The yard had not been taken care of for a long time and was overgrown with weeds, giving it an air of desolation. Among the weeds, there was a tree about three meters tall and as thick as a bowl, with tiny leaves. This kind of tree was very rare and most people would not recognize it when they saw it. Even Chen Jiao and Chen Tian, a brother and sister, had no idea what this tree with little ornamental value was after their father passed away.
There was even a time when Chen Jiao specially looked for a lot of information, but still had no clue.
However, today when he brought Ye Chui here, Ye Chui was surprised to see the tree and said, "Chen Jiao, why is there a pepper tree in your old courtyard?"
"A pepper tree?"
Chen Tian, who was leaning into the kitchen on one side of the yard, turned his head curiously and looked at the small tree that he had always found puzzling: "Pepper tree? Mr. Ye Chui, are you saying... you know this kind of tree?"
"Of course, this is a Sichuan pepper tree." Ye Chui walked to the front of the tree and looked at it carefully. As the God of Food in his previous life, he had a deep understanding of various ingredients and naturally worked hard to learn the origins of some seasonings. This Sichuan pepper tree was something Ye Chui had studied specifically. In order to find the best Sichuan pepper, he even went to some Sichuan pepper producing areas to investigate and search personally.
Looking at the pepper tree in front of him, Ye Chui was even more pleasantly surprised: "This tree is the famous Dahongpao pepper!"
The dish Mapo Tofu was created by the ancestors of Chen Tian and Chen Jiao. Sichuan peppercorns are an indispensable seasoning in this dish. Mapo Tofu without Sichuan peppercorns would be full of flaws and incomplete. Ye Chui had been wondering whether it was because after Chen Tian and Chen Jiao's grandfather's generation moved to the United States, there were no Sichuan peppercorns, so Mapo Tofu lacked the spicy taste and became what it is now, but now he knows that this is not the case at all. At least Chen Jiao and Chen Tian's parents did not forget the existence of Sichuan peppercorns. They didn't know what method they used, but they specially transplanted a Sichuan peppercorn tree into the yard.
Ye Chui was certain that when Chen Tian and Chen Jiao's father made Mapo Tofu, he must have used Sichuan peppercorns. But when it came to Chen Tian's generation, since they didn't know the secret of the tree, they no longer used Sichuan peppercorns as a seasoning.
And now, when Ye Chui followed Chen Jiao into the yard, he happened to see this pepper tree. Perhaps this was fate.
“My father transplanted this tree from somewhere. When we were young, my sister and I thought it was ugly and didn’t know why he planted it… It turned out to be for the Sichuan peppercorns.” Chen Jiao thought of something and a look of sudden enlightenment appeared on his face. “My sister and I are not good at cooking and have no interest in cooking. We also have no plans to inherit the restaurant, so we never paid attention to the Sichuan peppercorn tree… Later, when my father passed away, my sister made Chen’s tofu based on the taste of this dish and some of the experiences my father had told us before, but the Sichuan peppercorn tree was ignored.”
"Your Chen family tofu was originally supposed to have Sichuan pepper trees. It's your sister who forgot about this seasoning." Ye Chui said with a smile, and then a hint of sadness appeared on his face. "Unfortunately, it's only May now. Although there is a Sichuan pepper tree here, the peppers won't mature until August or September. We can't catch up..."
Hearing Ye Chui say this, Chen Jiao's face was also a little disappointed, but suddenly he thought of something, his eyes lit up: "Wait for me first."
As he said this, he hurried to a hall on the side. A moment later, he walked out of the room dragging a dead branch, saying, "There was a strong wind on August 15 last year. I happened to be here for something. I saw a branch blown off from this tree, so I threw it into the house. The house was very dry, and this branch dried up directly. Mr. Ye Chui, take a look, are the dark red particles on it the pepper you mentioned?"
"let me see!"
Ye Chui hurried over to look at the branch. The leaves on the branch had already dried up completely, but on the tops of some branches, you could see a few dried Sichuan peppercorns. Because they were naturally dried, the texture was very good. Ye Chui picked one and squeezed it, then put it in his mouth to taste it. He felt a satisfying numbness and couldn't help but say with satisfaction, "Yes, this is Sichuan peppercorn, and the quality of this peppercorn is very good, better than the ones you can buy on the market!"
