Lin Dan re-soaked a pot of rock ear with coarse salt, and let the cook continue to soak the rest of the dry goods according to his own method. Then he turned to look at the cook, and said slowly, "For the sake of your sincere admission, I will take care of you. Teach you a signature dish."
"Ah, what did you say?" The little cook looked at Lin Dan stupidly, doubting that he heard it wrong. It's amazing that Manager Lin is willing to teach him some secrets to handle ingredients, so why teach him signature dishes? The signature dish is not every chef's trump card, is it easy not to show it to others
"You heard it right, I'll teach you a signature dish, you have to read it carefully." Lin Dan said as he fished out a big lively carp from the bucket and placed it on the chopping board to stun it.
Tang Jiu glanced at her, then at the silly little cook, with a gleam of interest in his eyes.
"Boss Lin, wait, I'll get a pen and paper!" Seeing that Lin Dan's posture didn't seem like a joke, the little cook hurried to the front hall to get a stack of paper and a wolf's hair, and wrote succinctly—selecting materials from Huanghe University Carp, three to four pounds...
"Have you remembered?" Lin Dan held a kitchen knife in one hand and a big carp in the other, smiling as he waited for the little cook. She likes diligent and studious people, and it doesn't matter if she is stupid.
"Remember, remember, you can continue, Manager Lin!" The little cook nodded and bowed respectfully. The old shopkeeper had also admired Lin Dan for a long time, and now he had squeezed into Tang Jiu's side, staring at the chopping block.
Lin Dan continued: "I've also tried the new squirrel mandarin fish from Yan's Restaurant. It tastes sour, sweet and tender. It's really good. The dish I taught you tastes better than her family's, and it's also a sweet and sour dish. , named Golden Lionfish."
One is called the squirrel, the other is called the golden lion, and the names are higher and lower than the other. Are you sure you are not here to fight in the ring? The little cook's head was full of wild thoughts, but soon, Lin Dan's extraordinary knife skills made him forget everything. I saw her cut the fish clean in three or two times, and cut the fish meat on both sides into thin slices, and cut the knife from the tail to the head of the fish. Continuing, actually cut a big carp into a lotus bud, lifted the fish tail and shook it, and the pink and white "petals" bloomed in layers, which was really beautiful.
The little cook thought that this knife skill was already amazing, but he didn't expect Lin Dan to take out the scissors again, cut the petal-like fish fillets into silk, cut six to seven pieces of each piece, and stack them again. A fishbone is covered with filamentous fish flesh from head to tail, and this shape alone is peculiar enough. The fish has been cut so finely, what should I do while cooking? Are you sure it won't break into a paste with the touch of a spoon
The little cook was worried in his heart while recording, but saw Lin Dan start to prepare egg paste, six eggs, half a catty of water, starch, four taels of flour, mixed with the right amount of water, and blended into a thick golden-yellow paste. You can grab a little and pull out the silk.
"Only use egg yolks, not egg whites, when making egg paste, so that the color looks good. For starch, only water starch, not dry starch, will cause burrs. Water starch can ensure that its taste is more delicate and tender." A simple explanation, Lin Just squeeze the fish head with one hand and the fish tail with the other, put the fish meat cut into chrysanthemums into the egg batter, soak it evenly, and when you lift it up again, all the fish shreds stick together one by one, dripping with egg liquid. The appearance is not good-looking, but after frying in the pot, all the fish shreds are scattered and stand up one by one, really like a golden lion.
In the exclamations of the little cook and the old shopkeeper, Lin Dan explained slowly: "When all the fish shreds are immersed in the oil, you have to shake three times vigorously to let the fish shreds spread out one by one. Raise the tail a little so that the shredded fish is hugged to the head, in the shape of a golden lion. This is the key to the shape. After the fish is placed in the pan, the oil temperature will decrease. In this way, the fish will be shaped, and you can let go at this time, fry the head and tail of the fish, turn it over with a slotted spoon, and continue to fry for a while before you can take it out and pour the sauce."
Although Lin Dan said it was easy, it was actually very difficult to do. Just changing the fish slices into shreds is already a test of knife skills, not to mention the battering and frying in the back. Seasoning has become the easiest procedure. When frying, the chef's hands should firmly hold the fish head and tail, and stick to the boiling oil surface, so that the filamentous fish meat is all immersed in the hot oil and deep-frying. Burn off a layer of skin from your hands, and throw the whole fish into the pot before the shredded fish is fried, and the dish will be ruined.
The little cook took a close look at Manager Lin's hand, and sure enough, she found a thick layer of calluses on her fingertips. This is the real skill that she has endured countless times of high temperature frying! She shook the fish silk gently, and there was no pain on her face, but instead she was full of patience and concentration.
After throwing the whole fish into the pot, she explained to the little cook while taking out a clean pot and pouring a little vegetable oil on it: "When the fish is fried to golden brown, take it out, put the fish belly down on a plate, I'll come. Mix the sauce." As she spoke, the oil in the pot was already hot, she crushed a lime and a persimmon, ground them into foam with a large spoon, and then added sugar, white vinegar, and water to make a thick sweet and sour sauce. , after thickening, pour it evenly on the fluffy and crispy shredded fish, and a golden lionfish is ready.
The sweet and sour fragrance poured into the nose instantly, causing people to secrete a lot of saliva involuntarily. This dish is not only overbearing in flavor, but also overbearing in appearance. It looks like a lion with scattered mane, and it has a feeling of showing its teeth and claws.
