Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 242 The Rising Corn Fishing Port: An Irreplaceable "Sensory Dining Experience"! (Second Update)

"Huhu."

"Whoosh! It's so hot!"

Seeing the judges yawning, the viewers in the live stream immediately realized what was going on.

This shumai must be bursting with juice! And it must be piping hot juice!

Juicy shumai? What's the difference between this and soup dumplings?!

[The difference is huge! Theoretically, soup dumplings can be filled with soup because of the fact that the dumpling can be sealed! But this is a shumai!]

[That's right, where would the sauce come from if the shumai is open? If it's steamed, the boiling broth would scald the shumai skin. If it's deep-fried, the broth would leak out long ago if it's not sealed, so how could it possibly have a juicy burst effect!]

What if it's fried first and then steamed?

[Are you kidding me? Do you know how difficult it is to fry first and then steam? I think you have no idea what pork caul fat is!]

Because it's a national qualifying competition, there are quite a few professional chefs in the comments section.

They know much more than those netizens who are just there to watch the show.

Even if you wrap pork caul fat in three, four, or five layers...
Once the temperature exceeds the critical point, it will immediately turn into oil, since in common cooking methods, it is used to add a rich, oily texture to the ingredients.

In this case, the "fry first, then steam" method places particularly high demands on the frying process.

The temperature must not be too high, and the time must not be exceeded.
Basically, every second is a race against the characteristics of the ingredients.

In this situation, the skill required to ensure that the inside is bursting with juice is quite remarkable.

Similarly, the judges reacted quickly after getting used to the bursting temperature.

However, compared to the bewildered netizens, their perspective was much clearer.

Tan Zhifeng exhaled a breath of hot air; by now he had gotten used to the burst of juice in his mouth.

Unlike before, Xia Ming's bursting juice wasn't particularly hot this time, after withstanding the sudden attack.
Upon closer inspection, it has a warm and comforting feel.

The yam vermicelli inside perfectly balances the aroma of the lard.

After calming down, Tan Zhifeng began to carefully analyze the layers of flavor in his mouth.

"The first bite is the crisp and chewy texture of the caul fat, followed by the salty and savory flavor of the ham, then the soft and smooth texture of the yam vermicelli, and finally a warm surprise from the burst of juice that seems to come from nowhere."

"The sauce enhances the flavor of the shumai, turning the mouth into a cooking pot."

"The various ingredients, combined with this sauce, create a harmonious blend of flavors in your mouth, unlike other dishes that are prepared in one go."

"Each bite of this shumai has a slightly different flavor."

A glint of light flashed in Tan Zhifeng's eyes.

"Does placing the ingredients in your mouth to blend them together shorten the time it takes for the flavors of the ingredients to meld?"

"In order to present his dish before the other contestants, he actually did part of the cooking outside the stove!"

"Interesting, very interesting."

This dish reminded Tan Zhifeng of the classic "French Napoleon cake".

Before you take a bite, it follows a structure of three layers of puff pastry and two layers of cream (or jam), and each layer has a different flavor when eaten separately.

The flavors of the three different parts are quite distinct at first bite, but the taste changes the moment your teeth break through the flaky pastry.

The cream's softness and the jam's tartness will fill in the gaps, instantly blending the three together.

Then, with the saliva in the mouth, a sensation that goes from simple to complex is formed in a short period of time.

Of course, similar techniques also exist in Chinese cuisine, often appearing in dishes like juicy meatballs or layered dishes.

As he savored the increasingly complex flavors in his mouth, Tan Zhifeng unconsciously narrowed his eyes.

Next to him, Yin Shengjiang, who also started eating with the "ham, bamboo shoots, and pork lard siu mai" first, had already begun to judge the cooking techniques after experiencing the wonderful taste.

"First of all, Xia Ming is very skilled at using pig caul fat."

"The right oil temperature gives it a crispy outer crust that is thin and translucent but still retains its texture."

"The yam and vermicelli locked in the aroma of the lard, making the shumai not greasy at all, while the ham flavor gave the shumai a salty taste."

