroke.
The younger sister came back with a group of people, and as soon as she entered the door, she criticized her brother Su Jinrong very rudely. She felt that her brother did not carry forward Su Ji's business, but only stayed in the small restaurant, so he was no longer worthy of the old plaque of Su Ji.
From Su Jinrong's perspective at the time, he was indeed very angry. If his sister had not divided the family business, how could Su Ji have missed the opportunity to develop it
Later, an opportunity appeared in front of him, but Su Jinrong had to give it up because his father was seriously ill.
His sister's sudden return and those words once again aroused Su Jinrong's fighting spirit that had been dormant for many years, but time is unforgiving after all.
Losing to the young chef brought by his sister was a big blow to Su Jinrong at that time.
But in fact, Su Jinrong was not angry at his sister's behavior at that time, but was in a state of deep self-blame, a kind of guilt towards the ancestral plaque, intertwined with shame and anger. It was the complex emotions that caused him to suffer a sudden cerebral congestion and stroke.
Now, Su Jinrong sees his son-in-law in the kitchen, willing to work hard for the taste and able to make food that satisfies him.
Su Jinrong was actually a little grateful to his sister. It was her aggressive encouragement after she came back that rekindled his fighting spirit and made him want to cook better and continue pursuing the ultimate taste.
So, no matter what, Su Jinrong cannot lose. He must work with his son-in-law to defeat his sister and bring back the old taste of Su Ji.
After Su Jinrong made up his mind and Feng Yifan finished cleaning up the kitchen, he heard Feng Ruoruo's voice calling out from the front.
"Grandpa, Dad, where are you? Ruoruo is back, come out and see Ruoruo."
Hearing his granddaughter's call, Su Jinrong's high morale subsided, and a smile returned to his face. He was almost impatient to leave the kitchen and go greet his granddaughter who had returned from kindergarten.
Feng Yifan put everything in place, walked over and pushed his father-in-law's wheelchair, and they walked out of the kitchen together to greet their returning daughter.