I'm the Culinary God
Chapter 895 - 381: Chef Xie, Could You Improvise and Critique This Pot of Braised Mutton?
"I couldn’t get it when I was a kid. I found that anything you craved as a child but couldn’t eat becomes like an obsession when you grow up, and you want to taste everything."
Lin Xu: "..."
You’re just plain greedy; it has nothing to do with obsession.
He informed the company about filming Silver Threads Bun, and then headed upstairs to prepare.
On the way upstairs, he chatted with Shen Baobao about his senior brothers signing with the company.
"Yan Bao told me and even deliberately posted your braised mutton in the group to make us jealous. To be honest, your braised mutton looked so tempting that I ended up eating two bowls of rice for lunch."
Lin Xu grabbed her hand and said with a smile:
"My Baobao was wronged; tonight might be too rushed, but tomorrow, I’ll make braised mutton again, and it will definitely be even better and tastier than today’s."
"Why? Didn’t perform well today?"
"No, it’s because my senior brother and Chef Dai guided me on the correct spice ratios."
"Wow, I’m looking forward to the mutton!"
Upon reaching the kitchen, Lin Xu first checked the dinner preparations, chatted with Wei Qian and Guo Xinghai about the lunch business, and then started preparing the ingredients for the Silver Threads Bun.
There are pastries named Silver Threads Bun everywhere, but they vary greatly from place to place.
Some are steamed, some baked, and some fried.
As for the threads, some are cut out, some pulled, some sliced, with many types.
Today, Lin Xu is going to make a popular Jingjin Region method, which involves using leavened dough to create thin noodles like you would for pulled noodles, then rubbing oil, cutting sections, and wrapping it up into the shape akin to Ganzi buns.
From the outside, it seems like a regular bun, but when opened, you can see inside, there are spaghetti-like noodles slightly thinner than chopsticks.
This carb-wrapped-carb method looks more shocking than Shanxi’s baked flatbread with cold noodles.
Lin Xu’s current pastry skills are quite advanced; having mastered the technique of pulling noodles, the four major techniques of rolling, pulling, folding, and filling are all at hand.
Theoretically speaking, he can now make all common pastries.
Quickly, the ingredients necessary for making Silver Threads Bun were prepared, including high-gluten flour for the filling, medium flour for the outer skin, and baking powder, fine white sugar, yeast powder, along with sesame oil and lard for the oiling stage.
The traditional Silver Threads Bun method uses these ingredients, which are relatively simple.
However, today, to enhance the flavor of the bun, to prevent it from seeming like "white bun wrapped with white flour," Lin Xu plans to add a variety of styles to the threads filling.
For instance, swapping sugar with salt, replacing brush oil with scallion oil, and sprinkling roasted Sichuan peppercorns to create a scallion oil and numbing pepper flavor.
Or adding some cheese powder to the filling dough, to impart a faint yellow buttery flavor.
With enough thought and effort, all sorts of flavored fillings can be made.
When everything needed was mostly ready, Dou Wenjing arrived at the store with two photographers.
"We just noticed the rush comments in the comment section, urgently released a homemade yam juice video from last time."
Usually, there is no need to heed rush comments from fans because it will be updated at the scheduled time.
But the owner suddenly replied, which made fans more excited, so the company could only add an update.
Lin Xu said with a smile:
"Occasional adding updates is deserved. No worries, let’s prepare to record today’s video, steaming Silver Threads Bun, everyone waiting to taste."
The cameraman prepared, and the recording officially began.
After a simple introduction, Lin Xu started making the dough.
Add high-gluten flour to the bowl, then baking powder and fine white sugar sequentially, followed by two small spoons of cheese powder, dissolve yeast in warm water, and knead the flour in the bowl into a smooth dough.
After kneading, rub the dough on the kneading board, and before the fermentation starts, directly start forming strips.
This step is quite challenging, as without proofing, the dough doesn’t easily become elastic.
Lin Xu threw the dough on the workbench a few times to activate its elasticity, then rolled it into long strips, pulling the ends and repeating the noodle pulling process to enhance elasticity.
