signingbooks Chapter 486 - 447: Famous Dishes of Jiangnan
Chapter 486 - 447: Famous Dishes of Jiangnan
"You know, this fire drill really was meaningful, the kids learned a lot and did a fantastic job..."
Huang Jun heard the lively sounds outside the kitchen and couldn’t help but take a look. He found Qingqing and Weiwei, like the other kids, clapping vigorously and eagerly raising their hands wanting to give it a try.
It’s obvious that they are definitely interested in the firefighting segment.
Ha.
He really guessed right!
After being chosen by Liu Wujie, the little ones happily dashed over to Liu Wujie’s side, like two-hundred-pound little chubby kids.
Under Liu Wujie’s careful guidance, Qingqing and Weiwei quickly got into character and focused hard on learning the correct use of the fire extinguisher.
Despite their tender little hands, their seriousness and concentration were touching, as they meticulously mimicked Liu Wujie’s every move, cautiously operating the fire extinguisher...
"Not bad, not bad, really quite like little firefighters..."
Huang Jun laughed while picking up his phone to record this precious moment.
After Jiang Shuihan and Lv Pengfei finished the spiced eggs saved for them, they joined in the fun upon hearing the commotion outside.
Seeing Qingqing and Weiwei’s wonderful performance, both couldn’t help but praise: "Chef Huang, your Qingqing and Weiwei are doing great, those little hands using the fire extinguisher are quite impressive..."
These praises made Huang Jun’s smile even brighter, feeling proud inside.
But he quickly reminded: "We better not let them hear this. Last time I teased them about their little hands unable to reach things, they pouted for hours before being appeased."
A bit of idle chatter.
Seeing Qingqing and Weiwei finish their demonstration, Huang Jun turned back to the kitchen to prepare the last dish for lunch—Dragon Well Shrimp.
Dragon Well Shrimp, despite seeming simple, contains many intricacies.
First, this dish is extremely picky about the choice of shrimp.
Traditionally, only shrimp caught from the Qiantang River or West Lake are considered the most authentic material.
Though this adds a touch of elegance, it’s more of a regional hype, and usually, as long as the river shrimp are fresh, they meet the basic requirements of this dish.
Despite their small size, river shrimp have firm and springy flesh.
What’s rare is that they have no fishy smell but rather a fresh, natural sweetness, which is why many Chinese chefs prefer using them as cooking ingredients.
Today, to prepare Dragon Well Shrimp, Huang Jun specifically instructed Liu Suyu to ensure purchasing high-quality wild river shrimp.
Aunt Li and Aunt Lin were already busy, with Aunt Li shelling the fresh shrimp.
Actually, it should be called squeezing out the shrimp meat.
Pick up a river shrimp, first pull off the shrimp head, then follow the natural curve of the shrimp body, gently squeeze it, and with a subtle crisp sound, the plump, springy, crystal-clear shrimp meat emerges from the embrace of the shell, shining with an enticing luster...
Seeing Lv Pengfei and Jiang Shuihan already setting up filming equipment, Huang Jun began explaining to the camera: "Parents, today we’re making Jiangnan’s famous dish—Dragon Well Shrimp."
"First, we start by selecting the river shrimp. Fresh river shrimp is key to this dish’s success, and the skill in shelling the shrimp is also important. Everyone watches closely, like how Aunt Li removes the shrimp head and squeezes out the shrimp meat."
"Moreover, when shelling shrimp, do it when the shrimp are fresh, so that the meat tastes sweet and springy. If using dead shrimp, the meat becomes sticky and chewy, sometimes even with a faint fishy taste..."
As he spoke, Huang Jun cheerfully walked over to Aunt Lin, who was removing the shrimp line.
Lv Pengfei and Jiang Shuihan also coordinated to focus the camera on them.
Huang Jun faced the camera, continuing to smile and say: "The shrimp meat, after squeezing out, should be washed twice with clean water to remove dirt and slime. Then use a toothpick to remove the black line from the shrimp’s back, so it tastes clean."
"After all, this is a high-end dish, so don’t find it troublesome or slack off; the ingredients must be thoroughly cleaned to make the shrimp meat look and taste good."
"Not just this dish, for any dish, to achieve ultimate flavor, no compromise on ingredients can be tolerated, only then can deliciousness be achieved."
"Once the shrimp line is done, first rinse the shrimp meat with clean water, then wash them with baking soda. Baking soda can remove the slime on the shrimp, making them taste crunchier and their color whiter."
"Without these steps, if directly cooked, the shrimp meat turns red."
"In that case, it’s not Dragon Well Shrimp."
"Since authentic Dragon Well Shrimp requires a white color."
Introduction completed.
Huang Jun, along with Jiang Shuihan and Lv Pengfei, washed their hands clean again, disinfected, and then entered the operation room...
Qian Guoxiang had already taken out the prepared Dragon Well tea leaves, placing them on a large plate, pouring hot water, gently stirring twice with chopsticks, letting the hot water fully soak the tea leaves, and then drained the water.
