novelraw Chapter 445 - 443: The Pinnacle of Sichuan Cuisine’s Presentation, Boiled Sliced Cabbage
Chapter 445 - 443: The Pinnacle of Sichuan Cuisine’s Presentation, Boiled Sliced Cabbage
Sichuan Cuisine used to be looked down upon by many chefs from other culinary schools. Many people belittled Sichuan Cuisine as being "just spicy and rustic." At the time, Sichuan Cuisine indeed lacked any signature dishes that could hold their own, leaving many Sichuan chefs very frustrated.
However, a chef named Huang Jinglin, in order to defend the reputation of Sichuan Cuisine, pondered deeply and tried countless times, finally breaking new ground by creating the masterpiece dish "Boiled Water Cabbage."
The impact of this dish’s debut was comparable to the launch of the 055D destroyer. Since then, no one dared to call Sichuan Cuisine rustic anymore.
This is also Master Liu’s specialty.
Facing Wang Fan’s inquiry, Master Liu generously taught Wang Fan all the details, techniques, and precautions without holding back, fully showcasing the style of a maestro.
In his view, this is far from an era of working behind closed doors; only by letting more people carry on the tradition, Sichuan Cuisine will get better and better.
The truth is that Sichuan Cuisine is somewhat awkward now, and the main culprit causing this awkwardness is Sichuan Province itself.
Sichuan Cuisine and Sichuan hot pot are the two major brands of Sichuan Province. The problem for Sichuan Cuisine is this other brand—hot pot.
The problem is, Sichuan Cuisine is difficult to make with low profit margins, while hot pot is simple and highly profitable. The only result is that everyone is venturing into hot pot, and no one is doing Sichuan Cuisine.
Open a hot pot restaurant, and in three years, you could switch to a Benz; open a Sichuan Cuisine restaurant, and you barely make a living in three years. Who wouldn’t know what to choose?
He also hopes to use Wang Fan, who is very popular among young people, to promote Sichuan Cuisine.
Allen was standing next to Wang Fan, watching him operate. He wanted to see how this Huaxia cuisine, which is known as one of the world’s top three cuisines, was made.
His restaurant hosts many Huaxia patrons every year. They all verbally praised the food, their demeanor was natural, but there was a trace of pride in their eyes that couldn’t be hidden no matter what.
He never understood what that pride meant or where it came from.
It wasn’t until he asked many customers and friends that he realized that pride came from confidence in their own cuisine.
"This is good, this is delicious, this is also tasty."
This is what they said, but what they didn’t say was: "It’s just slightly better than a diner; apart from the better environment and presentation, the taste isn’t even as good as a plate of braised pork. My Huaxia stomach indeed still can’t adapt to Western food; it’s all sugar and milk, nothing fresh."
The young man in front of him had already given him one surprise; he hoped to see another.
Wang Fan took out fresh duck breast, chicken breast, and pork tenderloin, using the back of the knife to pound the meats separately into minced meat, removing any membranes along the way. Very quickly, all three kinds of meats were turned into minced meat, and Wang Fan still didn’t stop until he pounded out the collagen.
He placed the minced meat into small bowls, then poured in clear water and mixed it with the minced meat evenly.
At this point, the temperature of the broth in the pot had gradually decreased. Using a strainer, he scooped out all the ingredients from the pot and wrapped the strainer with gauze to remove all the residues.
Once the residues were cleared, Wang Fan poured the duck breast minced meat into the broth pot and turned the heat back on.
The duck minced meat sank directly to the bottom as soon as it entered the pot. But as the temperature in the pot gradually increased, tiny white flecks of minced meat continuously floated from the bottom to the top of the soup.
He scooped out all the white minced meat, and the color of the soup in the pot visibly lightened.
Allen was bewildered at this point, utterly clueless about what Wang Fan was up to.
He wanted to ask, but seeing Wang Fan’s focused expression, he felt embarrassed, so he had to hold back his questions and continue watching.
When scooping out the minced meat, Wang Fan turned off the heat, then turned it back on after clearing the meat.
This time, he poured the pork tenderloin minced meat into the pot, waiting for it to float before turning off the heat and scooping out the meat.
After clearing out the chicken breast minced meat, the originally muddy broth had become as clear as water!
Wang Fan scooped up a ladleful of soup, turned the ladle over, and the slightly tea-colored clear soup flowed down, while Allen watched in astonishment.
"This is incredible! Did you use some mysterious Eastern spell? Can I learn this?!"
What was once a pot of muddy meat broth had been turned into clear liquid right in front of him by that Eastern kid!
It was either an experiment or a spell!
His kitchen didn’t have any experimental equipment, so without a doubt, it must be a mysterious Eastern spell!
Allen excitedly picked up a ladle, scooping up a bit of the soup to take a closer look.
The soup in the ladle was extraordinarily clear, revealing the "316" markings on the ladle with ease.
Moreover, a fresh, light fragrance that was irresistibly appetizing continued wafting up to his nose.
"This is amazing! Do the three types of meat create some sort of magical chemical reaction together?"
Wang Fan shook his head: "I find it hard to explain as well, but I can only say that the wisdom of our ancestors is indeed powerful."
He took out a head of cabbage, quickly removing the green outer leaves, leaving only the tender yellow heart. The cabbage was very fresh, and the juicy cabbage heart appeared even more endearing.
He picked up scissors and trimmed the tender yellow leaves into the shape of a flower bud.
He scooped out a ladle of clear soup, placed the flower bud cabbage into it, added a bit of salt, and then put it straight into the steam box.
Allen was already watching with a sort of entranced gaze.
Beauty truly is universal. When a chef enjoys the process of creating delicious food, the calm, confidence, and affection exuding from them carries an aura of elegance that other chefs can easily recognize.
Elegant, truly elegant!
He scooped more clear soup, added a little salt, placed it into a pot similar to a French soup tureen, scattered some washed pea shoots, blanched them briefly, and fished them out.
He took out a smooth, white porcelain plate and laid the blanched pea shoots on the bottom.
A light "ding" sounded; the cabbage was also done steaming.
Allen couldn’t wait to open the steam box, and a rich, mellow, yet surprisingly refreshing aroma filled the air, prompting him to take a deep breath.
The tender yellow cabbage, after being steamed, had become very succulent, appearing much softer than before.
Wang Fan picked up chopsticks and gently placed the steamed cabbage in the middle of the pea shoots.
The cabbage, treated at the base, stood firmly, like a budding yellow lotus flower.
Allen’s eyes were glued to the flower bud, but he pressed his lips tightly in a thin line.
Though beautiful, he couldn’t shake the feeling something was missing.
"Is it finished?"
He asked Wang Fan with a bit of reluctance.
Wang Fan shook his head: "There’s one last step."
The broth, once again brought to a boil, had been poured into a teapot. He positioned the spout directly above the cabbage and, looking at Allen, smiled: "Now, it’s time to witness a miracle."