Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 408: State Banquet Cuisine, Wensi Tofu
Fresh mushrooms, Xuanwei ham, greens, large northeastern black fungus soaked, and small tender winter bamboo shoots. Although it’s a complex dish, there’s not a single step in making Wen Si Tofu that is taken lightly.
Wang Fan swiftly picked up various ingredients, with a few quick "swish swish" of the knife, sliced them into pieces thinner than 2mm, and then evenly into fine strips. Kurban and the others were watching in awe.
Whether watching through a window or via a video, nothing compares to the shock of seeing it live.
All of them have been handling knives for half their lives, yet never considered attempting this dish.
Everyone has their comfort zone, and stepping out of it to learn something new is very challenging. Clearly, this dish is outside their comfort zone.
In Huaiyang cuisine, knife skills are crucial, arguably the most demanding among all culinary styles, yet it’s not solely about knife skills. Preserving the original taste of the ingredients and controlling the cooking time is equally crucial.
Every step Wang Fan took was swift and steady, neither hurried nor sluggish. With a gentle and steady hand, he sliced the tofu into strands as fine as hair in boiling water, without breaking a single strand.
Finally, aside from the tofu strands, all sorts of cooked ingredient strips gathered in the pot for seasoning and thickening.
"Thickening the soup is the most crucial and difficult part of this dish. If not done well, the tofu strands can’t separate,"
Wang Fan explained as he worked. Though Kurban thought cutting the tofu was the hardest for them, this didn’t stop them from learning the thickening technique from the master. After all, many other dishes require thickening.
"If you’re unsure, start thickening with low heat, then bring to a boil over high heat, thickening until it forms a line when pulled."
"Add the drained tofu strands, use the back of an iron spoon to gently separate the tofu strands, and spread them evenly in the pot."
"Once this step is completed, the dish is done."
As Wang Fan spoke, the ingredients originally gathered in the pot dispersed like a heavenly goddess scattering flowers.
The white tofu strands, black fungus, brown mushroom, green vegetable, and light yellow bamboo shoot strips, all as fine as hair, mixed together at this moment, swirling in a mini vortex with the movement of the iron spoon, captivatingly eye-catching.
Wang Fan lifted the spoon, and the vortex gradually flattened, its rotation slowing, until finally settling into tranquility.
Not until the tofu was served in the soup tureen did Kurban and the others come back to their senses.
As soon as they did, they began showering Wang Fan with praise: "A sight to behold, truly a sight to behold."
"I used to think my knife skills were decent, but after seeing Master Wang prepare Wen Si Tofu, I feel like smashing my head into a block of tofu."
"The broth, clear and shiny, with its crystal-clear tofu strands, complemented by various ingredients, not only looks beautiful but is intricately shaped."
"Master Wang is the culinary god in my heart!"
"Master Wang was so modest just now, but this single dish is enough to establish his legendary status!"
Listening to the endless stream of compliments, especially how outlandish they grew towards the end, even Wang Fan felt a bit embarrassed.
Kurban and the others didn’t see it that way. At least ninety percent of their words were heartfelt, with the remaining ten percent being a touch of personal bias.
As they spoke, their eyes eagerly turned to the dinner, clearly wanting to taste this dish, a culmination of knife skills, to see how it truly tasted. After all, if it only looks appealing but doesn’t taste good, it could at most serve as a practice piece for knife skills.
If it turned out to be delicious, then when meeting colleagues from other hostels in the future, wouldn’t they be able to boast a bit?
"Hey, do you know what Wen Si Tofu tastes like? I watched it being cut right before my eyes, made by a chef of national banquet level!"
Such bragging would surely leave others speechless, no?
The soups Wang Fan makes are always in generous portions, especially with so many ingredients prepared; the quantity of this dish was not going to be small. To stop their ever more outrageous compliments, Wang Fan reluctantly said, "Alright, alright, gentlemen, let’s stop the commercial praises. If it goes on, I’ll become so inflated I won’t find my way back. There’s plenty of soup here, please try some."
Wang Fan set aside a portion for Grandma Wu and divided the remainder into five portions, just enough for each of the five chefs to have one.
Kurban and the others were exhilarated. After all the chatter, wasn’t this the moment they were waiting for?
"Oh my, I’m so embarrassed. We came here to learn and not only gained new knowledge but also satisfied our appetites. Thank you so much, Master Wang."
"I’ve never seen someone as young and capable as Master Wang. What’s rare is that he’s so down-to-earth, without the impatience young people usually have."
"My boy, who just got promoted, carries his nose in the air. Compared to Master Wang, he’s miles apart. When I return, I’ll teach him some humility with a pot of simmered meat."
After spending time with Wang Fan, it indeed shattered Kurban and the others’ stereotypical impressions.
It’s hard to imagine a person so young with such exceptional skills being so humble, easygoing, and approachable.
Some of the chefs married early, with children about Wang Fan’s age, and naturally drew comparisons upon seeing such an impressive young person.
Comparisons can make you miserable; goods compared are discarded. Compared to Wang Fan, their own skills seemed embarrassingly lacking, making the masters wish they could start over like novice players.
In the Great Border, comparing someone to Northeastern "silly roes" means they are naive, and especially when dining out, never call a service person "spoon," as it may offend them.
After a round of flattering comments, Kurban and the others received their much-anticipated Wen Si Tofu.
Each soup tureen contained more than half a bowl, just warm enough to hold without burning their hands. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Held close to their noses, the rich aroma of chicken broth mingled with the fresh scents of various ingredients, and just the fragrance alone was worthy of the elaborate knife work.
With a gentle puff of air, the white mist atop the tureen dissipated slightly, the thick soup gently rippling, a few strands of hair-thin tofu blown apart, yet mischievously gathering back together.
Kurban sipped a little; the richly flavored hot broth entered his mouth, instantly offering an exceptionally smooth and tender sensation.
This is the true silky texture!
Kurban exclaimed, barely chewing at all on his first mouthful, swallowing it eagerly.
As he swallowed, he felt a wave of supreme deliciousness flow into his stomach, an experience of flavor unrivaled in his lifetime.
He eagerly went in for a second sip, gently chewing it, finding the crunchy black fungus and bamboo shoot strips intriguingly enjoyable, the rich chicken broth flavor in his mouth penetrated by countless strands of tofu fragrance, offering not only great taste but texture too. With every swallow, the smooth sensation traveled from his mouth to his stomach, an indescribable "cool" feeling!