"The winter bamboo shoots enhance its crispness, while the shredded scallions give the filling some chewiness, better cushioning the softness of the yam and vermicelli."

"As for the most crucial element—the burst of juice..."

Yin Shengjiang knew that the vermicelli could absorb the meat juices, which would ensure the overall taste of the buns.

This is why the "pork vermicelli buns" and "beef vermicelli buns" commonly found on the market taste so good.

However, Xia Ming did not utilize the water-absorbing properties of yam vermicelli.

"The best we can do is compress fresh yam puree into strips similar to fish noodles through a filter."

"Its internal structure cannot be porous like 'bean curd sticks,' nor can it absorb broth and expand like regular vermicelli."

"Then the burst of juice couldn't have come from the yam vermicelli itself; the only explanation is 'soup jelly'!"

However, this brings up another problem: the melting temperature of the soup jelly is around 35℃, while the steam temperature for steaming is 100℃. The pork caul fat will melt quickly at the steam temperature of 100℃!
So, after going around in circles, Yin Shengjiang discovered that using soup jelly would melt too quickly, and that the shumai wrappers made with pork caul fat would leak soup.

Without broth jelly, it's virtually impossible to infuse the juicy filling into the shumai.

A single-minded approach leads to two blocked ends, creating a vicious cycle!

Just as he frowned, pondering what ingenious techniques or ideas might be involved.

Bai Susu's expression changed instantly.

She had thought of everything Yin Shengjiang could think of, but the difference was that she actually had a solution in mind.

"Unsaturated steaming method? How is that possible? How could he possibly know that trick?!"

Bai Susu suddenly raised her head and looked at Xia Ming, who had a calm expression.

At this moment, his heart was in turmoil.
This isn't because of the taste of Xia Ming's shumai; to be fair, the shumai is delicious, but it's not quite at the top level. However, the technique used to make the shumai has already reached a state of perfection.
Others may not know, but Bai Susu had seen Xia Yitian make this dish where the temperature and flavor were contradictory.

"Theoretically, the temperatures are mutually exclusive, but the final dish is fully cooked. Xia Ming, Xia Yitian... Could it be that you are his son???"

Just as Bai Susu was in turmoil, Cheng Xieyun, who was experienced and had also started with "ham, bamboo shoots, lard, and shredded pork dumplings," saw through Xia Ming's trick.

When she looked up and met Xia Ming's gaze, she gave him a kind smile and then drew a circle with her hand.

Seeing this, Xia Ming smiled and nodded.

"Old ginger is spicier. Cheng Xieyun, who looks kind and gentle, still has such sharp judgment at this age."

"She actually noticed the difference in temperature between the yam noodles even before Yin Shengjiang did."

"That's right. In fact, the ham shumai that some of the judges are eating now is not made in the same way as the usual shumai."

“Unlike their idea of ​​a one-piece molding process, I first quickly deep-fried the ‘pig caul fat’ to ensure its thin membrane was crispy. Then, I stacked multiple layers of caul fat together and spread a very thin layer of mashed yam between them as an adhesive.”

"After stacking several oil-mesh grates, press out the excess yam paste. Its texture is similar to a thicker wonton wrapper. Then wrap a thin layer of room-temperature yam paste inside."

"Next, place the boiled yam vermicelli in the middle, quickly wrap it up, and then put a small soup jelly wrapped with several layers of pork caul fat film inside."

"Then quickly place the preheated ham and bamboo shoots on top of the shumai. Because they are held together by the mashed yam, the skin has a good elasticity."

"Then, I put these 7 shumai on the steamer and steamed them!"

"Theoretically, the outer layer of pork caul fat would melt quickly at 100℃, but all the ingredients for shumai are preheated, so why does the temperature for steaming shumai need to be 100℃?"

That's right, unlike most contestants who want to quickly cook food with high-temperature steam.

Xia Ming deliberately poked several holes in the lid of his steamer and placed it very high.

After losing its airtightness, the temperature inside the steamer dropped sharply from the original 100℃ upwards, eventually being controlled at around 70℃.