This pepper is Dahongpao pepper. The timing is really a coincidence. When the branches were blown down by the wind last year, it was the pepper's ripening period. The pepper grains on the branches were full. After being air-dried and dehydrated, the fruits cracked open. Taking a deep breath, you can almost smell the unique aroma of pepper.
"I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence." Chen Jiao also smiled.
Ye Chui smiled and nodded: "Let's start picking the peppercorns on this branch. It looks like there are enough peppercorns on this branch to handle the cooking in the next few days."
In the following time, Ye Chui and Chen Jiao squatted on the ground and picked the peppercorns from the pepper branches little by little. In the end, they collected half a bag. Ye Chui carried it with satisfaction and felt very satisfied. Chen Jiao also found the iron pot that his father used to cook. Although a long time had passed, the iron pot was still well preserved. The two happily returned to Chen's hotel with their things.
Han Yuyan and Li Xiuyun were naturally very happy after learning about the Sichuan pepper tree. As a reporter, Li Xiuyun quickly understood what was going on: "So the Chen family tofu recipe in Chinatown was originally flawless. This story about the Sichuan pepper tree is obviously very valuable. After the trip to Chinatown is over, I must write a special article about the Sichuan pepper tree."
"Anyway, all the ingredients for making Mapo Tofu are ready." Ye Chui nodded. He took the chef's uniform from Han Yuyan and put it on carefully.
Han Yuyan hurriedly helped him to fix his collar and buttons. When she was in Manhan Building, Han Yuyan often did this kind of thing. But now that she was close to Ye Chui, she suddenly couldn't help but think of what happened last night. Her eyes met with Ye Chui, her face flushed, and she hurriedly shifted her gaze: "Master, it's already dressed."
"Well… "
Ye Chui nodded, rolled up the sleeves of his chef's uniform, and walked towards the kitchen: "Dayu, help me, let's start preparing."
Mapo Tofu is an authentic Sichuan dish. Sichuan cuisine originated in Sichuan and is one of the most well-known cuisines in the country. It is also known as the people's cuisine. Its taste is characterized by numbness, spiciness, freshness and fragrance, and Mapo Tofu is the best of the spicy ones. In Ye Chui's original world, after decades of normal development, the preparation method of this dish has reached perfection.
Because of the popularity of this dish, even ordinary people can try to make it, and the name of this dish will almost always be on the menu of any small restaurant - when Ye Chui opened Xiaoyu Home Cooking, Mapo Tofu was one of the dishes.
There are actually many ways to cook Mapo Tofu, but Ye Chui has mastered the most perfect one. The dish seems simple to prepare, but it is one of those dishes that is simple yet extremely complex. In Ye Chui's opinion, Chen Tian's Chen family tofu not only lacks the seasoning of peppercorns, but also lacks another important ingredient - beef.
That’s right, beef is needed in Mapo Tofu.
In another world, after the Chen family invented Mapo Tofu, they gradually promoted this dish and finally worked out the eight-character motto for making Mapo Tofu, which are: spicy, hot, fragrant, crispy, tender, fresh and lively. The crispy here refers to the crispy beef. Mapo Tofu requires beef stuffing. After special cooking, the beef cubes are golden in color, red and crispy but not hard. They are delicious when you put them in your mouth and melt in your teeth. This is also a major feature of Mapo Tofu.
This is something that Chen Tian’s Chen’s tofu does not have.
In addition, there is another flavor of Chen's tofu that is not well made, that is the "live" among the eight characteristics. This can be said to be one of the unique skills of Mapo Tofu. When the tofu is served on the table, the inch-long garlic sprouts stand upright in the bowl, emerald green and azure blue, with a very bright oily texture, just like they have just been picked and chopped from the ground, vivid and lifelike, so it is called "live".
When you put it in your mouth, the garlic sprouts taste fully cooked, without any astringency at all. Stir-frying the garlic sprouts until they are alive is the unique skill of Mapo Tofu.
It is said that during the Anti-Japanese War, Mapo Tofu was popular all over the country. In order to make the best Mapo Tofu, restaurants in Zhejiang and Jiangsu hired the head chef of the Chen family for a large sum of money to teach him the unique skill of stir-frying garlic sprouts, which was cited as a legend.
