The dish that Miao Shengsong was going to make was Mushrooms in Dishes, which was a refreshing and delicious dish. Before Ye Chui chose what dish to make, he talked to Han Yuyan, An Xiaoxiao, Qin Yiyue about the truth. A chef competition was like a duel between masters, so one had to avoid the opponent's sharp edge temporarily and choose other flavors to make a breakthrough. But when asked what kind of dish Ye Chui was going to make, Ye Chui said that the dish he was going to make was Green Snail Shrimp, and the characteristic of this dish was that it was light and refreshing. He was not going to avoid the opponent's sharp edge temporarily, but to confront it head-on.
This made the three of them speechless, and at the same time they understood what Ye Chui meant - ordinary chefs would definitely have to avoid a seven-star chef like Miao Shengsong, because they would only lose if they went head-to-head with Miao Shengsong, but Ye Chui was not an ordinary chef, he wanted to compete with Miao Shengsong and beat him in terms of taste and flavor.
Is this madness
Is it arrogance
Or ignorance
Ye Chui glanced at the three people who were a little stunned, and continued with a smile: "Don't just stand there, Qin Yiyue, hurry up and cut the mutton slices. If you make Mr. Han wait too long, he will definitely scold you. An Xiaoxiao, go to the water room and help me catch twelve shrimps of moderate size. And Han Yuyan..."
"Master, what do you want me to do?" Han Yuyan immediately showed an interested look.
"Go make me a cup of tea."
"Make tea?" Sister Han was stunned.
"Honglou left behind a lot of good teas, including the best Biluochun. You know where it is. Make me a cup of Biluochun." Ye Chui explained with a smile, "The Biluo in Biluo Shrimp refers to the Biluo in Biluochun."
Han Yuyan finally understood and nodded quickly: "Oh, I'll go right away."
Qin Yiyue continued to cut the mutton slices.
An Xiaoxiao also hurriedly caught twelve live shrimps from the water room.
There are many seafoods in the water room, all of which are kept in the water room for the convenience of cooking. Now that Honglou has changed hands and become Manhanlou, the seafoods in the water room are still well kept. An Xiaoxiao went in with a basin of water and quickly caught twelve shrimps.
The shrimps were river shrimps, very plump and tender. They were placed on the chopping board in front of Ye Chui: "Master, the shrimps have been caught. What should we do next?"
"The most delicious part of shrimp is the shrimp meat." Ye Chui explained, washing the river shrimps carefully with water, and then continued to say to An Xiaoxiao, "Please help me remove the shrimp heads, shrimp tails and shrimp shells. The remaining shrimp meat is the shrimp meat."
"Oh, okay." An Xiaoxiao agreed and started to help Ye Chui.
If Han Yuyan were in another city, he would definitely not be able to do something like peeling shrimps, but An Xiaoxiao had ten years of experience as a beggar, and was usually in charge of the meals for Su Laosan and others, so she was very adept at dealing with ingredients. As for killing fish, Han Yuyan would scream and hide behind Ye Chui when he saw the lively fish, but An Xiaoxiao did not feel any psychological pressure at all.
While An Xiaoxiao was peeling shrimps, Ye Chui set up a pan on the stove next to him and put three tablespoons of salad oil into the pan. When the oil was heated to 120 degrees, to be specific, Ye Chui poured the shrimps peeled by An Xiaoxiao into the pan.
The temperature of the oil is crucial to the deliciousness of the ingredients. If it is one degree hotter, the ingredients may be burnt, and if it is one degree lower, the ingredients may still be raw. It is not easy to get it just right, and it is even more difficult to get the temperature just right without any deviation. However, Ye Chui can do it.
At the moment he put the shrimps into the wok, if measured accurately, the oil temperature was definitely 120 degrees.
This is something that countless chefs cannot do, but Ye Chui can do it because of the intuition he has developed from countless experiences!
This simple step is something that most chefs will never be able to achieve in their entire lives.
The shrimps made a sizzling sound in the pan. Ye Chui held the spatula in his hand and gently flipped them. At the same time, Ye Chui turned down the fire on the stove a little. Frying the shrimps in the oil would take away some of the oil temperature. Only by accurately controlling the fire on the stove could the oil in the pan be kept at a stable temperature. Only a stable temperature can heat the shrimp balls evenly to the degree Ye Chui needs.
This is also a small place that seems insignificant, but it is also a small place that countless chefs cannot control in their entire lives.
After being fried in the oil, the shrimps gradually turned into milky white. In fact, the time was very precise. According to the texture of the shrimps and the temperature of the oil, the frying process lasted a total of one minute and eleven seconds. At this time, Ye Chui turned off the stove, took the colander and poured the oil in the pan mixed with the shrimps into the funnel to drain the oil.
Most chefs are accustomed to coating the shrimps with dry starch when frying them. This is because the oil temperature is difficult to control and the shrimps can easily be over-fried. The starch can serve as a transition process.
But Ye Chui skipped this step. Starch occupies a very important position in many dishes, but the taste of starch will more or less affect the ingredients. For the sake of perfection, he skipped the step of thickening. He did so because he was absolutely sure that he could control the oil temperature and heat to the second.