"Okay, it smells so good!" The little cook swallowed his saliva.
"Can you try it?" Tang Jiu stared at Lin Dan with burning eyes. He has always been very introverted, and only when he sees delicious food will he reveal a bit of a strong and greedy nature.
"Try it." Lin Dan picked up the towel to wipe his sweat.
The little cook and Tang Jiu immediately picked up their chopsticks and were about to attack the golden-haired lionfish, when they saw the old shopkeeper who ran out at some point and rushed in, and hurriedly said: "Can't eat, can't eat! Prince Cheng is here, call him by name. Eat this dish you just made! Hurry up, Xiaodouzi, quickly bring this dish out, don't let the lord wait for a long time!"
The shop assistant got under Tang Jiu's arm, took the plate and ran away.
Lin Dan was so immersed in cooking that she didn't know that the smell of her sauce had spread to the street through the window. Like the Marquis of Yongding, this Prince Cheng is a well-known glutton in the capital. His biggest hobby is to taste delicious food.
He originally planned to go to Yan's Restaurant for lunch on this day. When he passed by Qiaoyuan Restaurant, his boss received the benefits of the old shopkeeper, and seemed to mention it unintentionally, saying that Qiaoyuan Restaurant has a new batch of top-quality seafood, and he can go there. Try it out.
Prince Cheng has a good relationship with the little cook's father, and if that's the case, then I'll give a slap in the face, and it's fine to go eat. Unexpectedly, there was another carriage next to him. Prince Gong stuck his head out of the car window and said with a smile, "Brother Huang, don't be fooled. I was fooled in like this yesterday, but Qiu's craftsmanship is true. No, I can't make the taste of top seafood, it's far worse than the Yan family restaurant!"
Prince Cheng glared at Chang Sui and wanted to leave, but suddenly he smelled an indescribable smell, very sweet, very sour, and after a while, it merged into the freshness of fish and the alcohol of oil, it was so fragrant!
"What kind of smell is this? You smell it, you smell it!" Prince Cheng grunted up, stretched his neck out of the car window, and sniffed around like a puppy.
The smiling Prince Gong was speechless. He quickly closed his mouth and swallowed the saliva that flowed like a stream.
Chang Sui, who was disillusioned and fearful, hurriedly said, "My lord, the fragrance comes from the Qiaoyuan Restaurant, and it's probably Chef Qiu who is cooking."
"Go in and have a look!" Prince Cheng couldn't sit still, and immediately jumped out of the carriage and ran into the store in three or two steps. He didn't see the shopkeeper coming to greet him, so he could only shout loudly: "Where are the people, where are the people? What kind of dishes are you cooking in the kitchen? Hurry up and bring them to this king!"
The second shopkeeper hurriedly settled the people, then ran to the back kitchen and explained the situation to the old shopkeeper. Only then did the old shopkeeper rescue the dish from the mouths of the little cook and Tang Jiu, and hurriedly brought it to the front hall.
Prince Gong had already lost confidence in Qiu Jiacai. He originally planned to sit in the carriage and watch the fun, but he didn't expect the dish to come out. But because the action was too eager, he hit the roof of the car, and he couldn't help being a little dizzy. After finally covering his head, he ran to the table, looked at the plate, and he suddenly gasped. Prince Cheng also opened his eyes wide, looking extremely surprised.
They thought that the squirrel mandarin fish from Yanjia Restaurant was already excellent in knife skill, shape, color and seasoning. As soon as this plate of fish came out, it immediately broke the myth of Yanjia cuisine.
The filament-like fish meat stands upright and gathers at the head of the fish. The shape is very beautiful and unique. Use chopsticks to pierce the crispy shell of the shredded fish, revealing the pink-white fish inside. The viscous soup comes together, fresh, tender, crisp, sour, sweet, and all kinds of flavors explode on the tip of the tongue, which is simply wonderful!
Prince Cheng carefully clipped off a piece of "lion hair" and quickly stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes narrowed immediately, and the layers of wrinkles on his face stretched out at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if he was several years younger.
"Is it delicious?" Prince Gong eagerly pulled his sleeve.
Prince Cheng ignored him, cut off a piece of "lion hair" again and tasted it carefully, shaking his head and snorting again, looking very bad.
"Hey, you're talking! Hey, I'm so violent!" Prince Gong rolled up his sleeves and scolded: "Dian Xiaoer, you are blind, I didn't see this king here, why don't you put on a pair of tableware? Bring the bowls and chopsticks, hurry up!" If he doesn't bring them, he won't care about the royal bearing, and he will start to twist it!
The shop assistant brought a pair of bowls and chopsticks, and saw these two extremely noble princes almost working on the table. The two pairs of chopsticks are you supporting me, and I am supporting you, and no one will let them. He shouted: "Lao Liu, fuck your mother's eggs, this is the dish ordered by this king, and I don't have your share!"
"Brother Huang, you don't act righteously! We are all brothers, what's wrong with eating a dish of yours?"
"You can't bark if you want to eat it!"
"Can't wait a long time for another order, I can't sit still when I smell it!"
Seeing this, the second shopkeeper had to run back to the back kitchen, and asked Manager Lin to quickly make another golden lionfish, otherwise the two princes would really fight.
Lin Dan didn't feel flattered or nervous. He slowly rolled up his sleeves and said slowly, "That being the case, I'll help people to the end today, and I'll show you a hand."