Huang Jun explained to the camera: "Washing tea leaves is a very important step in making tea, as it helps remove the dust on the surface of the leaves. Although today’s tea leaves are for cooking, not for drinking, this step is still essential."
As he spoke, he signaled with his eyes for Jiang Shuihan to direct the camera to Qian Guoxiang.
After Qian Guoxiang washed the tea leaves with hot water, he poured some lukewarm water into the large bowl, allowing the tea leaves to soak.
Huang Jun continued to explain: "The reason for using lukewarm water is that it allows the tea leaves to unfold to the fullest extent. If you use hot water, the tea leaves might easily break apart, which won’t look good when stir-fried into the dish. So, using lukewarm water keeps the leaves more intact."
After the tea was set to soak, Aunt Li and Aunt Lin had also finished washing the shrimp and brought them over to the workbench: "Chef Huang, the shrimp have been prepared and are here for you."
Huang Jun responded with a smile: "Great, please use kitchen paper to dry the surface moisture off the shrimp."
"Sure!"
Everyone responded in unison, and together they gently dried the surface moisture from the shrimp.
Once the shrimp were well-drained, Huang Jun added a pinch of salt, then began to stir the shrimp in one direction with his hand, speaking to the camera as he did so: "The purpose of this stirring is to beat the shrimp into a gelatinous state, causing the surface proteins to bond tightly. This makes it crispier to eat and also easier to apply the coating. Remember, this process should last about five minutes. If it’s too short, the ideal gelatinous layer can’t form."
Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye...
When a tempting sticky sheen gradually appeared on the surface of the shrimp, Huang Jun stopped.
He took the egg white offered by Qian Guoxiang and slowly poured it into the shrimp.
He continued stirring.
The initially sticky-surfaced shrimp turned extraordinarily smooth with the addition of egg white, as if clothed with a transparent garment.
After just one minute of meticulous stirring...
The egg white started to reduce, becoming slightly viscous, perfectly blending with the shrimp.
At this point, he sprinkled in a handful of dry starch, explaining: "The ingenious use of this starch is in its ability to lock in the shrimp’s moisture tightly, keeping the shrimp fresh and juicy, and preventing moisture loss."
Then, he stirred for another thirty seconds, the shrimp uniformly covered by a layer of white coating, commonly referred to in cooking as "coating."
After completing these steps, he slowly poured some peanut oil into the shrimp, narrating: "This step not only prevents the excellent coating from falling off but also cleverly avoids the shrimp from sticking together during high-temperature cooking."
After the peanut oil and shrimp reached harmony through gentle stirring, Huang Jun set it aside to marinate. It doesn’t need to be marinated for too long, just ten minutes is sufficient for the shrimp to fully absorb the flavors of the seasoning.
In the waiting interval, he didn’t idle but instead turned to filter the soaked tea leaves, separating the leaves from the tea water.
Then he took out a bowl and began to prepare the essential sauce for cooking the Longjing Shrimp.
"This dish, Longjing Shrimp, not only pursues extreme simplicity in ingredient selection, but also adheres to minimalism in seasoning, requiring only salt, sugar, dry starch, and tea water. Using tea water to make the sauce allows the tea fragrance to be more pronounced in the dish, enhancing the flavor..."
With that, he added these seasonings into the bowl, then poured the water from the soaked tea leaves in, gently stirring it to make the sauce.
He set it aside, ready for use.
As the marinated shrimp reached its optimal state...
He put a wok on the burner, poured in half a pot of canola oil, the surface of the oil lightly rippling in the wok.
He casually spoke while pouring the oil: "To achieve perfection for this dish, cooking with tea oil is ideal, as it imparts a subtle tea fragrance into the shrimp."
When the oil slowly heated to thirty percent...
He gently slid the marinated shrimp into the oil, then softly nudged the bottom of the pan with a spoon to prevent sticking.
He explained while working: "The control of oil temperature during oil-searing is crucial. Keeping it between three and four tenths ensures the shrimp don’t change color while maintaining their crisp, juicy texture."
"If the oil temperature is too high, the starch coating on the shrimp quickly turns golden, resulting in fried shrimp, not the Longjing Shrimp we seek."
"The timing of the oil-searing must also be precise, approximately twenty seconds at thirty percent oil temperature, and reducing to fifteen seconds if the oil reaches forty percent."
"When you see each shrimp plump and distinct, no longer sticking to one another, it’s the best time to take them out."
"Remove them at this point and drain the excess oil."
"Since there’s additional stir-frying afterward, the slightly undercooked shrimp at this stage can better absorb the flavors of the subsequent seasonings."
Huang Jun scooped the still jade-white shrimp from the boiling pot, setting them aside to drain the remaining oil.
He quickly poured out the hot oil from the wok, leaving just a thin film of oil at the bottom.
He returned the shrimp to the wok, tossed them a few times, and then poured in the previously prepared sauce.
As the sauce perfectly adhered to the surface of the shrimp, he also sprinkled in the pre-soaked tea leaves, the emerald green leaves gently swaying from the heat, adding an elegant touch to the dish.
After a quick stir-fry for about ten seconds, a dish full of color, aroma, and taste appeared before the eyes...