I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 513 - 258: How to Make Home-style Soy Sauce Chicken! Shen Guofu: Who really calls the shots in this home? [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
"I really didn’t expect your new store to look so grand!"
At the kitchen entrance, Guo Xinghai, having made a round inside the store, marveled, full of admiration for the place.
The newly renovated Lin Ji’s Food was not only stylish but, more importantly, boasted exceptional talent in the kitchen. Wei Qian, Zhuang Yizhou, and Zhu Yong were all masters who had competed in cooking competitions.
Qin Wei and Ji Minghui might not have competed, but they were also quite famous at Fishing Platform, a place teeming with talent.
Looking back now, the previous two cooking competitions hadn’t really been about culinary skills at all. They were purely recruiting fairs for Lin Xu.
"Hello, Xinghai, welcome to our Lin Ji. What would you like to eat tonight? I’ll cook it for you personally."
Seeing Guo Xinghai, Wei Qian stopped trying to secretly learn from Xie Baomin and came out to greet him actively.
"Today, I’m just here to feast, so I’ll eat whatever you prepare."
Qin Wei handed Guo Xinghai a cup of Sour Plum Soup. After taking a small sip, he smiled and started chatting casually with Wei Qian.
In the kitchen, Guo Weidong, looking like he had Xie Baomin right where he wanted him, said, "Old Xie, if you keep giving me that sidelong glance, I’ll instantly send a message in our Fishing Platform group chat, inviting everyone to come and taste your softshell turtle."
Xie Baomin’s fight left him all at once.
That damn crowd had snatched all the pork kidneys clean last night. If he notified them to come today, he feared not even a drop of sauce from these softshell turtles would be left.
Thinking this, Old Xie immediately put on a smile and bumped Guo Weidong with his shoulder. "Weidong, what do you think about braising it this way? Do we need to add other ingredients? You absolutely can’t leave tonight—we good brothers need to have a few more drinks."
Guo Weidong was speechless. You shameless dog, you’re certainly adaptable, aren’t you? And now we’re good brothers again?
He looked at the softshell turtle being stir-fried in the wok and said, "It’s time to add the aromatics. After stir-frying them until fragrant, you also need to deglaze with Rice Wine. If you keep stir-frying like this, you’ll ruin the softshell turtle!"
Hearing this, Xie Baomin quickly dumped the aromatics into the wok and continued stir-frying.
When the stir-frying was almost done, instead of adding Rice Wine, he splashed in a generous half-ladle of high-proof Liquor.
As soon as the Liquor was added, he deliberately tilted the wok, allowing the stove’s flame to leap over the rim. The Liquor in the wok instantly ignited, completely enveloping the turtle and chicken pieces in flames.
"Hey! That’s a nice move!"
Guo Weidong had been curious why Xie Baomin hadn’t quickly deglazed with Rice Wine to dissipate any gamey smell while enhancing the dish’s mellow flavor. He hadn’t expected Xie Baomin to immediately use this flaming technique.
Compared to Rice Wine, the burning Liquor enhanced the mellow flavor more significantly and had a better effect in removing gamey and off-putting smells.
This trick wasn’t complex; all chefs at Fishing Platform at the head chef level or above could easily pull it off.
But knowing the technique didn’t mean knowing how to apply it.
Cooking, once a certain level is reached, evolves from a mere display of techniques to their artful combination and arrangement.
How to best use learned cooking techniques to enhance and showcase the flavor and texture of ingredients is a challenge every chef faces.
But Xie Baomin seemed never to have such dilemmas.
Every time he cooked, he could flexibly adjust his techniques according to the ingredients.
This is probably what talent looks like.
"Weidong, what do you think would be good to add and stew in this dish?"
Quite a few people were dining together tonight: three from the Lin Family, three from the Shen Family, plus the Guo family’s uncle and nephew. The originally planned single chicken and one softshell turtle seemed somewhat inadequate.
Guo Weidong said, "You definitely have an idea. Just go ahead and make it; I’m not picky."
Hearing this, Xie Baomin immediately instructed Wei Qian, who was by the door, "Little Wei, get some Chinese yam and wood ear mushrooms. Since we’re adding ingredients, let’s add something warming and nourishing."
Guo Weidong couldn’t help but laugh. "Be careful you don’t overdo it and give yourself a nosebleed. When you’re not busy, come to Building Ten. I’ll teach you some soup recipes to save you from flailing around for quick fixes, looking like you’re at death’s door."
"Weidong, if you say that again, I’m adding chili peppers—a whole big bowl of dried chili!"
"Then I’ll post on Moments to promote this softshell turtle and chicken dish of yours."
Xie Baomin felt as if his vital spot had been hit; his defiance vanished instantly.
As he busied himself, he asked, "My wife got a gym membership and wants me to work out at least three times a week. Weidong, do you think exercise is more effective, or dietary therapy?"
"Dietary therapy is effective, but it has to be built on a foundation of exercise."
Xie Baomin felt somewhat defeated.
Among the trio of master and apprentices, his junior brother was out of the question. He was in his vigorous twenty-somethings, an age where one is so full of beans that even tripping could practically crater the ground. Their master, though nearly seventy, was all sinew and muscle, fit enough to haul heavy sacks at the docks.
Only he, Xie Baomin, was a bit frail. He hadn’t felt it before, but recently, with his wife taking the initiative so passionately, he suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.
Drinking goji berry water all day couldn’t seem to put the spring back in his step.
It’s really true: "Midlife crises inevitably strike, and these jokes are all about me"!
After the Liquor had burned off, he added Light Soy Sauce and Dark Soy Sauce, then white sugar and pepper powder, and finally a bit of Oyster Sauce for extra savoriness, completing the seasoning for the dish.
He stirred everything a few times to distribute the seasonings evenly in the wok, then added boiling water. After covering the wok with a lid, he turned down the heat and began to simmer.
Braising is essential for red-braised dishes. This process not only ensures the ingredients are thoroughly cooked but also allows the flavors to penetrate deeply. For this particular dish, simmering served an additional purpose: to render the collagen from the softshell turtle’s skin, thereby enhancing both the texture and flavor of the dish.
The softshell turtle’s fringe is rich in collagen, as are its bottom shell, limbs, and even its entire outer skin.
