Food Intelligence King

Chapter 197 Cooking Oil
A simple tomato soup base is made by blending three different types of oil.

These are chicken fat, lard, and salad oil.

Upon hearing that three types of oil were used, the people at the table who were eating hot pot cast curious glances at Chen Zhou.

Wang Meng usually uses whatever his company provides at home. "Are you that particular, Master Chen?"

"We did pay a little more attention to detail," Chen Zhou smiled. "Listen to me."

"First, chicken fat is used, which is not very common. It's the fat from under the chicken's belly. It's used to enhance the flavor and color."

"To enhance flavor," the junior sister said thoughtfully. "That's similar to the umami flavor in chicken soup, right?"

“That’s right,” Chen Zhou continued.
"Then, there's lard. We're all familiar with this; we probably used to use it more often back in our hometowns. It was stored in a small enamel iron basin, and it usually had a lid."

When it comes to lard, the adults here aren't that far apart in age; all the older family members have used it.

In my memory, cooking with lard makes dishes especially fragrant.

That enamel basin was almost standard equipment in that era. It was filled with snow-white lard, and after the pot was heated, the lard had to be melted first.

Homemade lard is often not as pure, and it will sizzle and pop when it's put into the pot.

In summary, this oil has a richer aroma and a touch of nostalgia.

Even Chen Taotao nodded in agreement.

Chen Zhou couldn't help but laugh and ask her, "Why are you nodding?"

"I've seen it at my grandma's house!" The little girl wasn't just blindly following the crowd; she even gestured to describe it:

"One is red, and the other is blue. They are the same size."

After hearing this, Chen Zhou naturally couldn't find any fault with it.

After all, he was referring to the lard basin that Grandma Tao Tao used.

The red and blue colors refer to the colors of the petals on the surface.

It is said to have a rich historical heritage, as it was brought by Chen Zhou's maternal grandmother as part of her daughter's dowry.

After thinking about this, Chen Zhou also looked at Chen Taotao and Zhao Yilin:

"If you two want it later, I'll talk to the old lady. She's very careful with her things, and it can last another twenty or thirty years without any problem."

Neither the young woman nor the girl knew why Chen Zhou suddenly said that.

But neither of them were polite.

He nodded and said yes.

Finally, there's salad oil.

This is actually the vegetable oil that we usually use when stir-frying.

Soybean, peanut, and rapeseed oils have slightly different flavors, but they are still relatively mild compared to animal oils.

After listening to her husband's explanation, Ms. Lin added:

"It's called salad oil because it's used in salad dressing. Vegetable oil is the first ingredient listed after salad dressing ingredients."

When it comes to salads, housewife Ms. Lin has quite a few things to say.

Of course, she's having a large mixed salad today.

Adults and children alike ate and chatted.

As Chen Zhou was talking about the three types of oil in the tomato soup base, half a plate of freshly served beef slices had already been consumed.

Inside the electric cooker surrounded by people, the tomato soup base cooled down rapidly after the addition of sliced ​​meat and frozen meatballs, and quickly stopped boiling.

But after a short while, it started bubbling up again.

The bright red raw meat shrinks and changes color in the boiling broth, turning from bright red to reddish-brown, and finally coated with thick tomato broth.

Master Banbu will not urge his family and friends to change their dining rhythm when eating hot pot.

But I'll take advantage of the right opportunity to make one myself.

The slices of meat lifted from the pot with chopsticks brought up a silky, smooth, orange-red broth.

After the excess soup has slowly dripped off, continue to bring that tangy and fragrant aroma to your nose.

When you smell it, it really makes your mouth water.

Chen Zhou chose to go directly to the entrance.

The moment you bite down, the rich sweet and sour tomato flavor is the first thing that hits your taste buds.

It's a little hot, and a little fresh. This freshness comes from the specially made tomato broth, which forms the basis of the hot pot's flavor.

You have to chew it a couple of times before the meaty aroma really comes out.

Smooth and chewy, with the broth soaking up between the fibers, each bite is a complex flavor that's hard to distinguish.

The aftertaste reveals two seemingly contradictory flavors: refreshing and mellow.

The tartness of the tomatoes hadn't yet dissipated, while the unique aroma of beef and mutton took center stage.

Unlike the spicy flavor, it has a milder taste.

Everything tastes delicious when cooked in hot pot.

Chen Zhou glanced over and noticed that besides eating meat, Chen Taotao seemed to really enjoy those starch balls.

Everyone at the table seemed quite interested in the meal.

But as for the specifics of how the tomato soup base is made...

At the dinner table, Chen Zhou felt that this topic might not be as popular as Chen Taotao's stories from kindergarten.

But Ms. Lin listened very attentively.

My wife listens to me because she loves me.

Chen Taotao was also very serious, after all, she wouldn't repeat her school experience too many times.

Sometimes she does talk to her dad first, and then she talks to her mom.

But there are a lot of people today, so if I repeat myself a few more times, it will delay her from eating. "Mom, can I have another piece of meat?"

The junior sister just scooped up two pieces and casually put them into Chen Taotao's bowl.

She herself received extra meat from Ms. Lin and Wang Meng, so she didn't lose out.

The junior sister would also listen attentively to her senior brother's explanation of how to make the tomato soup base.

After all, she was still the number one employee.

As for Wang Meng, Chen Zhou felt that he must have something on his mind.

Anyway, they acted very seriously.

So, Chen Zhou continued talking after mentioning the blended oil.

Once the oil is hot, add onions, scallions, ginger slices, star anise, bay leaves, and simmer over low heat to release the aroma of the spices.

Then remove the solids and start adding the tomato sauce.

Continue cooking over low heat until the oil turns red.

Like hawthorn, it's used to supplement the acidity of tomatoes.

Next comes the main ingredient: peeled tomato chunks. Put them in the pot with a little salt to help the tomatoes release their juices quickly.

Continue cooking until the tomatoes have released their own moisture.

The pot contained something similar to tomato sauce, with finely chopped tomato pulp covered in a layer of red oil.

Separate the oil and sauce.

It looks very tempting.

The seasoning is relatively simple, consisting only of salt and sugar, which preserves the natural flavor of the tomatoes.

The soup base is primarily used for making soup, but it can also be used for cooking noodles or hot pot meat.

However, it can also be used as the broth for tomato soup dumplings, but the taste is rather monotonous if it is just tomato juice.

The store's new soup dumplings can now be served at the community canteen after the tasting period.

Ms. Lin listened to her husband talk for a long time, and in the meantime, she also served Chen Zhou two pieces of shrimp paste.

Seeing Chen Zhou stop talking and pick up a cup to drink water, she smiled and said, "Are you done?"

This time, it was Chen Zhou's turn to give an "uh-huh".

The roles sometimes switch, and the couple smile at each other.

Sitting opposite them, Zhao Yilin observed the couple's calm and gentle interaction, much like the mild-tasting tomato soup base before her.

She also developed some longing for her future life.

(End of this chapter)