The fried shrimps are cooked to perfection, tender and juicy. When gently shaken through the funnel, oil droplets slowly drip from the shrimps.
This process also requires know-how.
The force of shaking the colander needs to be controlled. Using excessive force can easily damage the internal tissue of the shrimp, while not using enough force can prevent the oil on the surface of the shrimp from being completely removed.
This is a hearty dish, so the fat content should be minimized.
From putting the shrimps into the oil pan to frying them, the steps seem very simple and anyone can learn them easily. However, these simple steps contain countless tricks and precise control that require countless efforts to master. These are the gourmet skills that many chefs will never be able to achieve in their lifetime.
At this moment, Ye Cui was extremely serious. He wanted to use all his current strength to make this dish.
So at this moment, he put his whole body and soul into every step.
His movements seemed ordinary, but Qin Yiyue, who was cutting mutton slices nearby, An Xiaoxiao, who was standing beside him, and Han Yuyan, who was walking back with a cup of Biluochun tea, were all attracted by his ordinary movements, as if they felt that this simple movement contained something that was definitely not simple. If they had to describe it, it was the aura of the God of Food.
The God of Food has the temperament of seeing the big picture from the small details and is not in harmony with the big soup.
Old Han, who was waiting for Qin Yiyue to cut the mutton slices and serve them, accidentally glanced at Ye Chui, and his expression was slightly stunned. Then he shook his head: "What's going on, I seemed to have seen something amazing just now... Maybe I was distracted, why hasn't Qin Yiyue cut the mutton slices yet!"
"Master." Han Yuyan walked to Ye Chui, holding the cup of Biluochun in both hands, "This is the Biluochun you wanted."
The oil from the fried shrimps had all evaporated. Ye Chui took a plate and gently poured the shrimps in the colander into it.
Only then did he turn to look at the cup of water in Han Yuyan's hand.
Biluochun is one of the ten famous teas in China. After being roasted, the tea leaves are tightly bound, with white hairs visible, and the color is silver-green, which is emerald green and attractive. "A Grand View of Wild History" records: "There are several wild tea plants on the stone cliff of Biluo Peak in Dongshan, Dongting Lake. The locals call it: 'It is so fragrant that it is frightening.' In the year Jimao of the Kangxi Emperor, the name was not elegant, so it was renamed Biluochun." It is no exaggeration to say that the best Biluochun is more valuable than gold, and the Biluochun left by Honglou is the best Biluochun.
At this moment, the curled Biluochun floats up and down in the water cup, gradually relaxing.
Ye Chui took the cup of Biluochun in his hand, shook it gently, and then carefully poured the water into the sink on the side.
Han Yuyan was a little surprised: "Master, why did you pour it? Is the tea I poured not good?"
"No." Ye Chui smiled at Han Yuyan and continued, "The first brew of tea should be poured out. This is the way to drink tea."
"I've heard this from my grandfather, but why?" Han Yuyan asked.
"The first steeping is to wash the tea leaves and remove the dust. It is also called a warm steeping. It is to make the tea leaves expand. The second steeping is when the flavor and color are at their best." He explained to Han Yuyan, "Dayu, go get me some hot water. The hotter the better."
"Oh, OK." Han Yuyan quickly agreed and walked away. A moment later, he came back with a thermos cup. "This is the hot water I just got from the water dispenser. It's very hot. Master, please be careful."
"The temperature is about 98 degrees, just right." Ye Chui measured the temperature on the thermos cup, nodded with satisfaction, and poured hot water into the cup.
The originally curled tea leaves are completely stretched out. Biluochun can be divided into seven grades. The Biluochun in the Yechu cup is the top-grade Biluochun. After the tea leaves are fully stretched out, the hairs on them are clearly visible, which is exactly "covered with hairs, silver-white with hidden green". The tea water appears emerald green and slightly yellowish in color. Take a deep breath, you can smell the freshness filling your nose.
"Biluochun has always been known for its tenderness and three freshnesses. Tenderness refers to the leaves and branches of the tea leaves, and the three freshnesses refer to color, fragrance, and taste. This cup of tea has all of these. It is indeed a good tea."
Ye Chuiqing couldn't help but nodded. If he was a tea lover at this moment, he would definitely not refuse the taste of this cup of tea.
What Ye Chui is going to do next is to incorporate the flavor of Biluochun into this dish of Biluo Shrimp.
He took the previous oil pan away from the stove, set up another one, poured in a spoonful of rapeseed oil, and when the oil temperature reached about 70 degrees, he poured the previously fried and drained shrimps into the pan, gently stir-fried for a while, and then poured a small amount of Biluochun tea next to it into the oil pan. The so-called small amount refers to 32 grams.
Most of the seasonings used in cooking are vague values, but Ye Chui is able to be exquisite and subtle. Twelve shrimps and thirty-two grams of Biluochun tea are the best combination.
The tea mixed with the oil in the pot made a crackling sound, and then came the most important step of this dish: stir-frying.
Stir-frying is a basic cooking skill, but few chefs can mix the ingredients evenly without damaging their texture.
Ye Chui can do it.
Not only can he mix the tea and shrimp evenly, but he can also stir-fry the Biluochun tea into the shrimp perfectly. This is a superb stir-frying skill that belongs to the realm of the God of Cookery! (~^~)