While busy, Shen Baobao stealthily entered the kitchen, opened the phone’s 4K recording mode, and recorded a video clip of Lin Xu making noodles.
After recording, she went outside, edited the video briefly using a smartphone app, and posted it to her account:
"Shh! I’ve filmed a piece of the upcoming video for you. Those who love making dough foods, remember to prepare high-gluten flour, it’s a tiny bit tricky!"
As soon as it was posted, netizens swarmed in.
"Wow, really learned how to make noodles?"
"The boss lady is the best! Repeated urging under Lin Boss’s account had no effect, but urging here got updates, strategic withdrawal: what does it mean to be the head of the family?"
"Not only helping fans urge updates, but even making trailers for brothers."
"Returning from learning to teach netizens noodle making?"
Upon seeing this comment, Shen Baobao replied:
"Not noodles, it’s a snack."
Snack?
Not only did Lin Boss learn how to make noodles, but also directly applied it to snacks?
Netizens’ anticipation was instantly piqued.
Everyone started guessing what food this time, but no one guessed right.
In the small kitchen, Lin Xu finished forming strips and started extracting noodles.
Take the formed strips, throw them into long strands, then start extruding one by one. During extruding, keep dipping dry flour, twist noodles like braids and extrude, so that noodles do not break easily.
"The whole process needs to be quick; otherwise, as the dough ferments, elasticity is lost."
As he spoke, Lin Xu had prepared the dough, approximately resembling thick noodle style.
Position the noodles vertically on the workbench, bring over the lard and sesame oil mix, and use a brush to coat the noodles’ surface uniformly. Then fold noodles vertically into bundles, and brush the other side with oil.
After brushing, fold the other end over, and extrude while slapping twice to distribute oil uniformly and make the noodles finer.
After this, use a knife to cut the oil-coated noodles into fifteen-centimeter-long sections.
Arrange the cuts on a tray and place the tray in the refrigerator’s chilling section, preventing high temperatures from fermentation.
Next, begin making sheets.
Lin Xu grabbed some medium flour, with fine white sugar, yeast, baking powder, and kneading into a moderately soft dough, kneading on the board a few times.
Roll into long strips, portion them into dough pieces.
Use a rolling pin to roll dough pieces into spindle-shaped sheets, wide in the middle, narrow at ends.
Extract the noodle core from the fridge, take one and place it at the center of the sheet.
Fold excess at two ends to the center, press against the noodle core, and again fold excess at top and bottom to the center, wrapping the oil-coated core into a cylinder.
With creases downwards lightly press on the board, flattening the bottom.
In appearance, it resembles the past’s Ganzi bun.
Place the completed buns into the steamer lined with silicone mat, prove for twenty minutes, letting inner and outer dough fully ferment and expand.
Then add water to the steamer, once it steams, place the steamer in, and steam on high heat for fifteen minutes.
While busy making ancient Jingjin snack Silver Threads Bun, elsewhere Xie Baomin and Dai Jianli understood the exploration rules and immediately started their actions with respective photographers.
Leaving Huixuan Building by car, the photographer accompanying the journey said:
"Master Xie, just now Chen suggested going to the Fishing Platform for exploration, it’s reputed as the Newbie Village for exploration creators, many start their explorations there."
Xie Baomin drove while asking:
"Why is it called Newbie Village?"
"Because there are many issues, no matter what dish is ordered, a heap of problems can be found, it’s relatively easy for exploration creators."
Upon hearing this, Xie Baomin immediately shook his head:
"That’s boring, let’s switch to a more challenging place. In Beijing, which store is most reputed and has high per capita spending?"
The photographer thought and offered sincere advice:
"I think it’s...Fishing Platform."
Xie Baomin: ??????
Little brother, are you here to amuse me specifically?
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Originally, there were supposed to be three updates today, but while writing this Chapter in the afternoon, I noticed the average subscription dropped to 4900, and the chase subscription is just over a thousand. In August, the average subscription was nearly 6000, and it suddenly dropped by over a thousand. The mood instantly became sour, I’ve been doubting myself all afternoon. But for the sake of living, I can only keep writing, aiming for four million words first, pleading for monthly tickets brothers, I’ll start adding updates once I’m back in shape.