In this case, the highest temperature point of the entire shumai is actually its core.

Because the yam vermicelli retains the 90°C temperature it was at when it came out of the pot.

This results in a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the shumai, creating a magical effect of being cold on the outside and hot on the inside.

This method not only hides the bursting juice inside the shumai, but also preserves the integrity of the outer "pig caul fat" after it shrinks.

Seeing Xia Ming's expression, Cheng Xieyun knew that her judgment was correct.

"No wonder they serve the dishes first. This dish is so time-sensitive, it has to be controlled down to the second. If there's a queue, they can't achieve this texture!"

After determining the method, Cheng Xieyun felt even more convinced of Xia Ming's abilities.

At this moment, Cheng Xieyun picked up the remaining seafood-flavored shumai and examined it.

Unlike the yam shumai mentioned earlier, this seafood-flavored shumai has a distinctly golden-brown crust, clearly indicating it was freshly fried. The top layer is sealed with corn kernels and small pieces of shrimp meat peeking out.

Touching the outer skin, which was much crispier than the previous shumai, Cheng Xieyun put it in her mouth.

The first bite is incredibly crispy on the outside, like a perfectly baked flatbread.

After biting it with your teeth, a juice flows out from the gaps in the crispy outer shell.

Having learned from her previous experience with shumai, Cheng Xieyun was wary of this and deliberately bit down much harder.

But the warmth I had imagined didn't appear; instead, a rather cool and sour taste spread through my mouth.

"Slightly sour corn juice?~"

In just a moment, Cheng Xieyun determined its composition.

Just as she thought the sour taste would cleanse her mouth of the slight greasiness,
Suddenly, a dense and gentle scent entered her senses.

"Ah, this is..."

In a daze, the sea breeze brushed over the drying fishing sails, and the salty taste, along with the slightly crisp texture, made Cheng Xieyun's heart flutter.

In an instant, she seemed to have arrived at a pristine fishing port shrouded in morning mist. The golden caul fat transformed into the golden sails of the fishing boats, and the freshness of the shrimp and the sweetness of the corn, along with a delicate warmth, surged straight into her heart.

The fine, golden specks, like the rising sun, along with the silver threads dancing in the waves, assault Cheng Xieyun's olfactory senses.

In just a moment, the fishing port, which had been shrouded in morning mist and was somewhat deserted, suddenly became lively under the golden glow.

As the fog dissipated, Cheng Xieyun saw fishermen carrying baskets full of fresh shrimp across the beach.

The shrimp in the bamboo basket were still jumping around, the morning sun, like kernels of corn, scattered across the sea, and the air was filled with the warm aroma of potatoes roasting in the stove.

All of this, intertwined and blended with the taste of the sea, ultimately transformed into a rich warmth that settled into Cheng Xieyun's stomach.

"~~~"

Under the warmth of the sun and the delightful taste of food, Cheng Xieyun seemed to have returned to her most carefree time.

The sunlight was naturally fresh then, and everything moved slowly enough to capture every glimpse of him.
after a long time
Cheng Xieyun finally broke free from that memory. Looking at the empty plate in front of her, a silent sense of loneliness welled up in her heart.

That is the weariness after the soul of food has detached from its body, and also the emptiness after climbing the peak of taste.

"Cooking that touches the heart, has this child's skill reached such a level?"

Just as he was sighing, Cao Fujun, who was standing next to him, suddenly trembled and then started laughing like an idiot, as if he had seen some weirdo.

This appearance completely lacks the warmth and joy that existed before Cheng Xieyun.

Like him, Tong Song and Ding Yongxing, and the remaining four people also had their pupils shrink when they saw the expressions of these three.

"What's going on? Are we eating different dishes?"

"Strange, why is this happening?"

While Bai Susu, Cheng Xieyun, Tan Zhifeng, and Yin Shengjiang looked at each other in bewilderment, Xia Ming below had already anticipated this scene.

Because he knew there was only one reason that could cause such a difference in perception.
That is.
[Tasting Order]

(End of this chapter)