However, because of the vegetarian movement, many historical events have changed in this world. The Mapo Tofu made by the Chen family is still popular all over the country. However, the Chen family came to the United States for some reasons. Now Mapo Tofu has been renamed Chen Jiao Tofu, and the method is no longer authentic. Although Ye Chui gave a very high evaluation when he served Chen Tian's Mapo Tofu, in fact, this dish lacks many key points. According to the Chen family's eight-character motto, Chen Tian's Chen family tofu cannot achieve three points at all: numbness, crispness, and crispness.
"Someone ordered Chen's Tofu. Boss, what should we do?" Ye Chui had just entered the kitchen and was preparing the ingredients when a waiter hurried over and said to Chen Jiao.
The hotel provides meals, but the meals are brought from the Chen's Restaurant opposite. Now Chen Tianxia has issued a ban on Chen Jiao and no longer provides meals for Chen Jiao. However, many of the guests who come to stay in his hotel come here just for the Chen's tofu. Here they can not only take a break, but also taste the famous Chen's tofu. Why not
Chen Jiao looked at Ye Chui and said, "Master Ye Chui, please make a dish of your Mapo Tofu. I wonder if it tastes better than my sister's and whether it can satisfy the customers here."
Now Chen Jiao has already sensed Ye Chui's extraordinaryness. He has no idea what the Chen family tofu and Mapo tofu are, but he now believes that this young man, who is known as the best chef in China, may be able to make tofu that can really rival the Chen family tofu that she has devoted her entire life to.
Ye Chui nodded: "Wait a moment."
This time Ye Chui came to Chinatown to challenge the top ten famous dishes in Chinatown, but he didn't expect that he would be blocked by the first restaurant he wanted to challenge: the people there didn't seem to take him seriously at all... Fortunately, Ye Chui can now continue the competition in this way, and the judges of the competition are those diners who once admired Chen's tofu.
He wants these diners to adjust their taste and know what the most authentic taste of this dish is like!
There are several dining tables in the empty hall on the first floor of Chen's Hotel, where guests staying in the hotel can have their meals. It is a little after ten in the morning, and a fat Chinese man in his forties is sitting at a dining table reading a newspaper. However, he glances at the newspaper and then looks across the street impatiently - why hasn't his Chen's tofu been delivered yet
This fat man is the boss of a company and is quite wealthy. He owns several shops in Chinatown. He would come here every once in a while to find a hotel to stay for a few days. With his wealth, he naturally didn’t need to stay in a small hotel like Chen’s Hotel. But one time when he came, all other hotels on the street were full, so he had no choice but to stay here. He originally thought that he would be very uncomfortable, but he got an unexpected surprise...
The owner of this hotel is the younger brother of the proprietress of the Chen's Restaurant opposite, so you can eat authentic Chen's tofu here. And because of Chen Jiao, you can directly order the Chen's tofu made by the proprietress here. And in order to take care of her brother's business, the proprietress almost always gives priority to the Chen's tofu in this hotel. After discovering this benefit, the fat Chinese guy would stay in Chen's Hotel almost every time to enjoy the wonderful taste of Chen's tofu.
He is already an old guest of this hotel. Today he has to leave Chinatown to handle some business. Before leaving, he wants to continue tasting Chen's tofu.
"Boss Zhang, your dish is here." The Mapo Tofu was brought up by Chen Jiao himself, along with a bowl of rice. It is best eaten with rice. The Mapo Tofu brought up by Chen Jiao was bright red in color, with the white tofu, red soup, and green garlic sprouts complementing each other. It was steaming hot, giving people a great sense of enjoyment.
However, the Chinese fat man showed some surprise: "Xiao Chen, this dish seems to be a little different from the Chen's tofu I had before, and why is your dish brought from the back? Wasn't it always delivered from the restaurant opposite? The tofu I ordered is the Chen's tofu made by your sister herself."
Chen Jiao's face changed slightly, and then he smiled and said, "What a coincidence today. My sister is here and she personally made this dish for you. Moreover, it is her improved method. The taste is even better than before. Boss Zhang, you can try it and please give my sister some advice."
Temporarily saying that the dish was made by his sister, Chen Jiao placed the dish and rice in front of Boss Zhang expectantly, and smiled as if inviting him to taste it.
The fat Chinese man looked at the dish and felt his appetite was whetted. He couldn't help but pick up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of tofu, and slowly put it into his mouth... (~^~)