Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 238 Features of Shaomai: Meat Swallow Skin, Konjac Skin... Is he going to make seafood? (Second Update)

"Shumai? Or not shumai?"

"Inside the lounge"

Xia Ming rubbed his nose with the back of his finger, and then the definition of "shumai" came to mind.

The shumai (or shaomai) that is commonly known in cities is essentially a snack made with scalded dough, filled with various fillings, and then steamed.

The earliest record of this name corresponding to food comes from the capital region during the "late Yuan Dynasty".

Shaped like a pomegranate, it is white and translucent, with a generous filling and thin skin. It is fragrant and delicious and is now commonly found in people's breakfast and lunch.

When people mention shumai, several characteristics come to mind.
[Top opening] [Edge wrinkles] [Outer proportions]

First point: [Top opening]

Compared to the completely closed shape of "baozi" and "jiaozi", shumai is characterized by its top not being completely closed.

This is not a defect in the craftsmanship, but rather something the pastry chef did intentionally.

In terms of form, because it is open, its filling can be easily identified compared to steamed buns and dumplings.

In terms of production process, shumai is steamed with its opening open to release steam, which prevents the dough from collapsing due to moisture accumulation.

Second point: [Edge wrinkles]

The waist of a shumai typically has fine pleats, usually ranging from 12 to 24 pleats.
Some highly skilled craftsmen can even create 36 pleats.

The pleats are not merely decorative; they increase the support of the dough, allowing the shumai to remain upright even when filled with a large amount of filling.

Third point: [External Proportions]

Almost all shumai follow the shape characteristics of being square or round at the bottom, tight in the middle, and spreading out at the top.

The above three points represent the most basic and common understanding of shumai.

Xia Ming knew that, based on the above, shaomai was also divided into many different forms according to the region.

Roughly speaking, they can be divided into the Southern School, the Northern School, and the Sichuan School.
Among them, the Southern-style Shaomai is represented by "Yangzhou Shaomai", "Guangdong-style Shaomai" and "Wuhan Heavy Oil Shaomai".

It is further subdivided into two types: "thin skin" and "soft skin".
Among them, "Yangzhou Shaomai" and "Wuhan Heavy Oil Shaomai" are standard soft-skinned shumai.

The wrappers used for shumai usually contain lard, resulting in a soft texture and shallow pleats at the edges.

Among them, "Wu Han Heavy Oil Shaomai" is different from ordinary shaomai which uses scalded dough. It is mostly made with "dead dough (made with cold water)".

"Cantonese-style siu mai" is a type of "thin-skinned" siu mai.
The most distinctive feature of this shumai compared to other shumai is that its outer skin is often made with egg liquid.

This not only improves its taste but also its color.

Here, "Cantonese-style siu mai" is further divided into two branches and one sub-branch.

To maintain the color of eggs, a technique commonly known as "thin and shiny shell" is used.

Skin that has been treated with added wheat starch or special handcrafting techniques to maintain a semi-transparent appearance is generally referred to as "translucent and glossy skin".

The two differ slightly in texture, filling type, and flavor.

However, they all retain the refined characteristics that "Cantonese breakfast" has always had.

As for the outer branch, it refers to "Chaozhou Xiaomi," a food that is related to shumai, but it has little to do with the exam questions, so we won't go into too much detail.
Compared to the gentle and refined Southern-style shumai, Northern-style shumai is somewhat more rustic.

"Beijing Shaomai" emphasizes a thin and chewy outer skin, while "Inner Mongolia Shaomai" is particularly fond of "flower pleats".

Finally, there's the [Chuanyun Shaomai].

As the name suggests, it is "Sichuan-Chongqing Shaomai" and "Yunnan Posu Shaomai".

The former uses a double-layered blend, which adds more depth to the flavor.

The latter uses a puff pastry process, giving its outer shell a unique "crispy" texture, making it one of a kind in China.

The three main types of shumai mentioned above each have their own characteristics in terms of filling selection and flavor adjustment.

It can be roughly divided into
The Northern style emphasizes the raw, unadulterated flavor of ingredients.
The Southern School emphasizes the "refinement and diversity" of food and its flavors.
【Chuan Yun】, on the other hand, emphasizes fillings and is localized.
"Although each region has its own unique characteristics, and the flavors must be prepared according to local customs, the characteristics of shumai will not change."

Following the line of thought from the previous introduction of shumai, a similar [anime] test question quickly came to Xia Ming's mind.

This refers to the most classic "Noodles Not Noodles" from "MasterChef".

"Judging from the extent to which this question has been circulated, the person who set the question must have read this comic."

"According to the basic solution in this comic, the first thing to be removed must be the outer skin of the 'shumai'."

In Xia Ming's view, whether it is "scalded dough" or "unleavened dough", it is essentially flour.

Therefore, the first step in making this "non-shumai" is to find a substitute for the outer skin.
Just as Xia Ming was pondering the exam question, Luo Hui also arrived at this point through logical deduction.

"This question brought to mind countless scenes of cooking battles from anime."

"The most famous of them is, of course, the classic Special Grade Exam from Master Boy."

"Back then, the comics used terms like 'fish noodles,' 'potato noodles,' 'shredded beef,' and 'fried rice noodles' without actually using flour."

"For noodles, all these solutions have their own rationale."

"But for shumai, many of the ingredients present a completely different picture."

To advance to the Hua 4 level and reach the final rounds of the Hua 5 level competition, Luo Hui's understanding of ingredients is definitely not just from comics.

He knew perfectly well that fried rice noodles definitely didn't fit the characteristics of shumai.
As for fish noodles
"If you want to use fish paste to make shumai wrappers, you need to pound the fish paste with a rolling pin until it is firm enough."

"Simply using fish paste won't do; we need to add some cornstarch." "The final dough, rather than calling it 'meat swallow skin,' would be more appropriate."

Luo Hui mentally constructed the proper structure for shumai.
"Actually, using 'meat swallow skin' to make the wrapper for shumai is an excellent choice."

"Because it has an elasticity and toughness that ordinary flour cannot match at all."

He is confident that he can use "meat swallow skin" to create a shape that is no different from ordinary shumai.

But the thought only lingered in Luo Hui's mind for a few seconds before he ruthlessly abandoned it.

"It's too ordinary. The outer layer is made with fish paste or something similar to crab sticks. It's really not very creative."

"I reckon there will be a lot of people making these shumai wrappers later on."

In Luo Hui's mind, as the protagonist of the comic, he should be able to find a more complex and distinctive "shumai wrapper".
Completely opposite to Luo Hui's idea, Jing Ran's first reaction was to use the properties of fresh beef to make shumai wrappers.

"On the island of sunrise, shumai is called '焼売,' which is a transliteration of the Chinese word '烧麦.'"

"Although the names are similar, the actual tastes are completely different."

"The most common type of shumai on the island is made with pork filling, mixed with seasonings such as onion, minced ginger, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin."

"It has a salty-sweet taste with a classic Japanese flavor."

"Japanese-style homemade shumai typically uses wonton wrappers, or simple homemade thin dough wrappers."

"Its texture is soft, and its taste is more like that of the Cantonese-style shumai from the south."

"The shape is basically a domed cylinder with an arbitrary opening at the top. There are basically no requirements for pleats. If you really look closely, it looks more like an unfinished wonton."

As Jing Ran thought of this, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"Unlike the shumai in China, which are mostly savory, Japanese shumai can be purely sweet."

"Moreover, in China, shumai is always steamed, but on the island of the rising sun, shumai is mostly pan-fried."

Looking at the other contestants who were still pondering the exam questions, Jing Ran felt that the ideas in his mind were now incredibly clear.

"First of all, wonton wrappers are definitely not suitable because they are made of flour."

"By discarding the flour, you can directly use ready-made ingredients to wrap the filling, which not only saves time but also allows the meat to show its texture."

Based on this, Jingran quickly found a substitute.

Thinly sliced ​​beef diaphragm (i.e., thinly sliced ​​diaphragm)

Of course, as someone who frequently uses Wagyu beef, he knows that there are generally three types of skirt meat commonly found on a cow.

[Inner skirt] [Outer skirt] [Thick skirt]

The inner skirt is the cow's "transverse abdominal muscle," which is considered visceral meat. High-quality pieces will be dark red.

It's not technically a "diaphragm," but the overall texture is still horizontal, and it has a distinct offal smell. You can roughly think of it as the "fat edge" of a cow.

The outer skirt, also known as the "thin skirt," has an overall feel similar to a "red-bodied fish," with clear textures and a thick, oily appearance.

What Jingran values ​​is the aroma and softness of its oil.

"The thin skirt is spread out into a thin sheet, and then shaped into a shumai shape by the adhesion of the flesh itself."

"And then wrap it inside with frozen sauce, vegetables, and some onions to enhance the flavor."

"After frying, the sauce melts, and the onions release their sweetness, which complements the vegetables and beef perfectly."

Jing Ran smiled. On the surface, this was a shumai dish, but in reality, it was a beef dish.

In this way, beef, which possesses most of the characteristics of shumai, perfectly meets the criteria of "shumai" or "not shumai".

"Many people might think of using minced meat to make the skin, but very few would dare to choose a whole piece of beef."

Jing Ran nodded, already imagining the surprised expressions on the judges' faces when they saw the dish.

Just as he was pondering which grade of ingredient to choose, Bai Heng had already found the perfect shumai wrapper for him.

【Konjac】

It's worth noting that she's from Hunan Province, which happens to be one of the main production areas of konjac in China.

Compared to traditional wheat flour shumai wrappers, "konjac dough," made by mixing konjac and cornstarch as a base with egg whites, can have a texture that is "kneadable and rollable" when made properly.

Of course, Bai Heng still needs to consider the preparation method. If necessary, she may consider making a "cold shumai" dish!
Compared to Bai Heng, whose approach carries a personal hometown flavor, Chen Xiaodong's handling of this question appears much more Western.

He decided to use his previous fusion cooking techniques, along with his experiences during his travels in Sichuan and Chongqing, to create a dish that was unprecedented and would never be repeated: "Cold Spicy Corn Juice Shumai".

Essentially, it uses the solidified skin of corn juice, paired with Sichuan and Chongqing-style cold-cooked rabbit, and incorporates other techniques to ultimately create a "cold-cooked shumai".

Just as he was refining his idea
Yang Yanbin, who was standing to the side, had already set his sights on the "dried tofu skin".

"It possesses all the characteristics of shumai wrappers; the only problem to be solved is its overly chewy texture."

Just as everyone was vying to highlight their unique features and try to find a distinctive shumai wrapper to fit the theme first.

An hour has finally passed.

As the door from the lounge to the food storage room opened, the 64 contestants rushed to select ingredients.

However, netizens soon discovered that Kang Xincheng's destination was quite unexpected compared to other contestants.

Why did he go to the "shellfish section"? Is he going to make seafood shumai?

(End of this chapter)